By Matthew Longcore
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
– The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Summer is definitely my season. Despite growing up in New England, I never picked up skiing, and I absolutely detest the cold. Winter has two redeeming qualities, in my opinion – the beauty of Christmas (which is really just four days after the winter solstice) followed by months of good excuses to stay indoors and enjoy the comforts of home (movies, books, fires in the fireplace, and the company of Bella, my beloved canine companion).
When the months of hibernation conclude and spring finally blooms, that means the best season is just around the corner. The season of sailing and beaches, daytrips and cocktail parties. It is, among other things, the season of sartorial splendor – the season of madras and seersucker.
Spring – the season of renewal – is also the season of refreshing one’s wardrobe. When my copy of the J. Press Brochure Spring & Summer 2025 arrived in the mail, I was eager to peruse the new arrivals. Here are some of the items that caught my attention:
These items are featured on the inside cover of the brochure and on page 17.
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- The Pink Oxford Shirt with White Club Collar
- Navy Griffin Tie
- White Crash Linen Trousers
- Navy Double Breasted Blazer
The pink shirt with the contrasting white collar tops my list of must-have items for 2025. It has a great vintage look, very 1920s. If my friends ever get around to finally planning that Gatsby-themed party we have been talking about for years, I will definitely wear this shirt. The linen trousers in crisp white look especially sharp, a nice alternative to the white ducks that I already have from J. Press.
The griffin necktie appeals to my love of medieval heraldry. I am intrigued by the navy blazer and wonder if I could pull it off. Normally I wear the J. Press signature 3 roll 2 sack model, which is the ultimate all-American Ivy Style classic. But the Anglophile in me likes the idea of dressing like an old school Englishman, and this blazer has that elegance.
Speaking of Anglophilia, I like the J. Press partnership with Fox Brothers & Co, a clothmaker base/d in Wellington, Somerset, England. Founded in 177, the company is one of the few working cloth mills still producing cloth entirely in England.
- Madras Pants
- Navy Stripe Blazer
- Ivory Cotton Cricket Vest
- Sanders White Suede Bucks
I am fond of the Madras Pants on page 29 and the Navy Stripe Blazer on page 33. These items would look smashing at a summer soirée. To complete a wardrobe worthy of any garden party, I am partial to the Ivory Cotton Cricket Vest and the Sanders White Suede Bucks, where are featured on pages 40 and 41.
The Official Preppy Handbook has a section titled “SUMMER IS A VERB” which encapsulates the importance of this season:
“The summer is the high point of the Prep year, the point when Prep blossoms into fullest flower, the point of reference for everything in life.”
The handbook adds that one chooses clothing based on how one spends the summer. I couldn’t agree more.
The seersucker is always such a refreshing look. The grey suit is a must. Various shades of lighter grey suits would fit the bill.
SE once mentioned the now extinct 7-8 oz. wool/mohair/silk summer tweed. Most intriguing. A light grey or tan with minty blue or green, or maybe even rose pink? A puppy-tooth, or a subdued check with no overcheck, or donegal like stripe…Very summery.
The silk-linen “summer tweeds” once woven by Noble (now owned by Magee) were a perennial staple of the Southwick cloth swatch box. I’m not a fan of seersucker or pastels, so mostly primary colored ties with navy, tan, gray cotton (poplin) cotton-line. blend suits.
One of my favorite springtime navy blazers is a featherweight moleskin. Unlined, padless.
https://www.acornfabrics.com/shop/fabric-types/solid-fabrics/bronte-navy-moleskin-fabric/
Funny you should write this now, Matthew. The last couple of weeks, I have found myself thinking about replacing an aging navy blazer (the shoulders were always a wee bit too bold, but I’ve got 20+ years wear out of it) with one from J. Press and (possibly. . . No, probably) adding a couple of their broadcloth shirts to the rotation for good measure. Lots of oxford cloth in the rotation already you understand. Something a bit more comfortable for warmer weather is in order for an upcoming conference at the start of June in Washington, D.C.
Kind Friday Evening Regards,
Heinz-Ulrich
I love J. Squeeze and I am a 35+ year customer. However, over the years I have found it increasingly frustrating that they either don’t carry XXL sizes in so many items nor do they have jackets in a 48L. At 70 I’m unlikely to suddenly drop 30 lbs other than by reason of a serious illness. Either they: (1) are not manufacturing the sizes; or (2) have next to no stock in them because they post something new and the larger sizes are gone the same day of the post. Very frustrating. The merchandise is beautiful. For me it’s now down to Press, Andover and O’Connell’s As the kids say I am “so over” BB. I assume their ambition is to the “Macy’s of menswear” (today they announced spring sport shirts that look like fabric on a couch my grandmother had after the War). and Ben Silver’s stock (lovely as it may be) is ridiculously priced. Press “pennant line” is a great idea (kind of like Brooksgate in my school days) but surely Press’ ownership must know that (catalogue models aside) their customer base does tend to hew 50+. Good thing my taste hasn’t changed since prep school in the early 70s.
Good people-what’s your rule on when and where a grown man can wear shorts? Is it only near a pool, on a tennis court etc or are shorts acceptable “in town”?
I wear shorts to and from the gym and around the house. I suppose if I were to summer at a resort, I would wear shorts quite a bit after breakfast and up until supper time. So I take the “when in Rome” approach from a civilized perspective.
No, not “in town”.
Interesting question, though. The British Army was issued shorts, as was the American Army in Panama. I’ve found out the hard way that sunburn is more uncomfortable than wearing trousers. We had the option of rolling our sleeves up in hot weather. That was perfectly fine indoors, but when working outdoors, the sleeves come down.
In most northeastern summer resorts, Bermuda length shorts are ubiquitous regardless of age. That said, having reached 65 myself, I would prefer to keep mine hidden from the viewing public (and sometimes wish others would do the same).
I live in an affluent Virginia suburb. Weekend hot weather wear runs from Fetterman to Polo, T. Bahama, and Peter Millar. Mostly shorts.
I was once waiting to be interviewed on an local morning news station. The man before me was in shorts.
Another person in the comments above mentioned the frustration of not being able to find their size at JPRESS. I share that, especially since they pick out such beautiful fabrics for their jackets every year. But I get it and can go to MTM for jackets. I’m more frustrated in getting shut out with the casual where. Hopefully JPRESS will read the comments and adjust.
Matthew, please great remember music.
“Theme from ‘A Summer Place'”, the Percy Faith version, beautifully captures the season. Also in the summer, is the opportunity to dress well and attend local live music events in your community. There are many community orchestras and jazz ensembles, comprised of splended amateur musicians, who dress as well as they perform. I should know. I’m one of them.
Summer is also “Proms” season in the UK. Whilst far from the shores of the northeastern United States, my mother country has some of the greatest music ever known being performed. “Proms” season commences in mid July or so and concludes with “Last Night” at the Royal Albert Hall in September. A marvellous season to be had!
I enjoyed reading the prologue to this article by FSF. My modest bookshelves hold, “Tender is the Night”, “This Side of Paradise”, “The Last Tycoon”, and of course, Gatsby. Summer is also great season for reading. I have much to get caught up on.
I wish you and all your readers well. Style and class knows no borders.
– Living it up authentically. With grace, style, and aplomb.
I tend to find J Press shirts in my size a tad narrow; [more like Brooks’ Madison fit than traditional fit. (And no matter what they now say, Madison is not Traditional. They lie.)] So, I buy a 17 in Press rather than a 16.5. Great shirts. Love the (Jack McCoy) flap pocket. The brochure came to my house last week. Very nice. Don’t understand all the models sporting facial hair, though. Not preppy.
I agree about the bearded men. Not a preppy look at all.
At least a few of this year’s models are clean shaven. Looking back to a 2023 brochure, every model was hirsute, so one can look at this as progress.
Haha.
Another great J. Press Brochure. Lovely seersucker, linen blends and summer tweeds, and it was good to see the pinned club collars along side the more typical button-downs.
Almost all of my suits and sport coats are 3/2 sacks, but I liked the double-breasted blazer, which is similar to one shown in the previous Press brochure. Polo has generally been one of the few sources for high quality DB clothing, and it is nice to see it in J. Press. I had one made around 15 or so years ago and really like it, but confess to sometimes feeling a bit conspicuous since DB blazers are not so common. I also have a grey DB seersucker suit. Not sure that it counts as Ivy, but I am a fan, and the DBs often get compliments, so I guess I am not alone.
The Press customer base hews 50+ because those are the only people who can afford it. How many men that are the same age as those young models are gonna shell out $1800 for a 3-2 roll suit?
Even moving up in age a bit, a non-MTM sport coat for $800 or a sweater for $400 is just not affordable for the average dad with 2 kids and a mortgage. And the ones who can afford it tend to live in leisurewear, which is the current “old money” clothing trend.
So that leaves the “seasoned veterans”.
Thank you for sharing this – I need to see if they will mail me a copy!
J. Press will send you a catalog.
Contact them here:
https://jpressonline.com/pages/contact-j-press