The Natural Shoulder

By James Moore Ivy Style contributor James Moore is the English Department Chair and Director of Squash Programs at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. Jim is a graduate of Cornell University where he was a member of the squash team, the glee club, and the Delta Chi fraternity. In this article, Jim suggests that

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Tradified

From The Editor

Matthew Longcore, Ph.D.  Editor and publisher Matthew Longcore completed his Ph.D. in Humanities at Salve Regina University. His doctoral dissertation is titled “Dreaming Spires: Collegiate Gothic Architecture on American Campuses.” Matthew is a graduate of Trinity College and holds master’s degrees from Fairfield University, Harvard University, and Yale University. As an undergraduate, he majored in

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From The Archives

Collegiate Grooming Showdown: Vitalis vs. Brylcreem

Princeton, NJ resident Bill Stephenson graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1954 and lived in the Delta Upsilon fraternity house. Herein he shares his thoughts on haircuts and grooming products during the heyday of the Ivy League Look. Back in the day, undergraduates throughout the US looked pretty similar when it came to hairstyles,

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A Treasure Trove In Lancaster

By Matthew Longcore Father’s Day is this weekend and I am visiting my dad in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster is a beautiful place. My dad calls it “God’s country” and with good reason. The bucolic region has miles of lush farmland. The downtown area is surprisingly hip, a center for arts and culture with fine restaurants,


Protestant Deformation: Neurotic WASPs, 1990

Christopher Sharp presents this swan song of ’80s prepdom from the January 1990 issue of M Magazine, a post that originally ran on Ivy Style in July of 2009. In keeping with the neurotic WASP theme, the scans were taken at a self-consciously nonchalant angle. * * * I’ve had this magazine for almost 20


Trinity’s Preppy Culture Defined

by Matthew Longcore, Trinity class of ’94 This article originally appeared in the December 7, 2010 issue of The Trinity Tripod. It is official: Trinity is the preppiest college in New England. This proclamation was made by none other than Lisa Birnbach, author of the 1980 tongue-in-cheek bestseller The Official Preppy Handbook and co-author (with Chip


Madras Giveaway

Ivy Style and the Preppy Handbook Fan Club have teamed up with our friends at Brooks Brothers, Davey’s, Original Madras Company, and St Johns Fragrance Company for a Madras Giveaway. To enter the giveaway, visit the Ivy Style page on Instagram. The winner will receive a fantastic collection of items including: BROOKS BROTHERS No. 1


Ivy Style Father’s Day Gift Guide

By Matthew Longcore Father’s Day is an important day on the Ivy Style calendar. Many of us learned about classic men’s style from our fathers. My dad is an Ivy League guy. He attended Brown University as an undergraduate and Cornell University for his MBA. I was born in Ithaca, New York when my dad


Cable Car Clothiers

In 1980, The Official Preppy Handbook included Cable Car Clothiers, a San Franciso haberdashery in its “Where To Shop” guide. The store is described as follows: “San Francisco’s British Goods Store since 1939.” Cable Car’s clothing selection and the store’s ads use of such terms as “handsome,” “classic,” and “superior fit” are dead giveaways that


Ponderings of Prep

By Matthew Moskowski Ivy Style contributing writer Matthew Moskowski is a student at The Catholic University of America.  Matthew is enthused with bringing prep to campus. He is studying business management and philosophy and is an active member of the campus community. Matthew serves as Vice President of the Student Body, Vice President of the


Interview with Rhys Moore of St Johns

Ivy Style editor Matthew Longcore had the opportunity to interview St Johns CEO Rhys Moore. Here is the transcript from the interview. Matthew: St Johns was founded in 1946, so this year marks the 80th Anniversary of the brand. Congratulations on this milestone! This definitely puts St Johns into heritage brand territory. Please share a


Specs Appeal: P3, The Most Properly Preppy Eyeglasses

This post, one of Ivy Style’s most heavily trafficked ever, was written by contributor Bill Stephenson in 2011.  “This wonderful specialist was the J. Press of trad eyewear,” says David Wilder, who worked nearby at J. Press and is highly knowledgeable about eyewear. “The optical land of the P3 shape will never be the same,


Talk Ivy: An Interview With Toshiyuki Kurosu

W. David Marx did this interview for Ivy Style back in 2013 while researching his groundbreaking book “Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style.” As part of the research he sat down with Toshiyuki Kurosu (pictured above second from left) at the Kamakura Shirts office in Tokyo. Kurosu is legendary in Japan as one of the very