Merry Tradmas! '12

Keeping with tradition, my relatives make the pilgrimage to my nearby aunt's house, who is always welcoming of us every year, and whose house happens to be large enough to fit everyone. We spend Christmas Eve attending the afternoon service, eating a hefty warm meal, opening presents, sipping on hot cocoa (or something more spirited for the grown ups), and enjoying each other's company well into the early Christmas morning.

Bulldog outfit. Shaggy, Flap, Slacks, Scarf. Throw in some papa bear Golden Fleece too, and those Waldens while you're at it. It was a chilly rainy evening and went with a trench instead of my planned JPress blazer as my over coat. Although the sweater was plenty warm, I felt naked without a sportcoat or blazer in church for Christmas, as it tends to be one of the better-dressed days out of the calender. At least it was nice to see a good amount of fellow young men in suits or coat and tie. Even a few bowties, with me leading the helm.

My youngest nephew, Jake, and his newest toy. We love to spoil the guy.

 

After a light slumber, the kids awaken again to unwrap more presents, this time left by Santa. Sadly, I don't get as excited as the little ones do on Christmas morning. Entrance to adulthood has forever robbed me! But its fun to see the lil' hellions run around with their new prizes. Jake particularly enjoyed his set of Avengers.

And we eat another hefty, delicious breakfast meal before heading back home and counting down another 364 days. Brooks University Red Stripe, seasonal D-ring, and Bill's.

Happy Holidays and I wish you a Healthy, Prosperous New Year's!

-Tony

RL Rugby Closing

My last article featured my opinion on Brooks Brother's Flatiron concept, which is entering the contest just as it appears the main competitor is throwing in the towel. Ralph Lauren's Rugby, the manifestation of high-end collegiate inspired, fashion "forward" neo-preppism, will be closing so that Ralphy can focus on "more scalable global opportunities with the core Ralph Lauren brand". So basically, Rugby was seen as a failure.

This was foreshadowed early on. Soon after its launch in 2004, Rugby opened a location on college town destination Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, NC, right across UNC's university campus. I remember walking in its newly opened doors, impressed with the decor and selection (don't mock me...it was a simpler, more ignorant time). And just a year or two later, the doors were closed. Maybe the prices were too high. Or maybe Rugby couldn't appeal to the collegiate target.

While I was not a loyal fan and prefer to look above the overly WASPy fashions Rugby produced, I respected the medium and its contributions. Because even though I'd never be caught dead with a fashion designed rugby polo coronated with a regal-esque patch of a made up athletic club established in 1920-something, I appreciated the effort of our American powerhouse clothing outfitter trying to sell its famous preppy image to our young generation. Trad itself is a dying art, and Rugby was our ammo in the fight to keep traditional clothing alive, no matter it's grimaced interpretation of it. Rugby's intentions remained aligned with our own while trying to grab attention from the broad masses. And yes as inferred, Rugby had its many faults. But it also had very strong character points as well. Their University Chinos have garnered high praise for its slim fit and reasonable price. And I've liked their winter offerings that displayed wide selection of interesting patterns and motifs, as well as their Shetland sweaters, of which I own two (a crewneck and a shawl cardigan). And although much of their price points lied far above the average college kid's loan budget, Rugby's sales were decent enough and even more so with a student discount. Not to mention, the youthful appearance allowed for nicely fit proportions and bodies, great for ectomorphic freshmen.

I actually thought Rugby was doing well enough, just hitting its stride as a mainstream brand. But just under a  decade after its launch, Rugby will cease after F/W 2013. Perhaps its an ill-mentioned sign of the changing times. Whereas Rugby would've made a killing amongst college students in the default preppy era of the 80s, now it has met its demise, ultimately losing in its attempt to swoon the masses with its antiquated Ivy League approach.

Niche competitor JCrew is doing well, but only because they shed their All-American focus (formerly competing with Lands End and LLBean) to a more worldly and urban interpretation of classic Americana (now competing with the high-end fashion houses, even boldly stepping up its appeal with runway shows). The transition started around five or six years ago, not coincidentally as JCrew served as a very influential brand in my own journey to Tradville, and has thus proved successful, cementing their base as a formidable label while being widely accessible to the average male in malls across the nation. It seems JCrew has such a firm grasp on the market that its easy to say that this is where the trend is going: away from New England Prep and towards New York City Vibe. I have no qualms with JCrew and overall like their direction. But it shows that Papa Bear Trad and Little Cub Prep are migrating for the hibernation, as the chilling winds of modern day clothing blows elsewhere. Lesson learned: 20th century influenced clothing is outdated and boring. Prep is dead. Hipster is alive and well.

With Rugby gone, the youthful preppy segment of the market lies with Flatiron for the taking. You'd think this would excite the Brooks Brothers execs, but I'm sure they see it as a doomed warning, that perhaps the market isn't as accessible as they thought.


Read more on GQ and IvyStyle.


(Protip: come this time next year, raid the Rugby halls for some closeout deals.)

Brooks Brothers Flatiron

Last Fall, our favorite pair of Brothers launched a concept brand that directly targets the youngest, newest generation of tradsters and prepsters, the very same consumers as you and me. Flatiron (perhaps named for the iconic Flatiron building in NYC, which itself alludes to a clothes iron, for a time gone by before treated non-iron fabrics) directly competes with Ralph Lauren's Rugby brand, launched a few years prior in 2004, so much so that visiting either storefront feels like walking into a continual loop of relic Ivy League black&white photos, cracked aromatic leather chairs, and collegiate artifacts.

I have no qualms with a nearly 200 year old cornerstone establishment evolving to catch the sartorial imaginations of yet another generation of young men and women. Back in the early 20th century, Brooks Brothers targeted the college man with trunk shows, bringing the newest fashions to campus and helping to create the newest campus styles (giving rise to the TNSIL).  A century later, Flatiron hopes to capture the same kinds of tastes of our more challenging to grasp, ever-changing group of Echo Boomers. Unfortunately, Brooks Brothers fails to realize that by diffusing into the more hipper side of things, they alienate the position of what they're already known for: classic timeless style. It just so happens that the young collegiate man that gravitates towards tradom and Brooks Brothers doesn't care about fake rugby patches and graphic t-shirts with pre-distressed insignias. We want to dress like young refined gentlemen, not like middle school boys. I donated my Abercrombie and American Eagle rags years ago. Let those 140lb pretend Ruckers buy overpriced rugby polos, and let the younger men ready to rise above their fellow average-ers quilt their cloths to the blanket of distinguished tapestry that Brooks Brothers Senior has always blanketed upon polished men. Men in their early to mid 20s are in a state of transition, and those attracted to wearing the likes of Brooks Brothers and J Press want to dress like our fathers to earn our new maturity and to garner respect as we set foot into our chosen careers and life paths. We are not necessarily the type that wants to fight against tradition; we don't need to experiment with fringe modern styles that replace tried-and-true standards. The greatest benefit of trad and prep are the inherent idioms of proven reliability that makes the style so great, and its classic image on a 20-something signifies that he is ready for the world's variability and challenges as a recent adolescent-turned-adult convert.

Brooks Brothers shouldn't lower its standards, and instead push forward the continual teachings of authentic classic men's wear that has been taught for generations past. In essence: Let today's younger generation come to you, not the other way around. Sell and campaign to us imagery of proper fitting, non-overbearing logoed shirts tucked into slim chinos, a clean preppy staple look, and save the awful "athletic meet formal" mismatched rebellious thought process that says our generation needs to change things up. Again, those souls are the type that shop from H&M or still buy from Hollister Co, and they will never fit into your target population. The modern Brooks Brothers man is still just that, a Brooks Brothers man. A tradster. A prepster. A Yuppie. Tell me, exactly when would anyone past the age of 19 have the occasion to ever wear a t-shirt with a fake printed undone bowtie? The young guys predisposed to true trad and prep would never wear that, and would much rather adorn a simple polo or OCBD instead. The average-ers think of Old man style as boring and plain, but we see it as tasteful for the ever shrinking class of professionals. Which in itself has become today's backlash statement. A return to domestic goods. A return to "old man" anything. 1960s. Mad Men. The Impossible Cool. High ideals. James Dean wearing a simple white tee. Not a logo shirt whoring out the brand. It has come to the point that choosing to conform to the American Dream has become a rebellious statement in itself. And that's how I see myself, and hope you the reader, as well.

Not to say Rugby and Flatiron are terrible concepts. I definitely like the attention to detail and modern fits, and personally have a few items from Rugby and can see myself buying from Flatiron. Again, there is no problem with going for a new direction to garner attention and build brand loyalty. But its the over-saturation of "forward thinking" fashion appeal that leaves the distaste, especially with thinking that has false approval in terms of actual daily wear. Can you really see yourself wearing Red Wing boots with suits, or a sweatshirt under a blazer paired with cargo pants and penny loafers? Too cataloge photo-op, not enough realism. The 23 year old intern will choose something more grounded, no? And to reinforce my feelings: stop the graphic shirts. Just stop it.

I like Flatiron's stores, and naturally Rugby's as well. Sure, the over projection of mid century Ivy League mouthful can be rather "Okay, we get it...It's the past meeting the present shtick!" but it is visually fun to set foot into for those of us who don't eat at Hogwarts for breakfast everyday. As you can infer, there are some hits and misses. The introduction of the Cambridge Fit for example is cool, which to be honest, I have no idea what differentiates it from the still new Milano Fit, but it's comforting to know that there are sizes for every taste and body type which Brooks has earned my highest approval for, whereas just a decade ago, they only offered fits ranging from Balloon to Blimp. Cons would be the styling choices as explained in my diatribe above, and the expensive prices. I feel like only the 1 percenters of New England prep academy alumnni can afford this stuff at full price. And to hell if I'm investing in a $600 sport coat made in Thailand.

I was excited to see that Brooks Brothers was coming to a nearby mall this Fall. Then I was slightly disappointed to see that instead of a Brooks retail location, a Flatiron had opened up in its place. This location is situated minutes away from Duke and UNC and nearby NC State universities. And of note, Rugby had opened on Franklin St. in the UNC town of Chapel Hill when the brand launched a few years ago, but that location had since closed down. Possibly because of the prices. Or possibly because the Tar Heel fratters preferred their Carolina Blue OCBDs to their over-branded skull and bones. We'll see if Flatiron can seize their targeted market this time around. But I have a feeling it may be a miss yet again.  (I have only visited once, but it was during prime shopping hours on a Saturday. The store had been open for about two weeks now. I saw a young preppy brother and sister, probably just freshmen in high school, getting Mom and Dad to buy a few polos. This was the only purchase during my 20min spy infiltration.) ((And another thing I noticed: I was dressed much preppier than the sales force. At least the team members at JCrew look like they just stepped out of the catalog. I saw one brand rep wear baggy jeans from what looked like the Backstreet Boys era. I don't expect you to wear Brooks denim the cost of a whole paycheck, but at least get some slim dark 514s to match the fashion you are selling! /elitist ))


My friend and I took a trip to the brand new Flatiron at my local mall. Here are the outdoor front and side store views. Notice the Signature Repp and Argyle & Sutherland stripes on the awnings. 

Inside the store.

A miss in my opinion; no need for the 1818 (nor the logo on a sweater for that matter).

 

Fitting room. 

 

Shoe rack. Red Wings, Rancourts, Allen Edmonds-made Brooks Brothers branded

Preppy women.

They had some clothing items from Brooks' official collegiate collection, with OCBDs with Duke and UNC trademarks, but low and behold the fraudulent-in-the-name-of-fashion-and-brand-allusion offerings of Columbia and Yale universities, offered as a stock item in this Fall's collection. The ultimate faked orgasm of all. If I went to said Ivy League institutions, I'd be pissed that some kid in North Carolina can wear my alma mater, supposedly distressed over years of wear, in the namesake of appearing like a true Ivy academic. Forge your way into preppy authenticity! Become a true prep by visiting your very own local Flatiron today!

 

Copy of the Manhattan map of all of BB's original locations in New York City, commissioned in 1874. The cabinet holds leather and personal grooming goods. And that's me! Barbour Liddy, BB Clark Advantage Chinos (cuffed to no break), and AE Waldens. Not pictured is a BB red university stripe OCBD tucked in with my Volunteer Traditions motif state belt.

Checkout in the background looks like a bar.

With all the rage of collaborations and special collections, our other granddaddy on the family tree, Jacobi Press, is jumping into the neo-prep arena with the upcoming York Street. I like to think they won't shift too far from their niche, but with unimpressive past collabs with Urban Outfitters, I'm not as hopeful. Flatiron, Rugby, York Street, the new Gant, LL Bean Signature, Lands End Canvas....it just keeps on escalating....

An Olympic Pony

Ralph Lauren designed the Olympic opening ceremony apparel kits for our American athletes in London 2012. Mr. Lauren, who's name is already synonymous with Wimbledon and Polo (the sport), was the perfect choice for outfitting the ol' red, white, and blue, creatively combining his influences of sport and classic American fashion.

I am a biased of course. This is a trad blog with sympathy towards tradly style.

And as it turns out, Mr. Lauren doesn't have as much approval from most everyone else. Some criticisms do carry some veracity, such as the fact that these all-American uniforms are not actually so, having been made in China. But other criticisms, well, are just ridiculous. Militarisitc? Really? As one commenter noted, it's easier to see a yachtsman wearing this than a dictator.

But here is my argument in support of the uniforms. The sentiment in my guide highlights the continual downgrade of dress in not only this country, but all of modern society. The opening ceremony is one of the world's biggest events and you would think we'd want our young men and women dressed up for the occasion. In years past we got away with track suits, but in 2012 we came back to our senses and showed the world we can look stylish again. What some may call old fashioned and boring, I call the use of the quintessential American blue blazer with gold buttons a huge hit. Combined with a club collar, repp tie, and white pants, the whole ensemble reflects smart and cool American athleticism. The beret, which some say is too French, serves as a proper cover that's much better than a cowboy hat that's too Redneck. The vintage inspired wardrobe reminds me of the Chariots of Fire era; these days you'd only see this kind of classic style at a rowing regatta, but tonight you saw it on the international stage.

I applaud Ralph Lauren. Sure they're made in China (what isn't?) and yeah maybe his pony logo is kind of obnoxiously loud but overall he designed what could be our most stylish and attractive uniforms yet. We may not look as awesome as the Dutch, outfitted by SuitSupply, but hell, it could've been a lot worse.

Let the games begin. USA! USA!

See some of USA's best and worst outfits here.
 

Summer Escape

I made a remark about my recent visit to the quaint mountain town of Lexington, VA in the Washington and Lee University post. My older brother was in town visiting for a few weeks in June, and my family wanted to take a weekend getaway and escape the southern humidity and the crowded coasts, opting for the cooler Appalachian trail.

Situated just across the polished pastures of the university grounds is the local traditional clothing store Alvin-Dennis. I stopped by there years ago, but now with my clothing hobby, I made it a point to talk to owner Alvin Carter, delivering personal customer service since he opened shop in 1963. I introduced myself and he quickly warmed up to conversation, soon talking of our love for classic menswear and the history of his establishment. Mr. Carter showed me albums of old photographs of past customers and sales staff. There were countless black and white 1960s "Take Ivy"-esque vintage pictures. He said that students used to wear coat and tie to class everyday, hence the noticeable and regrettable steady decline of trad custom as he flipped the pages to modern day.

As we conversed, a young man walked into the store. Mr. Carter excused himself and welcomed the familiar friend, whom they had just completed a recent business transaction. The soon-to-be-hitched W&L alumni was going to be married to his college sweetheart that very same evening at Lee Chapel. Alvin-Dennis had outfitted the whole wedding party and was his largest order to date. How nice of the groom to incorporate not only the couple's alma mater, but also the hometown clothing shop, which I imagine he had first walked into as a freshman and just indoctrinated into trad, and now walking out as a new upwardly mobile professional on his wedding day, ready to embrace the next step in his life.

I purposely wore my Duck Head shorts, which Mr. Carter noticed and duly complimented me on. He ordered a shipment when the company rose from the ashes last year, but was disappointed how unknown they were with the current generation of fratstars. He told me how Ducks used to fly off the shelves back in the day. Oh times have changed indeed.

Mr. Carter thanked me for featuring his store on the blog and we exchanged handshakes. I wished him continued health and good business.

After eating a delightful dinner at Bistro on Main with the family, dusk hit Lexington, showering golden light and leaving behind gloaming tall shadows that stretched across downtown. After the meal, we went for some fresh air and found ourselves meandering on W&L's campus, strolling the brick lined university sidewalks and admiring the surrounding Federal architecture. A bell rang, and glancing over to Lee Chapel was the wedding procession, having just gotten out of the service. Respecting my distance but following up on intrigue, I watched the young man and his beautiful wife walk out the picturesque white chapel doors with the youthful wedding party welcoming them in their Alvin-Dennis supplied suits and summer dresses, all of whom I assumed were his fraternity brothers and her sorority sisters. The twilight sun reflected off their radiant faces with the newly married couple laughing and kissing for the photographer, the groomsmen and bridesmaids joyfully clapping, the ring bearer in his bowtie chasing after the flower girl in her white stockings, the well dressed parents and family taking in the lively sight that they'd remember for years to come. I continued my stroll, smiling and lost in tradly thoughts as the sun set on Lexington's ambiance.



 Owner Alvin Carter

Candid back shot of my outfit that day, the Duck Head shown proudly. (I was putting my sunglasses on Horatio Caine style)

"...and the tradition continues"

 My frocket tee souvenirs.

To Keep the Good Times Rollin'...

To celebrate my second anniversary of turning 21 and of legal tender, I followed traditional suit and bought myself cotton. Whereas this wasn't for my actual wedding anniversary, I purchased a cotton needlepoint flask from Smathers & Branson. The "Fancy Monogrammed" 6oz Flask is adorned with your last name's initial in bold print placed in between your first and middle initials. A must-have for the alcoholic binge drinking fratdaddy; or more suitably, as a refined man's souvenir, where a country gentleman would keep a hipflask in the pockets of his Barbour during game hunting on a cool Autumn morning, or practically yet, hidden in his Tweed Sportcoat inner chest pocket, taken out only to sneak a few whisks between plays at the Homecoming football game.

Even though it's a preppy practice I don't monogram my clothes. But for a flask that I intend on passing on to my first born son, I wanted a unique family heirloom with our birthright last name shown prominently. "Oh, ABC? This was your grandfather's. And one day it will be yours." I can imagine my eldest explaining to his own little ones. (Btw, ABC is not my actual initials). In the meantime, I look forward to many-a-drunken-tale with this flask.

Priced at $100 each with the engraving, you can get one of Smathers & Branson's pre-illustrated flasks with a design on one side and your initials on the other, or the Block or Fancy Monogrammed flasks, with your initials on both sides. Save this as a meaningful gift to your best man on your true wedding day, to your old man on Father's Day, or to your son on his own 21st birthday.

Drink in high spirits!

I prefer to keep my initials private, but my monogrammed letter colors and background are the same as the stock model on Smathers & Branson's website.

Brooks Brothers Costumes for The Great Gatsby

With the recent trailer launch of the upcoming motion picture The Great Gatsby, you may have noticed the exquisite period costumes adorned on Toby and Leo. As it turns out, our favorite trad brand Brooks Brothers collaborated with award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin with over 500 articles of clothing for the big budgeted film. What better clothing outfitter to trust to re-create authentic 1920s outfits, as Brooks Brothers is one of the few brands that may have actually dressed the character Gatsby. (afterall, they celebrated their 100th anniversary before the story even takes place.) F. Scott Fitzgerald himself, a Princeton graduate, would surely be pleased by the film's highly stylized look of the era that gave birth to what we know as prep and trad today. We'll see if the movie can catch the same sartorial presence that then-fashion breakout designer Ralph Lauren made in the Robert Redford 1974 adaption, but as seen in the exclusive story and preview slide show provided by Women's Wear Daily, perhaps the Brethren can indeed spark the return to modern day of handsome Golden Twenties splendor.

 

Canyon of Heroes

I'm not necessarily a Giants fan but I do like Eli Manning and his seemingly underrated career. And he's one of us as a southern prep alum, with his Sigma Nu brothership (legacy from his dad Archie), Isidore Newman and Ole Miss alma maters, and his family's southeastern conference roots. Not saying he is a model trad man since he usually dresses like any other grown up fratter would with tucked-in extra large polos and pleated khakis, but he does have some highlights. So if futbol players dress in high fashion across Europe, then I guess the Mannings are football's answer, cut from an All-American cloth.


Sockless boat shoes

Deciding on the Rebels cap

Even all grown up, Eli loves his fratshag.

Clean cut casual.

Eli and his beautiful wife at their summer wedding. Breezy khaki suit preferred over the hot tuxedo.

Eli and Abby enjoying courtside on date night. Topcoat, button down, chinos, suede bucks.

The odd jacket that's unfortunately too long, but hey, think of the children damnit.

Another mishap. Suit is all kinds of trouble. But I'm not looking at the suit.
The Mannings showing their school spirit by wearing Smathers and Branson needlepoint belts of their respective alma maters. Eli looking great in his button down and chinos.

Leading up to this year's Bowl. Tom gets more of the fashion spotlight, and rightly so, but Eli looks great in traditional American tailoring.

He's wearing a Vineyard Vines polo under there. I promise.

After the big win? Going to Disney World of course.
The Letterman interview the night after the win. Blue blazer, conservative light blue spread collar, repp tie, grey flannels, chocolate suede loafers. And a change of clothes...that he wore that morning with Mickey Mouse. No rest for a champion.

Parading down the Canyon of Heroes. Nice wool coat, which funny enough looks almost exactly like the last time he celebrated a Bowl win.

Trad in Making: 10 year old has own Bowtie Company

Cuz he's a Bawwss. Here is the news story link and his Etsy Online Store.