I recently read an interesting article that noted even in these challenging financial times, the sales of high end handbags – timeless and iconic styles rendered in exotic skins like crocodile – are in fact quite strong and by some accounts, growing. Buying LongAccording to industry analysts – and fairly clear to most people with…
Tag: Cultural
J. Press: As Classic as You Can Get
This is a true story: Back when he was running for president in 1980, George H. W. Bush (that’s George senior) was giving a speech at his alma mater, Yale University, and being heckled by some students. Someone yelled out that Bush was just another out of touch “Brooks Brothers Republican.” The president, apparently offended…
Menswear on the Move – Part 1
Things are going full steam ahead on the menswear front, particularly when it comes to New York City, the capital of fashion retail. High end labels are making serious investments and seem quite bullish on the future of men’s fashion. Locals style icons like Ralph Lauren are putting money on the table with major brick-and-mortar…
Polo (the game) Comes to Manhattan
If you’re in New York on Saturday, May 31, make time for a rare taste of the Hamptons’ high flying lifestyle. Gotham is playing host to the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic. This is the first time in more than 70 years that polo will be played in New York City. The venue is historic…
Fond Memories: from Summer Camp to Burning Man
Life is interesting and sometimes it’s also poetic. When I was a youngster, I regularly went away to summer camp in Massachusetts. For many of my formative summers, Camp Becket was home away from home. Each summer meant a new cabin and new cabin mates – surrogate brothers by the season’s end. It also meant…
Menswear Taking the Lead
Normally, I wait a little while before posting any of my MensFlair columns to the blog. I like to give myself some space so that I can revisit what I had to say, add some new material or perhaps a different viewpoint. In this case however, an article in yesterday’s DNR bookended very nicely with…
A Little More Important Than Clothes
I suspect that many of you have heard about Randy Pausche, the Carnegie Mellon professor who is dying of a pancreatic cancer. His last lecture, a professorial tradition at the school for retiring teachers, took on extraordinary meaning. Recorded on September 18, 2007, this wonderful discussion about fulfilling your childhood dreams and living a life…
Bedside Reading – Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster
I wrote recently about how luxury has been downtrodden over the years, and how our own quest to live the good life has fueled the demand for cheap opulence. To me, this is a fascinating issue because it ties together the multiple effects of social stratification, class change, privilege and the common leveler of the…
Wordsmithing: A Paucity of Plurals
I’ve recently noticed a disturbing trend that seems to be affecting people from all walks of life. From politicians to newscasters there’s many people making this annoying and slightly baffling grammatical mistake. Did you catch it? Please tell me you did. In the previous sentence, I used a singular contraction (there’s = there is) with…
King Remembered
Today is the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Without exception, Dr. King was one of the most inspiring and influential Americans in modern history. Go here and learn why he was also an icon of style – because style isn’t always about the clothes.