I recently acquired a khaki suit. I’ve always wanted one and, being originally from New England, saw it as a happy inevitability. When warm weather hits, khaki suits – often in cotton poplin or chino – are to Connecticut what the seersucker suit is to South Carolina. Crisp, cool style that, as the day wears…
Tag: Trends
Earnings Season Tailored to Ralph’s World
Not all economic news is negative. Yesterday, Ralph Lauren Corp., announced first quarter results that indicates the company is exactly where it wants to be. Amid the credit crunch and housing slump luxury companies appear to be doing just fine and Polo is leading the pack. Shares of Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., jumped 7.1 percent…
Menswear on the Move – Part 2
As we discussed in part one, the New York menswear market is in the midst of renaissance of sorts. But it’s not just luxury brands that are focusing more on the men in their lives; mid market brands are making a statement in the Big Apple too. J.Crew, a favorite everyday brand of Off The…
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…
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…
The Roots of American Preppy
This column grew out of a recent discussion on this blog about the relationship between classic and preppy styles. The subject quickly became an effort to identify the real roots of American preppy and what it means today. New England preparatory schools, conservative protestant values and social stratification together created an environment that produced the…
The Kingdom of Preppy Risies Again
This morning’s Wall Street Journal says it all: “Plaid Taste: The Return of Preppy.” As if we weren’t already aware of it, Preppy, the most exuberant expression of classic style, is back on the fashion radar in a big way. Washington, D.C., never really lost its affinity for the preppy lifestyle. It fits very well…
Classic Style as Environmental Activism
Yesterday, an interesting article appeared in the International Herald Tribune about how some Italians are shedding their ties in an effort to help fight global warming. Blogger David Wescott, over at It’s Not a Lecture sent me the link and declared – tongue in cheek – that focusing on style is helping to destroy the…