Over the past several years J. Press has engaged in sibling relationships engaging a range of menswear resources laying new frosting onto our Ivy cake. A recent trip down memory lane includes designer Todd Snyder, Nantucket mainstay Murray’s Toggery, and vintage shopkeeper Wooden Sleepers sharing our label. During my years in the then family business Lilly Pulitzer sportswear, Brioni blazers and suits, Burberry clothing, Fred Perry tennis wear, and Willis and Geiger Safari outfits were in the Squeeze tent.
This year J. Press welcomed aboard: HIGHSNOBIETY, self-described lifestyle brand dedicated to today’s generation of style-conscious individuals. Their scope encompasses everything from fashion, to sneakers, to design, music, and entertainment. In a world where being culture-obsessed has become the rule (not the exception), their mission is to turn curious outsiders into cultivated insiders.
Blogger @coolmaterial opines, “The preppy look is one of those things that will never truly go out of style,” explains the founder of Street Night Live, a fit-obsessed newsletter. “For many, preppy style is something that works both on the street and at work – making investing in those garments more worth it and in turn, allowing them to look more refined.” It's also tied to status. “Ivy League means money, and while many of us don’t have that type of money, we can have a taste of what that feels like by dressing in a similar vibe,” he adds.
While Ivy League dressing is inextricably linked with upper class American ideals – serving as a “visual tool to silently communicate that you belong to a certain tax bracket,” says Emily Kirkpatrick, New York-based writer and editor – brands adopting the preppy look are subverting the aesthetic. But it's not just brands that are fresh to preppy style who are playing with what the aesthetic can look like.
SHAGGY DOG makes room for its HIGHSNOBIETY playmate in a collaboration with the label that invigorates their own spin, adapting styles such as our classic striped sweater made from signature Shaggy Dog yarns, 100% Shetland wool from Scotland with a fuzzy finish, the sweater arrives with a collaborative tab on the hip. Shaggy Dog beanies, scarves, and baseball caps in a range of pop colors round out the collection. Trust me the partnership is plenty hip.
Brings to mind a new take on Cole Porter’s High Society Calypso:
Can you dig old Satchmo swinging
In the beautiful HIGHSNOBIETY?
RICHARD PRESS
3 comments
And High Society itself was a serendipitous collaboration between Bing, Grace, Frank, and Satchmo, who stole the show, and Cole, who provided it. Anyone wanting to know why all the fuss about Frank, the Chairman of the Board, can’t do better than the film. “True Love,” a huge hit in 1956, was also the first popular song that I remember. Timeless.
Excellent but do not deviate too much from the original Preppy – Ivy look. Thank you
Added the blue “H” HIGHSNOBIETY Shaggy Dog hat to my collection. Seriously, there’s nothing you can’t sell me by putting the Shaggy Dog logo on it. Love to see it as an icon on your polo shirts this summer.