Perhaps at some future time historians may refer to Threading The Needle for cultural insight regarding the Heyday Of Ivy in the same way the Preppie Saga is characterized by its witty litterateur Lisa Birnbach declaring boxer shorts as the male underwear of choice:
“Big, baggy and long. It is not entirely ludicrous, in Prep circles, for the bottom of a man’s boxers to peep out from time to time beneath his Bermuda shorts. The boxers are made of cotton. White or solid pastels. The man may be given tartan plaid shorts as a gift, but only by a woman.”
My daughter, Jennifer Press Marden, gets into the act for an inside bit included in my 200+ page opus recalling her visits to her dad’s 44th Street emporium, “A few boxer shorts in my J. Press bags later (I am not going to proclaim I invented boxers as pajamas at boarding schools across the Northeast) us girls got a dose of how the sausage (kosher) was made.”
The beat goes on. As commander-in-chief of Ivy Style, J. Press headlines the Boxer Tradition, “It all starts with a good foundation.” Reaching into its 119-year merchandise archives, the company identified by my grandpa’s eponymous signature today curates a selection of boxers including broadcloth, oxford and end-on-end in solids and stripes. All still proudly made in the USA.
Imagine carrying the flag of an era under your pants. Oh, the humanity!
RICHARD PRESS
5 comments
I have worn white cotton boxer shorts underwear from high school in the 1950s to present and have always found them readily available in stores. I am wearing them as I write this. White cotton boxer shorts underwear persists as other clothing styles come and go. I expect J. Press suits, dress shirts, ties, belts, odd trousers, walking shorts, tuxedos, and over the calf hose to persist as well and gradually improve. J. Press now lets customers order dress shirts with the locker loop, button flap pocket, and button in the back of the collar in both solid colors and STRIPES! at the Washington DC store. For the usual off-the-shelf price, J. Press allows orders of three or more dress shirts in any of the usual sizes and styles. J. Press keeps getting better while Brooks Brothers has gone bankrupt. Onward J. Press!
Boxers, White, Blue and an occasional Blue Stripe. Pretty boring if you ask me, which no one did. Brooks has a more colorful selection. Victoria has her “Secret”. Is there any reason that we guys can’t have something similar?
Would love to see J.Press reintroduce French-back boxers. More comfortable than elastic waist boxers and equally part of the solid tradition.
I discovered boxers in the mid 80s when I worked in NJ-NY. Bought a few pairs from J. Press and those guys across the street as well!
I love this❤️