Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2015-01-22 05:02:44)

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2015-01-22 06:03:51)

Last edited by Hard Bop Hank (2015-01-22 07:56:40)

Hank - totally with you on the Luciano Barbera thing. The way his clothes drape - the ease and softness of the cut and materials. I see this as all part of the same thing, all together with Ivy, as a great, achievable and flattering way for men to dress. They're all clothes rooted in traditional silhouettes, colours and materials, it all interconnects, which is why I find all the squabbling over territorial rights so absurd. When I was a wee mod many moons ago I really really wanted to look like one of the Small Faces, or Weller, and then later perhaps I wanted to look like a member of the MJQ, or an Esquire ad circa 1962 come to life, but now I just love that whole palette. Perhaps that comes from being a J.Simons shopper for decades, perhaps there is a J.Simons look, and it's certainly not pure Ivy League. Perhaps that's why some people don't rate the shop, it doesn't fit their notion of a pure Ivy shop. Personally I think that if you love clothes, and really respond to certain items and the way they combine, then I don't know how the barriers can effectively be put up. The way the Americans managed to come up with a cheap, mass-produced jacket that aped the aristocratic shape yet could be put in the washing machine and worn by all from 8 to 80 - now that was the genius of their input, the democratisation of the gentleman's way of dress. It would never have happened in the UK. And, as we know virtually all manufacturing and retailing of these clothes across the States was Jewish. It's a truly glorious melting pot story! (I'm starting to sound like Frosty Mellor here…).

Re John Simons i don't think i have ever read anyone on here saying they don't rate the shop.
However i think its now open to critique and a few years ago you would have had your posts deleted
if you'd have dared question  doctrine according to JSA. But being fair it wasn't JS it was the work of deluded disciples.

Last edited by stanshall (2015-01-22 12:01:14)

I'm not a fan of Barbera.  A lot of his stuff looks as if it fitted him properly 20 years ago and now just looks a bit sloppy.  Look at those giant flappy trousers in the first picture, for example.  To me he's just a typical well, but un-excitingly, dressed aging Italian gent and there're plenty of those around.  Also can't stand that European light brown shoes with grey or blue trousers thing.

Anyway, no-one in monk straps should have their photo anywhere near the Talk Ivy part of this website.

These are obvious points of contention for most on here, or course, just like how I'd not champion the double-breasted suit with HUGE peak lapels.

/\  re Barbera: I wouldn't and couldn't dress that way myself at all, it's the opposite of my super casual and minimalist style ....

trying to be open-minded because the dressy city gentleman style is far from my American low-key way ...

I keep it too real and dress 100% beach bum 50% of the time and the other half is Holy Quartet plus sporting goods and surf shops ... Casual Time for me and I wear Alden penny loafers with my suits in court* whenever and have gone to court* in blucher mocs on a rainy day  (*not as a defendant, thank you)

in the spirit of being open-minded I'll look at that sprezz Hank posted ... it's a look ....

though  ... in fact I acquired a Luciano Barbera pima buttondown collar that is excellent though the collar buttons are spread just a hair too far apart, a common problem with bd collar shirts especially Italian ones ....

still the fabric and fit are so good that I overlook it ... bought it off the Zach, was not expensive and it rules ....

so props to that Barbera shirt .... come to think of it I also have a supersoft lambswool overshirt from them, that thing is completely Ivy but you have to think outside the box and know the Ivy when you see the Ivy and only later look at the labels ... ha ha I don't always manage to do that myself ...

so I guess I'm an iGent all the way, got a pair of English Peal black monks in '86 or '87, the Miles Standish Specials .... ha ha ... oh the sting of being an iGent ... it burns .... but I like hippie, OPH preppy, grungy, West Coast burnout, Sloane, rock star, bookworm, normcore, nerd, bro, jock, tiki, surf, varsity, punk, Savile Row, Native American, military, and classical Japanese and Indian styles and I've got room for more ....

what does an iGent do anyway?

what does this have to do with John Simons? 

I don't know but I do know the warm and fuzzy feeling one gets when one picks up yet another great item from a longtime favorite shop thereby adding to the history of one's own personal tradition ....

The Andover Shop was that place for me, along with a couple of other small shops ...

one never really can get that feeling anyplace but a small friendly shop or the tailor ... I love the old J. Press and I got wonderful stuff there but the scariness of that place at age 17 remains.

Some of those old places seemed a bit grumpy at times to me back then but never the Andover Shop, always nice to me  .....

so it's not at all weird to love a shop, it would be weird not to, if it's sold you pleasing clothes at a fair price and the people there are nice to you ... and they play good tunes on the stereo?  Never been there but it can't be bad if it's pleased so many for so long ....