Ivy League is alive and well — at least among the fans of Jack Carlson, the new president and creative director of J. Press.
Carlson, the founder of Rowing Blazers, who sold and exited his brand earlier this year, drew a room full of plaid, navy blazer and repp tie wearing guests to the Explorers Club on Thursday morning to check out his first collection for the retailer.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after I left Rowing Blazers,” Carlson said before the show. “I thought maybe I’d move to California and write books.” But when J. Press approached him about reinventing its collection, he was all in.
“I’ve been a fan of J. Press since high school,” he said. “It has a great history. So many designers are inspired by the Ivy look, but J. Press invented it. However, in the past few years, it’s moved away from its core ethos.”
He set out to change that, and wanted to make his debut during New York Fashion Week, he said, so he could properly showcase J. Press as “the standard-bearer of classic American menswear and Ivy League style.”
That’s just what he did.
The collection showcased all the signature looks of the preppy Ivy League uniform: navy blazers with gold buttons, tweed sport coats, oxford shirts, chinos with animal prints, corduroy pants in a variety of colors and plaid toggle coats. And there were also updates to the company’s Shaggy Dog sweater, offered in a variety of colors and patterns.
While there were no surprises, Carlson’s touch updating recognizable, classic pieces provided a shot of modernity to the line. Case in point: a traditional waistcoat was created in fire-engine red that he paired with a vibrantly striped vest and black tuxedo pants.
“Not many Old School menswear brands are as colorful as J. Press,” Carlson said. “So I wanted to lean into that.”
The show featured a mix of models and friends of Carlson and the brand, which helped to make the collection look even more authentic. “It’s a fun and eclectic cast, not so serious,” he said. “I didn’t want a bunch of frowning, chiseled models, but rather something more academic and wrinkled.”
