The beginning of February marks a truly sad sartorial occasion: The end of Rugby. The clothing concept, launched by Ralph Lauren in 2004, was the company’s ivy-meets-edgy play for the 15 to 25 year old crowd: A lower priced line for collegiate kids not yet hooked on Polo. Sometime in 2008, my NYC friend Martin […]

  In 1924, Eli Belovitch and his Son-in-law Harry Grosberg founded Belstaff (the name a combination of Belovitch’s surname and his Staffordshire home) in Stoke-on-Trent in the English Midlands. The company specialized in outerwear for men and women, and it’s particular claim-to-fame was the invention of a waxed-cotton  which rendered the fabric waterproof yet breathable. […]

In 1889, so the story goes, a young apprentice hatmaker named Herbert Louis Johnson happened to be nearby when the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) lost his hat in a gust of wind while riding in the park. The young hatter retrieved the royal topper and offered his professional services. The hat was duly […]