There are brands that participate in a trend, and then there are brands that helped create the vocabulary in the first place. At J. Press, Ivy style isn’t a seasonal proposition—it’s the foundation.

Founded by Jacobi Press at Yale in 1902, J. Press has spent more than a century shaping the codes of classic American collegiate dressing. Today, under President and Creative Director Jack Carlson, the heritage label is bringing renewed attention to that history while introducing it to a new generation.

For its latest New York Fashion Week presentation, J. Press offered a fall wardrobe steeped in prep: navy wool toggle coats, quilted outerwear, tweed, chinos and layers upon layers of knits. Navy, gold, red, brown, pink, plum and gray colored the collection, while mixed plaids, scarves, headbands and leather loafers reinforced its distinctly New England sensibility.

“The inspiration is the British roots of American Ivy style,” Carlson exclusively told Fashion Bomb Daily. “The look we consider Ivy style—so much of that came from what Jacobi Press thought guys at Yale should be wearing in 1902, and so much of that was inspired by the UK. We still make a lot of products in England, Scotland and Ireland.”

That transatlantic connection remains tangible today. J. Press continues to manufacture core pieces in the United States and Britain, with Scottish knitwear and collaborations with British outerwear makers forming an important part of its offering.

But perhaps the biggest news of the season was not what J. Press preserved, but what it brought back: womenswear.

The house has introduced its first women’s collection since the 1960s, translating familiar J. Press signatures—including Oxford shirts, Fair Isle and Shaggy Dog sweaters, blazers, tweed jackets and pleated skirts—for women.

Carlson admitted the new category produced some of his favorite moments.

Picking a favorite look, he joked, was like “picking a favorite child,” before adding: “The women’s looks were some of my favorite. The dress and some of the more borrowed-from-the-boys looks for women—those were some of my favorites.”

That “borrowed from the boys” attitude was one of the collection’s strongest propositions. The clothes moved easily between masculine and feminine codes, making the return to womenswear feel less like J. Press inventing a new language and more like opening its existing wardrobe to everyone.

The Ivy League Continued Off the Runway

The show’s guests understood the assignment, too.

Fashion Bomb Daily captured a street-style scene that could have served as an extension of the collection itself. Striped rugby shirts were tucked into sweeping chinos; navy blazers were worn with faded denim and loafers; ties, sweater vests and Oxford shirts were layered with a studied nonchalance.

Others took Ivy’s familiar codes somewhere more individual. One guest paired a brilliant blue collegiate jacket with voluminous floral shorts, while another transformed an assortment of striped neckties into a playful mini skirt. Varsity cardigans, vintage-inspired ties, rugby stripes and oversized trousers showed just how elastic the preppy vocabulary has become.

The effect was particularly interesting because the current revival of prep has moved beyond a literal recreation of the country-club uniform. Carlson himself has distinguished today’s movement as more “Ivy” than the colorful prep revival of the early 2000s—more academic, grown-up and rooted in traditional menswear.

And that may explain why J. Press feels so relevant at this particular moment.

As fashion rediscovers collegiate dressing, neckties, checks, loafers and traditional tailoring, J. Press doesn’t have to manufacture an archive or invent a heritage story. The archive is the story. Even as other designers reinterpret Ivy codes, Carlson has been explicit about positioning J. Press as a standard-bearer of the original American Ivy look.

What made this showing compelling, however, was the refusal to completely freeze those codes in time. Womenswear, androgynous styling and the individuality displayed by guests outside the runway demonstrated how easily the J. Press vocabulary can be rearranged.

More than 120 years after Jacobi Press began dressing Yale students, the sweaters are still layered, the loafers are still polished and the blazers remain impeccably preppy.

The people wearing them have changed—and that might be precisely what keeps J. Press interesting.

Hot! Or Hmm…?

Photo Credit: The Real Nicoleeee/Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia

The COS AW26 Outerwear collection introduces a strong new direction for Autumn Winter 2026, with clean silhouettes and modern proportions. The season focuses on statement outerwear designed around a confident take on power dressing. Key styles include the maxi coat and trench jacket, offering timeless shapes with a contemporary COS finish.

For any questions/feedback regarding the above mentioned products/brands,
please do contact us anytime by clicking here

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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

I recently asked a friend (in-house counsel for a large bank) what she’s wearing to work these days, and her immediate response was mid-rise, pull-on pants from prAna.

With the caveat that they might not quite hit the mark if your office skews more toward the “business” side of business casual, I think they’d be great for a job where folks are embracing more of an athleisure look. (I happen to work somewhere where all the men are wearing these ABC trousers from Lululemon, so I think they would fit in nicely!) She said she’s been pairing them with blazers and sweaters and they make her long commute very comfortable. 

The pants are $98 at prAna and come in XS-XXL with short, regular, and tall inseams. They also come in seven other colors, with one on sale.

Sales of note for 9/4 (Happy Labor Day — see our big roundup!)

• Nordstrom – End of season clearance, up to 50% off
• Anine Bing – Archive sale, up to 70% off select styles, online only
• Ann Taylor – 30% off you purchase, including new arrivals – $50 off when you spend $200. Readers love this easycare blouse and this blazer that makes a great separate.
• Anthropologie – 40% off sale! The reader favorite wide leg pants are on sale for as low as $86, including the pants I posted last week!
• Athleta – Up to 60% off + extra 30% off sale; readers love these pants
• AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
• Boden – 20% off everything – readers love these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
• CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30 (Walmart is having its “Beauty Event” as well right now!)
• Design Within Reach – the semiannual sale, 25% off everything! (readers love the Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
• The Fold – 20% off, limited time only
• J.Crew – 40% off your purchase
• J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores and sitewide, PLUS extra 20% off orders over $125
• J.McLaughlin – Extra 40% off sale (ending soon)
• Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70% (ending soon)
• Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
• M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
• Nordstrom Rack – Thru September 7: Extra 25% off clearance! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
• Sarah Flint – 20% off sitewide
• Talbots – Ends 9/4: 25-40% off wear-now styles
• Theory – End of season sale is on!
• Veronica Beard – Extra 20% off sale styles with code

Outfit Details: Chloe Top (more sizes here), Alemais Pants (more sizes here), Jamie Haller Wedges (last seen here, similar here), Savette Bag (last seen here), Bottega Veneta Sunglasses

A printed pant may seem like it comes with styling rules, but I’d make a case for the opposite. The instinct is to go simple on top, something that stays out of the way, but a plain shirt doesn’t balance a printed pant. It just leaves the pant doing all the work alone.

The trick is matching the mood of the pant instead of retreating from it. If the print is a little retro, lean into that bohemian spirit with eyelet trim, or something with real movement to it. If it’s bold and abstract, meet it with an equally bright, unexpected color and a texture that has some weight to it, like a crushed satin.

There’s always more room in my closet for a softly cut romantic top. It’s the easiest thing to reach for over a printed pant. The pant brings the color and the eye-catching moment, but the blouse keeps everything lighter, airier, and ready for any plan.

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women’s suits of 2026!

First: this McQueen suit is a lovely color. Second. I’ve always loved this jacket cut — to me it looks classic but sharp. But: THE SHOES.

Are peep-toe shoes coming back? Are shooties coming back? All we need is an ankle strap and people would’ve called these “swamp shoes” back in the day. Also, the heels themselves look like a weapon.

(Fun fact: Did you know that a stiletto was the 15th century name for a dagger? I saw that in a museum and wondered at it… here’s the Wikipedia page if you’re interested.)

Questions to ponder.

The suit itself is gorgeous and I really do think it’s the prettiest shade of pink. The blazer is $2400, and the pants are $1,150.

Sales of note for 9/4 (Happy Labor Day — see our big roundup!)

• Nordstrom – End of season clearance, up to 50% off
• Anine Bing – Archive sale, up to 70% off select styles, online only
• Ann Taylor – 30% off you purchase, including new arrivals – $50 off when you spend $200. Readers love this easycare blouse and this blazer that makes a great separate.
• Anthropologie – 40% off sale! The reader favorite wide leg pants are on sale for as low as $86, including the pants I posted last week!
• Athleta – Up to 60% off + extra 30% off sale; readers love these pants
• AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
• Boden – 20% off everything – readers love these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
• CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30 (Walmart is having its “Beauty Event” as well right now!)
• Design Within Reach – the semiannual sale, 25% off everything! (readers love the Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
• The Fold – 20% off, limited time only
• J.Crew – 40% off your purchase
• J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores and sitewide, PLUS extra 20% off orders over $125
• J.McLaughlin – Extra 40% off sale (ending soon)
• Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70% (ending soon)
• Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
• M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
• Nordstrom Rack – Thru September 7: Extra 25% off clearance! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
• Sarah Flint – 20% off sitewide
• Talbots – Ends 9/4: 25-40% off wear-now styles
• Theory – End of season sale is on!
• Veronica Beard – Extra 20% off sale styles with code

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

This gorgeous chocolate brown color is everywhere this fall. I’m loving this shirtdress from City Chic which looks like a great way to bridge the gap when you want to drink a pumpkin spice latte, but it’s still 80 degrees outside.

I would wear this with these beautiful tortoiseshell flats I found the other day and enjoy my apple cider donuts in the sunshine.

The dress is $149.99 at City Chic and comes in sizes 10-26. It’s also available in black, heavenly pink, and buttermilk.

Admin Note: HUGE THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE DURING OUR TECH TROUBLES THIS MORNING!

Sales of note for 9/4 (Happy Labor Day — see our big roundup!)

• Nordstrom – End of season clearance, up to 50% off
• Anine Bing – Archive sale, up to 70% off select styles, online only
• Ann Taylor – 30% off you purchase, including new arrivals – $50 off when you spend $200. Readers love this easycare blouse and this blazer that makes a great separate.
• Anthropologie – 40% off sale! The reader favorite wide leg pants are on sale for as low as $86, including the pants I posted last week!
• Athleta – Up to 60% off + extra 30% off sale; readers love these pants
• AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
• Boden – 20% off everything – readers love these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
• CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30 (Walmart is having its “Beauty Event” as well right now!)
• Design Within Reach – the semiannual sale, 25% off everything! (readers love the Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
• The Fold – 20% off, limited time only
• J.Crew – 40% off your purchase
• J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores and sitewide, PLUS extra 20% off orders over $125
• J.McLaughlin – Extra 40% off sale (ending soon)
• Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70% (ending soon)
• Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
• M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
• Nordstrom Rack – Thru September 7: Extra 25% off clearance! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
• Sarah Flint – 20% off sitewide
• Talbots – Ends 9/4: 25-40% off wear-now styles
• Theory – End of season sale is on!
• Veronica Beard – Extra 20% off sale styles with code