Esquire's Original Best Dressed List for Men - September 1960

"[I] find the most comfortable (and functional) of all underwear to be women's nylon panties"

- Cary Grant

"I often take a brand-new suit or hat and throw it up against the wall a few times to get that stiff, square newness out of it.”

- Fred Astaire

"the natural-shouldered, pleatless-trousered look that is known as 'Ivy League,' ... by any name at all would still be the Brooks Brothers No. 1 sack suit."

- George Frazier

The Art of Wearing Clothes by George Frazier

George Frazier’s seminal 1960 cover article for Esquire, The Art of Wearing Clothes, broke with convention and changed American menswear forever.  

It was the first men’s best-dressed list to ever appear in the magazine, and it both tiptoed softly and screamed loudly about the current state of menswear.  

It approached the subject cautiously, as a “rare masculine art” or “manly art”.

But quickly revealed the timeless tension of the era, between young and old, those who had passed their youth through the second world war, and those that represented a time before it.  

In fashion, this battle was playing out between the old conservative-cut suits, and the new, youth driven ivy-league look.  

George Frazier is split in his opinion, and you can see him equivocating throughout.

Ideologically, he is of the old look, an adherent to Regency England’s Beau Brummel’s studied simplicity, but as a human, he is awake to the new, and primarily by its oversized inclusion in the article, also celebrates ivy style.

This is no coincidence, because one of George Frazier’s best friends, and arguably the source for most of the details in the article is one of the godfathers of ivy-league style, Charlie Davidson, the proprietor of The Andover Shop on Harvard Square in Cambridge.

The list is a who’s who of snobbery, including the names of the prep schools, colleges, and social clubs of the selected, the only excitement is in the exceptions.  Most notably the creatives, and especially the great jazz musicians Miles Davis and Roy Haynes, both with their own unique style, firmly rooted in ivy.

Jazz and ivy style were inseparable lovers for an entire generation of men.  The rebellion and youth of jazz, and its immense popularity spread New England’s ivy style to both coasts, and will always be associated with the look.

Men’s Best Dressed List by the Numbers

Number Selected: 40

Average Age: 51.9 years

Total Number of Tailors: 29

Average Number of Tailors per Selectee: 1.3 Tailors

Total Number of American Tailors: 20

Total Number of British Tailors: 9

Number with only American Tailors: 28 (70%)

Number with only British Tailors: 6 (15%)

Number with both American and British Tailors: 6 (15%)

Clearly Ivy Style: ~9 (22.5%)

Creatives (Writers, Artists, Actors, Musicians): ~15 (37.5%)

By Age

40 & under: 8 (20%)

41-50: 10 (25%)

51-60: 12 (30%)

61-70: 9 (22.5%)

71+: 1 (2.5%)

The Original Ivy League Tailors according to George Frazier

  • Arthur Rosenberg, New Haven
  • J. Press, New Haven
  • Rosenthal-Maretz, New Haven
  • David T. Langrock, Princeton
  • Fenn-Feinstein, New Haven
  • Chipp, Harvard Square, Cambridge
  • Chipp, New York
  • Lord of New York, New York

The Best Dressed List's Tailors & Haberdashers

Tailors (count)

  • Anderson and Sheppard, London (1)
  • Andover Shop, Cambridge, MA (2)
  • Arthur Rosenberg, USA (1)
  • Bernard Weatherill, New York (7)
  • Brooks Brothers, New York (4)
  • Chipp, USA (2)
  • Davies & Son, London (1) 
  • Domenick Alvaro, Beverly Hills, California (1)
  • Dunhill, New York (1)
  • E. Tautz, London (3)
  • E.C. Squires, London (1)
  • Emsley, New York (1)
  • Farnsworth-Reed, Ltd., Washington D.C. (1)
  • H. Harris, New York (4)
  • H. Huntsman & Sons, London (1)
  • J. Press, USA (2)
  • Kilgour, French & Stanbury, London (3)
  • Lord of New York, New York (2)
  • Meyers, Inc., Philadelphia (1)
  • Norman Hilton, USA (2)
  • Oxxford, USA (1)
  • Pat Sylvestri, New York (1)
  • Quintino, Beverly Hills, California (1)
  • Sandon, London (1)
  • Schmidt and Galuppo, Inc., Beverly Hills, California (1)
  • Stovel & Mason, London (2)
  • Strachan & Hunt, London (1)
  • Wetzel, USA (2)
  • Witlin & Gallagher, Philadelphia (1)

Shirts

  • Beale and Inman, London
  • Brooks Brothers, New York
  • Dudley G. Eldridge, New York 
  • Hawes and Curtis, London
  • J. T. Beach, Los Angeles
  • Machin, Los Angeles
  • Wendley, New York

Ties, Accessories, Furnishings

  • Ara, Wellesley
  • Charvet, France
  • Sulka, USA 
  • Tripler, USA
  • Zareh, Boston

Shoes

  • Peal, London

Hats

  • Cavanagh, London
  • Lock’s, London

Books on The Art of Wearing Clothes

Esquire: A Magazine for Men September 1, 1960

Esquire: A Magazine for Men December 1, 1960

Another Man's Poison: The Life and Writing of Columnist George Frazier by Charles Fountain