- J. Press says ivy style is for everyone showcasing diverse models on the runway.
- The collection blends British influences with American classics, updating proportions and adding vibrant colors.
- J. Press introduces its first women’s capsule, expanding the brand’s classic aesthetic to a new customer base.
Preppy style has carried a certain air for generations. One solely shaped by Ivy League campuses, old-school traditions, stuffy blazers, pleated skirts and a vision of status that historically centered on a certain group of people.
J. Press president and creative director Jack Carlson admits that history himself.
“I think there was a time, maybe when I was a kid, when it had a little more of an air of elitism or something,” Carlson told HelloBeautiful. “I think we’ve hopefully moved past that.”
His Fall/Winter 2026 runway at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) showed what moving past it can look like.
J. Press gave us the quality and tailoring longtime customers expect. The label also brought trend and personality to the runway, while reflecting the people who wear the clothes.
“I think Ivy style is for everybody,” he told us. “It looks great on everyone.”
J. Press’ NYFW Runway Reinforced ‘Ivy Style For Everyone’
Sitting front row, it was hard not to notice who went down the runway.
We saw models with gorgeous locs and natural kinky curls. Others wore sleek hair, braids, beach hair and glossy tendrils. Silver foxes walked alongside young men. Women and men both werked the runway in their own right. And for a second, we even thought we saw Bad Bunny.
The models represented different generations, ethnicities, walks of life and approaches to style, while all looking good in J. Press. The casting reinforced Carlson’s point: Ivy style on everyone.
“For me, I believe it’s for everyone, and I want that to be reflected on a runway,” Carlson said.
The collegiate fashion house has always played across generations. Carlson said the brand has long skewed toward an older customer, while its origin story begins with students at Yale.
“J. Press has skewed for a long time to a slightly older customer, and I want to honor that and be embracing of that,” he said.
Carlson added, “J. Press started as a brand for students, for Yale students. So I really want that to be reflected on the runway also.”
That intergenerational reality is part of what makes J. Press interesting.
The brand may have started with young Ivy League men, but its runway now reflects a much wider customer base. Older and younger models, men and women, different ethnicities and different approaches to style all fit naturally into the J. Press world.
J. Press Is Keeping The Classics In Rotation While Adding Newer Styles
And J. Press’ world is all about the clothes.
The Fall/Winter 2026 collection traced Ivy style back to its British roots. Shetland Shaggy Dog sweaters, Irish Aran knits, Harris Tweeds, Scottish cashmere and English flannels filled the collection.
On the runway, we saw tweed and deep blue blazers, striped rugby knits, loafers and layered outerwear. Wide-leg charcoal gray pants brought volume and movement, reflecting the fuller silhouettes taking over fashion right now.
Color gave the classics some personality, too. Orange popped up on outerwear. Green, burgundy, red and navy appeared across sweaters, scarves and layered separates.
J. Press also introduced pieces made with longtime partners and traditional English makers, including Barbour, Gloverall and Lavenham. The collection also went global, featuring a Made-in-Japan capsule.
Carlson’s own connection to British style helped shape the collection.
“I grew up partially in the UK, so I’ve always liked British style,” he said. “Even though J. Press is quintessentially American, invented Ivy style, there’s so much in its origins that is British.”
Those influences show up in the fabrics, construction and pieces built to stay in your closet. The classics are still there, but so are new proportions, color and styling that feel right now.
And Now Women Are Officially Part Of The J. Press Conversation
The show also brought a major update: womenswear.
J. Press introduced its first women’s capsule in the American market since the 1960s. Carlson started with some of the pieces the brand already does best.
And women are not entirely new to J. Press history. The brand once made Oxford cloth shirts for one of the original it girls, Marilyn Monroe.
“Launching women’s was very exciting,” Carlson told us. “We started small. It’s a small women’s capsule.”
“I wanted to start with the things that we’re really good at. The Oxford shirt, the Shaggy Dog sweater, the blazer.”
For women who already love prep, menswear-inspired dressing and classic pieces with styling potential, the capsule opens up a new part of the J. Press closet.
“We have a lot of things coming up for 2027 that are really exciting, but they’re true to the J. Press DNA,” Carlson said.
NYFW Exclusive Interview: How A Preppy Brand Made For Yale Students Became ‘Invented Ivy’ Style For Everybody
was originally published on
hellobeautiful.com
