Indie pop music doesn’t get anymore prep than the Simon & Garfunkel-styled tunes of Alex Suarez and Ryland Blackington. It’s literally spelled out in their band’s moniker, This Is Ivy League. Alex and Ryland met in high school. The year was 1997. Better known from their touring for emo comedians Cobra Starship, they formed their duo in 2005 and rolled out their self-titled debut album three years later. Catch their crooning, crisp harmonies and smart style in "London Bridges."

“Never underestimate the power of a classic. When you put on a pea coat, you’re wearing a bit of world history on your back. And whether it’s the clean lines, the simple military styling or the rugged undertones, no man looks bad in a pea coat. It can be worn with nearly everything—and it’s been around so long, it basically has been.”       —Valet

Photographed in Dallas, TX

It’s my favorite coat this winter. Schott’s Slim Fitting Wool Peacoat for men and Women’s Lightweight Fitted Pea Coat are a smart updated twist on their classic peacoat. Complete with metal buttons and 24 oz. Melton wool, it’s the coat all the big name designers pulled from in churning out their offerings this year.

The term “pea coat” is believed to have stemmed from the Dutch word “pij,” meaning coarse wool. It was later referred to as a pilot’s jacket and then shortened to p-jacket before eventually morphing into the term “pea coat.”

Schott’s heritage is a true-blue, real-deal, piece of Americana. The iconic styles produced by hand for nearly 100 years have become infused in American culture and have served as battle flags for the American spirit. As the country and the world turned its attention overseas, so did Schott. On deck, servicemen kept out the cold with Schott's classic melton wool naval pea coat. Rugged and warm, these wool coats would be produced by Schott for the US Military for the next 60 years.

Amazing in its own right, Schott NYC (Facebook/Twitter) is still owned and run by the third and fourth generations of the Schott family who still manufacture most of their clothing in the United States. In an old brick building the classic styles that have, and will continue to, connect with the American spirit are cut and sewn by the hands of trained craftspeople. The sense of pride in country is behind every pea coat’s anchor buttons. The courage to face the uncertainty on the open road and all the freedom that comes with it, is in the hearts of the Schott family as they look towards the future.

Photographed in New York, NY

Image via Vanity Fair

He’s been anointed the successor of Leo-mania (circa Titanic) by 13-year-old girls worldwide (and strangely, grown women too)—not as a stowaway but as a blood sucking vampire who glistens in the sun. But Robert Pattinson almost didn’t get the $10 million vampire gig. The director had all but given up trying to nail down a leading man with the otherworldly beauty and acting chops to pull off the role of Edward. But then they began scouring the archives of Harry Potter for any lean, pale kid believable enough to pass as a vampire. Pattinson, who had just told his parents that he was quitting acting to take his music seriously (aka performing with a guitar in bars), got a call. A reluctant film franchise heartthrob was born.

Twilight, at best, is forgettable (I have no plans of seeing New Moon); however, Pattinson is photographed by Bruce Weber wearing a shawl collar Ralph Lauren Purple Label cable knit sweater—thus the cultural relevance.