Christian Chensvold, who authors Ivy Style, recently contributed his talents to The Rake on the origins, philosophy and specifics of the "go-to-hell" aesthetic. It’s an enlightening pursuit into the nearly defunct WASP culture who’s dress is now a mainstream commodity. Swing by Ivy Style for the read or download the PDF as it appears in The Rake (the photography, featured below, is top drawer).

This particular Ralph Lauren club tie (in wool) is one of the go-to ties in my wardrobe. It looks brilliant with almost anything.


Images via The Rake

“[Bostonians on Martha’s Vineyard] had their own tribal colors. The jackets were mostly navy blazers, and the ties were mostly striped ties or ties with little jacquard emblems on them, but the pants had a go-to-hell air: check and plaids of the loudest possible sort, madras plaids, yellow-on-orange windowpane checks, crazy-quilted plaids, giant houndstooth checks, or else they were a solid airmail red or taxi yellow or some other implausible go-to-hell color. They finished that off with loafers and white crew socks or no socks at all. The pants were their note of Haitian abandon...at the same time the jackets and ties showed they had not forgotten for a moment where the power came from.”
—Tom Wolfe

EdoubleM.blogspot.com left a comment on 3/4/2010 at 10:19 AM:
This is too cool of a picture!