Preppy is having a moment in men’s fashion with young men globally embracing timeless collegiate-inspired Ivy League looks.
One of the most famous men to exemplify that style in its heyday was F. Scott Fitzgerald. The “Great Gatsby” author was known for his impeccably tailored Brooks Brothers suits, so much so that the retailer actually created a slim silhouette suit and called it the Fitzgerald (OK, it was actually named for John Fitzgerald Kennedy, another Brooks Brothers aficionado and the slim suits he wore in the 1960s, but….)
Either way, a rare piece of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wardrobe will be offered for sale at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, being held at the Park Avenue Armory from April 30 to May 3. At the fair, Johnson Rare Books from Covina, Calif., will be selling a 1920s-era Chesterfield Brooks Brothers coat owned by Fitzgerald for $25,000.
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The gray wool coat, which has velvet trim on the collar and is lined in black satin, will be displayed in “a place of prominence in a glass case on a valet coat stand,” according to Brad Johnson, who owns the shop. It will be sold with a period photograph of the author wearing the coat, standing alongside his wife Zelda, who is wearing a high-collared belted knee-length fur coat and 1920s-era cloche-style hat.
As Johnson wrote on his Instagram post promoting the sale: “Fitzgerald and Brooks Brothers share a strong historical connection. The author is credited with popularizing ‘Ivy Style’ and was known to wear Brooks Brothers polo collar shirts, today called oxford shirts, as part of his daily retinue. When Fitzgerald dropped out of Princeton and enlisted in the Army in 1918, his dress uniform was tailored by Brooks Brothers. In ‘This Side of Paradise’ (1920), the main character, Amory Blaine, personified the new money culture — at one point wearing an overbearing combination consisting of a purple tie, purple pocket square and purple socks, only to be told, ‘You must go to Brooks’ and get some really nice suits.’”
Johnson also pointed to the Great Gatsby collection that Brooks Brothers created based on the Baz Luhrmann film adaptation of the novel in 2013, with styles inspired by the fashions of the 1920s.
Although Johnson typically deals in antique books and manuscripts, he said he always keeps his eyes peeled for other interesting pieces and when he heard that the coat, which was purchased at Christie’s in New York in 1994, was being offered for sale by a private collector in California, “I jumped at it. It’s an incredible find,” he said, adding that Fitzgerald was the “influencer” of his time and came to define the Jazz Age.
Johnson said he expects the coat will attract a lot of interest and will ultimately sell to a “fan of Fitzgerald or Jazz-Age literature. It’s a true rarity — rarer than most books and manuscripts.”
It may also wind up in Brooks Brothers’ archives if the company decides to purchase it. Johnson said he has worked with other companies in the past, such as Levi Strauss, when he found historic pieces companies needed to augment their collections.
But one thing that isn’t negotiable is the price. “We set the price,” he said, adding: “The book trade is not like the auction world. We like to think [we’re more civilized].”
