March 2015 – Permanent Style

David Gale at Hilditch & Key

Posted on 30/03/201528/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

My first ever shirt cutter, David Gale (above), moved from Turnbull & Asser to Hilditch & Key recently. It’s one more sign that things are going in the right direction at Hilditch.

First was Steven Miller taking over the running of the brand, having moved from Turnbull & Asser itself. Then there was the news that Bate’s hats, which lost its own shopfront in 2009, was to be moved into the smaller of the two Hilditch shops (having two never made much sense), giving it a window on Jermyn Street once again.

Then finally, David’s move away from T&A. David made my first bespoke shirts, covered here on Permanent Style when it was still rather new, back in 2009. And although I’ve since changed my taste in shirts – preferring the softer and more hand-worked Italian makers – I’m still a big fan of David himself. The fit on those first shirts was as good as any I’ve had since.

As readers have pointed out, these changes do mean that prices have gone up at Hilditch. But to a certain extent that’s what we pay for a new, much nicer shop, for a new website, for Bate’s at number 37, and for a bigger range of high-quality accessories. Aside from money spent on advertising, I don’t think they are things we can really complain about – at least, not while also bemoaning the death of gentleman’s retailing in the West End.

The bespoke shirt operation now has far more space, and a cutter on site with a view out onto the street. Most of the RTW shirts are made in Scotland, and there are few other interesting projects underway.

Talking through the Barbour archive

Posted on 27/03/201527/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

Gary Janes, the head of design and development at Barbour, talks us through two of the earliest pieces in the Barbour archive – from the beginning of the twentieth century.

The design has stayed remarkably consistent, blending very practical workwear with some sartorial elements, such as the outbreast pocket.

The subtlety of a suede jacket

Posted on 25/03/201512/05/2016 by Simon Crompton

I’ve been pleased to see that suede has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. Italians like Loro Piana have always done it well – often in a classic Italian mix of brown suede and grey cashmere – but others such as Berluti, Dunhill and Gieves & Hawkes have embraced it recently.

At any price point, suede is a sophisticated material for casual jackets. It feels younger than tweed, corduroy or other cloths, and is more subtle than the obvious alternative, leather. (Though, perhaps, worn without white trousers.)

Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 10.33.12 — *Berluti*

I wrote a feature for the upcoming issue of The Rake on suede, which touched on these style points, as well as historical and technical ones.

Starting with the last – good suede is normally the reverse of the skin, but it can be a split skin as well (where a thicker skin is split and kept the right way up). This tends to be weaker, as it doesn’t have the leather surface on the back. It’s one reason shoemakers might say they use ‘reverse calf’ rather than just suede.

Historically, I found it interesting that the processes necessary for making suede often meant that it was often seen as a luxury material. The fact that it was so susceptible to the elements contributed to the same impression. (Berluti, more than anyone, is innovating in this area, but more on that another time.)

Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 10.40.53 — *Brunello Cucinelli*

In terms of style, most interviewees drew on the subtlety and sophistication of suede, highlighting the fine nap that absorbs light rather than reflecting it (like leather). But they also pointed out the great way that suede takes colour, making it a good option for spring and summer. (Gieves in particular has some lovely sugary tones.)

My favourite suede jacket is a dark-brown blouson I bought from Kilgour the first time Carlo was at the helm. Simple and unlined, it is the perfect weekend jacket – with jeans, flannels or linen. I also recommend the classic Louis W Ferris model from APC, the J Crew suede bombers, and anything from Loro Piana (some slimmer styles coming in this season, which is great to see).

I am having a suede jacket made by Lorenzo Cifonelli at the moment. We’re hoping to have it ready for Autumn. Interestingly, the French tailors do more in suede than others, because they usually have leather workers in-house. Leather work requires special needles, not to say expertise, and when others use leather (as Gieves did for me) they have to use outworkers.

Keep an eye out for the Rake piece.

Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 10.18.51 — *Loro Piana, above and below*

Introducing, Permanent Style 2015

Posted on 23/03/201524/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

I’m delighted to say that our first hard copy of Permanent Style – containing the best of the site from the previous year – will be out at the end of next month.

The magazine-sized publication has been designed by London agency Egelnick & Webb, and gives particular emphasis to the wonderful photos Luke has taken over the past year. So often these shots are reduced in size and resolution on the site; this blows many of them up to full pages, enabling the reader to see all the detail of a denim cloth, a leather patina or a gas furnace.

Permanent Style 2015 is divided into five sections, representing the best of factory visits, style, bespoke projects, reader questions and ready-to-wear brands. Each contains a smattering of photos that never appeared on the website, along with explanatory captions.

It will be available to buy online, from outlets of the various brands, and from a handful of other shops around the world. If any other shops are interested in carrying copies, please email me at the usual address.

It’s going to be a busy year for publishing, with the Thames & Hudson book out later in the year, and our British brands work soon after. It feels particularly nice, however, to be able to offer this more personal, more tactile edition of Permanent Style.

I hope you like it.

Update on outlets and pre-orders next month

Ghurka luggage launches in the UK

Posted on 20/03/201518/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

American leather-goods brand Ghurka has just launched in London, with a nicely done space at Fortnum & Mason. I’ll post more detail on Ghurka, its make and quality, at a later date when I’ve used the product first-hand. But for the moment it’s worth reporting one or two interesting points from the press lunch earlier in the week.

Ghurka was started in 1975 by an American called Marley Hodgson, when he bid for (but lost on) a set of luggage belonging to a gurkha officer at an auction in England. The brand he created deliberately changed the spelling of the name to avoid confusion with the gurkhas – Nepalese soldiers. This could seem like it is trading on the name of the soldiers rather, except that Ghurka has involved them with the UK launch, and an enthusiastic representative from the Gurkha Welfare Trust was at the lunch.

The set-up at Fortnums includes quite a few archive pieces, which is a good sign, as these have clearly been heavily used and worn – and ridden it out well. There is also a repairs service at the factory in Connecticut, although it is not free (unlike Filson).

The aesthetic is similar to Filson – canvas, leather, brass hardware, very practical – but not quite as rugged (softer, non-bridle leather) and made to a higher standard. There is also a general proclivity for leather-bound edges. Although it’s not my favourite style, our own Bruce Boyer is also a fan.

For anyone visiting London, by the way, Fortnum & Mason is worth a visit. The selection of men’s accessory and perfumes tends to include slightly more unusual brands, but given good space and a full range. There are also plans underway to expand the offering – and it compares well with the mania of Selfridge’s or Harrod’s.

Wearing: my Anderson & Sheppard DB flannel suit; chambray shirt from Luca Avitabile; merino sweater from John Smedley; wool tie from Drake’s; handkerchief from Simonnot-Godard. (The red socks guys now do a great selection of SG squares now by the way.)

Pictured with the lovely Pam Bristow of Ghurka.

Jean-Claude Colban of Charvet, Paris

Posted on 18/03/201518/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

I am in Paris tomorrow, and one of the highlights will be catching up with Jean-Claude Colban of shirtmakers Charvet.

A scholar and a gentleman, Jean-Claude is both one of the most knowledgeable people you will ever meet in the industry, and one of the most self-effacing.

At least it seems that way. Jean-Claude speaks so softly, with such modesty of tone, that it’s easy to miss the occasional phrase such as ‘but of course, we make the finest shirts in the world’. They slip in, almost unnoticed, and you find yourself nodding in agreement even if, as with me, you don’t necessarily.

Jean-Claude has been my source of truth for matters relating to shirting cloth for several years now, and as such you will often find him quoted in The Rake, the Financial Times or How to Spend It. He will set us right on denim and chambray (the former, essentially a matter of indigo dye, but culturally a twill weave and certain weight and finish – the latter, merely a contrast in blue and white threads) as well as silks, cottons and cottons that feel like silks.

There are few places in the world I am so fond of, where the aesthetic is not actually, largely, to my taste. The ties are often too bright or have too much sheen; the velvet jackets and dressing gowns equally. There will always be something – travel slippers, or handkerchiefs – which will catch my eye, but really I go for the erudite, the eloquent Mr Colban.

Begg and Barbour in HTSI

Posted on 17/03/201501/04/2019 by Simon Crompton

For those that follow my column for How to Spend It magazine (part of the Financial Times), there have been two articles in the past month – on Barbour and on Begg.

We’ve stuck with this format for almost 18 months now, as response has been so good among HTSI readers. It generally involves a first-person narrative, based off the kind of trips or craftsman interviews I tend to do, and gives a behind-the-scenes view of a new or growing brand.

The past serious for HTSI, a series of practical guides called ‘How to Buy’ can still be seen here on the site. For those that want a basic guide to purchasing a suit, a bag or a fountain pen, it remains a handy resource.

Barbour: The archive

Posted on 16/03/201515/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

Although my opinion of Barbour was much raised by seeing the repairs department last month, the highlight of that trip was the archive.

The oldest piece (below) is from 1910 – a simple, knee-length double-breasted coat in yellowy waxed cotton. Pieces were often double-breasted at the start, as wind protection across the chest was very important. Some, indeed, were triple-breasted, with two flaps on one side that the other flap sat between.

The original wax was heavier than the one used today, but still a much better option than the two contemporary alternatives: liver oil and tar. Workers applied one or the other to their normal cotton jackets, but liver oil smelt, was light, and dissipated quickly. Tar was much better protection (it was used on the ships themselves for similar purposes) but was very heavy and cracked when it dried.

Gary Janes (pictured top, with designer Toby Egelnick and myself), the design and development manager at Barbour, made the point that such cracking was particularly unhelpful at the elbows. The cold water would seep into the cloth, and become particularly painful given how sensitive elbows are to temperature. It’s one reason a tight cuff is also important, so water can’t run down the sleeve and pool around the elbow.

Gary is an interesting character – he worked with Nigel Cabourn for 15 years, handling the pattern-cutting side of the business. It’s not surprising he’s so fascinated by the Barbour archive, therefore, and he still tries to incorporate aspects of it into new collections. Although the pressures on costs are rather more at a company producing £250 jackets than at Cabourn.

Gary also made the point that the 1910 coat only remains today because it hasn’t been that heavily used. Typically, that would mean it had a middle-class owner; working-class men would wear them into the ground, until they fell apart. The same goes for many things we still have today, including cars.

In the picture at top, Gary is examining my vintage Barbour motorcycle jacket, dating it by virtue of various design details. The unbranded poppers put it before the 198os; the black-and-yellow label is more specific to the early 1970s (black and yellow was meant to reflect the colour of car licence plates); but the checked-pattern inside is quite imprecise, as they weren’t used consistently for particular lines or periods.

The rest of the Barbour archive evolves slowly over the first half of the twentieth century, with coats adapted to various uses. The second one we see is about a foot shorter, presumably for someone that needed more freedom to move their legs. The one after has an ingenious system for buttoning the bottom hem up between the legs, effectively creating a pair of shorts.

We only had about an hour browsing the archive, with Horst (Friedrichs, photographer) shooting each piece in turn. It could easily have taken up the whole afternoon.

Fortunately, I did take some video of Gary, which I’ll post in a week or so.

A farewell to Camps de Luca on Place de la Madeleine

Posted on 13/03/201504/03/2016 by Simon Crompton

Parisian tailors Camps de Luca are moving premises, after 50 years overlooking Place de la Madeleine. Their new home is at 16 Rue de la Paix, near to Place Vendome.

To say goodbye, they put together this video showing the stages of bespoke suit making. For anyone that has never seen this first hand, and particularly for those that have never seen the French levels of handwork, it’s worth a look.

You can see my personal experiences at Camps de Luca, including suit fittings and details, here. Off to Paris next week for the final fitting, so fingers crossed it will be ready soon.

Wear a flower in your buttonhole

Posted on 13/03/201501/04/2019 by Simon Crompton

It’s been beautiful weather this week – in London, anyway. Spring has sprung and the sun encourages some reflection in our dress. Which means more than just a pair of sunglasses.

The wonderful thing about this time of year is the flowers that are available if you want to wear a boutonniere. There are some kind of flowers available most of the year, but never as many as in Spring.

Wearing a flower can seem like quite an extravagant thing to do, but actually I would argue it is more natural, casual and subtle than most things that make a sartorial man stand out – bright patterns, bow ties, tie clips etc.

Of course, flowers won’t last all day, and are therefore often nicest for events in the afternoon, or meeting someone in the morning. You can hide a little vial of water behind the lapel to keep a flower happier for longer, but that’s too fussy for me.

Here, a crocus from the garden in the lapel of my Anderson & Sheppard grey-flannel DB suit. With grey linen handkerchief, white edging.

Bespoke Santoni shoes – Fatto a Mano Su Misura

Posted on 11/03/201512/05/2016 by Simon Crompton

Yes, Santoni does bespoke. Or close enough that I’m happy to give it that label.

Italian colour-meisters Santoni will do a bespoke version of most shoes in their collection (which of course changes more and is wider than any other shoemaker we cover here on Permanent Style). They don’t always create an entirely bespoke last, however – if the customer wants a model from the collection, they amend an existing last and cut it down or build it up, in order to get the perfect fit.

The welt and sole are both hand-sewn. This is done on the Fatto a Mano offering too, which ca be made-to-order or ready-to-wear. The bespoke service is called Fatto a Mano Su Misura.

I was measured at Harrod’s last year and did one fitting there a couple of months later. Santoni were keen to let bespoke aficionados know that they had a bespoke service too, and offered to let me try it out. The fitting was on a trial leather, but with a fully made shoe – sole and heel attached.

I then picked up the shoes in January this year in Milan. The turn around can be very quick – less than a month between stages – but it made sense to see them in January when I would be visiting the showroom anyway.

So what was the result like? Let’s break this down into sections.

First, the make. A Santoni shoe, even one that is Fatto a Mano Su Misura, does not have a bespoke make in many of the ways we have come to think about it. There isn’t much bevelling of the waist; the heel is pretty square (in pitch and in run-in to the waist; the hand-sewing isn’t really used in any way to refine the shape of the sole. The sole is essentially the same as a RTW Santoni shoe you would pick up in the shop.

Second, the fit. This was good at the fitting, and better with the final shoe. But in a similar way to the make, there aren’t any of the bespoke touches of other bespoke makers. The heel cup isn’t cut in to shape around my high, narrow heel – as it is with other makers (particularly Cleverley and Bemer). The in-step isn’t built up any more than normal. It feels like what it is – a ready-made shoe that has been adjusted to better fit my foot.

Third, the colour. This I specified, and Santoni really are masters at it. The depth, the shine and subtle variation of the patina are better than Berluti, Corthay, re-patinated Gaziano & Girling, or independents like Dandy Shoe Care. A beautiful, deeply shiny pair of shoes.

In suit terms, perhaps it’s best to think of this as made-to-measure, rather than bespoke. Even though there is lots of hand-work involved, it hasn’t produced the kind of refined manufacture we expect from bespoke makers elsewhere. The price also puts it at a disadvantage – €4500, and €900 for plain Fatto a Mano. I stand by the fact that much of the RTW is value for money; but it’s hard to say the same thing about the bespoke.

Photos: Luke Carby

The formality of trousers: Reader question

Posted on 09/03/201507/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

Dear Simon,

I’ve always been extremes: a worsted wool suit or denim jeans. But having had my first couple of “sports jackets” made I thought it was worth while moving up in the formality stakes with trousers occasionally. I realise up from jeans is chinos, moleskins, cords etc but when you start getting into fresco, flannel and gabardine I am totally at a loss as to their relative formality.

I did have a quick look at flannel and fresco samples when last in my tailors and I personally wouldn’t be able to say which is more formal than the other – or are these two relatively equal and more a winter/ summer divide?

A simple list, for a simple person like me, from formal to informal would be really useful.

Jack

Hi Jack,

It’s a good question. We often look at the sliding scale of formality in regards to jackets and suits, or colours and patterns, but rarely trousers. There are certainly some materials that are more suited to summer or winter, but I would say we can safely combine them on the same list.

I’d suggest the scale for trousers could then be thought of as:

Worsted wool (standard suits)
Wool gabardine (gabardine finish on wool, surprisingly smooth and hard and therefore formal)
Fresco (and similar weave/finish)
General woollens (the actual formality depends largely on the finish, but they usually belong around here)
Cotton gabardine (not as formal as wool – can fade and crease more)
Flannel
Linen (often more casual the lighter in weight)
Moleskin/general cottons (most standard cottons belong around here in the scale)
Corduroy
Chinos (and generally, garment-washed cotton trousers)
Denim

Of course, this involves vast generalisations. We are essentially talking about three things – fibre, weave and finish – and some of the cloths listed above specify all of these, some of them only one. Particular finishes, as well as weight and construction, could quickly move a pair of trousers up or down the scale. Without even considering colour and pattern.

But it remains a useful way to think about formality of dress. The further down the scale you go, the less likely the trousers will suit a smart navy blazer. The further up the scale, the smaller the chance they will go with your heavy Harris-tweed jacket.

We could easily write a post on each cloth on the list. But hopefully this is the kind of simple list you were looking for Jack.

Simon

Images. Top: fresco. Middle, cotton gabardine, linen, flannel. Bottom: woollen, denim, fresco.

D’Avino shirts – the zenith of visiting Italians

Posted on 05/03/201512/05/2016 by Simon Crompton

D’Avino is a small Neapolitan outfit run by cutter Fiorenzo Auricchio (above). He has no website, an abandoned blog, and little used social media. Email is the best contact option.

But he visits London regularly, usually twice a year at least, and from my experience over the past two years I am happy to recommend him as the finest of the visiting makers here. He is the zenith of perhaps three tiers of visiting shirtmakers I have used satisfactorily:

D’Avino. Every piece of handwork you could ask for, to the highest level. Much of it purely aesthetic, with no practical advantage, but a work of art. Starts at €300.
Luca Avitabile. My most commonly used maker. Visiting every month or two; introduced here on Permanent Style and now with a big London client base. Only the practical handwork, and not finished to the same level as D’Avino, but still good. Starts at €220.
Simone Abbarchi. Too early to write about him and recommend him fully, but great value for money for Italian bespoke shirts with no handwork. Based in Florence, comes to London and New York twice a year each. Starts at €120.

With all three, there are two reasons I use them:

Value for money. Better make than any English shirtmaker (in that there is no handwork, which I find a practical benefit in), and a lot better than the bigger Italian brands with shops in London, eg Kiton.
Style. Italian bespoke shirtmakers are particularly good at collar shapes (and the collarband shape – just as important). As I’ve found to my cost with several British and other shirtmakers, there is little attention paid to style in this sense and it is particularly wanting on open-necked shirts.

Fiorenzo, as I say, is the best. Here I am being remeasured to check a couple of things, in the Ugolini workshop in Florence.

Shirts, perhaps even more than suits, are an evolution of taste and fit. I say more than suits because you are unlikely to have many variations of shirt style, while you might have lots of different suits/jackets. Two collar shapes normally suffice (eg spread and button-down), with perhaps two different cuff styles. Working with a shirtmaker, then, is about perfecting the body shape, button position, and those few style permutations. Here, with Fiorenzo, we are increasing the height of the collar slightly and raising the third button, to match that of my Avitabile shirts.

I’ve included a few more shots of Fiorenzo’s latest shirt for me here, to illustrate the fine detail and quality, which you don’t always get with Italian makers.

D'Avino Fiorenzo Auricchio seams — Sleeve and shoulder – often an area that is rough with other makers

D'Avino Fiorenzo Auricchio shirts — Where (hand-attached) collarband meets shoulder

D'Avino Fiorenzo Auricchio shirt detail — The beautifully neat, hand-rolled bottom seam

Main photos: Luke Carby

Norman Vilalta at Leffot in New York

Posted on 05/03/201505/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

With his customary humour, Norman Vilalta has created a (very) little video to announce his trunk show at Leffot in New York today and tomorrow. Go say hello if you can.

Barbour: Factory and repairs

Posted on 04/03/201503/03/2015 by Simon Crompton

Barbour is not quite the level of craft or quality that we normally feature on Permanent Style. However, rather like US brand Filson that we covered recently, they deserve mention for the beautiful way they age and their commitment to service and repair.

Myself, photographer Horst Friedrichs and designer Toby Egelnick visited the Barbour facility in South Shields last week. It is three large buildings, a couple of minutes from the yawning mouth of the Tyne river, whose deep port was hugely popular in the nineteenth century – Barbour made its name kitting out workers, sailors and stevedores around that port.

The factory building has five production lines, where seamstresses perform all the steps it takes to make a classic waxed jacket, one after another. The first one assembles the parts of the patch pockets; she then clips the pockets onto a revolving chain, which carries them down to the next worker; she, in turn, stitches those pockets to the jacket fronts.

It was the first time I had seen a classic production line like this, and it didn’t exactly enamour me to it. But then if the aim is to produce hundreds of jackets costing £200-£300 each, some efficient mass manufacturing is required. Interestingly, there is no reason a production line should reduce quality (Huntsman used to have one, after all), but it does tend to – often because there is an emphasis on speed.

I came alive when we went through a side door into the Customer Services department – repairs, essentially. Here, some of the best and most experienced workers spend their time remaking old jackets.

When there is a rip in the wax cloth, a new panel or strip is usually added, so that it runs down to a seam. A small patch, just covering the rip itself, tends to be more fragile.

In the photo above, you can see that a black panel has been added to the waist of the jacket on one side, and another at the bottom of a pocket. There is also a small patch covering a hole in the sleeve.

The jacket is immediately even more personal than it was before – remade according to usage. Over time, you can even build up a patchwork of repairs from different points in time. Each patch is the original cloth, but of course the jacket behind it has faded and changed colour with use.

One of the biggest issues for Jean, the director of customer services, is finding and storing cloth, linings, buttons and hardware that is no longer made, in order to repair the old garments. As recently as the 1970s, the linings weren’t even uniform to the type of product, so different jackets had different lining patterns.

I feel tempted to say that a lot of love is put into repairing the jackets. Certainly if that’s true, it is driven by the love that the owners have for their Barbours. Most repair requests come with a hand-written note, explaining what is required, how it is used, and encouraging care and attention.

One jacket (top) was sent in by a woman whose dachshund (Dudley) had eaten parts of it – ripping away the back, the collar and a section of the arm. With the jacket came a photo of Dudley, sitting on a note that said: ‘I’m sorry. But the wax tasted nice!’ The jacket will be replaced rather than repaired, but Jean asked if she could keep the old one for the archive.

Repairing the jackets is not cheap. Often, it costs more than the original – which in itself is an interesting reflection of the difference in manufacturing techniques, of a production line vs one-offs. But we all appreciate the beauty of an old, much-loved garment, and waxed cotton ages as well as any. My vintage Barbour motorcycle jacket is a good example, but actually the heavier, green, country jackets are even better.

Barbour jackets may not be luxury, but they are highly practical, can be made to last decades (with the help of the repairs service) and can be pretty stylish. Taka at Liverano and Jake at The Armoury (below) being pretty good examples of the latter point.

Watch out for the SL cuts of classic jackets, which used to be just found in Asia, but are now generally available. They are usually shorter and slimmer.

Main photography: Horst Friedrichs

In front of the Barbour beacon

Posted on 02/03/201501/04/2019 by Simon Crompton

Last week three of us visited the Barbour factory in South Shields, in the name of a new book on British heritage brands.

Given we were researching the stories behind the companies, it was natural to stay next to the lighthouse that was the early inspiration and branding for Barbour. That’s it, the Beacon, behind. More on Barbour, its archive and repairs, in the next couple of weeks.

Wearing my vintage Barbour motorcycle jacket; Dent’s peccary gloves; Anderson & Sheppard lambswool jumper; Begg ‘wispy’ scarf; Johnstons cashmere beanie; bespoke Levi’s jeans. And on the feet, Wolverine ‘1000-mile’ boots.

Photography: Horst Friedrichs

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