Year: 2022

How I wear a black tailored jacket

Posted on by Simon Crompton

How I wear a black tailored jacket

Friday, December 30th 2022Tags:
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This is the first piece of black tailoring that’s been featured on Permanent Style, I think, outside of evening wear.

Over the past three years we’ve been exploring how black’s role in the wardrobe can be expanded, beyond tuxedos and lace-ups. In that time we’ve looked at:

In my view, this is the order in which they are easiest to wear, with black loafers simply an interesting alternative to the more ubiquitous brown, and black trousers requiring much more care.

Black jackets and black shirts belong at the bottom of that list. Black shirts can easily look cheap or flashy, while black jackets have a tendency to look too funereal, or like a ‘stroller’ - part of a formal wardrobe from more than a century ago. 

It was with that in mind that I made my first black jacket in a very casual, soft-shouldered cut (from the excellent Jean-Manuel Moreau) and a casual material - herringbone tweed. 

Since receiving the jacket back in September, I’ve been trying it with various different combinations of shirts, trousers and accessories, and seeing what I liked. As with many things on PS, I'm merely a beginner here, and I’m sure others will have their preferred combinations. But I also know many readers like this step-by-step process too, so here are my step-by-step thoughts. 

If we assume the aim here is a rich, more elegant daytime look, rather than something more rock ‘n’ roll, fashion-y or evening-y, the black jacket’s core problem can be summarised as:

  • Anything without any colour in it, like a white shirt or grey trousers, creates too stark a contrast
  • But any colour that is too strong (even a blue shirt beyond the very palest of pales) can easily look cheap

So I’ve found a nice option is colour, but very pale or very dark.

With trousers, that means dark olive or dark green primarily. Beige, stone and other off-whites are good at avoiding the high contrast of white, but can still look rather formal. 

With this particular jacket, flannel seems to be a little too close in texture to the tweed, and so corduroy is a better match. 

The trousers worn here are from my Ettore de Cesare cord suit, and the green is definitely a darker, browner shade, which works well. Just as good are the trousers I recently had made by Whitcomb & Shaftesbury in this dark-brown cord, which is equally muddy. 

It’s no coincidence that they’re the browns and greens I like wearing myself anyway, and recommended in the ‘cold-colour capsule’. 

In that selection, black was more of a secondary colour, for the occasional knit or polo shirt, which makes sense in a capsule as it's less versatile. But when black takes centre stage, it makes sense that the same colours work around it. 

However, in those kinds of combinations my default shirt is normally white - against a black jacket, white looks rather too stark. 

Cream is nice, but looks quite formal - like the colours of evening transposed into different materials. 

What works well is pale colours like pink, purple or yellow, illustrated by the lilac stripe I’m wearing here. Or washed-out blues like denim and chambray. 

A stripe is good because it softens the contrast created by the colour - plus it’s nice to have some pattern if you’re not going to wear a tie or a pocket handkerchief. 

Denim and chambray create similar visual interest with their texture and fading. Fading in particular both creates interest and softens the colour. Try a blue-poplin shirt with black tailoring and you immediately see the difference. 

For shoes, black is easy as it picks up the jacket, such as these cordovan tassels. The dark-taupe socks from Anderson & Sheppard I’ve recommended before, a colour always seems to add some interest without standing out. 

The scarf is my Arran from Begg & Co, in dark grey. You could be more adventurous with the scarf, but I like how tonal it is with the olive and the black. 

It’s also nice to have an accessory like a scarf when there’s that lack of tie or handkerchief. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I should always wear one, when the weather at least vaguely justifies it. 

I should also say that the jacket from Jean-Manuel is great: well fitted, shapely but comfortable, and exactly the same as the cream linen I reviewed last year. 

The last point should be a given, but of course we know that makers can vary, particularly with bespoke or handmade MTM. Jean-Manuel should be praised for his consistency as much as anything else. 

A black tailored jacket, in conclusion, is not something I’d recommend to a reader just starting out, or with only a small tailored wardrobe. It is an edge case, an interesting direction.

But I'm pleased this one does genuinely offer something different. Too often when I’ve seen black jackets in the past, I’ve thought the wearer would look better with a dark navy, if they wanted to be smart, or a dark brown, if more casual. I don’t think that’s the case here. 

Cloth: W Bill shetland tweed - Classic Shetland Collection, 12/13oz, WB12125

Photography: Jamie Ferguson

How to hand wash knitwear: Video

Posted on by Simon Crompton

 

The clothing care I’ve always been worst at is washing knitwear. But I have got better in recent years, in part as I’ve become more used to the process and it’s felt more reliable, more predictable. 

Over time you also start to see the results. Polishing shoes is rewarding because you instantly see a difference. With washing knitwear it’s more subtle – a few weeks later, after a few wears, you just start to see that the knit isn’t pilling at all; it feels softer yet just as satisfyingly dense. 

We’ve talked about how to wash knitwear before – in this video with Audie Charles – but never demonstrated it. So today’s video shows the process, with Ronnie Chiu of Colhay’s washing a lambswool cardigan.

Note how relaxed it is, how simple, how most of the work is done by the soaking and the air drying afterwards. I’ve never understood how people can find ironing relaxing, but I can definitely see it with washing knits. 

 

 

The video is – as ever with PS – pretty thorough, with me asking questions along the way. If you want a very simple summary, we’ve also created one below, which will be shared on social media. It could be a nice refresher later on. 

Last, please forgive the bare pop-up shop background, and the audio quality. The morning we turned up, workmen decided to dig up the road outside, so the mics had to be quite controlled. 

Thank you very much to Ronnie, and to the Campaign for Wool, who have supported this series of films. 

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sunday, December 25th 2022
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Here's wishing you all, wonderful readers, a happy Christmas and a glorious new year.

Thank you also for your well wishes, and thanks, on the 15-year anniversary article - it honestly made me quite emotional. I can't believe how long some people have been reading, and how much they've taken from all those years of writing.

Now as suggested by one reader (unless it was my imagination) I will be doing nothing whatsoever for the next couple of days. See you then.

The Apres Ski boots from Ludwig Reiter: A Review

Posted on by Simon Crompton

The Apres Ski boots from Ludwig Reiter: A Review

Friday, December 23rd 2022Tags:
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By Tony Sylvester.

I used to travel to Oslo regularly for a decade or so. A beautiful city, but not one abundant with window shopping options for those interested in menswear. One of the exceptions was Cavour; slap bang in the well-heeled part of town, offering an outpost of Neapolitan style to the more cosmopolitan Norwegian gentleman. 

Whenever I was trotting past, I’d pop in for a coffee, a chat with the chaps and a peruse of their stock; a mix of very Permanent Style brands - Orazio Luciano, Ambrosi, Saint Crispin’s, Tie Your Tie et al - alongside some simpatico creations under their own banner. 

Now and again, an item of very specific geographic use would stick out among the more general gear; perhaps none did so more than the Apres-Ski boot, by Austrian shoemakers Ludwig Reiter. 

I had found to my chagrin that Oslo can be a treacherous town in winter. My first cold season there, I’d invested in a pair of Diemme hiking boots, albeit ones with the kind of Vibram wedge sole typically found on Red Wings. 

A huge error on my part, as their smooth rippled soles were transformed into skates on the perilous pavements of muddy ice and compacted snow. They went onto eBay soon after. 

But here, among the cashmere slips and challis ties, was something better: a simple boot of shearling-lined black suede sitting on a Goodyear-welted rubber commando-style lug sole. In place of laces or straps there was a zip running up the front, topped off with a suede puller. 

For such a plain boot, the zip gave them a louder, even slightly frivolous look, and I couldn’t help but smile at them. The immediate image that came to mind was of the French actor Jean Gabin. 

Gabin was a titan of French cinema, though rather less known outside his native land. He was also an inveterate clothes horse, and an icon to me as an appreciator of the sturdier, well-dressed fellow. 

His film costumes and personal wardrobe often overlapped, and his bespoke suits and sportcoats, from defunct Parisian maker Opelka, were often worn with polo shirts and roll necks and his trademark baker-boy caps - a style he stuck with throughout his career.

The photo in question is from 1949, and the actor, then a somewhat haggard looking 45 years old, sits on a step, cigarette in mouth. Cap tilted back, he stares off out of frame. 

His unbuttoned shirt strains to contain a voluminous cravat, filling the lapels of his sports coat. Knees parted, the cuffs of his flannel trousers are flipped up to reveal striped socks and, rather incongruously, similar zipped shearling boots.

I’ve loved this shot since stumbling across it years ago on Pinterest, or Tumblr. It looks less like a portrait of a film star at the height of his fame than the street style frames of ordinary Parisiens snapped by Robert Doisneau around the same time. 

And those boots. They seem so out of step with the rest of his look, it would be jarring on someone without the “nuclear levels of presence” that he possessed, in the words of London Lounge’s Michael Alden. 

The zipped shearling boot, like so many articles of clothing, has a military heritage. In the early days of aviation, pioneers would don knee- or thigh-high ‘fug’ boots of sheepskin to alleviate the altitudinal freeze. 

When Louis Bleriot completed his cross channel flight in 1909, he did so in a boiler suit, tweed jacket and fleece-lined boots, and even before WWI, Burberry’s, Dunhill and other high-end outfitters were offering leather flying suits, gauntlets and the self same fur-lined or sheepskin boots to cash in on the new sport. 

It was on a pair of boots that BF Goodrich’s new fangled ‘zipper’ made its debut in 1923, long before it appeared on clothing, and the innovation proved a boon for the military pilot quickly needing to scramble into his kit. This 1937 pair of USAAF flying boots typifies this useful, if a little bulky, development perfectly. 

Post WWII, the zips navigated to the side or back of the boot, for what I can only imagine were orthopaedic reasons. Shoemaker Sebastian Tarek talked to me in particularly negative tones when I enquired about making a pair of unlined boots with front zips similar to the style offered by Japanese makers Phigvel in the picture above. 

It was his contention that they would play havoc with the tarsal bones of one’s instep, and being a man who cut his teeth at James Taylor & Sons in Marylebone, the orthotic specialists, I took his advice to heart. 

The Ludwig Reiter boot, as the name suggests, takes its cues from a more leisurely source: that of the postwar Alpine resorts and the lifestyle that went with them. 

As Nick Foulkes puts it in the Financial Times, the boot “recalls the glamour of St Moritz in the 1950s and 1960s. It is exactly the sort of thing I can imagine wearing to lunch at the Corviglia Club after a morning spent not skiing, before not doing the Cresta later in the afternoon.”

Well, quite. He even contended that as they’re black, you could “wear these miraculous shoes with a dinner jacket if circumstances required.” A piece of juxtaposition akin to Agnelli’s donning of hiking boots with a grey flannel suit (below) - another iconic menswear image of rule breaking that works thanks to the individual themselves. 

On arrival of my own boots, and spurred on by Gabin’s personal idiosyncrasies, I decided to pay hommage to his portrait, donning a similarly dissonant ensemble from my own wardrobe. 

My zip boots were paired with my own AWMS striped sports socks, charcoal flannels and heavy black fresco DB (both bespoke by Fred Nieddu at Taillour), faded denim shirt from Drake’s and a Margaret Howell neckerchief. 

And perched on my bonce, a City Sport eight-panel cap in tweed from John Simons. I find this style of cap incredibly difficult to wear thanks to the current associations with the risible chaps from Peaky Blinders. The City Sport’s shaped band gives a little more definition to the cap, however, giving it a slightly different and in my mind, more elevated look. 

Was the outfit a ’success’? I have to concede that personally, it was not. A little too costumey. In aping someone else’s look, I lost too much of my own personality in the final result. 

The boots however, are a firm favourite, their arrival coinciding perfectly with the drop in temperature here on the English coast. 

They are the ideal companion for breezy walks along the cliffs to take the sea air and feed the local crows, sporting a look more akin to the one below - a vintage Polo duffle coat, natural wool watch cap from Worne Clothing and corduroy easy trousers from Uniqlo. 

The fit is close, probably due to the thick lining, and like all pull-on boots, took some effort to zip up the first couple of wears (Sebastian’s concern for the bones of my instep ringing in my ears); but once on, they’re incredibly comfortable. 

Their price point is on the rich side, a cool £555 from Cavour. While akin to welted boots with similar materials from similar makers, I admit it causes pause given the very specific nature of their look and usage. 

Personally, I can’t put a price on staying warm and staying upright, and they are already in heavy rotation with my winter footwear. But the more economically minded amongst us might also want to check out the Reproduction Of Found zipped trainer boot (below) currently on offer from Beige Habilleur in Paris. 

Overshirts: Two types, ways to wear, where to buy

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Overshirts: Two types, ways to wear, where to buy

Wednesday, December 21st 2022Tags:
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Continuing our recent discussion of jacket replacements - chores, Tebas, safaris and the like - I've shot two of my favourite overshirts in order to talk about different types, and how they can fit into a wardrobe. 

The buffalo-check shirt above is typical of a first type: a heavy shirt you can layer over a T-shirt or even a sweatshirt, but could just about tuck in as well. 

Most are flannel shirts, like this, in a brushed cotton - the kind beloved by fans of Americana, who perhaps picture themselves in the woods somewhere, with a thermal underneath and a pair of sturdy work boots.

It's a style that's also been co-opted by various other genres over the years though, including bikers and the general nineties grunge vibe I grew up with, which demonstrates its versatility.

The second overshirt, above, is of a thick felted wool and is more akin to a woollen jacket. 

This type is still cut like a shirt - front placket, sleeve cuff, chest pockets - but it’s more likely to have a straight hem, and there's no way you could tuck it in. It's great layered under a coat, but underneath you'd usually want a knit or a long-sleeved shirt. 

Mine is a little unusual, being an old Boy Scout shirt that's at least one size too big for me - I like wearing in a slouchy, oversized style. But similar pieces from the likes of Pendleton are common in vintage stores, and outdoor brands such as Filson offer them today.

Those modern brands will often clearly separate the two types: Filson has its flannel shirts and, separately under outerwear, Jac-Shirts.

But it can be hard to tell vintage models apart online, such as on the ‘shirts’ category of a Broadway & Sons for example. The best thing to do there is try and get a sense of the thickness of the material, by looking at the images of the collar or cuff. Some also have a give away like a partial lining. 

While these two types of overshirt are similar in style, and are both heavier than a regular shirt (the biggest reason they work untucked), they're different in how they fit into a wardrobe, with the latter more akin to a piece of outerwear. So I think it's useful to consider them as two different categories. 

Both are definitely at the casual end of our spectrum of jacket alternatives, however. They have no structure, little shape, and a straight front with nothing like a lapel to break it up.

As a result they’ll be relaxed, weekend wear for most PS readers, and that's certainly how I wear them - with jeans or chinos, boots or tennis shoes, T-shirt or a sweatshirt. 

They're robust pieces of clothing, which look better the more they're washed and worn. That buffalo check of mine, for example, is incredibly soft after its years of wear, and I love how the black on this kind of cotton fades to grey, while the red tends towards orange. 

They’re a good choice for those readers that ask about clothes to wear with their kids - they can have many things spilled on them, be washed frequently or simply scrubbed, and look nicer for it. 

I largely wear overshirts unbuttoned. I find if a shirt is untucked and completely buttoned up it starts to look like a big, long block that isn't that flattering. 

If I do button them for warmth, I tend to start with the button in the centre of the chest (as above) before adding others around them (below). 

Even if buttoning all the way up to the chin, the bottom couple are normally left undone, which helps break up that block of pattern/colour. Heavy use of trouser pockets helps too.  

(I feel there's a whole series of articles here, on 'how to wear' rather than ‘what to wear’. Rolling sleeves, popping collars, buttoning on a cardigan etc.)

A couple of other points that I anticipate might come up in the discussion below. 

Overshirts work untucked because of their heavier weight, which means they don’t flap around and look like a regular shirt. Someone asked recently whether I’d wear an oxford shirt untucked, and I wouldn’t, personally. I can see it as a style, but it’s not mine. Most of the time you’re going to look better with it tucked in. 

Linen shirts in the summer are a little different because everything is loose and flowy, and probably because being untucked has an obvious functional purpose. 

In terms of how much it’s worth spending on overshirts, the thing to pay for is the material - no fancy handwork, no extra detailing. Vintage versions are often great for this, if you don’t mind heavier ones being a little scratchy. Look out for those Americana styles or military ones like a CPO. 

Among new brands, outdoor ones like Filson or RRL are good sources. Every fashion brand will do an overshirt, but usually the material is overfinished and not that dense, meaning they won’t wash and wear in as well. 

The Japanese repro brands all do good models, particularly when there’s more of a biker aesthetic - see shirts at Rivet & Hide from the likes of Iron Heart and The Flat Head. American Classics carries new Pendletons, and The Merchant Fox some nice wools and moleskins.

All clothing shown:

  • Vintage buffalo-check FiveBrother flannel shirt, from The Vintage Showroom
  • Vintage red-felt Scout shirt, from John Simons
  • Heavyweight grey sweatshirt from The Real McCoy’s, Ball Park model, medium
  • White T-shirt from PS, the Tapered Tee, large
  • Vintage jeans, Levi’s
  • Suede boots from Edward Green, Cranleigh model, 8.5E
  • Steel chronograph watch, Omega Speedmaster MkIV, tonneau case

Photography: Alex Natt @adnatt

Reader profile: David E

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Reader profile: David E

Monday, December 19th 2022Tags:
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David is an example of a reader that has been into clothes for a long time, and now looks back on it from the perspective of a professional and father, fitting that interest into a life that has changed dramatically. 

A resident of south-east London, he’s been a reader for around 10 years, and in that time moved through high-street tailoring and English bespoke, done a Neapolitan pilgrimage, spent time with a few real West End characters, and seen trends come round and round.

But there's a sense that over that journey he’s gradually settled into what he enjoys, what suits him and what feels like good value. 

Outfit 1: Smart

  • Suit: Chalkstripe DB with four buttons and patch pockets, Solito
  • Shirt: White poplin, Luca Avitabile
  • Tie: Knitted brown wool, Budd
  • Shoes: Black calf Piccadilly loafer, Edward Green
  • Watch: Rolex Air-King 

Thanks for taking the time to do this David. Have you always been interested in clothes? 

Yes I think so. I have a memory of asking my mother for a red turtleneck sweater and a pair of green Levi’s for Christmas when I was pretty young. In my mind it was a great Christmas outfit, but I think I just looked like an oversized elf!

In my twenties I lived in Shoreditch and shopped vintage around Brick Lane - Rokit and others. Most of them sold clothes they’d adjusted or added details to themselves as well. I wore some very strange jumpers back then, as my friends will attest.

You were already working in finance at that point, correct? So did you enjoy wearing suits during the week?

Yes I liked that side as well. I remember doing work experience with a neighbour when I was 16 who was an insurance broker. He had this colleague who wore striped shirts and braces with skulls-and-crossbones. I loved that. 

When I was working myself later I shopped at Lewins (back when it was good), at Thomas Pink, at Ede & Ravenscroft. The latter were probably the best - they had this very enthusiastic, but very polite sales manager, and they sold two pairs of trousers with every suit. I’m not sure if they still do that. 

How did the transition to Solito and the rest happen?

Through blogs essentially, yours and later ones like Die Workwear. They were what opened my eyes to craft and the enjoyment of having things made. I also had two suits made with Dougie Hayward on Mount Street, before he died, which are precious.

In recent years though I have to say I’ve bought less at that level. Once you have a wardrobe of say 10 suits for work you really don’t need any, and with casual things that aren’t made for you there’s less point.

I find I'm particular about buying a shetland that’s £150 rather than £250, for example, if they’re both made in the same place and there aren’t any other real differences.

Outfit 2:

  • Jacket: Dark blue and grey check by Solito
  • Shirt: Blue poplin from Frank Foster
  • Trousers: Grey cashmere/wool Manny from Rubinacci 
  • Shoes: Brown-suede tasseled loafers, Anglo Italian

How do people dress in your office today? Is it more suits like the first outfit, or jackets and trousers like this one?

It’s primarily suits with no ties, which obviously has its downsides. But it means you focus on other things - shoes and socks, or a striped shirt. I still wear ties but they're a rarity. Also it’s only four days a week, so that’s one less day in tailoring. 

I never knew Frank Foster, what was he like? 

Oh he was amazing, it’s such an Aladdin’s Cave down there. You’d spend time looking through his cloth archive while he told stories, always involving one celebrity or another.

He loved to talk about Cary Grant sitting in the studio in his underwear, waiting for them to adjust a pair of trousers. Frank used to say it was women’s underwear too, though I’m not sure that part was true!

I know you said you went to Naples at one point. Would you recommend something like that to readers? 

It's obviously a lovely part of the world, and there are many other things you can do while you're there. But I think it’s most worth going if you have a fitting you need - some point to the journey. It would be less satisfying if you were just touring around seeing places. 

Having said that, the best part of it for me was seeing Talarico’s little shop. It was like, ‘Oh, so it’s just you two - and you’re making them right there. That’s the bench.’ You see these things online or in a book and they become almost mystical. It’s lovely to just see them first hand. 

Has your style changed at all since those early days of wearing bespoke? 

I certainly wear less English tailoring, but I think it’s mostly a queston of settling into a style, knowing what works for me and appreciating the details - handwork on my Solito coat, the way shoes have aged. 

Even on the casual side, I’ve seen trends come around again - there are so many pieces I wished I’d held onto, like Gucci loafers, striped T&A shirts - but I also feel I’ve settled more into what suits me and how I live day to day. 

Outfit 3

  • Jacket: Vintage waxed-cotton Solway, Barbour
  • Shirt: Slowear
  • Knit: Principe Firenze
  • Jeans: Drake’s
  • Shoes: LHS loafer, Alden

OK, let’s get to the more casual side. This is fairly typical for what you’d wear at the weekend, in the park or the playground?

Apart from the loafers, yes. I think over the years I’ve come to realise that my look is more Ralph Lauren than that more Italian leisurewear look, more frayed classics.

I like aspects of workwear, like a well-made chore jacket or the kind of jacket alternative you’ve discussed. A chore in particular feels quite timeless - you don’t look at it and think it feels very seventies or nineties. 

But I struggle a little with military clothing. It feels like I’ve seen that trend come around a few times. 

Do you buy much vintage? 

Actually this Barbour was the first time in ages I’d bought vintage. I always find Barbours way too long or, on someone my height, a good two inches too short. I’d learnt that only a Solway would work, but they didn’t sell them. 

So I eventually tracked one down in the right size on eBay and spent a feverish hour bidding. The result was great - it goes over a proper-length jacket, wears in nicely, and means I’ve re-used something that was otherwise just sitting in someone’s attic. 

It was the thing that made me realise vintage wasn’t that hard and was very rewarding. I’ve bought a few other things since, though I find browsing vintage shops difficult unless there’s one thing you’re after. 

When I was younger I owned so many great Ralph clothes that I just threw away, so I’ve been trying to find those again. 

It sounds like Ralph Lauren has aged with you, and come in and out of your life, or lifestyle. 

Yes I think that’s right, and over time you appreciate the consistency. When I was younger I would save up money from working in a supermarket, and go to Selfridge’s to decide which Ralph Lauren shirt I could buy that quarter. They lasted really well, in terms of quality and style, and I wish I’d kept more. 

Even with price inflation in the past few years, you can still get a Polo suit for £500 or £600, and that feels right if you’re a professional and can afford it. It’s a good suit. 

Thanks David. 


Luxury chore coats compared

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Luxury chore coats compared

Friday, December 16th 2022Tags:
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By Manish Puri

Not all chores are made equal. Some take longer, some require more exertion, and some involve going out into the cold. On a typical weekend you’ll find me frantically searching for loopholes in the chivalric code so I can cherry pick the best chores without guilt. “Yes, darling, why don’t you perform the task of taking the smelly bins out into the tundra and I’ll stand in the kitchen listening to a podcast whilst soaping dishes in lovely hot water. No, I understand your reservations, but my responsibility is going to take much longer.”

And so, it stands to reason that not all chore coats are made equal either. Traditional working models made from cotton twill are great – storied, hard-wearing, versatile and relatively affordable (especially if you go down the vintage/second-hand route). They’re also plentiful: most brands have a version.

But this guide focuses on the other chores, the chores of distinction. These follow the basic design template set out by Simon here – straight edges and triple patch pockets – but are fashioned out of unusual and luxurious materials, with considered points that elevate them into a real alternative to a tailored jacket.

In this guide I’ve selected six such chores for an in-depth look, and supplemented them with another six options at the end of the article. Brands are presented to you in ascending price order.

LEJ Cat Posh Plage Coat (£275 to £425)

I was fortunate enough to spend a few weeks travelling in Mexico this year and, with temperatures expected to be in the high-30s celsius for most of the trip, had to reconcile myself to the fact that jackets and outerwear would just be dead weight.

I did permit myself one piece for holding travel paraphernalia at airports, and to slip on as protection from aggressive air-conditioning. The item that I chose was LEJ’s Plage coat, largely because of how comfortable it is to wear.

The jacket is cut pretty straight through the body ,with the option to cinch the waist slightly using the martingale (half-belt back). The sleeve is fuller than any other chore in this guide and that’s something I really like (heck, if you’re ever required to do some actual chores you might want to be able to swing your arms a bit), though I appreciate some readers may prefer a more tailored sleeve.

It’s also something of a chameleon. The electric navy (above) is the sexy English cousin of the classic bleu de travail jackets. My green herringbone twill (presently out of stock but due back next spring) has such a strong jungle-jacket vibe I can virtually smell the DEET. This white cotton would surely be worn by the preternaturally attractive hospital staff of a US medical drama.

Because of the fuller fit and wide point collar (which is around 9.5cm compared to 6.5cm for The Anthology) the Plage coat does lean more casual and, depending on the cloth, possibly into outerwear territory.

That said, I wore a newly purchased black and white houndstooth tweed Plage to my office ahead of our evening Christmas party and I’m pleased to report it was well-received; alas, I can’t say the same for my dancing. I tempered the boldness of the check with the most neutral items in my wardrobe: white shirt, charcoal flannels and black loafers.

Two other details that I really like on the Plage are the finishing on the inside of the patch pockets, and the buttons. The former is a thick cotton ribbon, stitched on the inside of the coat to buttress the external seams at the pocket’s opening. The latter are a smoky and lustrous mother of pearl.

Should you consider fastening buttons (smoky or otherwise) to be an altogether tedious experience you could also look at LEJ’s quick release Plage coats. Identical to the standard Plage but with slim ties replacing the buttons and martingale. Yet another chameleon as the quick release element nudges it towards a mandarin jacket.

S.E.H Kelly Work Jacket (£396 to £480)

Simon memorably described SEH Kelly’s products as made of “materials…so lovely I could eat them”. Having been to the workshop, I completely understand that sentiment and, if I may extend the food analogy, I see their products as the midnight buffet at a wedding: there’s never enough for everyone so you have to be quick.

Which is to say there is currently limited stock of SEH Kelly’s Work Jacket (chores are too trivial a labour for something as hardy as this) available online. However, these guides were never intended to encourage a buy-now-think-later attitude (the reverse is so much healthier), and so I’m happy to feature the Work Jacket if it helps prepare readers for the restock due early January – expect to see jackets contrived from the same stay-wax cotton as the Duster Coats.

Details abound in the Work Jacket: the collar is beautifully shaped and aches to be popped; the standard left-breast pocket has crossed the aisle and now occupies the right leaving a faint shadow of its former self (created by the stitching of the left-hand internal pocket); patch pockets are replaced by deeply satisfying and deeply deep bucket pockets that run the width of the jacket front; an internal jetted pocket brings the count to five; the sleeves are inserted under a lapped shoulder seam with a small ventilation gusset near the armpit; the interior is partially self-lined and satin lines the sleeves.

Dark horn buttons are to be found in all directions: securing the thick cuff at the end of the sleeve, assisting the rear side-tabs to pinch away excess, and attached to the front with a ring-and-eyelet system (butcher’s buttons) that makes them removable.

In terms of cut, the Work Jacket is amongst the shortest in the guide – just a couple of centimetres shy of a blouson/bomber length – which works well for me given my penchant for higher-waisted trousers but might not be for everyone.

The colour options are uniformly excellent and put me in mind of deepest winter: moody and drab (those are compliments); I’m entirely comfortable gazing into the stunning Abyss Blue hopsack (pictured at the top of this entry) and having it gaze right back at me.

The Anthology Lazyman ($525 to $850)

I think it was the Permanent Style pop-up in 2019; Bryceland’s, Adret and The Anthology were all in residence, and I was trying on the first iteration of the Lazyman in a pale striped seersucker (above). From across the store, Bryceland’s Ethan Newton looked up from the counter, saw me considering the jacket and gave a silent nod of approval. I bought it then and there, and haven’t lived to regret the snap purchase.

The lapels nod to 1950s riviera style but with a restraint that allows the jacket to feel appropriate to most situations – suitably easy going for a holiday stroll on the beach but sufficiently elegant for a meal with friends. The waist is lent shape by tab adjusters on the back.

These details help to make the Lazyman, out of all the coats in this guide, the one I think works best with a shirt and tie (see Anthology co-founder Buzz in the fawn herringbone below).

In particular, the fuzzy navy bouclé (made of a mix of wool, baby llama and cashmere, with a bit of polyamide to bolster the delicate fabrics) and pale grey herringbone could underpin a fool-proof wardrobe for all but the most traditional of work environments.

Even though I think the jacket is well suited to shirt-and-tie getups, I should caution readers that it is short. Not by the standards of most chores and casual jackets, but if you’re fixed on a blazer alternative that covers your seat this isn’t the right choice for you.

The Anthology also offers the Lazyman in various cashmeres on a made-to-order basis. This isn’t something that’s readily available (the only other brand that I could find selling a 100% cashmere model was Zegna – discussed later) and I think it would pair well with the Lazyman style.

The other thing I’ve always loved about this jacket is the patch pocket shapes. The bottom corners curve almost imperceptibly through 90 degrees, while the short and stout breast pocket (set marginally lower than standard) reveals a flash of your sunglasses, which is a nice way to add some visual interest to a simple outfit of jeans, T-shirt and chore.

The jacket fits true to size. My purchase was an IT48 which serves well as a summer piece because I’ll usually wear it open with a light shirt or polo. However, were I to pick up one of the heavier winter options I’d go for a 50 to ensure there’s adequate room for some beefy knitwear.

Drake’s 5-Pocket Chore Jacket (£475 to £1295)

As one of their signature pieces, Drake’s is always a good place to start a hunt for a quality chore coat, and two things stand out to me from their offering.

The first is that their cloth range, size range and size availability is consistently stronger than the other brands in this guide. Over the years, they’ve made chores out of linen, wool, cotton twill, corduroy, denim, Tencel, canvas and suede. Right now, there are 14 different jackets to choose from, in seven sizes (34 to 48) and, even in the run-up to Christmas, there remains good availability in the most popular sizes.

The second thing is that Drake’s are the best at injecting personality and a sense of play into their chore coats, by stocking vibrant colours to supplement the core blues, browns, and greens. In the past I’ve had my eye caught by their fire-engine-red suede, rose-pink selvedge corduroy and tangerine Japanese linen.

Admittedly, the range right now is relatively subdued but I’m sure as we head into 2023 some fun colours will be unleashed.

Each jacket comes with five pockets – one internal pocket, three standard patch pockets and a patch ticket pocket. I’m generally not a fan of the Drake’s ticket pocket (I once unpicked one from an otherwise superb seersucker jacket) but I think it works for a chore, where the pockets are there to be filled.

Drake’s make minor style adjustments in recognition of the traits of each fabric. The rust suede jacket (pictured at the top of this entry and coveted by me for just shy of four years – sad aren’t I?) has a snap button on the cuff so you can tighten the sleeve opening like outerwear. The denim chores have rivet buttons to secure the pockets (just as you would find on a pair of jeans).

I tried both the size 38 and 40 and there wasn’t much between the two – the only place I really noticed a big difference was in the width of the arms. As with The Anthology earlier, I would recommend going with whichever size suits your style and layering preference.

Drake’s have also launched an Artists Chore Jacket which blends a chore with a smock. The result is a more generously proportioned fit (the size 38 was great), a mandarin collar, knotted buttons, and a curious round pocket with a vertical opening – if anyone knows its provenance I’d love to hear.

Anderson & Sheppard No. 2 Jacket (£1095 to £1395)

I’ve had an Anderson & Sheppard No. 2 jacket in linen tobacco for four years (snaped up after waiting 18 months for it to go on sale at Mr. Porter), and in that time it’s become a prized possession – so much so that I picked it for one of my three outfits when asked to be part of the Reader Profile series.

My opinion of the jacket echoes what I said in the summer about the Anderson & Sheppard polo, which is that there is no attempt to justify the price (high as it is) through extravagant or redundant details. The design exudes confidence through its simplicity, the proportions are bang, the finishing is great (the horn buttons are anchored by small backing buttons) and the cloth choices are, as so often is the case with A&S, impeccable.

My Irish linen (below) has enough heft but still flows over the body like an Italian linen. Other options include needlecord, a rugged handwoven tweed (above) and a lovely mid-weight navy flannel (I know Simon has written about the limitations of flannel tailored jackets, but I think an unstructured chore removes any stigma of excessive formality).

Of course, the RTW options online are just a jumping-off point with Anderson & Sheppard, given the range of MTO fabrics available.

Like many of the coats in this guide, I find the No.2 a little long in the sleeve. And unlike them the No.2 has a barrel cuff, which makes any alterations a little more expensive. I’ve not found this to be an issue on the linen jacket, which gets styled a la dégagé – buttons open, sleeves rolled up to encourage breeze on the wrists – but might be something to consider on the winter cloths if you have shorter arms.

The last thing I’d like to give a shout out to is the pockets, three of which have closing devices - a button on the breast pocket and zips on the two internal pockets. As someone who is of the firm belief that passports, credit cards and mobile phones love nothing more than leaping out of open pockets, I can’t overstate how much I appreciate the zip pockets (the only brand to have them in this guide).

Zegna (£1790 to £2890)

I agree, these are very expensive. However, I said at the outset we’d consider the most luxurious materials and that’s what these undoubtedly are - a fantastic dry-handled and lightweight wool, silk, linen and cashmere in steely blue (above £1790), a thick (almost spongey) wool (55%)/cashmere (45%) blend (£1990 – in three colours) and a mottled grey pure cashmere (£2890).

The front of the jacket has been shorn of its breast pocket: a decision that I’m sure will be simultaneously welcomed by those that like to keep things clean and minimal and agonised over by those with spectacles to deposit. This act of confiscation does give the coat the air of a Donkey jacket, but with these materials perhaps it’s fairer to refer to it’s a Thoroughbred.

Upon opening the chore you’ll find lining in the sleeves and across the shoulders. It’s a minor detail but, in common with the SEH Kelly jacket, it really does help the coat to slip on and off and obviates the need to rearrange your under layers after.

The interior also comes equipped with two small patch pockets by the hip – one with a button (nice).

As usual, I requested to try a size 38 and 40 in-store but ultimately only bothered with the former as it fit very well – despite wearing my thickest roll neck jumper at the time. Uniquely in this guide the Zegna coat has two shallow vents in the back which may have improved comfort - but only fractionally would be my guess.

The only negative on the fit was that (once again) the sleeves were a little long. Zegna’s coat has a button cuff at the end of the sleeve and so has the same attendant alteration issues as A&S. Mind you, if you’re able to afford this coat then the cost of an alteration is unlikely to be a dealbreaker.

I have to say I was quite taken by the Zegna offering. There’s no getting away from how expensive it is (even after allowing for the fact that Italian cashmere prices went up by over 40% between 2021 Q1 and 2022 Q1) but if you’re looking for a deluxe casual jacket option I’ve no doubt there are places you could spend more and get less.

Other options

Prologue (from HK$3398) offer a MTO chore jacket with a shirred back - recent commissions have been made up of vintage raw silk, linen canvas, and a milky terry cloth (above).

De Bonne Facture (€395 to €780) carry several chore jacket variants - the work jacket, the traveller jacket, the painter’s jacket, the architect jacket and an overshirt…with hip pockets. I wonder what happens if an architect gets on a train – should they change jackets? To be frank, the range is a bit confusing, and I’m not entirely convinced there’s sufficient differences to justify five models. But De Bonne Facture do use lovely cloths in soft, neutral tones and here you can choose between corduroy, wool (either twill, flannel, crepe or brushed) and yak (which I’ve not seen anywhere else).

Coherence ($925) make an unusual double-breasted chore coat inspired by a coat worn by the Dutch-French painter Kees Van Dongen in the 1950s. Perhaps not the best option for your first chore but certainly worth looking if you want a more individual take.

Scott Fraser Collection (from £295) is one to consider if you liked the absence of a breast pocket on the Zegna model but were less fond of the price. Scott’s two Partner jackets - the Corta (short) and Lunga (long) - incline towards a blouson and a safari jacket/robe respectively but retain the (mostly) straight hems and patch pockets of a chore coat.

No Man Walks Alone ($485 to $595) have designed a very light chore jacket in partnership with G. Inglese. The result looks more like a shirt jacket than a heavy-duty chore but, given how few brands offer chore jackets in patterned fabrics, I can forgive all for this delightful rusty brown gun club chore alone.

The Merchant Fox (£570 to £730) sell a classic French utility jacket (below) in a bulletproof coating cloth woven by Fox Brothers. Its material and cut make it less of a luxury piece, arguably, but we’ll look at this along with other Merchant Fox jackets in an upcoming article.

Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram

The Index

The index is designed to collect the key information of each of the chore coats models featured. To aid comparison we’ve shown the chest, back length and sleeve length for size UK40/IT50/M - measurements taken from the brands.

Prices are correct as of time of writing.

Brand Model (Size) Price Pockets Fabrics Chest (cm) Back Length (cm) Sleeve (cm)
LEJ Cat Posh Plage Coat (M) £275 to £425 3 x front patch and 1 x internal patch - Cotton

- Tweed

- Wool/cashmere

- Wool/cotton

 116 74 59.5
SEH Kelly Work Jacket (M) £396 to £480 1 x front patch

2 x front bucket

1 x internal patch

1 x internal jetted

 - Corduroy

- Cotton sail canvas

- Hopsack cotton/linen

- Stay-wax cotton (due January)

 112 71 89 (from centre back)
The Anthology

 

 Lazyman (IT50) $525 to $850 3 x front patch and 1 x internal patch

 

 - Cotton

- Lambswool

- Merino Wool

- Camelhair

- Seersucker

- Wool/Llama/ Cashmere/Polyamide

- Cashmere (MTO only)

 118 72.2 63.6
Drake’s Five-pocket chore jacket (UK40) £475 to £1295 4 x front patch and 1 x internal patch - Suede

- Selvedge corduroy

- Denim

- Cotton

- Linen

 115 72.3 65
Anderson & Sheppard Jacket No. 2

(M)

 £1095 to £1395 3 x front patch (one with button) and

2 x zipped internal

 - Corduroy

- Flannel

- Linen

- Handwoven tweed

- Many MTO options

 112 71 47
Zegna Chore Jacket £1790 to £2890 2 x front patch and 2 x internal patch (one with button) - Cashmere

- Wool/Cashmere

- Wool/Silk/Linen/

Cashmere

 TBC TBC TBC

 

PS is 15 years old! But what is permanent style?

Posted on by Simon Crompton

PS is 15 years old! But what is permanent style?

Wednesday, December 14th 2022
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Fifteen years ago today, I was sitting in my office in Playhouse Yard, next to Blackfriars station, writing an article about structured finance transactions. 

I remember it was very cold, much like today, though there had been no snow. My seat was at the window and I could see people trudging past on the way to work, heads bent to the wind. 

I tended to get to the office early, about 8:30, so I could get home early and help my wife, who started to get tired at the end of the day. Our first child was due in January and she was heavily pregnant. 

However, I was having trouble concentrating on the details of collateralised debt obligations because that morning I’d published my first article on menswear, on a platform called Blogger. 

I’d registered the address PermanentStyle.blogspot.com, named after the (misremembered) subtitle of Dressing The Man, and written a very short article on why striped suits with striped shirts reminded me of pyjamas. 

It was a niche point, though a neat metaphor I thought. The writing was clear and precise, making use of the journalism training I’d had. But it felt scary to have my thoughts up there, in public, for anyone to read and criticise. 

There were no comments, no photo of me or indeed anything else, yet I felt exposed. How times have changed. 

After lunch, with that adrenaline still in the system, I banged out another piece. This time about how rules are guidelines, that they need to be understood but not slavishly followed. You need to work out your own style, I told all my non-existent readers, and have fun. 

Nothing has changed there. I still emphasise fun and understanding, and still get lectured about the rules. A couple of weeks ago someone on Instagram told me that wearing a pen in your outbreast pocket was “a complete no no for a gentleman”. You think these things have died, but they still exist. 

Today, Permanent Style is 15 years old. 

I’m immensely proud of this, though I confess it has snuck up on me. Only last month I was telling a friend that our anniversary was December next year. Oh well. 

There will be some suitable celebrations next year. A big party probably, some reflective editorial, maybe an irresponsible collaboration destined to lose money. Something like that. 

Today it’s just fun remembering that December day when I felt so scared writing 200 words on a website no one looked at. 

I have to say I’m pleased the advice has aged well. In that first month I railed against bright jacket linings and compromised magazine editorial, praising wedding ties and brown suits (above). I even gave advice on alterations (change the body, not the shoulders) that I was repeating in the pop-up shop only last week. 

But at the same time, there are ways in which my style has changed too. I didn’t think much of black suits, for example, and rather liked bright yellow socks. 

Which brings us to the question of what ‘permanent style’ actually is. Does it exist? How can it if your style, and society more generally, is always changing? 

I think it certainly does, but not in the way Alan probably meant, and not how I thought 15 years ago either. 

To have permanent style, to dress with style throughout your life, you need to be inquisitive, open-minded, and evolve. 

With a long view, this is obvious. You would look silly today wearing the clothes of a Victorian, or the bowler hat my grandfather wore to work well into the 1960s (above) - purely, as he said, to entertain the tourists. (He was deliberately dressing up as an ‘English gentleman’; some today still seem to do so.) 

We change as people too. Our jobs change, our lifestyles change, and this is mostly how I think about the impact of Covid. Readers are working more from home, but still want to look good and to enjoy their clothes. Helping them do so is our job.

There is no such thing as a single permanent style. Menswear changes happen over decades rather than months, but they still happen.

There is, however, such a thing as being permanently stylish. It probably requires a whole new article to define, although in some ways PS has been trying to define it for 2,674 posts and precisely 15 years. 

Here’s to another 15. If I get there I'll be literally jumping for joy.

Top and bottom image: from the Anglo-Italian review, photography by Jamie Ferguson

 

Anto: Shirtmaker to Hollywood, on and off screen

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Anto: Shirtmaker to Hollywood, on and off screen

Monday, December 12th 2022Tags:
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I can imagine a reader walking past Anto Shirts in Beverly Hills and not stopping in. There’s quite a range of styles, and not all of them are the kind of classic look PS normally covers. 

The readers that have mentioned the shirtmaker to me have come in through other routes: seeing Anto mentioned in the press, or perhaps more often, seeing a shirt in a movie they liked and tracking down who made it. 

Anto does so much film work that there’s a decent chance they’ll be the maker you want - and that was my connection. I already knew Jack Sepetjian from our Shirtmakers Symposium, and when I was interested in a shirt made for Ryan Gosling in La La Land, I asked whether he made it. 

He did, and I covered the shirt I had made in its image here. 

I think this is likely to be the most interesting angle for readers. Anto makes quality shirts from my experience, but they are expensive (mostly $425+) compared to most we cover. What no other maker offers is the ability to use Harrison Ford’s shirt pattern from the latest Indiana Jones film, or Leonardo DiCaprio’s, and make their own version. 

Anto also acquired the archive of another Hollywood shirtmaker which goes back to the 1940s and 50s, containing the patterns of many of the Rat Pack, such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. 

If you’re at all interested in period clothing, that is a treasure trove. “Most often our work comes from costume designers approaching us to make shirts from a particular decade, when the film is set,” Jack (above) told me, when I spoke to him on a Zoom call earlier this year. 

“Any shirtmaker could make a go at creating those styles from photos or from a vintage piece, but no one has the pattern archive we do.” 

Given how often brands draw on military shirts from the same era, you feel there must be some useful civilian designs in there - though as Jack says, not necessarily from the performers of the day, or at least not what they wore to perform. 

Keen to get some first-hand experience of Anto - as well as some original photography - I asked LA local Robert Spangle (@ThousandYardStyle) to act as our roving reporter and go visit.

“I found it interesting that every aspect of the bespoke process, except for cutting and attaching the sleeves and collar, can be automated in the atelier in Studio City,” Robert says. 

“They still offer fully handmade, hand-cut shirts, but the automation allows them to cater to Hollywood. They can run out finished bespoke garments from a proven customer pattern the same day for a red-carpet event, or do small-scale production for wardrobe.”

This machinery is pretty new - when I spoke to Jack a few months earlier, it was something he was hoping to get up and running soon. The lack of it (and just as importantly, the staff required) was the major reason Anto had so few ready-made shirts available. 

"We’ve been so busy with film work the past couple of years that it’s been hard to get that going,” Jack said. "But that's what the business needs - people have been asking for it for so long.”

The atelier - a twenty-minute drive over the hill from the Beverley Hills shop - is also where the archive is held. Robert spent a happy half hour browsing through the old patterns. 

“There were some technical innovations in there that I admired,” he says. “For example, they developed a special collar for Sinatra that is extremely canted, high in the back but with almost no collar stand in the front. It allowed him to sing without the shirt and tie disrupting his vocal cords.”

Many tailors around the world have patterns from famous customers, but they’re usually reticent about taking inspiration from them - and have less reason to do so, having no ready-to-wear. 

Also, those archives rarely contain a mix clothes that actors wore both on and off screen. There are exceptions, and some stars wore their own clothes in their film roles. But I don’t think anyone has this mix of civilian and costume clothing, from such a variety of actors, over such a long period - Anto was founded in 1955.

Anto has also been family owned for that whole period, with Jack its third generation. Anto Sepetjian, the founder, immigrated to California with his family from Beirut, Lebanon in the fifties.

I guess that’s one more thing that makes it a Permanent Style kind of maker, even if that’s a little hidden behind the Hollywood glamour.

And Anto joins a lengthening list of places in Los Angeles that I'd love to go and visit. We covered Ghiaia recently of course, but there’s also makers we’ve covered like Wellema, Chester Mox and Good Art, and LA-specific shops alongside vintage haunts like the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Perhaps I'll get to go again in 2023. 

Any readers out there, it would be great to see you too. 

Drake’s corduroy Mk.I Games Blazer: Review 

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Drake’s corduroy Mk.I Games Blazer: Review 

Friday, December 9th 2022Tags:
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This is the Mk.1 Games Blazer from Drake’s in russet corduroy.

To be honest, I’ve lost track of the numbers and which style each is, but the important thing is that this one's a fairly regular jacket with notched lapels - not the version I’d known best previously, with peak. 

All the other details are really just details - patch pockets, flaps, lack of lining. Particularly as that choice is often driven by the material itself - with this corduroy there is no need for any lining, as the reverse is so smooth; a hairy tweed is rather different. 

I also think it’s best to think of this style as lying somewhere between a jacket and a chore coat on our recent list of tailoring alternatives. 

While it has regular lapels and rounded fronts (two of the usual properties of a jacket) it also has no vents, no buttons on the sleeve and twin-needle seams (all more common on a chore). 

It's also cut a little short and square and, more subtly, has no internal structure - nothing in the collar, lapels or chest - and therefore no real shaping. 

As with a chore, this throws all the emphasis on the material, and this heavy cord is really nice. An English eight-wale, it’s strong but not stiff, and I've already seen mine soften over the first dozen wears.

In fact cloth choice might be the biggest strength of the whole Games range. This mid-brown colour is the perfect shade, as are the dark brown and the olive. I’m even tempted by the corn colour, which is striking but not too saturated. 

The navy tweed they’ve just brought out in the Mk.VII (single breasted, lined sleeves) is exactly what I would have chosen, as is the melton in the double-breasted Mk.III. There’s even the mid-grey herringbone I’m always banging on about as the most versatile jacket. 

They’re heavy - the tweed is a 14oz Harris - but that suits the style. They’re not a jacket replacement in the sense of something to wear around the office, as a modern replacement for a suit. 

Rather they're closer to outerwear, which is how most men who don’t normally wear tailoring would probably wear tailoring - not layered underneath an overcoat, but layered on top of a shetland or a sweatshirt. 

Instinctively, this role for the jacket is also reflected in how I've found I wear it. 

Over knitwear, yes, as with the Rubato lambswool crewneck pictured. With a warmer shirt, a hat and a scarf to make it more winter-friendly, rather than a coat. And while the down-gilet-over-the-top look is too much for me, I understand the motivation - it makes sense over this kind of chunky material.

I always wear the collar up - it’s what I’d usually do with a chore, and the lack of internal structure plus the thick material makes it feel natural. 

I wear it undone most of the time. Given the lack of shape and structure, there isn’t that much to be gained by buttoning that waist button. 

When I do button the jacket it’s against the cold, and while I’m likely to use the waist button, it looks just as good with the top button instead - plus the functional button under the chin perhaps.

Finally, I use the hip pockets a lot. The material can clearly take it, and the cord also makes it a little awkward to use trouser pockets if the jacket is buttoned.

These are all things I would naturally do with a chore. 

So where does this type of jacket fit into a wardrobe? 

I think it’s for the guy who wants a piece of outerwear that is casual but can be worn with flannels and jeans. Perhaps he's tried chore jackets but found them too simple, square or straightforward. 

Not for the kind of guy who works in an office, in tailored trousers and smart shoes, and wants a jacket to go with them. He should try the pieces labelled ‘tailored jacket’ at Drake’s. Not necessarily to buy that one (I’d nudge him towards made to measure in any case), but to notice the difference in style, cut, structure and resulting smartness. 

As a reader pointed out recently, it is definitely easier to wear a tailored jacket with jeans and casual trousers than most people think. I want to help with that and never lose that. But I also know there will be many men who want a jacket that is precisely this casual. 

Drake’s is expensive these days. This jacket is £795 and that’s a lot for a cord jacket, even with the store, service and styling that I’m very happy to pay for. 

This puts me off some of the tailoring, but I’m more willing to pay for clothes that feel unique - where I can’t get the same thing anywhere else and can ‘feel’ more of the design. I think the Games blazers fall into that category, as do the Drake's suede chore jackets.

I did try the Games trousers that match this jacket by the way, but didn’t take to them. 

I think it’s great that Drake’s break them up with this way, and you can buy both, one or the other. They do them in materials - linen, cord, canvas - that I’ve always recommended as best for a ‘three-way suit’.

But the trousers felt a little lower in the rise than with previous iterations, and I didn’t like the single pleat. That thick cord is also an easier sell in an outerwear jacket, but a little more specific in a trouser. 

Other clothes pictured:

Christmas gift list 2022: Towelling, tooling and totes

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Christmas gift list 2022: Towelling, tooling and totes

Wednesday, December 7th 2022Tags:
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1 Double-breasted towelling robe

Anderson & Sheppard, £395

The sartorial design of this robe from Anderson & Sheppard is so satisfying. It basically has ulster-coat lapels, with one buttoning under the chin when the collar is up. Good pockets, turn-back cuffs, but that lapel is the best thing. 

Anyone that likes a really warm gown, or wears them around the house more than after a shower, may not want towelling. But one advantage of the material is how it takes colour - you can wear a bright blue or red and it doesn’t look showy unlike wool or silk. 

 

2 Silk backgammon set

P Johnson, A$245

A satisfying travel game for someone into menswear. Hand-rolled silk, horn buttons, and a pleasing range of three colours - green, brown and blue. There’s even a pretentious little motto (‘ludete prudenter’ - play wisely). 

I used to have a rolled-up leather set like this I travelled with, which was always a useful diversion. Obviously silk requires a calm, indoor setting, but it’s a lot lighter too. 

 

3 Modern Black Tie book

La Bowtique, £40

Mickael’s book on black tie is long, stylish and fun. Roughly A5 size, and often with large text and imagery, it nonetheless runs to over 300 pages and covers everything from styles of bow tie to the different modern occasions for eveningwear. 

It’s light on history, but then most black tie guides are too heavy on history for me. It’s still knowledgeable, but its greatest value is communicating the joy of eveningwear, through the urgent writing and playful photography. 

 

4 Tooled leather belt

Parker Boots, from $225

My recent foray into western boots (article on the final pair coming soon) led me down a rabbit hole of related crafts, including hand-tooling of leather belts. It’s a lovely craft, and one of the easiest ways men can wear decorative patterns such as these. 

Zephan Parker’s team cut the belts in-house. They’re all made to order, with solid brass buckles. The veg-tanned leather starts out pretty stiff, but softens over time. Add some leather cream to move the process along. 

Anyone interested in leather tooling in the UK should look up ex-Cleverley shoemaker Dominic Casey, who used a QEST scholarship to learn the technique in Arizona and Oregon.

 

5 Handmade ceramic espresso cup

Ceramica Artistica Solimene via Stoffa, $50

These frosted terracotta cups have a very organic feel, with the shape and the glaze varying between each one. The shape was inspired by plastic cups used on Indian railways, but are also reminiscent of those in Italian train stations - drunk quickly on the go, with a cornetto con crema in the other hand, before scrumpling the cup and throwing it in the bin. 

It’s these experiences they remind me of, and you have to say it’s typical of Stoffa to offer something so crafted, subtle yet unusual. The packaging’s lovely too. 

 

6 Paul Brunngard shoe-care briefcase

Arterton, £220

I’ve tried a few different boxes and cases for shoe-care products over the years, from Saphir and Turms for example. This is the best of the lot, a wool-lined case made in solid walnut, with nice details like magnets in the lid to hold the brushes. It looks gorgeous and has a satisfying weight. 

The downside of the design is that you can’t easily keep other products, such as Saphir. The holes are the wrong shape, and there’s no general space for things other than polishes and creams. I need a new set of products anyway, but this will limit the case’s use for others. 

 

7 Ichizawa Hanpu roll-top tote

Trunk, £220

I’ve had one of these totes for five years, and it’s often featured on Permanent Style. But while Trunk stocked other Ichizawa totes in that time, they never had this, my favourite model. It’s just been brought back as part of a collaboration in four colours. 

The bag is made from one piece of hard-wearing canvas, in Kyoto. The most satisfying aspects of the design are the fold-down top, which is kept in place by the handles when carried, and the prominent metal feet, which mean the bag stands upright more than most. 

 

8 Extra-long shoehorn

Abbeyhorn, £156.50

Anyone that has been into classic menswear for a while, and particularly bespoke shoes, will have more than one real shoe horn. Usually made by Abbeyhorn in England, they’re a lovely natural item and usually a by-product of the African meat industry. 

If you walk past somewhere like Taylor’s on Jermyn Street, however, you will see the really big ones, which are decorative objects in their own right - the kind of combination of beauty and function that's at the heart of so much menswear. The longest Abbeyhorn has is 24 inch; sometimes Taylor's have longer ones, but they're much more expensive.

 

9 White port

Various, such as Graham’s, £24.99

Not really a menswear recommendation this, but a personal one given I love an aperitif (a good excuse for just one drink when you have small children!) and my wife’s connection to Portugal.   

I’d never tried white port until a friend gave me a bottle of this recently, but it’s lovely with tonic or soda. More interesting than trying one more gin variation, and feels very Christmassy too. 

 

10 Striped merino-wool blanket

The Merchant Fox, £445

I was a little unsure about the striped patterns on these Fox blankets, but seeing them in the pop-up store last week convinced me. It’s a lovely, subtle pattern, in soft colours inspired by British moors and heath lands. 

I’ve had a Fox blanket for years, and like their cloth they do feel different, largely because of the density of the weaving. The fine merino feels soft (not scratchy) but really strong and substantial too. Mine is a plain blue/grey, and if I was to pick a plain one from the current range it would be this natural colour (£320).  

If you want more ideas, most from previous years are still available. Search 'Christmas list' to see them. 

Moulded Shoe, New York: Home of the modified last

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Moulded Shoe, New York: Home of the modified last

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Monday, December 5th 2022Tags:
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Moulded Shoe in New York is a charming shop. A family-run business now in its third generation, It’s narrow and tall, with shoe boxes stacked way up to a double-height ceiling. 

There are newspaper cuttings, customer photos and a Japanese cartoon on the walls. It’s from the old fashioned - and delightfully so - ‘more is more’ school of retailing. 

Still, as a clothes lover it’s unlikely you’d think there’s much here for you. They clearly sell Alden, but surely the Alden store on Madison will have everything this retailer could have? 

Not so. For this is one of the very few shops where you can get the modified last. 

The modified last from Alden creates a particular shape of shoe, with a slim waist, wide front and slightly bent inwards at the toes, following the shape of the foot (below). 

It’s a shape that’s more orthopaedic, perhaps prioritising comfort and functionality a little over aesthetics - unlike most dress shoes. It suits men with a narrow heel, wide joints (sometimes called a ‘spade’ shape) and high arches, which is a fairly large minority. 

The modified last is not sold widely because it is considered to be slightly odd, even ugly. Certainly, no shoe designer who was focused on design would make a shoe like this. 

However, this reputation might be exaggerated by the fact that the other shop known for selling the modified last, Antomica in Paris, puts men in rather large sizes. Pierre and Charles tend to insist on it. 

Anatomica is a wonderful menswear shop - one of those places that still remains a true destination - and should be celebrated and frequently visited. But it is rather frustrating that you can’t buy the modified last in the size you want. 

Hence my visit to Moulded Shoe in New York, and hence the conversation I’m having with the owner Ronnie. 

“Pierre first saw the modified last here,” he says, unlacing a boot for me to try. “He came in here and loved the shape, so he talked to Alden about offering it in his stores.”

I inquire about the preferences for sizing. 

“Yes, they tend to prefer more of a ‘fashion’ fit - longer and narrower. He thinks it’s flattering,” he says. 

I’m not sure about whether it’s more a fashion thing or not - certainly there’s more fashion going on at Anatomica than Moulded Shoe, but it’s not exactly French couture either.

Still, the difference in sizing was dramatic. After a quick measurement on the American-specific (‘Brannock’) scale, Maurice suggested a size 9D. Anatomica had recommended a 10.5C. 

The fit felt very good: close through the arch and ankle, but with plenty of room to wiggle the toes. A better fit than most ready-to-wear I have, and in some ways better than some bespoke.

On that original article about the modified last, reader ‘Plop’ got it pretty much spot on. In his experience, he said he’d recommend sizing down a half size on the modified, and perhaps a size narrower. I tend to wear a 9E in wider Alden lasts and a 9.5E in narrower ones.

I bought a pair of half-brogue boots in snuff suede (D8814), driven by the fit and the fact it would be my only chance to shop at Moulded Shoe (Alden don’t allow them to ship outside the US). 

I think the last shape works well in a boot because its idiosyncrasies are a little obscured by the design. But still, it’s the smaller size that makes the difference: when you’re not wearing a shoe that’s a full size bigger than you’d normally wear, the curved shape is a lot less obvious.

The last works particularly well on me because I have that 'spade' shape described earlier. (If you have flat feet or are wider in the heel, the Berrie or Trubalance lasts from Alden are better.)

But I know many other men do too - you only have to read the number of comments from readers asking about sizing in loafers, saying their heel always slips out. Chatting to Tony Gaziano a few weeks ago, he estimated that perhaps 20% of Gaziano & Girling customers fall into that bracket. Perhaps enough to justify a dedicated loafer last for some brands. 

It's in that context that the remark above about the fit of bespoke shoes should be taken. This one last works particularly well on me, and bespoke makers are often trying to create it from scratch. 

Of course, it's also not a fair comparison because those makers are trying to create a very visually attractive show at the same time. 

But it feels significant that while we were in the store, a reader did come in (pictured top) that had tried bespoke makers, been unsatisfied, and been recommended to try the modified last as an alternative. From a purely fit point of view, it can clearly fill a niche.

I'll take some photos of my boots in a few weeks to show how they look. I'll probably have a better idea of how I feel about them by then as well. 

Moulded Shoe sell other shoe brands, though not at the same level as Alden, and they make bespoke shoes, costing $1500-$2500 - but real orthopaedics. 

They don't make bespoke loafers full stop, because they think a laced shoe will always fit a customer better. 

MouldedShoeNY.com 

Photography: Christopher Fenimore 

Collectable cards show the ages of British Costume

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Collectable cards show the ages of British Costume

Friday, December 2nd 2022Tags:
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Near where I grew up in Mortlake, south-west London, there is an incredible antiques shop. 

‘Memories of Mortlake’ is the life’s work of collector Elke Crowther, who sadly passed away last year, after decades of selling anything and everything in her house-cum-shop. 

There are antique plates stacked up, in the old-fashioned sink. An enormous oil painting of Kaiser Wilhelm lies sideways along the top of a wardrobe. The shop window is piled with examples of 40s and 50s design: postcards, cigarette packs, biscuit tins. 

I mention all this by way of context, as this post is about a little discovery I made at the back of one shelf: a perfectly preserved set of cards illustrating British fashions through the ages. 

Dating from the late 1950s, these were given away with tins of Brooke Bond Tea: you bought a tin, you got a card, you endeavoured to collect the set. 

Elke did a pretty good job, and although most relate to womenswear (it has changed much more, after all), there are enough including menswear to make them interesting. 

Here are the meticulous little images, in reverse chronological order, with the text on the back supplied by fashion historian Madeleine Ginsburg of the Victoria & Albert Museum. The illustrations are by Michael Youens. 

I’ve added my commentary in italics, but I’m sure you’ll have your own thoughts as well. 

Day Clothes about 1927

With just this first example, I've included the text on the woman’s costume as well, to give a sense of what usually runs before the men’s.

"This lady, from a fashion plate of 1927, shows how plain, straight, loosely-fitting and low-waisted dresses had become. They became shorter from 1920, and by 1925 legs clad in beige flesh-coloured stockings were visible to the knee. 

Women looked as free and easy as boys with their flat figures and new short ‘bobbed’ hairstyles, covered in tight cloche hats.

The man’s suit is still high-waisted with a rounded jacket. Men’s trousers were full, sometimes widening at the turn-up to form ‘Oxford bags’. Contrasting sports jackets were starting to be worn for leisure."

Historically, I find the more extreme fashions within menswear get recorded and discussed - such as the oxford bags mentioned here. But these were often fairly short-lived.

More interesting is how the cut of suits varied each decade or so - here, there is the ‘rounded’ jacket, which refers to the cutaway of the fronts, and the high buttoning point (the waist). 

Day Clothes 1920

"The man’s lounge suit fits tightly and still retains its long jacket. The trousers are straight but shorter, generally with the turn-up, introduced about 1904. He wears the new, soft, felt hat and spats protecting his shoe, introduced in the middle of the 19th century."

This cut, you feel, would be at home at Liverano or the Anthology, with the exception of the length of the jacket. It’s interesting how close fitting the jacket is, and how much slimmer the trouser, compared to only a few years later. 

Also noteworthy is how, over time, old-fashioned elements are gradually dispensed with. For example note how this gentleman has a contrast collar, probably detachable, whereas by 1927 he does not. Yet the spats live on a while longer.

Day Clothes 1916

"The gentleman wears a ‘lounge suit’ with a long, loose-flaring jacket and high-button lapels. His trousers taper slightly. Bowler hats were very common and for evening he could wear either the less formal, more comfortable dinner jacket, introduced in the 1890’s, or the more formal cut-away ‘tails’."

All of a sudden, the suit is barely recognisable. So long, and buttoned so high, that it looks nothing like a jacket today. Although the inverted commas around ‘lounge suit’ are intended to reflect the newness of the term, it also makes us reflect on how dissimilar it is from a modern suit. 

Day Clothes 1901

"Her companion wears a high, curved top hat with a double-breasted ‘frock overcoat’ on top of his formal jacket and striped trousers."

A shorter entry here, unfortunately, with most of the text discussing the woman’s clothing. But the image and short text says it all - we are before the lounge suit gained popularity, and everything is about long, high-buttoning frock coats with contrasting trousers. 

Day Clothes 1896

"The gentleman wears the top hat and frock coat that have become established formal dress for over forty years. Black is established as the standard colour for formal dress, and little else has changed except details like the length of the lapel and the curve of the tails. He wears a high starched collar."

The Victorian period witnessed relative stability of dress, as reflected in this commentary, with the frock coat and trousers dominating smart daytime attire. Although it’s interesting that 40 years is considered a long period, yet the suit today has barely changed except in aspects like lapel widths for rather longer. Always good to get a sense of perspective.

Day Clothes 1872

"[Described as ‘seaside costume’] The man wears an informal lounge suit, the shape based on a cut-away coat. He wears the more comfortable turn-down collar with knotted tie and low-crowned ‘bowler’-like hat."

What a suit! Not just the pattern, but the cutaway jacket, the peeping waistcoat, the contrast collar. It’s still a lounge suit, though, and only worn because this is a more casual environment - by the seaside. Over time the casual replaces the formal, the suit replaces the frock coat, and today the shirt and trousers replaces the suit.

Day Clothes 1856

"The man wears a light overcoat over a ‘frock coat’ with full square tails, not cut away, and a contrasting waistcoat with lapels and loose, straight, drab trousers. He wears a bow tie introduced about 1840 and the now universal top hat."

This image is apparently taken from a painting of a couple at the races - ‘Derby Day’. Actually the male costume isn’t that dissimilar to the morning dress required in the Royal Enclosure of Ascot today, at least compared to the other variants above. Which shows how some places and events can retain that formality, when they have such control.

Day Clothes 1848/9

"Her companion wears the new-fashioned short lounge jacket with wide trousers, introduced for country wear around 1800. His collar is lower and a bow replaces the starched cravat."

I still find it surprising when descriptions of clothing this far back talk about new fashions, set to such precise dates. Though I have to say, the gentleman’s companion doesn’t look that pleased with his new fashion. 

After this card, the years start leaping back, usually by a century or two at a time. We’re next taken to the era of Henry VIII…

Man's Formal Clothes about 1548

"This gentleman from a portrait painted about 1548 by Guillim Stretes, wears an overgown with full upper sleeves adding breadth to his shoulders, fashionable from about 1520. His doublet is loose with a seam at the waist and skirts, and his upper stocks (breeches) are separate from his hose, for greater comfort and ease of making. 

He has a padded ‘cod piece’ and his shirt is embroidered in black silk with small frills at the neck, which eventually develop into the ruff. His cap is softer and wider than previously, and his shoes are less broad in the toes than in the early years of Henry VIII."

I won’t go further back in time, as the costumes start to lose their relevance. But I like this one because of its fine points - highlighting slightly less broad shoes - when there’s so much more dramatic going on. Like massive sleeves and a cod piece. 

I also find clothing of this era funny for the way it reminds us how cyclical ideas of masculinity are. Wearing puffy sleeves and red tights might seem odd, until you think of all those guys with gym-built torsos and skin-tight stretchy jeans…

The Teba as substitute for a tailored jacket 

Posted on by Simon Crompton

The Teba as substitute for a tailored jacket 

Wednesday, November 30th 2022Tags:
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I don't think I've ever written about this jacket before, which is odd as I've had it a few years and wear it fairly often. 

It's the City Hunter 2 from The Armoury - their take on the traditional Spanish Teba jacket. 

It has the distinctive lapel shape of the Teba, where the collar is extended to meet the lapel in a point, but it's a little longer and slimmer. 

The chest pocket is also lengthened to fit (some) smart phones, the hip pockets have had their flaps removed, and there are some tailoring details like hand-sewn buttonholes. 

It's an elevated but also easier to wear version, for me, and would make a good first foray into the style for any PS reader that normally wears tailored jackets. 

I'm writing about it now, of course, in the context of last week's article breaking down all the casual alternatives to a sports jacket. 

This probably sits at the smarter end of that spectrum, just below an unstructured but tailored jacket. It’s also quite accessible for a Teba, given The Armoury's multiple stores and ability to do both MTM and MTO.

I know plenty of readers who work in offices where a tailored jacket is now a rarity, but still want something they can wear over a shirt - to smarten things up, to be flattering, to avoid having to carry things in their trouser pockets, and simply to provide a little bit of interest ( for themselves or for others).

If a normal Teba is a little big or boxy for any of them, too close to a chore coat perhaps, then interpretations like this can be good. 

(Some other houses do offer MTM, such as Burgos in Madrid, though they are less accessible for many.)

The material of this Armoury one is a nice mid-weight wool - around 11oz, the kind of weight you can wear indoors all the time - and of course it's a colour I've made into a bespoke jacket as well. 

If I had my way, I'd make the flap on that chest pocket a tiny bit bigger, and perhaps remove the snap, but these are small things. 

More important is the balance of the shape - the pattern cutting - which is one reason bespoke makers can struggle to make a jacket like this if they've never done it before. Although all physiques are different, it's impressive how well this RTW garment sits on my shoulders - how clean it is across the top of the chest. 

Tebas can be worn with the collar up (above) or down (above that).

Up is perhaps more casual, and starts to recall a Mao or Nehru suit. I prefer it to having the collar down with this model, however, as the lapel that’s formed is quite slim. Some other Tebas have a larger front edge, and create a bigger lapel. 

The choice could also depend on physique. With my relatively long neck and face, it looks better to wear a collared shirt if the collar is down. A crewneck knit, as here, is better framed by the raised collar. 

The knit is the dark-olive cashmere from Colhay's, which I find makes a nice alternative to greys with a relatively cold-colour outfit like this. 

The scarf is an Aran from Begg & Co, as per usual, which again is great in that kind of wardrobe. The jeans are Drake's and the boots are Galways from Edward Green. 

There's a Rubato suede belt on the jeans, largely hidden, which adds another little point of interest. The hat is a PS Watch Cap. 

It’s nice to show the Saman Amel coat again, because I haven’t done so much - only previously here. 

Interestingly (at least for me) I like the collar of this coat worn down now, which is really how it is designed to sit - it's arguably a little small when worn up. 

I remember discussing this with Dag and Saman when I had the coat made, and swearing I'd always wear it up. I think I've softened a little on that when it suits the style. 

One of the reasons I like a popped collar is the shape it creates around the face. With the collar down, wearing a scarf just inside helps create a lot of the same effect. 

The Armoury’s City Hunter 2 ranges in price from $695 for a jersey version to $1025 for this model. The price reflects the unique model, but also a higher level of make with the handsewn buttonholes, and techniques like edge-to-edge seams on the jersey. 

Well-known Spanish makers include Bel & Cia in Barcelona and Burgos in Madrid. The most widely sold though is Justo Gimeno, who is sold at Fox Brothers, Beige, Michael Jondral and others.

There is a range to try on at the Fox pop-up on Savile Row at the moment - at 20 Savile Row, just this week. And Oliver Brown has a handful in London too.

Photography: Alex Natt

A Dad in California: Styling with Davide of Ghiaia

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A Dad in California: Styling with Davide of Ghiaia

Monday, November 28th 2022Tags:
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In the past year Davide Baroncini, of knitwear brand Ghiaia, has been putting together and posting some looks that really resonate with me. 

Comfortable and relaxed, but with a really high taste level, they seem a long way from both the hype-driven and overly tight looks elsewhere. They’re deceptively simple: a few colours, classic pieces, but put together in a way that feels fresh and easy.

I first interviewed Davide three years ago, soon after Ghiaia launched, but we didn't have a chance to talk style - indeed, back then he didn’t post much about it, as his whole collection was sold through one department store and there was no e-commerce to promote. 

So we arranged a time to talk over video, to discuss his style and what influences those looks. 

Davide was in his house in California, where his wife and family had recently moved into, and actually the house his wife had grown up in. We spent a good few minutes talking about daughters and our respective families as a result, before getting into clothes. 

“Both those things deeply affect how I dress though,” he says. “Moving to California was a big influence, as was being a father.

“In the US it’s much more of a thing to be a ‘Dad’. In Milan or elsewhere in Italy this doesn’t really happen. Here a dad has a different persona - he plays more, he does everything. The clothes reflect the fact I’m always running around picking things up, or playing with them.

Growing older makes you more relaxed too, he says, and I agree. 

“When you’re young you’re so uncertain about everything - you need clothes to be perfect to have confidence in them,” Davide says.

“Professionally I grew up in Milano, and there it was particularly cruel. You’d show up to work, or to a family event, and if you weren’t dressed right you’d get a metaphorical slap in the face with a glove: ‘What’s that you’re wearing? What’s that button doing? Come on, get it together’. Everyone knew the right way to dress, and they weren’t afraid to tell others off.”

 

It feels a long way from Davide’s sunny TV room, which is where the look above was shot. What does that particular combination mean to him?

“This one feels like late summer, early autumn,” he says. “And it’s the kind of outfit I’ll wear all day long. I’m more comfortable with that now, living in America - I’ll go to the store in the morning, come back and work, go and see friends in the evening. In Italy I’d change but not here.”

The knit is Ghiaia’s cricket cardigan, quite loose and with a deliberately deep opening. The coat is there less for warmth (it’s California after all) and more just to have something, to have something. 

“You know that feeling when you leave the house and feel you need something in your hands? Or like a politician, that needs to hold a pen or a piece of paper when they’re making a point. This is the same, the coat is something to have over the shoulders, or to carry. I feel more comfortable that way.”

“Oh and if you like the coat, watch Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. Man he looks good in that film.”

 

There’s a fair amount of Armani in Boomerang, and this second outfit feels particularly Armani. 

“Giorgio wears navy on navy a lot, and it’s always elegant, always really clean. I always like to separate the two with a belt though.”

The V-neck knit is cotton, and this is relevant. “We sell cashmere and we sell cotton, but there’s something about a cotton knit that looks nice and old - elegantly aged - as soon as you put it on. Nothing looks more relaxed to me. 

“I could do a day meeting in this, and roll my sleeves up; but wear it in the evening as well, maybe comb my hair back. Also I’m about 40 pounds overweight right now, so anything that hides the weight is good! Baggy pants and a sweater are the best.”

 

These outfits are ones I picked out from Davide’s feed because I liked them personally, or because I felt there was something unusual there to explore. 

With the outfit above, I found the red and yellow interesting - they look great together, but the combination isn’t that classic. It’s not something I’d naturally do. 

“You know what works there? The dustiness of the materials. If that were a silky knit or a superfine polo, it wouldn’t work. But they both look soft, washed out. 

“That’s probably the greatest skill of a yarn supplier - their ability to colour the yarns in very specific ways. It’s really hard. It can change a knit from looking cheap and shiny, to dusty and deep.

“I’d say that apart from their harmoniousness - whether they’re both warm or cold - this is the most important thing for me in putting colours together.”

The overall look, for Davide, is Steve McQueen: practical, easy, riding his bike around the coast and then swimming in the sea. An elderly neighbour in Pasadena tells a story of seeing McQueen do just that. 

Davide was obsessed with McQueen as a kid, and illustrates with a different story, of riding his Triumph from Milan to Amsterdam over a weekend, to start a job with Suit Supply. He arrived at 3am, freezing cold, almost hypothermic. It was the stupidest thing he’s ever done - but he felt like McQueen.

 

This next outfit is someone rather different. “This is a rich dude, LA all day long. He doesn’t give a fuck. He’s old money, done this forever, and genuinely doesn’t care,” says Davide. “The line between trying very hard and not trying at all, in a look, is very thin. But this guy legitimately doesn’t.”

He continues: “There aren’t many cities in the world where you can wear this. If you wore it in Milan, people would think you were crazy, or a tourist. But if you come to LA you’ll see a guy like this every day - on Paradise Cove in Malibu, popping out of a vintage Speedster with a big hairy dog.

“The look is rather messy, but it’s very conservative too - a navy crewneck, white shorts, camel coat. It’s all about the attitude, wearing a long coat over short shorts just because you need something in the morning.

“It can be quite chill here actually, by the water, even in the summer. Thank God, or I wouldn’t sell anything from May to September”

If you like these kinds of outfits as much as I do, the best way to see them all is actually on the shop page of the Ghiaia website here. 

 

The steamy social experiment that is a PS party

Posted on by Simon Crompton

The steamy social experiment that is a PS party

Friday, November 25th 2022Tags:
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I’ve learnt a couple of things about glass-fronted shops recently. 

One is they magnify heat: even on a cold day, an hour’s worth of afternoon sun heats up the space to an incredible degree. I’ve no idea how this is workable in the summer, but even in autumn it means you need to constantly open and close the door to regulate temperature. 

There are no windows, being a shop, and the air con is little help. 

The second thing is that if you pack such a shop shoulder-to-shoulder with people - like some council-regulations experiment - eventually condensation starts running down the inside of the windows. 

It helps if it’s cold outside, and probably if it’s raining, as it was last Wednesday during our opening party. But the result is rather eye-catching. It looks like you’re running a heaving, sweaty club in this genteel corner of Mayfair. Or a hotbox yoga session. 

For most of the party there were around 100 people stuffed into 20 Savile Row, and another 30 or so outside. 

They stuffed themselves in because they wanted to be where the drink was, and because it was raining outside. 

The brave souls that stayed outside - like Jake below - had decided that rain was better than steamy heat, and had a glass full anyway. 

This was the ninth pop-up we’ve held and the first time it’s been raining during the opening party. So I guess we’ve been lucky up to this point. 

And the rest of the four days were lovely. A constant stream of readers, including many old faces and some new ones. 

I got to meet Joel, from South Carolina but in France on business, who deliberately flew back via London in order to come and see us. I’ve seen Joel’s smiling face on Instagram so many times wearing PS things, it felt like how people sometimes describe seeing me - like a digital image brought oddly to life. 

I also got to meet Jack, who is by some way the most prolific question-asker on Permanent Style right now. We established that the answers I was giving were helpful, and that I see all comments, no matter how old the post is. It was so nice hearing how useful they’ve been to him on his journey. 

Perhaps the most useful thing for me was watching people try things on. 

I now know, for example, that readers never cinch the back of the Trench Coat, unless you suggest it. And that’s kind of the point right? It’s a major contributor to the style of a trench. 

I also know they sometimes feel the Linen Harrington is small, because they have to pull at the zip to do it up. But that's also the point - there are elastic panels to enable it, and it’s what makes any blouson stay on the waist, allowing the volume of the body to blouse out beautifully above. 

I hope not that many people have returned or exchanged a Harrington thinking it was too small. 

The Permanent Style week of the pop-up has ended now, with Mickael from La Bowtique leaving with us. 

This week the shop has been taken over by Colhay’s, and if you pop by to 20 Savile Row you’ll find Ronnie and all his knits. He’s here until Sunday. 

Then next week, Tuesday to Sunday, is The Merchant Fox. I’m looking forward to seeing the full range of Fox clothing, from overshirts to tebas to forestieres. Quite relevant, given Wednesday’s article on all such jacket substitutes. We’ll be writing a piece on them soon too. 

Finally, pre-owned brand Marrkt will take the shop for three days the following week, December 7th to 9th. I’ll be there at the start of those three days because there will be a lot of my pre-owned clothing for sale, as well as a handful of PS samples. 

All the details on those brands, including their opening times, can be found on the pop-up update article here. 

The plan, by the way, is to have a break in January and then have another series of brands in February and March, culminating in the normal PS pop-up at the end of March. 

Thank you so much to everyone that came to the shop, and to those that braved the rain and the steam to wish us well at the party. 

The shot above, is of Mickael promoting his new book, which does look like it’s going to be excellent - over 400 pages on black tie and evening wear, the most comprehensive book there’s probably ever been on the subject. 

Details on the La Bowtique website here. 

Overshirt, chore, teba: Defining the new casual jacket

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Overshirt, chore, teba: Defining the new casual jacket

Wednesday, November 23rd 2022Tags:
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In recent years, casual alternatives to the tailored jacket have become increasingly popular, and we've talked about a lot of them on PS. 

However, it's not always clear what's meant by different terms and types, or what their differences in style and formality are. 

So in this article I’ll briefly set out the different options, and talk about their styles and smartness, ahead of a few articles looking at ones in the market and those I own myself. 

Unstructured sports jacket 

This is a normal tailored jacket, but with all the padding taken out of it and probably all the canvas too. It's often made out of jersey, washed cotton or something similarly casual. The Drake's Games Blazer is a good example, as are most Boglioli jackets.

But what defines it as a jacket? Primarily the curved opening below the waist button on the front, the shape of the lapel, and the lack of cuff on the sleeve.

It's more likely to have vents, and more likely to have at least one welt (non-patch) pocket, but it's that lapel and opening on the front that really define it. 

Teba jacket 

The Teba, that Spanish version of the unstructured jacket, is known for its lack of gorge - the collar and lapel form a point. But otherwise its lapel is actually fairly similar to a normal jacket. 

The thing that takes it away from a tailored jacket is the lack of curved opening at the front - its bottom hem is straight all the way round, which also means it’s cut a little shorter. And it has cuffs like a shirt. 

Whatever's going on with the material and the style of pockets, these two elements will always make it more casual. 

Smarter versions include designs like The Armoury's City Hunter. Jackets that take inspiration from the Arnys forestiere and its cousins belong in the same category. 

Chore coat 

A chore coat has that straight edge round the bottom, like the Teba. Even when you see versions with little curves to the front edge (like the Bryceland’s model above), the shaping is small. 

It also usually has three square patch pockets, again like the Teba. The big difference is the collar and lapel area, where a small collar and simple turned front edge make it look and behave more like a shirt, buttoning all the way up. Unlike a shirt, it usually has nothing at the end of the sleeve. 

There might be more variations of the chore than any other category - historically and today. Some have an opening on the sleeve; some have four pockets. Luxurious versions like the Anthology Lazyman or A&S Jacket No.2 are made in finer materials and have internal zipped pockets. 

But generally they share a simplicity of design, hip pockets and a shirt-like front. 

Overshirt

We’ve been through all the variables now. What does an overshirt have?

No curve to the opening, unlike a jacket. Cuffs, unlike a jacket. Perhaps a scalloped hem like a regular shirt, but more often a straight hem, like a chore. It also has a buttoned front like a chore coat - in fact, other than the cuffs, what differentiates the design from a chore?

A placket on the front usually, but most of all, it’s the chest pockets. A chore has hip pockets, and maybe something above; an overshirt has chest pockets and usually nothing on the hips. Which makes sense, given the design originates from a shirt; you couldn’t tuck a shirt in if it had hip pockets. 

Safari jacket

A smaller category this, but probably worth including as it’s so distinctive. 

A safari jacket is basically a shirt, but unlike an overshirt has hip pockets - four in total, with bellows construction to contain all your hunting paraphernalia. It also has a belt, a drawstring or some other way to hold the waist, epaulettes and pleats in the back. The details of a field jacket, on the body of a shirt.

I maintain that a safari jacket usually looks fussy, and I’d go for most other things as a jacket substitute. But a chore jacket can have the opposite problem and be rather boring, and there are better versions of a safari jacket, with simpler pockets perhaps (eg below, at Jean-Manuel Moreau).

What else is there? 

A shacket is usually an overshirt made in thicker materials, or with details like internal pockets. A guayabera can also be thought of as a variant on the overshirt. And there are many more variants defined by particular regions, like the Mao/Nehru jacket (below) or Tyrolean jacket.

The useful thing for readers is probably to understand how the main types above differ, and which is likely to be perceived as smarter or more casual. 

The first four categories above are in descending order of smartness, with the safari a little bit of an outlier. But bear in mind that will vary with the material as well, and it’s something we can go into in more detail as we cover specific versions in the coming weeks. 

Indulgent Shawl Cardigan back in stock, with new black

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Indulgent Shawl Cardigan back in stock, with new black

Monday, November 21st 2022Tags:
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*NB: The black shawl actually has black-horn buttons, not light brown as in the sample shown.*

After a good few weeks' delay, I'm pleased to say that the Indulgent Shawl-Collar Cardigan is finally back in stock - in a new black iteration as well as navy and grey. 

Quite a few went to the waiting list, as is probably to be expected at this stage; readers had been waiting a while. But there is still good stock in the central sizes across all colours.

It's also worth noting early, that I had misreported in the past what was available at Anderson & Sheppard. 

This cardigan was designed with them, and originally they had some stock of the same style in their London shop. But that's no longer the case: the thick shawl cardigan they now have is knitted in Italy, rather than Scotland. It is not as dense, as long, or uses as much cashmere. 

It's still lovely, but it's not the same as the Indulgent Shawl, whose raison d'etre was to be the most luxurious version possible of the menswear staple. 

I hope the black goes down well. Certainly enough people have been asking for it, and I've loved mine since I received the sample. 

We've talked several times this year about wearing black - here with cord trousers, here with a linen overshirt, here with a polo shirt in an all-black look. There's a piece coming on black tweed as well. 

What I'm increasingly feeling is that it's easiest to wear black in more casual materials and styles - tweed not worsted, cord not flannel, a polo shirt rather than poplin. This might seem obvious or intuitive, but I tend to be a slow learner. 

A black shawl cardigan falls nicely into that category, and is a match for all manner of muted, cold colours I love, as well as suiting things like dark jeans, pale beige chinos and green fatigues. 

I've chosen to show the cardigan here in a slightly more (for me) unusual outfit, which illustrates the same point. 

The shirt is a washed black denim from RRL. It is a lot easier to wear than a black shirt in a smarter material would be, given its texture. Though of course the fact black denim fades to grey helps too. 

The shirt, by the way, is a great colour and a decent denim, but I do wish the RRL ones had bigger collars. It's low at the back and mean in its point. I can only recommend it if you like that style, or find it suits you more than it does me. 

Returning to the Indulgent Shawl Collar Cardigan, for anyone that needs a reminder, it is made in 12-ply cashmere in Scotland - which means more cashmere knitted in there than most Italian versions. 

It is soft, fluffy and big, and I usually wear a size small (I'm six foot tall, 39-inch chest). However I do also wear a medium, and just find that different, not wrong. A little more roomy and drapey. 

In the images below, I’m wearing a medium in the navy, but a small in the grey (and a small above in the black).

The cardigan is a piece A&S used to sell in their Haberdashery shop, but discontinued. I had one, and loved it so much that I asked if we could bring it back together. 

​​If anyone wants to read the full story behind the knit, it is on the original launch article here. There are also more images of the navy there, and of the grey on this article from last year, when we introduced that colour. 

Finally, I'd like to finish with a testimonial, because they're always so nice. This is from Paul: "Just wanted to confirm that I...have a 48” chest measurement and the XL cardigan fits me very comfortably. I was a bit concerned about fit when ordering it, but it’s great. As Simon says, it’s very soft and roomy, and there is considerable give in the knit. I’ve been very glad of it today – cold and grey outdoors, not feeling too well, I threw my (cream) shawl cardigan on for the first time this winter and immediately felt warmer and happier, if not better – it’s so comfortable and slouchy that it’s like wearing a hug. Lovely and cosy to curl up in – truly indulgent!"

Other details:

  • The cardigan is knitted in Scotland, from the finest 12-ply cashmere, also spun in Scotland
  • Uses unpolished horn buttons (always my favourite)
  • Has a button on the chest, and a hidden loop, in order to enable it to be buttoned up to the chin
  • Doesn’t have the last button at the bottom of the placket many do. Because no one does that one up. It looks weird
  • Has two hip pockets, but they come loosely sewn up, so you can keep them closed if (like me) you prefer them not to become baggy. But just snip out the thread if you do want to use them
  • Can be worn open or closed, collar up or down, casually or formally 
  • As mentioned, Anderson & Sheppard sell several other shawl-collar cardigans, but not this one currently
  • It is available in black, dark navy and flannel grey, priced £845 plus taxes. As ever, you’ll struggle to find better value in terms of the amount of work and cashmere in there

Measurements

Extra Small Small Medium Large Extra large
Chest 51cm 53 55 57 61
Length 63 65 69 70 71
Sleeve 76 78 79 83 85

(Chest is pit to pit; length is centre back neck to hem; sleeve is centre back neck to end of cuff. Do bear in mind that sizes might seem a little large as well, given the thickness of the material.)

Aside from the cardigan and the RRL shirt, the other clothes shown are brown Rubato chinos, a black Rubato alligator belt, black Belgravia loafers from Edward Green, and a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso watch on an ostrich strap. 

Photography: Milad Abedi, except for grey shawl cardigan, Jamie Ferguson

Crowley Vintage: Shopping a look

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Crowley Vintage: Shopping a look

Friday, November 18th 2022Tags:
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Crowley Vintage is a vintage shop in Brooklyn, New York with a more particular angle than most. 

We’ve talked in the past about different types of vintage - those that focus on older or newer, on rarity or thrift - but there are few that focus on a specific style, pretty much to the exclusion of other factors.

Sean Crowley is an ex-Ralph Lauren designer (we covered his history at Ralph here) who, after a brief sojourn at another brand, set up a vintage business stocking pretty much only Ralph Lauren and the kinds of clothes that inspire Ralph Lauren. 

Actually, it’s narrower that that, because there is very little western clothing at Crowley’s, no RRL or performance-based Purple Lapel. Instead it’s smarter and more British: dressing gowns and Fair Isle sweaters, country tweeds and Savile Row, plus varsity knits and some military.

Importantly, it covers all periods, from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first. 

At one point during my visit, looking for an old pair of chinos, I came across two pairs that seemed like decent candidates. Both were mid- to high-rise, both fairly wide leg. One looked more frayed and worn than the other. 

It was only when I tried them on that I realised the less-worn pair were original American WW2 chinos, and the more worn pair were Ralph Lauren ‘Rugby’, from the early 2000s. The holes and fraying were artificial. 

For a fan of this style of clothing, both will have their own appeal. But when I think of a Permanent Style reader going to shop at Crowley, this breadth of stock is one thing I feel they need to aware of.

The style is clear from Sean’s curation - the piles of striped scarves, the madras and seersucker. It’s even organised into different themes: tailoring, college, military, summer. But the range from old to (relatively) new won't be as obvious. 

Crowley is also not cheap - it’s towards the rarer, the more curated end of the vintage spectrum. Those that visit are doing so partly for Sean’s eye.

A couple of interesting tailoring pieces were the coachman’s coat above, and the rather ornate suit by New York tailor Roland Meledandri, below. 

The coat was phenomenally heavy, designed for someone that would be in the elements all day, without exception. It had a few details that suggested formality, but weren’t actually functional, such as large flap pockets that were nothing more than flaps. 

Sean and I also marvelled at how someone had managed to hand sew the buttonholes. 

The suit, in a cream jacquard cloth, would probably be of most interest to those in New York’s tailoring history (I knew Meledandri only from his connection to Ralph Lauren), but I guess there might be a more flamboyant dresser who would wear it too. 

“I have to say it’s all much clearer now we’re in this bigger space,” he says. “We’ve only been here two years, and it’s only in the past few months that some of this display has come together.”

When Sean started selling vintage in 2017, he only did so on Instagram. Then there was a shop, but it was smaller and less accessible. Today the store might be in a unit on the third floor (which requires various twists and turns to track down) but you can see the full range and it's easy to get to from Manhattan. 

“There’s still one area at the back that I need to clear up, but it’s curtained off so no one really realises that,” says Sean. “Otherwise it’s all nicely put together now.”

Something else that's at the back of the shop is an ironing board and a sewing box - Sean frequently repairs new clothes himself. 

"I guess that's one thing that makes it clear I'm still very much a retail destination," he says. "I sew, I darn, I reinforce buttons. I want the clothing to be as perfect as it can be when it's sold." (It's also evident from the extremely useful labelling - describing the size, waist and leg length.)

Compare that to somewhere like Stock Vintage, where most nips and rips are left in and the focus is more purely selling to designers. 

"There's a good network of repair places in New York too - for repairing knits, for invisible repairs on wovens," says Sean. All are apparently open to the general public, so I'll get the details and do a separate article at some point. 

I only walked away from Crowley Vintage with a couple of small pieces - an old Ralph hat and a belt - but then I'm never doing more than half shopping, with the other half of my brain asking interview questions. 

The belt, too, was a good example of a lovely style Ralph used to do, but no longer. Cotton canvas with leather-covered ends, it is slim, good quality, and much nicer than the elasticated ones you find more commonly. 

Sean has about 30 of them, all in different colours. I was feeling contrary and chose a pink one. 

I'd recommend Crowley to anyone that likes the style - that's crucial - and who's shopping vintage to find things that are unusual, rather than cheap. 

If you want more normal vintage - as in, a much broader range of styles and indeed of prices - you’d be better off over in Williamsburg at someone like 10ft Single by Stella Dallas, which is huge and varied. The cloth shop next door, the original Stella Dallas, is also worth a visit. 

Crowley Vintage is open Saturday 10-6, and Tuesday to Friday by appointment. Address: 147 Front St, suite 303, Dumbo, Brooklyn

Photography: Christopher Fenimore

 

Introducing: The Fielding shearling coat

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Introducing: The Fielding shearling coat

Wednesday, November 16th 2022Tags:
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(NB: The Fielding is available to try in a couple of sizes in the PS pop-up, which runs from today until Saturday at 20 Savile Row. Details here.)

Cromford Leather on London’s Chiltern Street make the most beautiful leather coats and jackets. The finest calf, suede and shearling, and great value given the normal designer mark-up on expensive pieces of outerwear. 

We did our first collaboration two years ago, creating a double-breasted shearling coat, first in olive green and then a dark brown. I was really happy with them, and sizes are still available as Cromford buy the skins and then make to order. 

But given the quality of the pieces, and the amount of shearling involved in a double-breasted, they were fairly expensive - £2750 for a standard size and £3375 for made to measure (including VAT). It didn’t help that we put a double layer in the collar and lapels to give them extra body. 

So this year I wanted to make something simpler and easier, with the same beautiful shearling but perhaps more casual as well. The result is what we’re calling the Fielding: a western-style overshirt, with a shearling body and grained leather collar. 

The collar has that property I particularly value in outerwear: staying up at the back and folding down gracefully at the front. This particular leather also softens over time, shaping and moulding. I’ve included a photo of it in my hands below, to give more sense of the softness. 

The leather is used again on the inside of the cuffs, which is usually for strength but also makes a nice design detail, particularly if the sleeves are a little long and you can get away with folding them back, as I like to. 

The pearl snaps, meanwhile, have tarnished brass mounts as I think it gives the coat a softer, more aged feel, certainly more than the chrome or gold-coloured alternatives.

On the front, those snaps fasten two chest pockets, which I made deeper and wider than on most western overshirts. 

They couldn’t be too big of course, or it would all start to look a little silly, but they will fit a small wallet, keys and some mobile phones. They measure 12 by 14cm (usable rectangular space, not to the point).

My phone (Pixel 6) is too tall, but it sits nicely in the inbreast pocket. You can’t put internal pockets anywhere on a shearling coat, because the stitching would show (this is just stitched-together sheepskins remember). But it is possible to put one on the back of an outbreast pocket, as we’ve done. 

Because that inbreast pocket is cut tight, it comfortably holds most phones (pushing them into the soft, fluffy wool) even if they poke out of the top. (It measures 10.5 by 12cm.)

That shearling is the same lovely merino as the previous Cromford coats, with a semi-curly wool on the inside. There’s lots of shearling out there, but when you feel this one in person you realise quite how nice good shearling can be (anyone that’s in London - come to the pop-up from today and try it in person). 

The colour is a mid-brown, the most versatile choice I could think of. Good with jeans and brown waxed boots (above) and with charcoal flannels and black boots. 

Also, surprisingly good with stronger colours - like the black roll neck and the red flannel shirt pictured lower down.

One last detail that makes me happy - the line of the yoke on the back. It's clearly western, but has quite a subtle, undulating line, matching up with the seams on the sleeves. 

The coat's western influence will be clear to anyone that focuses on it, but I think the dark colours and lack of extraneous detailing mean the Fielding looks mostly just like a big, cosy winter overshirt. 

On the subject of size, I could honestly wear either a medium or a large. I went with a large because I wanted it to be really roomy, and allow me to fit anything under it - even an undershirt, a shirt, and the chunkiest roll neck all together on a cold winter’s day. 

A medium would be fine on the chest with a shirt, or a regular two-ply crewneck. It would also be a truer length on the sleeve, but as I said I like folding them back. 

The coats can be made to measure, which I know almost half of readers did last time with the double-breasted. A lot of existing Cromford customers use that route, because Sarah and Pauline are so lovely and the uplift in price isn't that high. 

The ready-made coats are £1850, the made-to-measure £2310 (including VAT). As with the previous coat, these are ordered through Cromford, not PS. 

One other thing on the made to measure. 

Cromford always have little remnants of skins around the workshop, in bags, drawers, or hanging on the walls. So I thought it would be nice to offer customers some of these as a subtle design change, on the inbreast pocket. 

My coat and the ready-made ones have the cowhide as the inbreast (shown below). But for an extra £150 with the made to measure, customers can use a brown snakeskin or a brown ponyskin instead (next image). 

It isn’t my style, but I know specific friends who would love this opportunity to add something exotic but hidden. So I thought it was a nice way to re-use those remnants, and given them a new lease of life. 

Details:

  • The Fielding shearling coat is made in London by Cromford Leather
  • Ordering is through their website and contact here
  • The shearling is a fine merino sheep with cut semi-curly wool
  • As with much shearling, it is a by-product of the lamb industry
  • The leather on the collar and cuffs is semi-aniline grain cowhide
  • In terms of care, shearling is similar to suede: not the best in the rain, but not as bad as many people think either. See video here on caring for suede

Ordering:

  • Price is £1850 in standard sizes and £2310 made to measure (both including VAT)
  • One of every size is available to buy now, with replacements taking two to three weeks to make
  • MTM takes roughly eight weeks and involves a consultation and a toile fitting
  • The MTM must be in the same style as this coat, but otherwise there are no limitations
  • I am wearing a large, but could happily wear a medium if I wore largely 2-ply knits. I am six-foot tall with a 39-inch chest
  • Measurements are available through Cromford on request. They like to discuss sizing in person to make sure it is right for the customer

Photography: Alex Natt

Video: Ethan Newton, his style and the evolution of Bryceland’s

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Video: Ethan Newton, his style and the evolution of Bryceland’s

Monday, November 14th 2022Tags:
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It's easy to forget that when Bryceland's first started, the idea was just to do tailoring. Six and half years later, on the eve of opening his third shop in London, Ethan Newton reflects with me on how far he and the brand have come.

Hear how he thinks the menswear movement has matured in the past 10 years, and relaxed along the way. Hear also why he would consider making more street wear, or technical clothing. And what he wears on a first date.

In all seriousness, this interview in front of an audience of PS readers and Bryceland's customers was a real joy. There's fun in there, but some deadly serious points about how clothes should be treated and consumed too. I hope you like it.

 

 

This series of talks began with a discussion with Tony Sylvester - with some particularly interesting points on subcultures - of which you can see the film here.

The next one is with the legend that is Edward Sexton, on Monday December 12th, also at Mortimer House. Please do come along, the 50+ people at the last one really added to the atmosphere and enjoyment.

I am wearing my charcoal flannel suit from Vestrucci, with a grey brushed-cotton shirt from Simone Abbarchi, and black Cleverley bespoke oxfords. 

Our next talk – with Edward Sexton on December 12th

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Our next talk – with Edward Sexton on December 12th

Sunday, November 13th 2022Tags:
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These talks - well, interviews - at Mortimer House seem to be going down really well.

We've done two now, with Tony Sylvester and Ethan Newton, and the film of Ethan's interview will be up on Monday. There are some really interesting points in it and some fun moments.

Today's post is to announce that the next event will be on December 12th, with the tailoring legend that is Edward Sexton.

I've chatted to Edward many times over the years, but we've never done a formal interview or delved into his long history of bespoke. We did the Tailoring Symposium (pictured above and below) which was fun, but nothing one on one.

As per usual, please RSVP if you would like to attend - email [email protected]. Last time we hit capacity so it's worth getting in early.

Thanks everyone. Look forward to seeing you there

The Bores jacket from Chato Lufsen: Review

Posted on by Simon Crompton

The Bores jacket from Chato Lufsen: Review

Friday, November 11th 2022Tags:
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By Tony Sylvester

Earlier this year, some readers may remember, I joined Simon and photographer Alex Natt on a jaunt to Paris. I spent the day investigating and chasing ghosts of the cult Parisian brand Arnys, visiting with their old designer Dominique LeLys at his new home with Artumes & Co; and checking out vintage pieces at the small yet mighty Chato Lufsen.

The primary purpose of the trip was to find myself a suitable replacement for the centrepiece of the Arnys catalogue, the Forestiere jacket. A big favourite of mine, the garment remains a somewhat ‘marmite’ proposition, at least for some readers. 

The jacket is described quite accurately by Alan Flusser in his lesser-read Style And The Man as one of Arnys’s “most elaborate presentations; a sports coat fashioned like an artist’s smock with a mandarin collar and four pockets. It offers a stylish alternative to the conventional sports jacket, particularly if you don’t mind being perceived as a bit of a dilettante.” 

Thankfully neither I, nor Mr Flusser himself, mind this potential perception of ourselves. He continues, “Arnys was for the bohemian dandy or boulevardier - such as the late Gide, Cocteau, Le Corbusier and even the rough hewn Hemingway - who preferred his fashion left-wing in expression, but Tory in quality.” Perhaps this is the perfect summation of the Arnys appeal; and far more succinct than I have been able to manage in the past few articles. 

I found a close descendant in two jacket models available from Chato. To augment their selection of vintage clothes and accessories they offer a range of ready-to-wear and made-to-order garments, with plans to extend the range further over the coming years. 

The ‘Bores’ style is a slightly tweaked redesign with an eye toward a more universal fit, while the ‘Borestiere’ is a faithful recreation of the original Arnys piece. I ended up somewhere down the middle, with a jacket that mixed what I saw as the beneficial elements of each. 

With the initial try on of the RTW Bores coats in store, I found that neither the 56 nor the 58 gave me exactly the movement and drape I was looking for, so Christophe arranged to send toiles for the 60 and 62 to me back in England so we could work out what was best. All the other important decisions were made there and then; cloth, lining, buttons. 

A week later, back in Blighty, the toiles were delivered and through the medium of iPhone pics and What’sApp the final decisions were made. I would take the Bores jacket in a size 60 (a little larger than I would generally wear) and with three inches added to the length. 

These were simple and easily communicable changes to make remotely, as they were not reliant on a tailor’s skill, and needed no chalk marks or pins. I posted the toiles back and awaited the finished article. 

Roughly five weeks later; the garment was delivered to my house. The first impressions were excellent; all requested details were present and correct. It was time to take it for a road test. 

Fit:

The tweaks made from the RTW toile to the finished article were all successful. A lovely clean drape to the front, a relaxed shoulder line without disappearing too far down my arm, and no excess folding or stingy stretch in the back. The collar sits square to the neck with no creasing or pinch. 

Perhaps the only anomaly is the way the jacket chooses to hang while unbuttoned. It has a tendency to roll open to where the half lining meets the inside seam. I think this is mostly down to the light weight of the cloth, a summerweight corduroy I will cover in more detail further on. 

Through repeated wears, the effect has lessened as I have trained it to sit a little better and it gets more used to my form. Fingers crossed, this will be an ongoing process. 

Cloth:

Ordered in the spring, I was looking to augment my Arnys collection with something suitable for summer, but with an eye to cross-seasonal utility and in a dark colour. In contrast to the off-white unlined linen Forestiere that hangs in my wardrobe, which is a little overworked and threadbare. 

I selected a black ‘summer’ corduroy of cotton-linen mix from Solbiati for my new one - a potentially more breathable version of the ridged cloth. As a contrast (Arnys were renowned for their colour mixing) I selected a goldenrod yellow satin-twill half lining. 

I’m not convinced that my cloth selection was that successful for what I had in mind. 

The cord itself is a fascinating material. Unlike the lustrous, almost velvety texture of traditional cord, this has a drier handle, more akin to a Terry cloth. It reflects and takes in light in a completely different manner, giving off a greyer, lighter sense of itself to the observer, rather than the deep hue of a cord. None of this is unpleasant, just unexpected and the handle is actually rather pleasing. 

There are drawbacks to its practicalities however. Firstly, it is a cloth that attracts everything, picking up hair like a static-powered tractor beam, which is difficult to dislodge even with intensive brushing. A nightmare for long-haired-cat owners like myself. 

Secondly, the weight and weave are not as suitable for summer wear as I had hoped. I acknowledge the colour selection has a role to play in this, but the record breaking temperatures in south-east England this summer did not make for the easy breezy wearing I had hoped for. 

The upside of this is that the extended high temps through autumn (currently still in the unseasonably high teens in late October) mean that the jacket has stayed practical further around the calendar than I would have imagined. The swings and roundabouts of climate change, I suppose. 

Service:

Christophe runs a straightforward and streamlined operation as the sole employee and operative of Chato, and appears to maintain a good line of communication with his workshop in France. 

All dates given were adhered to, no hiccups in the process occurred at all and coat was delivered as ordered in every respect. The combination of his excellent service and my poor ordering choices will have me returning for extra custom without a doubt. 

Both the Bores and Borestiere jacket are made in France and cost €790 for off-the-peg in seasonal cloths. Made-to-order iterations can be ordered from €990 with made-to-measure starting at €1090. This baseline covers cloths from most of the major cloth houses.

Price-wise, this places the Bores way under the original Forestiere, which commanded the princely sum of $950 even in 1996, when Flusser’s Style And The Man was originally published.  Let’s give him the last word: “Arnys is probably the most expensive menswear store in the world. Quintessentially French in its unabashed celebration of the eccentrically epicurean in male adornment.”  

For the whole outfit, I put together a suitably dressed-down monochrome look that reflects my daily attire:

- The black beret, black and tan patterned neckerchief and scarf woggle are all from my own AWMS range. 

- The shirt is Bryceland’s Farmer’s Smock in white linen; a long knee-length shirt that I am wearing tucked in. 

- The trousers are a well-worn sample of my upcoming ‘easy pleated’ trouser in black seersucker. 

- The sandals are from Soloviere. It’s pretty clear they took more than a little inspiration from Adret’s similar model, but on a slightly wider last, and more crucially, in a colour that Adam does not offer in his range. 

A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

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A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

Wednesday, November 9th 2022Tags:
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I’ve been buying and wearing more corduroy in recent years - including the new dark-brown jacket above, from Sartoria Ciardi. 

I think the reason is that if you’re not dressing for a formal office, worsted is likely to feel out of place; flannel can be a bit smart too, at least as a suit; and cottons such as moleskin or canvas lose too much in the way of elegance.

Which leaves you with tweed, which I love, but can be a little hairy for some or even rural, again certainly in a suit. Plus you’re not just going to wear one material all winter.

This is not to suggest that the appeal of cord is merely one of last resort, or process of sartorial elimination. A well-worn corduroy jacket has a distinct knockabout charm, encompassing how it softens over time, the way it shows signs of wear, and a slightly romantic side that replaces the stereotypical geography teacher with a flaneur carrying an old paperback in the pocket. 

But what is the best colour, weight, and number of wales? Why are some cords shinier than others, and is mixing in wool or cashmere a good idea? Here’s my two cents. 

Colour

Dark brown and dark green are the best colours to start with - like the brown at top, and the green shown above. Darker, more muted versions stand out less and are easier to wear. 

Navy seems appealing because it’s such a staple menswear colour, but often it looks like a poor imitation of a worsted or flannel. Grey can work well, but it’s a little unusual and wouldn’t be my first choice - it too is better in a mid- to dark shade, and with a little brown perhaps (as above). 

A tan or wheat colour, like my double-breasted jacket below, is really nice, and might be better in cord than any other material. But it is very dependent on tone. The jacket I commissioned here was too strong, for example. Keep it a little darker, a little more muted. 

The same goes for brighter colours, such as pink (also below). Because of cord’s texture, and more casual appearance, it is quite an easy way to wear colour. But again the watch word is muted. 

Black is unusual, but is actually one of the easier ways to wear black as a jacket or suit. Cream is great as trousers, even though it always looks best on a sunny day, and needs careful looking after. 

Wales

After colour, most cords are defined by their ‘wales’, the ribs that run along the cloth (a 12-wale cord has 12 of them to the inch). A mill with a big cord range will offer everything from 5 to 12-wale cord. 

I’ve tried pretty much all of them, and I’d say the best way to think of the choice is probably as between two halves - roughly 5-8 and 10-12. 

The former, with thicker cords, will usually be heavier, feel softer and have more of a sheen (cord is technically a type of velvet). It will often drape a little better, but the sheen puts some people off. I tend to have it more in trousers, but did go for that in my Ciardi jacket shown top.

The latter, extending up to what is called needlecord, will usually be lighter, feel drier and have less of a sheen. It is what you see most in ready-to-wear suits these days, and is what I've usually had for suits and jackets. 

I do like both though, and I think the choice depends on the look you’re after. And if in doubt, go somewhere in the middle - 8 or 10 wale.  

Weights and weaves

Thicker wales tend to be heavier. "There's no technical reason they have to be, it just tends to suit the material," says John Wright at Brisbane Moss. "So often the weight is largely determined by the number of wales you want."

Differences in weight are also often due to how densely the cord is woven - the number of picks or ends. As with most materials, English mills generally weave more densely than those in Europe, so you'll find that the same 12-wale cord from Brisbane Moss will be heavier than one from Solbiati. (Even when weaving in different places - eg Brisbane Moss weaves some cord in Austria.)

Denser corduroy, like denser flannel, will be stronger and last longer, but not necessarily feel as soft (though it does soften over time). Unlike flannel, I'm happy with softer, lighter cords too, particularly in jackets. As a general rule on weight, I'd stay within the mid-range, say 270-350gsm (9.5-12.5oz), and go up or down within that depending on what seasons you want it for.

Bedford cord, by the way, is not a cord. It is simply woven with its texture, rather than being a pile material that is cut down. And there is a variation of cord, thick/thin, where you get alternating thicknesses of rib. Neither is a look I particularly like, but in either case the choice is about look rather than anything like performance.

Fibre

Good corduroy is 100% cotton. Adding in a stretch fibre, such as elastane, seems like a good idea but it means you’re always fighting with the material - it allows you to stretch the material, but it also means it’s constantly pulling you back. The cord also doesn’t drape or otherwise behave as well. 

Cashmere is sometimes added for a more luxurious feel, and I like that in a jacket. In trousers, however, it adds little to the feel and undermines their shape. They are even worse at holding a good line. 

I have seen cords with just wool added, which would be better, and even with silk. But I would always tend towards pure cotton. 

Bunches

Brisbane Moss

The British weaver is often where other mills source their corduroy, and it has a big range as well as being one of the cheapest. However, not all tailors carry the bunches, and the bunches there are aren’t always updated, which comes with being primarily a mill rather than a merchant. I’ve used the T1 bunch several times, and the GS02 for a chunky pair of trousers. 

Holland & Sherry

Holland & Sherry usually has the biggest range of colours in corduroy, and has that reputation among tailors. It’s where I sourced my pink cord (though I got one with stretch by mistake). They’ve had supply issues recently, and when I went to check out the current range, nothing was on offer. But I assume that will be temporary. 

John G Hardy

The Eskdale trousers bunch from John G Hardy is a solid option for English cords, and I’ve used them a couple of times for heavier weights, including these from Thom Sweeney. It’s the bunch I would go to for a heavier option in the absence of Brisbane, or if I wanted more colours. They offer a 22g and 15g, 7 or 12 wale.

Heritage Weavers

This is a new merchant, and not one I’ve tried, but they are English and seem to have a nice range. In 100% cotton they offer 10, 11 and 12 wale, coming in at 17, 13, 15 ounce respectively. 

Caccioppoli 

The continental European mills tend towards lighter cords, more usually with stretch, that change every season. If you want something lighter and perhaps more unusual, they’re always worth checking out, but less so for a standard cord or something you saw made up on a friend. Zegna and Ariston are similar to Caccioppoli, particularly in regards to the stretch. 

Scabal

Scabal is in the European mould, but is particularly know for its cotton/cashmere bunch, which I’ve had tan and olive jackets out of, but as I said isn’t absolutely ideal for trousers. It’s 8% cashmere, 92% cotton. They do a 12 and a 7 wale, and I personally prefer the 12. 

Solbiati

Solbiati was always an interesting mill, but even more so now they’re part of Loro Piana. You see that with their linens, and the cords are similar. When I checked a couple of months ago, they were offering two types of cotton/linen mix for corduroy - 53%/47% or 63%/37%, 330g or 500g respectively. I haven’t had anything made in it, but Tony Sylvester has had a Bores jacket in it, which will be covered on PS soon.

Double brown: Just a touch less subtle

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Double brown: Just a touch less subtle

Monday, November 7th 2022Tags:
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I think there's a useful variable in considerations of how we dress that we haven't talked about explicitly before: how subtle or showy clothes are.

I might write a longer piece on it at some point, but I think it's essentially a spectrum from the very understated at one end to the very in-your-face at the other. 

It implies nothing about genre of clothing, or execution. Streetwear can be subtle or showy too, and you can do showy outfits better or worse. It's more a question of style, and it's there clearly when we say outfits are loud or quiet, or more of 'a look'.  

Permanent Style has generally stayed down the subtle end of the spectrum, while trying to become neither dull nor archaic. 

Today's outfit is intended to illustrate a very small move away from that subtle end of the range. 

If you were to wear a white shirt and brown knit like the V-neck pictured, the more expected trousers with them would be charcoal, mid-grey or beige.  

This would be more harmonious, subtle - the kind of combination someone might not even remember in detail, merely recalling that you were smartly dressed. It's the kind of simple style that business clothing aims for, because your clothes should not really be the focus. 

Wearing trousers in virtually the same brown as the knit, as shown, is a little more unexpected. Not a lot, by any means. Again most people may not notice. But it is a small step away from the orthodoxy. 

I think it's a look worth highlighting because some readers may like something a little more interesting, a little less classic. I certainly do sometimes. 

It belongs in the same category as double denim, or the black-on-black we discussed earlier this year (both pictured above). But it's more subtle than both, because brown is less striking. 

Paler colours - say white on white - are also a step along the showy spectrum, and usually look best with a layer over the top (as shown here).

A more similar combination would be double navy, or double charcoal. Though navy is a touch more ordinary. 

I particularly like a charcoal rollneck with charcoal flannels. 

Separating the two blocks with a belt helps a lot. In this outfit, a black alligator belt from Rubato that goes with the black Piccadilly loafers. 

It helps so much that you’d be forgiven for making sure that belt buckle is on display most of the time. Personally I wouldn't tuck the knitwear into the trousers (one more step along that spectrum) but I certainly understand the impulse. 

The polo shirt, while we're listing everything, is from Trunk. I increasingly like long-sleeved polos like this and of course the Friday Polo under knitwear. The glasses are Eyevan from Ludovic Lunetier.

And the coat is of course the PS Donegal in light grey. Only a couple of those left, though there's still good stock in navy. 

Often when we feature less classic clothing on PS, readers comment that the looks are more 'fashion'.

That's sometimes true, but I think it can conflate being more showy with being trend-driven. 

It is possible to dress a little less classically, perhaps with more personality, and not be connected to what designer brands and their high-street copycats are selling. 

Fashions are of course insidious, seeping into our consciousness from everyone and everything we see around us. But this doesn't feel particularly fashionable to me. 

Oh, and when it comes to tailoring - a jacket and trousers - I'd want more difference in the browns on top and bottom. Otherwise it could look like a slightly odd suit. 

Photography: Christopher Fenimore