Author: Simon Crompton

Reader profile: Niyi

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Reader profile: Niyi

Friday, April 26th 2024Tags:
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By André Larnyoh

I’ve known Niyi for three or four years and he’s always someone I’ve learnt from. His style is eclectic: classic menswear brands alongside contemporary fashion, bursts of colour with subdued tones. Yet somehow he always finds a way to put them together and make it look effortless.

Niyi describes it as “sartorial chaos” and for him that’s a badge of honour. I know some of it will be different to what PS readers are used to, but I find it’s interesting unpacking the thoughts and tastes of a stylish person like Niyi, especially where clothes are concerned.

Outfit 1: All Black

  • Coat – Versace
  • Hat – Uniqlo
  • Sunglasses – Cutler & Gross
  • Shoes – Vass
  • Scarf – Vintage Chanel
  • Sweatshirt – Our Legacy x Armani
  • Watch – Braun
  • Jewellery - Rings are Mor London and vintage bracelet

What do you do for a living?

I’m a business analyst at a media company. I help the business connect with the customers. It’s a hybrid space - I work from home most of the time but do two days in the office.

How does that affect the way you dress, because I know you as a man of “sartorial chaos”. Do they allow chaos in the workplace?

Luckily, they do! I wouldn’t say it’s conservative, like not a finance environment, but it’s also not a fashion environment and I have experience working in both.

What was it like working in fashion? I’m sure that opened your eyes to a lot that you hadn’t noticed before.

Yeah, but I also find I’ve naturally dialled down my style since then. It wasn't a conscious decision, just a question of ‘where I am right now’. I just do what I want and dress the way I want, hence that term “sartorial chaos” of mine you mentioned. I like my colours, I dress how I want within the context of a space.

So within the context of this job, which is more casual, what I like is that I can take my time and be relaxed. When I was in finance in the past I felt there was so much emphasis on the way you dress, almost to the detriment of the customer.

So, this first outfit is your definition of looking ‘smart’ right? It’s clean, very slick.

Exactly. A lot of people when they think about dressing smart, they just default to a suit. But this outfit for me is my idea of smart. It’s as tailored as it is relaxed, and that’s it.

I find that if I do take the train to work (I mostly cycle), I’ll be dressed like a freaking jazz master - and I love that! That, for me, is feeling comfortable. People will be like, is he going to a jazz concert or is he going to work?

The trousers are a black military cavalry twill. I demand a hardiness in my clothes, and these have got it while still being smart. They were made by my one of faves in the game, Fred [Nieddu, of Taillour].  I can wear them with trainers, I can wear my Vass bluchers and it’s just like ugh! Great.

That coat though is a real statement. What is that ?

Vintage Versace. Cashmere with a half belt at the back. I got it from my vintage guy Waliou, this was one of the greatest pieces he ever found. He brought it out and was like, “you are the only one I know that can wear this”, because of the length and everything. I’m quite lucky to be 6”2’ - you gotta work with what you’re given!

What I’ve got under that is a meeting of modernity and tradition – a mock neck from the latest Armani/Our Legacy collaboration.

This is it. You mix the classics with fashion so well.

I have huge respect for tradition, for the masters. There was a way that Versace used to cut jackets that is just *snaps fingers*. It was big but still looked good, which is testament to how well tailoring was done in those days

As long as your body can fill the approximate silhouette it looks beautiful. The worst thing that can happen is that it drapes, and that’s hardly the worst thing in the world.

Same goes for the trousers. This is the beauty of Fred, he respects both tradition and modernity. Look at the way he dresses – he wears the classics, but also some of the most contemporary stuff out there. Like white Margielas. Before they became a thing.

I have a real respect for that because these are people that aren’t afraid. What I dislike is when I see that perfect traditional stuff. Fine for other people, but it feels too much for me. I can’t do anything about the time I live in, and there’s great stuff being made right now.

Outfit 2

  • Suit – Noah
  • Shoes – Adidas x Wales Bonner
  • T-shirt – Albam
  • Scarf – Vintage Celine
  • Belt – Vintage
  • Socks – Isabel Marant

This must be one of my favourite combinations of yours, but let’s start with the shoes - you sometimes refer to them as your ‘silver surfers’.

Fun fact, my favourite superhero is the Silver Surfer. The Sambas are again tradition meeting modernity. Wales Bonner draws from the past and infuses it with something contemporary. Like the silver?

Love it. That Noah cord suit is pretty nice too. What led you to it? It’s an unusual place to get a suit for most PS readers.

There are so many places you can get a suit, but a skate shop doing tailoring? I just find that interesting. When Noah first brought them out, they wanted it to be a Pick ’n’ Mix situation. Rather than have the suit all in one colour, they wanted you to purposefully mix it up. That’s down to Brendon Babenzien’s vision.

I love a good double breasted. My proportions are quite broad so I like how DBs flatter me. I could easily wear a DB with a shirt and tie and look like a Kray Twin, but where’s the fun in that? That’s the default! I want to put the clothes through their paces MY way and put my own spin on them.

That’s where people can get style wrong I think - they’re not trying to infuse their clothes with who they are.

How long have you had this suit for, because you can’t find this kind of thing from Noah at the moment. Believe me, I’ve tried.

I’ve had it for eight or nine years. The aim is always to own great pieces for a while - they should be used, be worn. I don’t like this age where we treat clothing like glass. Even if it’s silk. Run it. Run it through its paces. The more you wear it the more you look like a sexy rascal.

A sexy rascal? Why do you want to look like a rascal?

Louche maybe is the word. To be louche, to be free. I leave the house wearing a corduroy suit, and at the end of the day I’m still wearing one - it might just be rather crumpled. Shows that I’m living life you know.

Outfit 3

  • Trousers – Vintage military
  • Knit – Bryceland’s
  • Shirt – Muji
  • Shoes – Yuketen
  • Sunglasses – Cutler & Gross Scarf – Vintage Celine

Lets talk horsebit loafers – I’ve seen you in a few pairs, even seen you at night dancing in a pair of Guccis

I do love my horsebits. In fact more than horsebits, I just love loafers. It goes back to that relaxed mindset. There’s nothing like slipping in, getting on your bike, doing what you gotta do.

In fact, one of the first things I do when I get a pair of shoes like this is go straight to the cobblers and get some rubber half soles, so I can cycle in them. Yuketen are made to be worn over time, they’re not made flimsy.

So I wear them to the club, but when I get home, I brush them and then if I need to go to a party or bar mitzvah I’ll rock them again.

You’ve got quite a bit of vintage right - does that go back to the point about respect for tradition?

Yeah, I estimate that my wardrobe is 50 or 60% vintage, especially when it comes to trousers and jackets.

That’s where the Bryceland’s knit comes in, the cut is traditional, based on an old block nice and cropped. But then the yellow is just… rambunctious.

Accessories are important with you, and every outfit seems to have a different print scarf, either tied around your neck or sticking out of a pocket. Where’d that tendency come from?

I love print, but more than that I love the size of the silk scarfs. Large and efficient coverage against the cold, and they don’t leave fluff on you. And did I mention the prints?

You always seem to be in sunglasses too - why?

Sunglasses are a funny one, that was a 180 moment for me. I never used to wear them, it was the same attitude as my social media – I rarely leave it on private because I’m an open person. What you see is what you get.

Anyway, I went to the doctor and the doctor said to me, “Oh you’re going to have to start wearing sunglasses because you’ve got a sunspot in your eye” I was like “Bro, I don’t need this… OK fair enough.” So, I started trying to wear shades more in the summer.

Unfortunately, I use contacts as well and because I’m always on the bike what happens is my eyes get dry quickly with the wind, so I frequently wear my tinted sunglasses even at night. It’s inadvertently turned into a fashion statement, but ultimately, I’m comfortable with it.

And these particular ones - I’ve been on for a pair of jazz-black glasses for a while: dark dark, I’m talking Thelonious Monk. Real black. God bless Cutler & Gross. And they’re well made, they have a real weight to them.

Niyi, chale*, as always this has been fun. Thank you!

*Ghanaian slang for my friend/mate/dude 

Buck Mason, Novesta, New & Lingwood: Spring ‘24 Highlights

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Buck Mason, Novesta, New & Lingwood: Spring ‘24 Highlights

Wednesday, April 24th 2024Tags:
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Our seasonal summary of things I’ve seen and liked rolls around again, and as ever is a good mechanism to answer questions about new products from established brands, such as the City Moc from Saman Amel (above).

But it’s also, by design, a mix of the old and the new, so there are both the expected names of Rubato and Drake’s, as well as the less-discussed Buck Mason or Novesta. 

I hope you find something for you. All questions in the comments please, to be happily and thoroughly answered. 

Buck Mason Rambler suede jacket

$698

My size: Large (size up)

I met the Buck Mason guys at Pitti last January, and Lucas and I both tried several products. I have to say we were both impressed by the price/quality ratio. This isn’t a Japanese brand making the finest reproduction quality, but it’s also half the price and most things were well done.

I was particularly impressed by the suede ‘Rambler’ trucker jacket. As I commented in the piece on Massimo Dutti, leather and suede are not an easy thing to do at a lower price, and I actually have an original ‘big E’ Levi’s one, so could compare first hand. 

You definitely lose something by not going for those top-end Japanese brands, but if that’s out of your price range Buck Mason are a good option, and compare very favourably with someone like RRL.

Rubato Roper shirt

£305

My size: Medium (normal size)

Staying with the Americana theme, a few readers asked about this new model from Rubato - their version of a western shirt, in black, white and indigo. I tried the black, and it’s exactly what you expect from Rubato - great quality with subtle style. 

The benchmark for many will be the Sawtooth Westerner from Bryceland’s, which I also have, and this is lighter in weight, as well as dialling down some of the western elements - one snap on the pockets, two on the cuff. I’d say it’s a great choice for anyone that finds the heavier Sawtooth a little too much. My black is also fading nicely after a couple of washes.

Novesta Marathon trainers

My size: 44 (size up)

My favourite trainers have long been a collaboration between Mizuno and Margaret Howell, and readers often ask what else I’d recommend, as those are only in black or white and not always available. 

The Marathon from Novesta is a good one - slim, subtle and nicely made. Trunk had them previously in bolder colours, but the current grey and beige are more versatile and I ended up getting the beige. It’s a great colour combination, particularly the black around the edges. 

Not all sizes are currently available at Trunk, but there are lots of other colours and sizes available on the Novesta site and through places like End. 

New & Lingwood band-collar shirt

£155

My size: Medium (normal size)

I’ve been really interested in how New & Lingwood have evolved over the past couple of years. They’re doing more tailoring, more sophisticated materials, and more classic menswear, perhaps in the process filling some of the gap left by brands like Drake’s going more casual. It's easy to forget, for example, that until recently they only did silk gowns, but now offer cashmere, linen seersucker; the tailoring has expanded in the same way. 

Over the winter I picked up a raglan coat from them in a really strong but tasteful check, for example, which is the kind of thing you rarely see anywhere else these days - traditional outfitters don't have the same taste level and modern ones are too sleek and safe.

The current New & Lingwood collection has some nice linen suits - in just the right shade of dark brown or dark green - wearable colours of towelling shirts, and great linen shirts. I’ve been after a linen band-collar one for a while, as well as a plain spread-collar silk, and they had both. 

Drake’s cotton-twill Games Blazer

£795

My size: 40 (normal size)

Speaking of Drake’s, they recently restocked the Games Blazer in the cottons I missed out on last year, when I got my corduroy. Both the cotton twill and canvas are lovely, machine washable and indeed fading well when washed. 

I get a lot of questions from readers about where they can get a cheaper version of the Games Blazer, and you just can’t, unless you go for a bog-standard chore coat. What sets the Games apart is design and often materials, and that’s something most other brands don’t put into a chore. The materials are the same ones from the same bunches, and the design is just straight up-and-down. 

The Drake’s is definitely expensive, but to my mind design-led brands like this justify their price when they set themselves apart in those two areas. 

Saman Amel City Moc (and Quoddy/Beige)

€600

My size: 43 (normal size) in the Saman and 10 US (size up) in the Quoddy

I saw these at the recent Saman Amel trunk show, just before they were due to go on sale, and was pretty excited. There’s a real gap there - a shoe that’s almost as comfortable as a trainer, but almost as smart as a loafer, and of course stylish.

They looked really good on Dag and Dom with their suits and I liked the sleek, elevated design. They didn’t work on me in the same way (with tailoring) I think because both of the guys like their trousers wide and the shoes looked great just poking out of their hems. But as a shoe to wear with something more smart/casual or casual/chic - like smart chinos and a cashmere knit - I think they'd be great. It's something I'm going to try again when the new showroom opens (on Albemarle Street) in June. 

I also recently tried the boat shoes that Beige in Paris is doing as a collaboration with Quoddy. These are chunkier and not as luxe, but as with Saman the black option is really interesting - it takes away all possible old-mannish associations. The Beige guys have also made some subtle but effective choices, such as putting silver hardware on the black leather, rather than gold, and white stitching rather than yellow.

Silver Ostrich ostrich-leather belt

€440

My size: 90 (normal size)

I’ve never actually written about Silver Ostrich, although I’ve had their belts for a while. Most of the styles are a little much for me, and my brown-suede ‘Versailles’ (below) is something I wear only when I want a particular look (and 20 times less than my Rubato in the same material). 

But my recent, pleasant discovery was that the brown ostrich-leather (above) is actually easier to wear than plain suede, and ages very nicely. The pattern is quite subtle and varied, but also not the standard suede, leather or croc. I have it in the Amboise style and now wear it rather more than my suede, mostly with jeans. Unfortunately the fact it’s an exotic makes it a level more expensive.

The Permanent Style Summer drinks – taking over the Burlington Arcade

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The Permanent Style Summer drinks – taking over the Burlington Arcade

Friday, April 19th 2024
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Have you got a summer suit that needs an outing? Linen tailoring sitting in the closet with no matching 'garden party' invitation?

Come to Permanent Style drinks on May 9th! We're taking over the Burlington Arcade, closing the space for just us and a few shops, and will be serving drinks from Justerini & Brooks. It should be a lot of fun.

I've always wanted to create more opportunities for readers to come and wear their finest tailoring. Not everyone has a lot of them (or indeed black tie at the other end of the year) so when this opportunity came along we jumped at it.

The event will run from 7pm. Only those that have RSVP'd and so on the guest list will be allowed entry. Shops like Globe-Trotter, Begg & Co, Marinella, Crockett & Jones, Baudoin & Lange and others will be open and some will be offering their own cocktails.

We'll also have a photographer so everyone can get shots of their outfits, should they wish. There is currently no prize for the best-dressed, but those that appear on the subsequent PS article will obviously have infinite bragging rights.

Please come down and help us celebrate the tailoring of summer. RSVP is through the form here.

Details:

  • Permanent Style summer drinks
  • Thursday, May 9th
  • Burlington Arcade, London
  • From 7-9pm
  • Admittance only with RSVP
  • Entrance from the Burlington Gardens end of the Arcade

Collars are more flattering with tailoring – but do you care?

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Collars are more flattering with tailoring – but do you care?

Wednesday, April 17th 2024Tags:
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I’ve regularly worn T-shirts or crewnecks under tailoring over the years. Not as frequently as a collared shirt, but when you’re always looking for more ways to wear suits and jackets, the more relaxed look of a T-shirt has perennial appeal. 

I’ve written before about what kinds of T-shirts and sweaters work. Tips in that article include knitted tees over normal ones, the virtues of pattern, and why double-breasted jackets can be easier than single. 

But one thing I haven’t spoken about much is the extent to which a T-shirt under a jacket is flattering or unflattering. Given this is often the argument put against the look, I thought it was worth a discussion.

Collars are, in general, more flattering on men. The collar frames the face, hides a long or thin neck, and creates that complimentary V down the front of the body. Even if you have a shorter, wider upper body, a smaller collar and the open front will often be the most flattering.

But some people need it more than others. If you’re thinner or less muscular, there’s greater benefit in the structured lines of by a shirt or a jacket (and indeed well-cut clothes in general). I’m personally on the taller, slimmer side of the spectrum, with sloping shoulders, and know that in general a collared shirt is more flattering on me. 

I like the image above, for example, pictured front-on in a knitted T-shirt and suit. But the one below, showing the same outfit from the side, reveals something of what you lose without that shirt collar, with my longer exposed neck. 

Other aspects of your body can also make a difference - not just shoulders, neck and general upper-body. 

For example, as I’ve grown my beard out over the years, I’ve noticed that more facial hair helps this kind of look. Compare the two images below of me in navy jackets and navy tees, for instance. They’re not the same angle, but I think you can see that the second flatters more than the first. The beard helps fill in some of the gap. 

This applies to hair in general. It’s one reason women can get away with a greater range of looks, and I’ve always thought it was why guys with longer hair find it easier to wear hats. 

The gap can also be filled by things like scarves, or collars on the knits. 

The flattering height of a half-zip is one reason they’re so popular, for example, and we all know how flattering a shawl-collared cardigan can be. In the first outfit below the collar of my cardigan effectively replaces the collar, and in the second image a scarf does the same job. 

The other option is to turn up the collar of a jacket, as I’m doing in the PS Shetland Tweed shoot at the bottom. Ralph Lauren does this on all its mannequins, just lifting the back of the collar to frame the neck. But a popped collar is not for everyone, or always appropriate. 

Now as with many things in menswear, the key is to recognise these points - then decide whether you care.

On PS we’ve always argued that fit is an under-appreciated aspect of clothing. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only one: quality, relevance and personal style will always be important too.

When it comes to T-shirts under suits, I put more weight on physical flattery than others and so most of the time wear a collared shirt. But I still switch it up sometimes, just because I feel like it that day. Flattery and style swap places, briefly, in the pecking order. 

For thoughts on what knits and tees look better under tailoring, see previous article here. 

For more on the necklines of crewneck sweaters, and what flatters you, have a look at the article here.  

Vittorio Salino tweed jacket: Review

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Vittorio Salino tweed jacket: Review

Monday, April 15th 2024Tags:
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I'm back! Hello everyone, I hope you had a nice week in the amiable arms of Manish, and you haven't all decided he is better in every respect than me. Although even if you have, fear not - he will be writing again very soon, including the second part of his chambray guide. Now, on with that PS staple, a bespoke review...

This is my finished jacket from Vittorio Salino, the Florentine tailor covered last month.

During the week I was in Florence we managed to do a quick measuring session and then two basted fittings (Vittorio already had the cloth). That meant he didn't have as much time as usual for the fitting process, but from the start I could tell this wouldn't be a problem.

The measuring was relatively simple, reminding me of the almost cursory way Antonio Liverano had of measuring - no coincidence of course, as Vittorio was head cutter there. 

And the result was just as good when I had the first fitting. Perfect balance; no issues with my slightly lower right shoulder; no struggles with the drop over the tricep. Just nailed. 

And so everything proved through to the finished jacket. The only question I have concerns how roomy the fit is, and whether I’d like that tweaked at some point. 

As described in our interview, Vittorio likes a comfortable jacket - something that can be put on and forgotten about, whether you’re walking or sitting, talking or working. 

It doesn’t necessarily look it from these images, but there is more drape in the chest and less suppression in the waist than normal. The result is I can easily wear a sweater like our two-ply cashmere crewneck underneath. (Though not something like a Rubato lambswool - we’re not talking as big as the Assisi DB.) 

Vittorio’s cutting hides this well. The room in the chest isn’t obvious, and in the profile image below, you can see that there is still some shape to the back. I think the main reason to slim the jacket would be just to get sightly more shape in the front. 

I’ve only worn it a few times, so I’m not entirely decided yet, but I’m not seeing Vittorio until the summer so there’s plenty of time to decide. 

The jacket elsewhere is very well made, essentially the same as my Liverano and other Florentine makers like Vestrucci. It’s not the super precision of Milan, but it’s neat, strong and finer than something like Neapolitan. 

That point about strength is a relevant one, because I really identify with the way Vittorio talked about his tailoring as a functional, everyday piece of clothing - and how George at Speciale did in the piece we did on them (George also trained in Florence). 

If bespoke tailoring is to have a strong future outside of event wear - so as a regular, everyday part of the wardrobe - it needs this kind of unprecious, easygoing attitude. And I can see Vittorio’s comfortable fit being part of that. 

Indeed, the soft way the drape is created here illustrates this. An English drape cut has lots of room in the chest but it’s supported by layers of felt, canvas and horsehair. The Florentine one is softer, and falls more naturally. 

This could feel sloppy to some, but it definitely feels simpler and easier. There isn’t that stand-up military feeling you get with most British tailoring, which of course even the A&S drape cut was originally inspired by. 

The open roll of the fronts is similar. The whole jacket feels like it has just been cut open, folded back and then buttoned, with the lapels rolling naturally as they fall. This isn’t the case at all of course - it’s carefully calculated and controlled from the neck - but that’s the feeling. It might be why I’ve never been a big fan of three-roll-two fronts on English jackets. 

Moving on from the technical aspects, I should address the material’s differences from my grey herringbone, as a few readers have asked about how they compare. 

They’re very similar of course, and most people would have no need of both. But if herringbone tweed is your thing, the two are a little different and have different uses. This Fox Tweed is as much brown as grey, at least in the lighter herring’s bones, and as a result is easier to wear with other neutral-coloured clothes, like blacks or greys. 

An example is the charcoal flannels I'm wearing here, or black jeans. A grey herringbone can work too, but it needs colour elsewhere to stop it all being grayscale - a pink shirt or perhaps a brown belt/shoes. 

For those using the ‘five jackets’ article as a way to build their tailored wardrobe, I’d think of this jacket as slightly more a brown option than a grey one.

The charcoal trousers are from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, made in Fox Heritage Flannel (HF9). The belt is crocodile from Ludens with a vintage silver buckle. 

I was playing about with work shirts under jackets for a more casual look, but keeping everything white to retain that tonal feel. I quite like the result, though the Rubato shirt’s collar has a habit of flipping outside of the jacket, and the sleeves could be 1cm longer. 

It’s a bit of a trade off: as with a lot of casual shirts, you just can’t get these materials to make bespoke, so it has to be RTW. The thicker material looks great with a tweed jacket, to me, but you sacrifice little points of fit. 

The shoes are Piccadilly loafers from Edward Green in Utah leather, the glasses are old ones from Eye-Van I got at Ludovic in Brussels, and mostly wear at the weekend. The watch is my JLC Reverso, the coat my old Rider's Raincoat in the original colour.

I’d highly recommend Vittorio based on this experience, for the end result but also the experience along the way - his style and his advice. 

For more technical detail on Florentine cuts in general, see style breakdown pieces on Liverano here, and Vestrucci here. 

You can read more about Vittorio in our interview on PS here. His prices in Florence start at:

  • Jacket: €2200 
  • Suit: €3000 
  • Trousers: €800 
  • Coat: €4500 

All include cloth and tax. Trunk show prices vary. Those trunk shows are held in Belgium, Zurich and Los Angeles. There are no plans to add others in the near future, due to capacity (Vittorio and Clément make everything themselves.)  

Upcoming dates:

  • 26th-28th April: Zurich
  • 20th-25th May: Los Angeles

Not sure what I'm doing in the pic below, but it does show the shape of the jacket nicely!

I’m going on holiday

Posted on by Simon Crompton

I’m going on holiday

Saturday, April 6th 2024
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For the past 16 years I’ve never taken a holiday from publishing and replying to comments on Permanent Style. I normally take a break on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but that’s about it. 

You could call it dedication if you want, but I suspect it’s more just paranoia that if I don’t log in and keep everyone happy, the PS audience will sort of drift away, taking everything we’ve built with it. There’s a conversation there perhaps about running a business in the tyrannical age of social media, but not one for today. 

Because I’m going on holiday!

Next week I won’t be doing any writing, any replying or any emailing. The wonderful Manish is taking over.

Manish will be writing all three articles during the week, and replying to all comments (on articles old or new). He’s got some great things in store, and I know is looking forward to it. He’ll also enjoy giving his view on anything you throw at him, so don’t be afraid to carry on asking any and all questions. 

I’m planning on doing absolutely nothing, just being around the house with my kids. It’s going to be wonderful. 

I’ll see you on the 15th - be kind to Manish while I’m gone and, you know, look after the place.

Image: Linen MTM suit from The Armoury covered here

Come to our next talk: Tony Gaziano at Mortimer House

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Come to our next talk: Tony Gaziano at Mortimer House

Friday, April 5th 2024
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Things have been a bit crazy recently with the pop-up shop and the book launches - now three, in London, Paris and New York. But I'm glad to say we're also re-starting our popular reader talks, where we interview an interesting person in menswear along with 40 or so readers.

The next event will take place on Friday, April 26th with Tony Gaziano, of shoemakers Gaziano & Girling.

Tony will be a fascinating person to talk to. We've known each other a good while, and I've followed the journey of G&G from bespoke shoes, to innovative ready-made, the first shoe factory in over a century, and now the first British shoemaker on Savile Row.

Tony is also a rarity among shoemakers in being both a maker and a designer - someone who is interested in both aspects, as well as of course running his own company.

He's uniquely placed to talk about where shoemaking has come from and where it's going. Plus more quotidian things like his favourite pair of shoes, and which styles every reader should own.

Please join myself and Tony at Mortimer House for what promises to be an enjoyable conversation:

  • Friday, April 26
  • Drinks from 6:30pm, talk at 7pm
  • Mortimer House: 37-41 Mortimer Street, London
  • RSVP essential: [email protected]

Husbands: Still sexy after all these years 

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Husbands: Still sexy after all these years 

Wednesday, April 3rd 2024Tags:
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Husbands in Paris makes quality menswear - tailoring and related clothing - in a particular seventies-influenced style that has remained impressively consistent over the past dozen years.

The suits aren’t usually my style, but the fabrics are consistently great - high quality original developments, distinctive yet wearable - and a few friends have jackets that they wear well. We may cover those in the future, to more broadly illustrate the style. 

I have a lot of respect for the way Husbands’ founder, Nicolas Gabard, has grown the brand in that time: he’s evolved with the market but stayed true to his style, and to the quality. 

In the five years since we covered Husbands last, the company has grown from 5 to 15 people, and when we visited had just opened a second shop - a smaller space on the Left Bank, complimenting the original store on the Right. 

I had assumed the store was a straightforward expansion, but it has a different spin to the original, focusing on ready-made clothing. “It’s somewhere for that local customer to just stop in and buy,” Nicolas told us. “The original store is more of a destination, for MTM and MTO. People come here knowing what they want.”

It’s a good example of how the Husbands evolution hasn’t always been in a straight line. It started with ready-to-wear tailoring, stopped for a few years, and then started up again in 2019 when there was more of a focus online. 

Until the new shop, expansion had largely been through wholesale, something that was obvious when we toured the offices upstairs. The little white-walled warren contained the rest of the staff, racks of samples, and several mood boards for future seasons. Samples on display included robes and leather jackets. 

“I’m not sure we’ll expand with wholesale forever though,” commented Nicolas. “It too has its pressures and problems.”

Nicolas isn’t keen on being the face of Husbands and rarely allows his photo to be taken, despite looking amazing in the clothes. But he is intelligent, warm and honest, so talking to him is always interesting. 

“When I started I wanted to show that tailoring could be exciting, could be sexy,” he says. “And I think I’ve done that, which is pleasing.

“We did it in two ways I think. One was showing people that there was greater value in our clothes than with designers, and still a really interesting style. We showed people what makes great fabric, by doing it in detail, in person. 

“The other thing was talk about how much tailoring is a means of expression. It’s not about a designer brand telling you how to dress - that's so boring. You can walk into Gucci, spend 10,000 and look like a clone. Much better is to use the blank slate of a suit to show what you can do, to show who you are.”

One thing Nicolas is particularly good at is putting classic clothes in less-expected combinations, often removing their associations in the process: a tweed jacket with a flared jean perhaps, or a tattersall shirt under a leather jacket. 

These kinds of looks remind you how much the problem with classic menswear is rarely the materials, but the way they're put together. Some of the tattersall shirts could be straight from a traditional shop like Cordings, but they feel very different at Husbands. 

Nicolas and his staff often do this with clothes in the shop, putting combinations together as you talk. At the moment they’re doing a double-breasted tweed jacket with a notch lapel, for example (below), that looks quite classic with a straight grey trouser. But as we were chatting Nicolas mentioned how much he likes it with their really wide-leg (28 inch) style. Suddenly the look was much more striking, very 1930s.

“We’re always pushing and pulling people in different directions,” says Nicolas. “Our trousers have become wider over the years - when you were here last our classic had a 19-inch opening, now it’s 22. We’re also experimenting an ultra-long point-collar shirt.

“But at the same time, we’re doing navy suits again because we want to remind people that we can. And a navy suit is so hard to do well - there’s nowhere to hide, no eye-catching design or details.”

Nicolas is selling himself a little short there, because there’s always something going on with a Husbands suit, no matter how plain it might seem. 

For instance, he’s been doing quite a lot of fabric development with Lovat Mill in Scotland. “We’ve been creating these tweedy wools but with a dry handle, sometimes with little micro-stripes like you might have seen in the 1960s,” he says. “And our own flannels - I love Fox, but I wanted something between their weights and with that same really dry hand.”

That charcoal flannel (above) is also a reminder of why Husbands is worth a look for even conservative dressers, because there are always interesting, subtler pieces in the collection. I picked up a western shirt, for example, that is pretty standard save for a longer collar - which isn't even very long, just longer than the skimpy things most brands are doing. 

Then there's a Loden coat (below) which does something similar - like the classic style but with a slightly bigger collar, slightly better/heavier material, and a slightly more flared silhouette.

It was lovely to have the chance to catch up with Nicolas, both from a customer point of view and an industry one.

The brand started in such a similar way to others we cover - one man who couldn’t find clothes he wanted to wear - but has developed in different directions, a bit more fashion, a bit more mainstream, yet stayed true to its style and its production. 

Here’s wishing Nicolas and the team more of the same over the next 12 years.  

husbands-paris.com

For further reading, this piece on Matches is nice, written by some of the staff on their tailoring style.

 

Wearing black shoes with jeans

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Wearing black shoes with jeans

Monday, April 1st 2024Tags:
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This is something I’ve had questions about recently - I assume because fashion generally has taken a turn towards black and, combined with the general casualisation going, black shoes and jeans have become a more common styling choice.

So the answer is yes, obviously you can wear the two together. But not as easily as something like brown suede, and not in as many ways. 

On Permanent Style we tend to assume two things about readers:

1. They want to appear ‘simply well-dressed’ most of the time, in those words we’ve used so often. They want to look good but not stand out. On the spectrum of subtle to showy, they lean heavily towards the subtle. 

2. They want clothes that are versatile. This won’t always be the case, but a lot of readers are in the process of figuring out what they like to wear, or upgrading their wardrobe, and in both cases virtually starting from scratch. Versatility is often highly prized. 

For these two reasons we tend to suggest something like a dark-brown suede loafer or boot as the smart option with jeans (examples above). 

A brown-suede chukka works with every shade of blue jean, from dark to light, off-white and black (with a little bit of fading). And also with a range of smart trousers - greens and tans, grey and navy; cold and warm, muted and strong. 

Plus there's versatility with the rest of the outfit. The knitwear or jacket could be anything from a raspberry shetland to a taupe cashmere, the jacket a cold urban navy or a warm rusty brown.

The result is a classic, traditional look. Brown suede creates less contrast - in terms of colour or texture - with the trouser than almost any other type of shoe. 

You get subtlety and versatility. 

Black is different. It’s not great with warm colours, like that rusty brown, and it can make bright colours look cheap. 

The colour of jeans has to be more particular: rich blues usually aren’t great and white can look stark. The easiest colour is a dark indigo (perhaps in a colder, greener wash) or a much more faded blue, like my jeans above.

And it makes demands on your other clothes. Wearing a similarly dark navy top, as I am in these images, can work, as can black itself. Very pale colours are often good, as are some browns or greens. But fewer things work than with brown shoes. 

Black shoes are not as versatile.  

Nor are they as subtle. Black shoes contrast more with these pale blue jeans - they’re not the normal or expected choice. Of course, that’s why some people find them refreshing, but it will suits fewer conservative readers. (It's no coincidence that classic tailoring is more about harmony and has less of this dissonance.)

Black shoes with black jeans creates less contrast, but it’s still more of a look. I like it and I wear it, but the same things apply as above: I wear it less, only with specific things, and when I want a specific style. 

How much of a look it is depends a bit on the type of shoe. The suede Sagans (first image below) are more of a look than the Galway boots (second image). 

But still, my default is something subtler like Color-8 cordovan. 

When it comes to the type of shoe, more casual styles like boots and loafers are generally easiest, as are derbys. But the material doesn’t necessarily have to be that casual. 

While I normally go for my black Utah loafer from Edward Green (a waxed and tumbled leather, a bit like a grain), black calf isn’t necessarily bad. It just creates more contrast and probably requires something a little smarter on top. 

The only thing to be careful with is black suede, as the way it sucks the light can make it quite unusual. That's best in particularly casual styles, like a derby. 

The loafers I'm wearing are vintage Ralph Lauren crocodile loafers. Blake-stitched, probably from the late 1980s, I picked them up on eBay having seen a pair on a friend. They’re not something I’d wear all the time, but the super-low vamp is quite appealing. It might have been good to lengthen the jeans by a fold though, given how low they are. 

Lucas (on the left) is wearing vintage Gucci horsebits. The fade of his black jeans is a good example of how good that shade is with navy, as well as how much easier faded black is to wear in general (being basically grey at that point).

Clothes shown with my blue jeans:

  • B&Tailor bespoke overcoat in Fox cloth
  • PS watch cap in navy
  • Rubato navy lambswool crewneck
  • Vintage Levi’s 501s
  • Rubato black alligator belt
  • Vintage Ralph Lauren crocodile loafers

Clothes shown with my black jeans:

Book launches in Paris and New York

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Book launches in Paris and New York

Friday, March 29th 2024Tags:
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We're going to have launch parties for the new book, The Casual Style Guide, in both Paris and New York over the coming months. The Paris launch will be on April 18th at Beige, and New York on May 16th at The Armoury.

I'm really excited about this. The London launch at Clutch was fun, and it will be great seeing a wide range of readers in both France and the US. I know guys in Paris have been asking for an event of some sort for a while, and the new Beige store is a beautiful place to do it.

As you may have seen from the PS Shop, we've sold out of the Casual Style Guide online, incredibly. It took six years to sell out of the first one, and a little over six days to sell out of the new one! But we have kept some stock aside for the two launches, so there will be books available to buy and get signed at both events. Feel free to bring along your own copy of the book as well, or indeed any other books if you would like them signed.

Stockists around the world also have copies, so please check your local store. Even if it's not in the same city, they're nearly all selling online so you can pick it up that way. We've also placed an order for a second edition, which will arrive in June. Shops are sending re-orders in anticipation of that, and anyone ordering on the PS Shop will get theirs once the new copies come in.

Thank you everyone for your support. Jamie and I really have found it quite overwhelming.

And thank you so much to the guys at Beige and The Armoury for hosting us. The details of the two events are below. No need to RSVP to either, just turn up and say hello.

Paris

  • Beige Habilleur
  • Thursday April 18th
  • 86 Rue Bonaparte (new shop, Paris 6)
  • 6-8pm

New York

  • The Armoury
  • Thursday, May 16th
  • 13 East 69th St (Upper East Side shop)
  • 6-8pm

Beige images credit: Photo, Julien T Hamon; AD, Pierre-Alexis Guinet 

Vittorio Salino: His philosophy, and fitting a jacket

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Vittorio Salino: His philosophy, and fitting a jacket

Wednesday, March 27th 2024Tags:
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Having met the Florentine tailor Vittorio Salino last summer, I took the opportunity of being in Florence this past January to commission a jacket. I got on with Vittorio, was impressed with his outlook, and realised PS readers would be interested in a Florentine option now that Liverano has become so expensive and Vestrucci is mostly MTM. 

When I have that jacket I’ll do a full review, but for the moment I wanted to talk about Vittorio’s background, his work and how he sees the future of bespoke. We took some nice images of the fitting for the jacket too, in the new atelier Vittorio is setting up in a residential neighbourhood just north of the Fortezza. 

That atelier was very much embryonic. The ground floor had one or two pieces of furniture, but was essentially a shell. Downstairs, there were cutting tables, steam irons and a mirror, but had little more in the way of outfitting. 

The plan is to have the place fully kitted up by June, with a cosy seating area and big fitting room upstairs, as well as a bar. 

For the moment, there’s a nice coffee bar on the corner of the street, and Vittorio and I chatted there, along with his assistant Clément, about questions of clothing and philosophy.

Where did you train before Liverano, Vittorio?e

Before I started my career at Liverano & Liverano I had three years of ‘school’ at the Camera Europe Dell’Alta Sartorial [CEDAS]. My teacher there was Luigi Gallo. The school was in the morning and then in the afternoon I had an apprenticeship in the tailor shop under him.

How long were you at Liverano?

After those three years of tailoring school, I had the opportunity to go to Liverano & Liverano. There I underwent the classic method of learning bespoke. 

First you learn all the small, less important aspects: sotto di collo, basting lines... Then you go to the first fitting and the making of the sleeves. Then the second fitting. Finally, you learn how to finish everything else in a jacket: the sides, the shoulders, the collar. 

The hardest part is arguably how to set the sleeves in the sleevehead, and to finish the shoulder. When I mastered all these steps, including pattern making and cutting, Antonio Liverano asked me to go to trunk shows with him around the world, where I went to Asia, America etc, and discovered the different styles and ways of thinking. 

During Covid I also taught at the Liverano School for two years, where I had the opportunity to work with future tailors. Some off those went to Cifonelli, others had a chance to work at Liverano, and one became my assistant, Clément [below]. By the end I was doing all the above at the same time.

Why did you decide to leave and set up on your own?

I don't really like to say it, but I felt undervalued at Liverano for the time and effort I had put in. I felt that I could do the same but for myself, and prove that I'm good at what I do. Not that I really had something to prove, but I wanted to feel free and show my own vision and philosophy.

How would you say your product or approach is different to Liverano?

Style-wise we are still perfecting our jacket style. But that’s inevitable - it’s always a never-ending journey - and the changes are never drastic. Fundamental views and philosophies don’t change. 

For example, for us the most important principle is comfort. If you are not comfortable in your jacket or suit, you won't wear it. You need to be able to go about your daily chores and almost forget you have a jacket on. We make it slightly larger in the chest as one way to create this feeling.

One of the most beautiful things is to dress someone who has imperfections, and to show it in the jacket. We think the jacket should never hide anything, but rather show it elegantly. That's why it's really important to have a soft jacket: no shoulder padding, no heavy canvas.

Technically how would you describe your cut?

My jacket style could be said to be influenced by the eighties Florentine jacket, rather than the modern one. Style influences would be Luigi Liverano and Vladimiro Mealli. 

The jacket should be very tight around the neck and a bit more open in the front. The buttons sit a little lower than the classic Florentine (as a reference, perhaps 1cm lower than Liverano). The lapels are a bit wider so they can have a beautiful wave form over time, as they open up. 

I make a straight chest pocket as the ‘boat’ form is created over time, with the help of a pocket square. We tend to give slightly more room in the hips for comfort and a slightly higher vent - level or slightly lower than the pocket. The shoulder is slightly extended but never exaggerated.

Our trousers are a bit larger in the front to be sure that the front darts stay closed. We heavily work on the calf as it's a pet peeve of mine to see it break there. We prefer simple slant pockets, and the trouser should just hit the top of the shoe, with a minimal break. 

We haven't made a lot of coats yet, but style-wise I tend to go for raglans and single-breasted peak-lapels. They tend to have cleaner cuts, and simplicity. I don't like to add martingales. I make the collar and sleeves slightly larger.

You seem to have a broader awareness of men’s clothing than some tailors, do you think that’s fair? 

Perhaps yes. We like to experiment and love side projects. We’ve made bespoke clothes that are very different from classic tailoring, including ‘fashion’ garments for fashion schools, dresses and cultural/traditional garments.

My philosophy of trying to make something timeless that follows you in life comes from my travels, and love of vintage. I have pieces from the forties that are unworn. In this day and age it's really hard to find clothes that are made in the same way. 

Does that influence how you see the future of bespoke tailoring?

Yes. Bespoke needs to go in a new direction, and for me the important thing is ease - a bespoke piece should be treated like a normal jacket or even an overshirt. It shouldn't be something you only wear at work or at very formal events. 

Bespoke should be playful, and mixed with daily clothes like jeans, penny loafers, perhaps a jungle jacket over the top. Vintage military garments probably influence our colour palette as well: we tend to go with similar greens, browns and blues.

I want to make garments that you wear, break in, throw in the trunk of your car, and take for a long walk. They should be like a second skin and show that they’ve lived - I love to see defects from wear and tear. We hope that after two generations, a jacket will have been repaired, altered, and still used. We can alter it for those generations as it always has at least four sizes of inlay inside.

For more on Vittorio (and some old images!) see his interview with The Armoury here. 

A review of the finished jacket, made in Fox Tweed TD9, will follow in a couple of weeks. The jacket pictured is at a first-fitting stage.

Vittorio Salino’s prices in Florence start at:

  • Jacket: €2200 
  • Suit: €3000 
  • Trousers: €800 
  • Coat: €4500 

All prices include cloth and tax. Trunk show prices vary

Those trunk shows are held in Belgium, Zurich and Los Angeles. There are no plans to add others in the near future, due to capacity (Vittorio and Clément make everything themselves.)  

Upcoming dates:

  • 29th-30th March: Antwerp and Brussels 
  • 26th-28th April: Zurich
  • 20th-25th May: Los Angeles

Yuketen, Crescent Down Works, Big Rock Candy Mountaineering – brands in Paris

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Yuketen, Crescent Down Works, Big Rock Candy Mountaineering – brands in Paris

Monday, March 25th 2024Tags:
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Last week I wrote about visiting the Paris trade shows for the first time, and being able to interview some new brands as a result. Today I’m going to highlight three that we found particularly interesting. 

The first is Yuketen, the craft-based shoemaker run by Japanese designer Yuki Matsuda (below). 

Yuki is known primarily for making American-style moccasins and boots, to a high level. He uses materials such as Horween leather and hand-sews the moccasin stitch on the upper - basically, the Japanese approach to quality applied to this traditional style of shoe. 

It’s part of a bigger group called Meg Company (named after Yuki’s wife Megumi) that includes Chamula, Epperson Mountaineering and Monitaly (named after his daughter Monica). The Yuketen range includes some more fashion-y designs, but there are also always classic boots, moccasins and loafers. 

“I’ve been in the business since 1985, but ran a vintage operation for a few years before I started Yuketen,” Yuki told us. “I think a lot of companies start this way - they want to recreate the vintage that they see but can’t buy any more.”

Yuki has just had to move some of the production to Italy, because one craftsman retired that did a lot of the hand sewing. “The stitch up the back seam on the boots was the hardest thing,” he says (shown on the boot above). “Nobody else could do that. But there are advantages to doing some things in Italy now - channel stitching on a sole is impossible to do in the US at a decent price for example.”

I have a pair of Yuketen Bluchers - the ones with the camp sole and little kiltie on the laces - and you really feel the quality of the leather compared to other moccasins, boat shoes and the like. The sole is thin - you wouldn’t want to be walking on concrete all day in them - but they’re incredibly comfortable. 

Style wise, this is a category of shoe I’d like to cover more. It can look a little old-mannish, but it’s also a nice option for something that is very easy and very comfortable, more casual than most boots or loafers, and not a trainer. I find the key to avoiding the old-fashioned associations is wearing them with clothes that are not in that mould. Eg western wear, sportswear, and less trad colours. 

The second brand we spent a long time talking to was Wythe. We covered Peter Middleton’s company last year, after we visited their new store in New York. But this was an opportunity to see all the new things, plus a new brand Peter has started, Big Rock Candy Mountaineering (BRCM, above). 

BRCM leans into the colourful, playful side of the American outdoor clothing that people have been mining in recent years. “There was this great scene in the 1960s and 70s in Yosemite and elsewhere, of a real lifestyle around climbing,” says Peter. “The clothes were a bit random, often homemade, and there was a lot of colour.”

BRCM was launching at Man/Woman in Paris, with orders being taken for the Autumn - so there’s nowhere currently selling it online (see previous article for how the industry works in this regard). But the images here give a sense of the aesthetic; there’s also a little climbing dude printed on the tees and sweats that reminds me of a Robert Crumb character. 

The quality is not necessarily what most PS readers will be aiming for - the black jacket I'm wearing has a synthetic fill and will retail for $288. The chinos are $198. 

But some others have a down fill, and the designs are great. I love exploring the clothing that comes from a period and a place I didn’t know before - like the double-knee climbing trousers with big store pockets on the back, which became more and more threadbare as climbers used them, almost as a point of pride. 

The rest of the Wythe range includes some half-button knits (above) that are an old design but you don’t see much. A nice alternative to a half-zip. And there were hats, boots and fringed leather jackets. 

The last brand it was good to see was Crescent Down Works, also in the main room at Man/Woman. That room had such a great selection of interesting outdoors brands such as Viberg, Merz b Schwanen, Goldwin and Nanamica, most of whom don’t show at Pitti.

I knew Crescent Down Works vaguely, and readers have brought them up a few times in comments. Our photographer Alex had also bought a popping purple gilet from them when we travelled to Korea last year. 

But I didn’t realise they have been around since 1974, or that the founder originally helped pioneer down at Eddie Bauer - timely, given our recent piece on them. “It was my mum’s brand, and now we run it together with my brother,” Annie Michelson told us. “We still make everything ourselves in Seattle.”

Apparently there are only three manufacturers of down products left in the US, and the other two are much more technical. Crescent has stayed rooted in its original product, which has made it more of a leisure offering over time. “We’re technical, just 1980s technical,” Annie said. “Whether that’s enough for you depends on what you need the clothing for.”

The pieces are made quite simply too, but we’re talking £289 for a down gilet, so it’s a chunk cheaper than something like Rocky Mountain Featherbed. There are also options with cotton/nylon outers rather than just nylon, similar to the Bauer Skyliner. 

The styling on their website is also nice - simple but stylish. I like the fact that the products are grouped by colour rather than category, perhaps because it suggests there is a design pricess at work there, not just a manufacturing one. 

“All the down we use these days is recycled,” Annie added. “It helps that there are some really big brands now who often have excess, like North Face. We can use all their surplus and make sure it doesn’t go to waste.”

Apparently Crescent are only at Paris every two or three years, so it was great to catch them.