The Alden modified last, and Anatomica sizing

April 1st 2022

Alden has this particular shape of shoe, on what is referred to as the ‘modified’ last. It’s unusual, almost orthopaedic in appearance, with a narrow waist that hugs the middle of the foot and rather bulging sides to fully accommo...

The Alden modified last, and Anatomica sizing

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Mathias has a point. A healthy foot will have wide, splayed toes and a dexterous big toe. You’ll experience less problems with your feet, ankles, knees, hips, back, posture etc. Sadly we perceive dainty, almond toed fe...

ShoesApril 1st 2022

Anatomica, Paris: The clothes and the history

March 23rd 2022

Anatomica is one of my favourite shops in Paris. It’s unique, with a range of menswear that’s often exclusive to them - whether under their brand or others’ - and always centred around quality. In fact it has such a reputation - of...

Anatomica, Paris: The clothes and the history

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No problem, and sorry about that Alex...

Casual clothing - Hanks and scarvesMarch 23rd 2022

Reader profile: Daniel

February 14th 2022

Meet Daniel. A regular at the pop-up shop, and a man who knows more about wine glasses than you’d care to ask. It’s fair to say that Daniel appreciates good clothes, and knows what styles he likes. But he doesn’t obsess about it. ...

Reader profile: Daniel

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I like that look as well. However, what colour are the trousers - dark navy, dark brown, dark green? Surprisingly difficult to tell from the photos....

Casual clothing - JacketsFebruary 14th 2022

Reader profile: Mattia

January 17th 2022

I met Mattia during our recent pop-up shop on Savile Row. A Permanent Style reader, he is also a fashion student, which gives him an interesting perspective on classic menswear. I enjoyed talking to him, and his friends, about their studies and the...

Reader profile: Mattia

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I loved reading this and I love Mattia's style. As someone who doesn't earn a lot of money most of my reading here is pipe dream stuff. But me and mattia are on the same boat - there is a way to dress well for under 3k! ...

Denim - JacketsJanuary 17th 2022

Down parka from Nigel Cabourn: How great things age

January 14th 2022

  Over the winter, quite a few readers have asked what I wear for very cold weather. If it’s formal, the answer is a simple variation on the coats we’ve already featured: a heavyweight overcoat like my 30oz from Sartoria Ciardi ...

Down parka from Nigel Cabourn: How great things age

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No worries, at the moment only one is possible per comment. Looking at that, I'd say it's worth trying the size down...

Casual clothing - CoatsJanuary 14th 2022

Adret ‘Jack’ bomber jacket: Review

August 11th 2021

Although there has been quite a bit of coverage of Adret in the past two years (including on PS), pictures of the clothes in the wild are rare. I thought it would be useful to shoot my most significant purchase from Adret, therefore, and reflect up...

Adret ‘Jack’ bomber jacket: Review

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Hi Aaron I know Simon struggled to find the right maker that could nail the details. So, no plans at the moment sadly....

Casual clothing - JacketsAugust 11th 2021

Tailoring and milsurp: How to dress like Ethan Wong

May 21st 2021

Like many men that feature in this ‘How to dress like’ series, I find the differences between how I and Ethan Wong dress just as interesting as the similarities. In fact more so. We have similar influences in classic menswear and vint...

Tailoring and milsurp: How to dress like Ethan Wong

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I like his style. It's not necessarily the attire, but more about the attitude that goes with the attire. Asians do it better than most. Not sure why....

StyleMay 21st 2021

The joy of cordovan – and how to wear and m...

February 3rd 2021

I'm a relatively recent convert to cordovan, but have come to love it as I've started to wear more casual clothing, and darker colours. It also added a layer of love visiting the Horween tannery in Chicago last year (shown below). That’s worth...

The joy of cordovan – and how to wear and m...

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I have been wondering about the same issue, i.e., reports of a drop in quality of Allen-Edmonds. Here is a review where they cut-apart A-E shoes over some decades and found that the quality of materials and construction ...

February 3rd 2021

Postcard from Stockholm

October 9th 2020

So here's the weird thing about Stockholm: nothing is weird. Everything feels normal. No one wears a mask, and while there’s still social distancing, it's minimal and feels almost like politeness. People do sanitise their hands frequently, an...

Postcard from Stockholm

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No, sorry Stefan, it’s never really been a focus of the site. I also don’t usually have the money to spend on luxury places!...

October 9th 2020

Clutch Cafe: A guide to my favourite brands

September 7th 2020

There is a handful of menswear shops in London that I recommend regularly to friends visiting from abroad. They include Trunk, Connolly, Drake's and Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery. All boutiques, all founded in the past decade. The most ...

Clutch Cafe: A guide to my favourite brands

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I think that's beautiful Amit, but it is also a very particular style - I'd want to try it on to get a sense of the vintage fit...

Casual clothing - CoatsSeptember 7th 2020

My Summer shoes

July 29th 2020

  Shoes can be one of the trickiest areas for clothing in the summer. Unless we require a jacket, it’s pretty simple to wear a well-cut polo shirt on top and drapey linen trousers on the bottom, and stay cool. But shoes are always re...

My Summer shoes

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Either. More a question of how smart you want to be, the leather usually being a bit smarter looking...

ShoesJuly 29th 2020

Light relief: Jamie’s clothes and style

April 8th 2020

  OK, so. Friend and photographer Jamie Ferguson has been locked up indoors for weeks, as we all have. And he’s gone a bit stir crazy. We had started talking a while ago about shoots we could do remotely. Perhaps looking at a few out...

Light relief: Jamie’s clothes and style

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Jaime’s style is not especially similar to mine, but he is a master of color coordination. This is quite an inspirational article....

StyleApril 8th 2020

Holiday snaps 2019: No shorts in the city

August 14th 2019

  I just got back from our annual summer holiday: two weeks in Portugal, in a villa with my wife and children, miles away from anything. I normally write a post running through things worn on holiday, as I know readers find it interesting h...

Holiday snaps 2019: No shorts in the city

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'It's possible to be overdressed in this way, too'. If such an outfit which you are wearing or for example an outfit like a shirt/polo with linen trouser and espadrilles can seem overdressed then what does the average cr...

Style - August 14th 2019

Editing Instagram: Dressing for different walks o...

August 7th 2019

  Great as Instagram is, a definite flaw is its lack of an effective archive. There’s no way to search old images, so unless you save an image yourself, you can’t find old pieces or browse effectively. Just as important a fr...

Editing Instagram: Dressing for different walks o...

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Anyone know Peter’s height? Just curious....

Black tie - Casual clothingAugust 7th 2019

Should your belt match your shoes? (Or bag)

September 21st 2018

This question might seem like an easy one, but I do get a lot of comments and emails about it, so I thought I’d lay it out in a post. No, in short, a leather belt and leather shoes do not have to match. But they should be closely related. So a...

Should your belt match your shoes? (Or bag)

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Good idea! Thanks Simon...

Bags - Belts and walletsSeptember 21st 2018

Wearing warm and cold colours

April 4th 2018

Taka from Liverano. Lots of colour and pattern, but overall quite cold Being able to judge the relative formality of an outfit is a key component of dressing well in modern, variable working environments. Many things contribute to this formality: Mo...

Wearing warm and cold colours

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I certainly would mix them together, yes, it can be an interesting combination....

StyleApril 4th 2018

Interview: John Happ of Alden, and the danger of ...

October 5th 2016

During Alden’s recent trunk show at Trunk Clothiers in London, I chatted to John Happ (Alden’s Director of European Sales) about why he dislikes talking about heritage - and the penny loafers they didn’t make for Ernest Hemingway. ...

Interview: John Happ of Alden, and the danger of ...

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I find it works OK actually. A nice look with white socks too, if that's your thing......

ShoesOctober 5th 2016

Do I need black shoes (and if so, which?) –...

August 6th 2015

As with many reader questions, this one evolved over several email messages back and forth. I know Joel won’t mind if I restructure that exchange into a conversation, in order to put the inquiries in the right order. And add a little narrati...

Do I need black shoes (and if so, which?) –...

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I've worn my black suede Chukkas with a brown/taupe sole with office outfits to stay smartly dressed but tone it down in cold and wet weather and in period of the office when most wear more casual outfits. Just today I a...

Reader questions - ShoesAugust 6th 2015

Permanent Style in Free & Easy magazine

March 22nd 2013

This column in Japanese magazine Free & Easy is the result of the photo shoot I posted about before Christmas. I have no idea what the Japanese text says, but hopefully it faithfully reports my opinions on shoes and shoe collecting, and desc...

Permanent Style in Free & Easy magazine

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John you wouldn't be so sceptical and ignorant in your reproach if you judged by the content of the magazine. It's one of the best menswear magazines out there in my opinion, much more relevant than the shit they sell in...

ShoesMarch 22nd 2013

Leffot: A sign of US shoe trends

March 24th 2010

In New York this week, and I popped in to see my good friend Steven Taffel, founder of Leffot – far and away the best shoe store in the city. In fact probably anywhere in the US outside Hawaii (the competition there being Leather Soul). Since S...

Leffot: A sign of US shoe trends

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I just purchased a pair of Alden Indy’s here in Honolulu from a nice guy, Matthew from Leather Soul. So far, so good:-) I also have a pair of 1908 Centennial Red Wings. I’m glad I have both....

ShoesMarch 24th 2010

A few new gems at Leffot

April 2nd 2009

Leffot, the shoe store I described as “a gem in New York” almost a year ago now, is going from strength to strength. Back then it had only been open a month and was still finding its feet. Now it is expanding its offering (quite impressiv...

A few new gems at Leffot

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When I saw this it made me want to go out and buy five pairs of shoes immediately....

ShoesApril 2nd 2009