New black bullskin tote, and angled DBs
July 16th 2021A new black version of our bullhide tote, a collaboration with Frank Clegg, goes on sale today. It’s available on the Frank Clegg site (not ours) alongside a restock of the dark brown. I shot some pictures of it with Alex last week, and it re...
Dege & Skinner tobacco-linen suit: Style bre...
June 21st 2021**This article is an extract from our book ‘Bespoke Style’, which sold out in less than a month last year. A new print is ready and will be on sale soon. If you would like early access, or are interested in stocking the book, plea...
Dege & Skinner tobacco-linen suit: Style bre...
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The nicest is cream, grey always works, and green can be good too. Even black. I wouldn't wear a linen jacket in winter myself...
The Western shirt four ways (with Begg & Co ...
June 14th 2021One of the reasons Western and denim shirts have been so popular in recent years is their versatility. On the one hand, their conventional pale blue means they sit easily beneath all manner of jackets or suits, while adding an intentional, unexpect...
The Western shirt four ways (with Begg & Co ...
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I don't mind it, especially in casual shirts. But the way to avoid it is to have the body of the shirt slimmed down. Most alterations tailors can put darts in a shirt and slim the body for you...
Support our shops. At least the real ones
April 14th 2021It is genuinely important that - if you can - you visit a UK shop and support it now they’re open again. Why? Because good retail offers something distinct that could easily be lost. Let me explain the difference between a good menswear store...
Support our shops. At least the real ones
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Can't believe I forgot about Blackhorse Lane - such a pleasure to deal with. Discovered them before I heard about them here, just stumbled in there not knowing what they were about. Long may they thrive....
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury RAF-blue suit: Style ...
April 9th 2021Whitcomb & Shaftesbury have achieved great popularity in recent years because of their pricing. They offer one service where the majority of the suit is made in their Indian workshop, and as a result can offer a Savile Row suit for just unde...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury RAF-blue suit: Style ...
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I am aware everything has become quite quickly expensive over the past few years but their offshore suit now starts from around £3,200 which in my opinion is a massive jump in two years. I wasn’t really sceptical abou...
What are the best knitwear colours under tailoring?
January 20th 2021This question about knitwear worn on its own (without a shirt) came up twice recently - once in a comment about polo-collared knits (above) and once in a reader question about roll necks. So it feels like it deserves its own post. Anyone that has w...
What are the best knitwear colours under tailoring?
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No worries. I like both with polos to be honest - the button downs feel a bit more preppy and sporty, the point collars a little more normal, perhaps a little more military. Spreads are a little dressier....
Bruce Boyer’s A&S jacket: How great th...
January 15th 2021When Bruce read our article on Nicoletta Caraceni’s 50-year-old jacket recently, he was spurred to send an example of his own: the Anderson & Sheppard jacket worn above. And really, there are few people better placed to talk...
Bruce Boyer’s A&S jacket: How great th...
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Hello Bruce. Great article and wisdom “That’s a shame because cheap clothes are so much more expensive over a lifetime.” My father worked at A&S in the '60s & '70s, he was a cutter, but mainly front of hous...
Elasticated waists – the good and the bad
January 4th 2021Elasticated waists are becoming increasingly popular in men's trousers. And I think they do have a place - when they are practical, and don't undermine the style. But it's important to consciously draw a line - to be aware of when this undermining s...
Elasticated waists – the good and the bad
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Any suggestion on RTW or MTM DAKS style trousers these days?...
The mock neck
November 20th 2020I’m not sure about the mock neck. It’s been having a resurgence recently - everyone is doing one, from Camoshita to Loro Piana, Margaret Howell to Inis Meain. I can’t remember the last time a style of knitwear became so ubiquitous...
The mock neck
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I don't really like that look with roll necks, but it's worse with mock necks, because you see so much of the collar. Or at least we can say, it's a more showy look that way...
Gieves & Hawkes linen suit: Style Breakdown
August 19th 2020Gieves & Hawkes has rarely had a distinct house style in recent decades. Although historically a military and naval outfitter, and making its suits with a similar amount of structure and strength, the cut has varied with cutters. Kathryn Sa...
Gieves & Hawkes linen suit: Style Breakdown
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Hey there, I would look at the bunches of W Bill, Brisbane Moss, Holland & Sherry and any other British mill that offers Irish linen. If you can't find a dark enough navy there, try and find someone that can source from ...
Espadrilles: Style, occasion, and brands
July 3rd 2020UPDATE: This is a nice video from Diegos showing how espadrilles are made. You can see the better, neater hand sewing of the soles mentioned below. I remember clearly when I got my first pair of espadrilles. I was 19, on holiday in Spain, and bough...
Espadrilles: Style, occasion, and brands
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I hope my answer isn't misunderstood as flippant. (Presuming that you'd wear them with invisible socks), have you tried wearing them barefoot? I, too, have narrow ankles (and wider front), and wearing them barefoot helps...
How to wear a cream jacket
June 24th 2020A cream jacket is more useful than you might think. Certainly, I’ve found myself using this one from Jean-Manuel Moreau more than I expected since I received it earlier in the year. This post describes, and illustrates, three ways I&am...
How to wear a cream jacket
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I think the wool mix would make it smarter, and probably less versatile as a result, yet. Beige could be more versatile, but kind of depends what you want to wear it with. It would less showy, perhaps a little smarter. M...
Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing
June 22nd 2020A reader recently asked about what constituted the ‘finishing’ of a suit - and what indicates quality. I initially planned a response going through every aspect of this, with examples, but that quickly became unwieldy. There are just to...
Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing
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I would leave that up to the tailor to decide George, based on the proportions elsewhere. By the way, I assume you mean flapped as well, not just a jett?...
The (55) bespoke tailors I have known
June 3rd 2020This post was originally written in 2012: a breakdown of all the tailors I have tried personally (rather than just written about), split into different countries. It was updated in 2016, and I have updated it again now in 2020, adding a fu...
Summer smart/casual: Three looks, three levels of...
May 29th 2020Last week I explained why I find the knit polo shirt to be such a fundamental part of my summer wardrobe. This week, I’m using that polo and a pair of cream linen trousers as the basis for three different looks – three dif...
Summer smart/casual: Three looks, three levels of...
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OK nice, good to know...
Video chat: Going to a maker for the first time
May 25th 2020I’m not sure we really answered the question in this chat. The idea of each of these videos is to take a frequently asked reader question, and then tackle it from every angle. Here the question was: ‘I’m going to a tailor or shirt...
Video chat: Going to a maker for the first time
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Yes, they usually do. Though I actually ask them not to sometimes, as I have too many and hate the waste! Same with cloth bags. Really pleased the video has been so useful....
Panico flannel suit: Style breakdown
May 1st 2020(The book version of this series is going to press now, and will be out in a couple of months. It will feature extra content and tailors not included online. More on that soon.) Sartoria Panico is known as one of the more tradit...
Panico flannel suit: Style breakdown
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Pretty much all of them - black perhaps the least, but even then I can see it...
Video: Audie Charles on swapping a shirt for a sw...
February 17th 2020It's dress-up time! In this second video with Audie Charles at the Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery, Audie dresses me in five pieces of knitwear from the shop, showing how she thinks they can add variety. In Audie's view, men too often go fo...
Video: Audie Charles on swapping a shirt for a sw...
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Hi Michael. Most sweaters will stretch a little if worn close and therefore pushed and stretched themselves. Wool particularly. It sounds like you might need a bigger size if you're wearing them over a shirt...
Thom Sweeney checked jacket: Style breakdown
February 14th 2020Thom Sweeney is a bit of an outlier in British tailoring. First because it’s a high-quality bespoke workshop with a stylish, effective ready-to-wear brand as well (something no one else seems able to achieve). And second because their besp...
Thom Sweeney checked jacket: Style breakdown
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They are good, yes, but whether they're the next best depends on what style you're after. To get a sense of that, compare this breakdown to the others in this series...
Introducing: The indulgent shawl-collar cardigan
December 11th 2019Two years ago, I spotted a couple of chunky sweaters on the top of a unit in the Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery, in London. I got them down and tried them on: they were big, ribbed shawl-collar cardigans. Like the classic style we know fr...
Introducing: The indulgent shawl-collar cardigan
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Thank you Graham. It will be warmer, but I wouldn't say it would be that much stronger or hold it's shape a lot more...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
December 2nd 2019I think L'Étiquette is the best menswear magazine in the world at the moment. The main reason is its ability to cover bespoke tailoring and high-street casual - Caraceni and Converse - in a way that feels both easy and relevant. This applies ...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
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Hi. If someone wants to flaneur, let him flaneur away. I agree that Mr. Barnes is ever seeking his perfect imperfection. All power to him. Everyone has to have their passion or quest. Mine is finding the perfect thifted ...
Vestrucci charcoal suit: Style Breakdown
November 25th 2019I’m very fond of the cut of this Vestrucci suit, and it is more unusual than I realised when I first received it. Although many aspects are similar to Liverano and other related Florentine tailors, there are small and large differences. So th...
Vestrucci charcoal suit: Style Breakdown
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I'd be absolutely fine in it indoors, but I guess it depends a little on how hot you run generally. No, those other suitings would be sharper and feel a little different....
The weekend capsule wardrobe
November 13th 2019A weekend wardrobe can be a particular challenge for guys that care about their clothes. It should be relaxed and easy – not requiring much thought, and a nice change from the working week – yet cover a wide array of activities...
The weekend capsule wardrobe
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It makes a big difference to how long you have to dry them for, yes. See our video here...
Three RTW trousers compared: Drake’s, Anglo-Itali...
November 4th 2019Readers regularly ask about the best options for quality ready-to-wear trousers, so I thought I’d compare three I own. They're three brands that will come readily to mind for those seeking trousers in London: Drake’s, Anderson &...
Three RTW trousers compared: Drake’s, Anglo-Itali...
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I can't remember but I'd guess left-hand. Denser, stronger chinos aren't really what Anglo does...
Cifonelli navy suit: Style breakdown
August 5th 2019Cifonelli is one of the three best-known tailors in Paris – the others being Camps de Luca and Smalto. (Though Smalto’s influence has rather waned in recent years, as the others’ has waxed.) It is best known for the style of its...
Cifonelli navy suit: Style breakdown
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There are details on this original piece on the suit Henry. But I'm afraid I don't have the original reference, I just know it was a 9oz plain weave. I'd go for something more like 11oz at least today...
