Indigo, navy and natural: A summer combination
June 11th 2018I’ve always liked indigo in tailoring, and find navy a good partner for it. The deep indigo of this linen shirt from D’Avino, for example, is significantly quietened by the navy blazer over the top, and makes that top half a story...
Indigo, navy and natural: A summer combination
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Because it gets dirty easily...
Vintage gold cuff
May 11th 2018My view on jewellery has always been that it should be something special, certainly emotionally and probably financially too. Men wear so little of it, and it is such a statement to do so, that it should be precious. Not a cheap leather bracelet, in...
Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers
May 4th 2018Last Friday was annoyingly cold, and damp. Combinations of subdued, rich colours always give me the most pleasure - but it felt particularly appropriate on a day like this. The textures of the three pieces also went well together: the fuzzy surfac...
Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers
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I see Rhys. Well I'd certainly go off whatever they tell you, as they'll know (in the Haberdashery)....
The roll neck
February 16th 2018The Spring/Summer collections may be arriving, but it’s 2 degrees outside in London, and I’m continuing a season-long love affair with roll necks. The wonderful thing about a roll neck is that it is both very practical and very stylish; ...
The roll neck
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I think both can work well, it depends on the kind of things you would wear them with mostly. I would go with slightly thicker, a thin one can look a little effeminate and hard to wear on its own...
Best Customer Service 2018: No Man Walks Alone (o...
January 24th 2018Best Customer Service of the Year: No Man Walks Alone Runners up: The Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery, Skoaktiebolaget Although there were many categories we could have selected for our Permanent Style awards - launched earlier this month...
Best Customer Service 2018: No Man Walks Alone (o...
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I guess things have changed. Have sent emails to them and literally no response. Emails were regarding a wide ranging of things and still no reply - reward points not credited to account - product information - order tha...
Field jacket, rollneck and flannels
December 11th 2017A few readers last week asked about this outfit I included in our 'High/low dressing' post. It's a combination I love, and shamelessly copied from an Italian gentleman I saw in Milan a few years ago. Men should never be afraid of taking inspiration ...
Field jacket, rollneck and flannels
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The Real McCoys will mostly be the same quality - the advantage of them over vintage is more that they are always available, in new condition, in a range of sizes. There may be little improvements, but I wouldn't buy on ...
Christmas gift list 2017
November 29th 2017I finally got around to putting together a Christmas gift guide for this year, which I know many readers have asked about (and like forwarding directly to their wives). I have deliberately not included either Permanent Style products here, or those ...
Christmas gift list 2017
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Thanks for that. Always good to hear practical use feedback....
How to wear trainers: Part 3. Style
October 13th 2017This post is an illustrated explanation of how I wear trainers, or sneakers. As with similar exercises on the blog, I have attempted to be as structured as possible, keeping some parameters constant in order to focus on those being discussed. So in ...
How to wear trainers: Part 3. Style
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I think I'd basically remove that category - I wouldn't wear trainers any smarter than that refined casual look. On the plus side, that is a style I wear quite a lot and I think has a lot of mileage these days...
Our Autumn knitwear Top 10
October 11th 2017The survey we did of Spring/Summer pieces in the shops was very popular back in June. This Autumn/Winter, therefore, we thought we’d do two separate ones - the first (today) on winter knitwear, and the second on casual winter coats. As with th...
Our Autumn knitwear Top 10
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Hi Sebastian, Bear in mind that Scott & Charters was unusual in selling direct to retail as a mill, and I think over time they've proven why, as it's a hard model for a factory to do if they don't invest in the retail si...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
September 20th 2017Thank you everyone that responded to my ‘You are the interviewer’ post a couple of weeks ago. The number of variety of questions was staggering, and I will try to answer as many as I can over the coming weeks. It may take time, but I wou...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
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I don't know the exact history, but I think it came from English tweed jackets which themselves were derived from those made for riding...
Introducing: The Permanent Style trench coat
September 13th 2017*Check the Shop page for stock levels* Our first collaboration this Autumn/Winter is, for me, the perfect trench coat - a limited edition of a Ventile coat being made with Private White VC. Visitors to the pop-up shop, or our UK manufacturing debat...
Introducing: The Permanent Style trench coat
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Cheers, Simon....
Italian aristocracy: Black and white
August 30th 2017Last summer, a reader responded to a post by reminding me that in Slim Aarons's photography of Italian aristocracy, most wore cream or tobacco-linen suits, a white shirt, white hank and black knitted-silk tie. The post had been on 'Dressing pale c...
Italian aristocracy: Black and white
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That’s great - thanks Simon. I’ve just received some linen shirts from Simone Abbarchi. The cream is Canclini Topolino linen fabric. It’s a lovely shade of cream, not too yellowy but distinctly not an ivory either....
How to dress for very hot weather
August 16th 2017As mentioned on my ‘What I pack’ post, I’ve been travelling a lot in high heat recently. There was Pitti in Florence, where the temperature topped out at 37 degrees. Naples in July was very similar. And Puglia at the end ...
How to dress for very hot weather
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It certainly is Shem, yes, just a little harder on style and elegance. It's hard to go into all things here, but I think it becomes very much about the cut of those other pieces. Eg you want to avoid both top and bottom ...
What I pack when I travel
July 19th 2017As I return from two summer trips – one for a week in Florence, the other a week in Naples – it seems a fitting time to run through what I pack for trips such as these. I know readers have asked about it in the past. Of course, an...
What I pack when I travel
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I highly recommend the unlined Duke from EG. Supremely comfortable and stylish, if you like a more classic / robust shape than B&L and something more substantial than the Polperro. I have a lovely biscuit coloured pa...
Pale summer colours (in vintage linen)
July 17th 2017This is a nice exercise in combining summery, pale colours. The challenge is being light and pale overall, while retaining enough contrast between shirt, jacket and trousers - both in colour and texture. The starting point is the jacket, made for m...
Pale summer colours (in vintage linen)
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thank you, much appreciated!...
Style Guide – the partners shoot
April 24th 2017The Style Guide has been wonderfully received so far - at the launch events in London and New York, but also online and through personal messages. Thank you all. There are a few things I realise I haven't emphasised so far. One is that we proudly d...
Style Guide – the partners shoot
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Lots of things I think. Grey and navy as shown here, plus cream or white, and black. More tonally similar colours, like dark brown, might be Ok if there's some other contrast, such as a white shirt underneath...
482,000 and counting
February 3rd 2017Permanent Style has never been about the numbers. It is about a highly engaged, (scarily) loyal, knowledgeable group of readers that want to dress well and understand quality clothing. But it's always nice to see that group grow. So I thought read...
482,000 and counting
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We have been fans from the very beginning and look forward to your announcement that Permanent Style has seen over a million page views a month!...
Retailers Symposium: The discussion
January 18th 2017During my lifetime, there has been a steep fall in the quality and range of menswear retail around the world. Designer brands have expanded aggressively; independent multi-brand shops have closed; and department stores have often lost direction, fil...
Retailers Symposium: The discussion
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For me, Mike is just describing the competitive environment There will always be room for something that is new, different and better. Much more difficult for the Indie is how you sustain the business. A classic example ...
Double-breasted flannel suit – with pink an...
December 26th 2016I know I've written about green and pink a few times before. I could find one old post with a little flower illustration, but there must be more. Perhaps it's the fog of Christmas food and wine clouding my mind. In any case, it bears repeating that...
Double-breasted flannel suit – with pink an...
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May I ask the cloth used in this commission?...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
December 16th 2016These things always seem to come in bunches. First Esquire named me in a top 10 and now Plaza Uomo have published their latest edition, with a profile of me as the cover story. Plaza is a Swedish fashion magazine, and Plaza Uomo has an English ver...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
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Hi Neil, Has your copy come through yet?...
Collaboration: Made-to-order Lavabre Cadet gloves
November 9th 2016**Please note, this was a one-off collaboration and is no longer available** French storied manufacturer Lavabre Cadet makes the finest gloves I’ve ever worn - but they don’t have many outlets, particularly not in their full range of ski...
Collaboration: Made-to-order Lavabre Cadet gloves
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Yes there are lots of nice ones around - usually in other stores, rather than glove specialists. Budd are great, so are Anderson & Sheppard, and Trunk have some good ones too....
The corduroy suit
September 9th 2016I have a friend who wears what he calls ‘knockabout’ suits. How exactly he knocks about in them I don’t know, but the meaning is clear: these are casual suits, that don’t belong in a formal environment like an office. Most no...
The corduroy suit
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Great, thanks, Simon....
Five double-breasted styles compared
September 1st 2016Last month we talked about how small changes in the proportions of a double-breasted jacket can have a radical effect on its style - and therefore on the people or situations it suits. This week I've used five of my own jackets to demonstrate these...
Five double-breasted styles compared
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Yes they are. If you want to see how the measurements are taken, see the Style Breakdown intro article...
Chinos, loafers and a sports jacket (or sweater)
August 29th 2016Those on the Drake’s mailing list may have seen this outfit on Friday, accompanying an article on their new trouser range. To fill in the details: the olive Drake’s chinos were worn with a white lightweight pique-cotton shirt made by Luc...
Chinos, loafers and a sports jacket (or sweater)
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Cheers Andrew! I can't say I have though on exactly that shade of Olive. The Anglo Italian ones are pretty close...
The suede blouson for travel
August 10th 2016Blousons come in many shapes and sizes, but they are united by a short length, fuller body and collar. Blousons work particularly well with higher-waisted tailored trousers, and for that reason make a great casual alternative to a tailored jacket. ...
The suede blouson for travel
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I wouldn't wear it with indigo jeans, no, though most of these might be a little smart for that anyway. I wouldn't wear olive that way either. If that's the look you want, you're better looking at the RRL western options...