How to correct a flattened lapel

May 26th 2023

Sometimes the lapels of a jacket can get squashed in the wardrobe, making them fold at a point they’re not supposed to (the ‘break point’). It happens particularly with jackets that have more intentional roll, such as a ‘thr...

How to correct a flattened lapel

Match in comments:
Hi JC, That's lovely to hear, thank you. The answer is unfortunately no, not really. Where the lapel rolls to is largely set by the tension in the collar and the position of the canvas inside. The lighter the jacket is, ...

Alterations and careMay 26th 2023

The practicality of a sweater over the shoulders

April 12th 2023

Wearing a sweater over the shoulders has a lot of negative connotations. But if you can get away with it - because of your style, of where you are, or just because of your personality - it’s incredibly practical. This suit I wore at Pitti earl...

The practicality of a sweater over the shoulders

Match in comments:
Understood Rob. I personally find it doesn't really fall off, but then it depends what I'm doing that day - I'm just walking around town and chatting, not playing with the kids. And, if I tie the sleeves I don't find the...

Knitwear - SuitsApril 12th 2023

The cartridge bag: A small eccentricity

March 31st 2023

Over the past few months, I’ve been enjoying wearing this vintage cartridge bag as an occasional day bag - for when I don’t need to carry a computer or other bulky things. It started when a reader asked about a crossbody bag he could ca...

The cartridge bag: A small eccentricity

Match in comments:
Yes, very true. I still use it a little bit, but if anything it's even more limited...

BagsMarch 31st 2023

New pink and green-stripe oxford shirts

March 27th 2023

Two new stripes in the PS Oxford shirt have been added to the shop today: a light pink and a pale green . As is often the case with PS products, they have been chosen as particularly understated, easy-to-wear styles. The pink is the same as that us...

New pink and green-stripe oxford shirts

Match in comments:
I'd say blue in that case. Zephyr is lovely but it's still a fine material and will look quite dressy/smart...

ShirtsMarch 27th 2023

Tonal layering with black jeans: Comfy, drapey, easy

March 20th 2023

This outfit I wore last week really tickled me - I think primarily for its combination of T-shirt and tailoring. Working the two together in some way (as in this, perhaps Summer equivalent ) is often an effective way to achieve the ‘casual ch...

Tonal layering with black jeans: Comfy, drapey, easy

Match in comments:
Yes, absolutely. You just might want to go with different colours, as you suggest. Pink is great, as I'm wearing in the Assisi review. Cream too, or a brown stripe or pink stripe. There aren't as many colours that are ni...

Coats - KnitwearMarch 20th 2023

Who are my favourite tailors? (Part two)

January 18th 2023

Please read part one of this article, here , before this one. Without that context, setting out my priorities, this summary will likely be misleading. Everyone is different, wants different things from bespoke, and simply gets on with people differ...

Who are my favourite tailors? (Part two)

Match in comments:
Yes Chittleborough were great, but this is obviously a very short list. I found I preferred the Sexton cut a little, and loved Michael Browne most of all for cut and finish in that style...

January 18th 2023

Esquire ‘Five Fits’ feature: Tonal sh...

January 4th 2023

Esquire magazine in the US recently profiled me for a column - their 'five fits' feature . It's run by Christopher Fenimore, who has been into menswear for about the same time as I have, although he was a little younger when he started. It was fun ...

Esquire ‘Five Fits’ feature: Tonal sh...

Match in comments:
Andrew ,I have worn my C and J Chelsea boots (no 11) in three dutch winters and have dry feet. They are leather grain and have a vibram sole. Once I had a slight dampness of sock, but I was cycling in a true winter storm...

ShirtsJanuary 4th 2023

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

November 9th 2022

I’ve been buying and wearing more corduroy in recent years - including the new dark-brown jacket above, from Sartoria Ciardi . I think the reason is that if you’re not dressing for a formal office, worsted is likely to feel out of place...

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

Match in comments:
thank you!...

ClothNovember 9th 2022

Rain: Cap and cordovan, or felt and suede

May 9th 2022

This may be a little niche, but it’s something that often stresses me out in the morning, so hopefully it will be of some use to others. My plans for what to wear on a particular day usually don’t account for rain. I might be going int...

Rain: Cap and cordovan, or felt and suede

Match in comments:
Not breaking in, no, but it isn't the best last shape for many feet, and I have found that hard (other Alden lasts are often easier, eg Van)...

Coats - HatsMay 9th 2022

A collared cardigan under a jacket: Ciardi and Co...

March 9th 2022

In recent weeks I’ve been playing around with this button-through cardigan from Colhay’s. Initially I was sceptical as to whether I’d ever wear it tucked in - and afraid it was a little lightweight to wear untucked. The same fear ...

A collared cardigan under a jacket: Ciardi and Co...

Match in comments:
Interesting, thanks Guy...

Knitwear - StyleMarch 9th 2022

Would you (could you) wear a cowboy boot?

February 16th 2022

A friend once told me that he gets a kick out of finding an unusual piece of menswear, and working out a way to wear it. Like a challenge: how can he make this esoteric bit of clothing wearable. I’ve never really taken that approach to clothe...

Would you (could you) wear a cowboy boot?

Match in comments:
It's something I should probably write a full post about. But in brief, absolutely you can protect designs, and people do. The IP right is usually a design, copyright or trade mark though, not a patent. And absolutely mo...

ShoesFebruary 16th 2022

Why I’m wearing more belts

January 5th 2022

In recent months I’ve been wearing belts more often, after years of hardly doing so at all. I never wore them with tailoring, preferring the clean, elegant look of an unfettered waistband with side adjustors. And I didn’t even wear the...

Why I’m wearing more belts

Match in comments:
Either could work. With workwear chinos the point about unused loops doesn't apply anywhere near as much, and doesn't really at all with jeans...

Belts and wallets - StyleJanuary 5th 2022

If you had five coats: A versatile selection

December 1st 2021

  As with our previous article in this series – on bags – five coats might seem like a lot, but actually chances are many readers already have that in their wardrobe, if they account for smart and casual coats, for warmth...

If you had five coats: A versatile selection

Match in comments:
Completely understood, thanks Alex. In case it's useful with anything else, we will be announcing our London pop-up next week and William Crabtree will have all our coats in their shop during the month of October...

CoatsDecember 1st 2021

The jackets I picked for winter

October 20th 2021

A couple of weeks ago, when our little Indian summer here in the UK came to an end, I started the process of switching my wardrobe around for colder weather. I keep winter sweaters, roll necks, coats and heavy tweeds stored in the attic, and slowly...

The jackets I picked for winter

Match in comments:
I'd go with grey herringbone - see the article on a capsule like that here...

JacketsOctober 20th 2021

White jeans: how to buy, wash and wear

April 7th 2021

White jeans are a classic example of menswear that has been damaged unreasonably by association. Unfortunately, they carry connotations of flash Mediterranean men, wearing their white jeans with a shirt unbuttoned to the navel. Or skintight ripped ...

White jeans: how to buy, wash and wear

Match in comments:
Have a look at Rubato, they're great and there's an ecru and a pure white...

Denim - StyleApril 7th 2021

Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...

October 23rd 2020

My love of bespoke overcoats continues unabated: the thing I was most excited about this Autumn was the prospect of wearing them again. It's annoying that, useful as they are (and arguably today, more useful than a bespoke suit) they are limited to...

Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...

Match in comments:
A 40 usually...

CoatsOctober 23rd 2020

The guide to jacket pockets

July 27th 2020

  As ever in the lovely, international, interactive community that is Permanent Style, this article was spurred by a reader. He asked about the appropriate configuration of jacket pockets on a suit he was ordering, and I realised we hadn&rsq...

The guide to jacket pockets

Match in comments:
Sounds like a good plan. Best of both worlds ! Thanks Simon....

Jackets - SuitsJuly 27th 2020

The T-shirt under a shirt (and tailoring)

March 18th 2020

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at a relatively casual outfit - and how elements such as a baseball cap or bright knitwear could make classic menswear less formal, with some Ivy influences. Today I’d like to talk about one element that I find...

The T-shirt under a shirt (and tailoring)

Match in comments:
I'm afraid it's one of those late nights of fretting over what to wear for event again, Simon. The idea of a T-shirt under a shirt peaked my interest as a potential de-formaliser. One google search later and I find mysel...

Casual clothingMarch 18th 2020

Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi

March 2nd 2020

Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi   Enzo Ciardi has a lovely smile. It’s big (but then he’s big), it’s warm, it’s friendly. It’s extremely welcoming. And best of all, I can enjoy that smile fully. Beca...

Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi

Match in comments:
They should be on the original article featuring the jacket here...

March 2nd 2020

Introducing: The white PS Oxford

January 13th 2020

On the final day of the pop-up shop back in October, it occurred to me to bring in my blue PS Oxford shirt - to show how it had softened with age. The response was telling. Half of the people that felt it bought one on the day, and several of the o...

Introducing: The white PS Oxford

Match in comments:
No worries - it should be very soon. I assume you're on the waiting list?...

ShirtsJanuary 13th 2020

A vintage shopping story: M47 Parka

October 14th 2019

This week is vintage week. You didn't know that, but it is. We're starting today with an article on a vintage piece of mine; we continue on Wednesday with the advice of three experts on buying vintage; and we finish on Friday with an interview about...

A vintage shopping story: M47 Parka

Match in comments:
Thanks M. I find it too bulky, myself, if all buttoned and zipped up. But just buttoning the top couple, and leaving the rest open to move around (and therefore not zipped, as you say) is a great look....

CoatsOctober 14th 2019

Ciardi jacket in vintage gun-club tweed, from Laf...

June 10th 2019

I was very excited when I received this jacket a month ago. Primarily because of the shoulder. Enzo Ciardi is fast becoming one of my favourite tailors. I like him, I like his roomy Neapolitan style, and everything he's made for me has been good: on...

Ciardi jacket in vintage gun-club tweed, from Laf...

Match in comments:
I see, thank you, Simon....

Cloth - JacketsJune 10th 2019

Sartoria Ciardi cotton suit: Style breakdown

February 6th 2019

In our last installment in this Tailor Styles series, we looked at the modern incarnation of the Neapolitan jacket: light and soft, but also short with a small shoulder. Today’s suit, from Sartoria Ciardi, is the diametric opposite within Neap...

Sartoria Ciardi cotton suit: Style breakdown

Match in comments:
No, sorry Ken...

SuitsFebruary 6th 2019

White tie and blue shirt: Sunny formal in Sartori...

November 7th 2018

Wearing a white tie with a blue shirt is something that makes perfect sense in Naples. To a certain extent, wearing sugary-pink jackets and lapis-blue tailoring makes sense too. It's just sunny so much of the time, even in winter - and that sun is s...

White tie and blue shirt: Sunny formal in Sartori...

Match in comments:
No I haven't, sorry Greg...

Style - SuitsNovember 7th 2018

Vintage gold cuff

May 11th 2018

My 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...

Vintage gold cuff

Match in comments:
I think avoid anything that is meant to be a signet ring unless you have a reason to wear one. It looks like you're pretending to be something you're not if you do. But most other discreet rings can look nice - if you ca...

Glasses and jewelleryMay 11th 2018