Sartoria Ciardi ulster coat: Style Breakdown
This ulster-style overcoat was made for me by Sartoria Ciardi , the Neapolitan tailor, in 2020. Although I’ve had a few pieces of tailoring from Ciardi in the past five years, this is my only coat from them. It has proved to be one ...
Sartoria Ciardi ulster coat: Style Breakdown
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It's at waist level, straight...
How I organise outfits – and get my style i...
I know I spend too much time looking at clothes I want, and not enough at ways to wear the ones I have. There are many reasons for this. There’s the familiar retail fix, the fact I wear a range of styles, the fact that I can afford them (and ...
How I organise outfits – and get my style i...
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Yes some content on classic golf style is sorely needed!...
Casual suits with collared knits: A new default
I like wearing suits. Not only do I have a lot that I like wearing, but I continue to commission them – not as much as sports jackets, certainly, but consistently. It can be an issue knowing how to wear them without a tie though. I know I have...
Casual suits with collared knits: A new default
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The Faloni ones don't, I've tried them, and I don't know about the Saman ones but I seem to recall they were better but still not great. It's a problem we tried to solve for a reason unfortunately. The only other ones I'...
Heavy, slubby, transitional linen jacket from Ciardi
This jacket was made using fabric from the interiors house de Le Cuona . A previous one - in a beautiful but rather adventurous orange - was covered here last year . It’s the ‘Primitive’ quality of their linen, which is slubbier b...
Heavy, slubby, transitional linen jacket from Ciardi
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No, it can certainly be worn like that...
How to correct a flattened lapel
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
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I'm not sure anything can be done on a finished jacket just with an iron unfortunately - with the work I've seen, it's done before the collar is set by stitching it all together...
The practicality of a sweater over the shoulders
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
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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...
The cartridge bag: A small eccentricity
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
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Yes, very true. I still use it a little bit, but if anything it's even more limited...
New pink and green-stripe oxford shirts
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
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There is a little shrinkage, and the shirts are made a little bigger to account for that - bigger than our chambray for example, which does not shrink. There are some details on the product page. I wash them at 30 degree...
Tonal layering with black jeans: Comfy, drapey, easy
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
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Well grey would be the obvious one, or dark brown, cream. Perhaps even a washed black if you like that kind of rock n roll look....
Who are my favourite tailors? (Part two)
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)
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Ha, that's interesting. Actually, I remember the last time I went through a lot of bespoke houses browsing the web I liked Sartoria Corcos almost the most....
Esquire ‘Five Fits’ feature: Tonal sh...
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...
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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...
A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches
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
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Either would be good Steve. I'd personally pick the brown, but it's really personal, they'd both work well for that kind of use...
Rain: Cap and cordovan, or felt and suede
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
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Hey Jack, No, it's a rubber sole but a thinner one...
A collared cardigan under a jacket: Ciardi and Co...
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...
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Thanks Ollie, I did!...
Would you (could you) wear a cowboy boot?
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?
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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...
Why I’m wearing more belts
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
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Many thanks Manish!...
If you had five coats: A versatile selection
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
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Thanks Simon! Okay I see. Probably it is I should be wearing that look more frequently and then see how I feel with it. Yes, without a collar (crewneck for instance) it feels especially odd....
The jackets I picked for winter
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
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I had my colours done years ago, but to be honest I can't remember. As we discussed here, I'm not sure it's that useful On picking five, have you seen the articles on that subject in the Wardrobe Building guide?...
White jeans: how to buy, wash and wear
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
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They would look better with sun, and if were at home and going out in the evening, I wouldn't usually wear white jeans. But I also wouldn't stress about it if I were out during a sunny day, and then went out. I'm just sa...
Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...
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...
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It is a hard thing to define, for me at least. I think better just to try with white or off-white and see what difference you get on your own skin...
The guide to jacket pockets
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
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Yes, this is done with lining cloth sometimes, and even (eg with drakes jackets) in the jacket material. It is to hold small items like coins, cards, even a phone if big enough...
The T-shirt under a shirt (and tailoring)
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)
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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...
Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi
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
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Thank you for the reply, Simon. I used the contact form on their site, but just looked again and it turns out there’s an email address listed there as well. Hopefully my Italian hasn’t deteriorated too much, and fing...
Introducing: The white PS Oxford
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
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Hi Ayush I think that's a risk with all colours, but, I agree, the effect might be exaggerated with unusual colours because the standout more. In the example you've given, I think it's not so much the colour (which I don...
A vintage shopping story: M47 Parka
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
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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....
