Subtlety and drama: The appeal of the purple sock
August 5th 2022Today’s article - a debut for someone I’ve long admired, Jason Jules - is an excellent example of why I like having these contributions on PS. I rarely wear contrast-coloured socks these days, particularly purple. But it’s still a...
Subtlety and drama: The appeal of the purple sock
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Personally I'd only wear black. But, if you were going to wear colour then better in a sock or boutonniere than a cummerbund or bow tie...
Rain: Cap and cordovan, or felt and suede
May 9th 2022This 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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Hi Craig, I find the Rider's good for warmer weather, hence the shots of me wearing it with just a T-shirt underneath. For umbrellas, anything from a quality maker will be good, perhaps Swaine or James Smith...
Would you (could you) wear a cowboy boot?
February 16th 2022A 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...
Reader profile: Daniel
February 14th 2022Meet 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....
Down parka from Nigel Cabourn: How great things age
January 14th 2022Over 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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Not really Lawrence, but if it's any consolation I love that!...
The guide to Shetland sweaters: Part two, brands
December 15th 2021By Manish Puri "In part one of this guide, we discussed the general styles and constructions of Shetland jumpers, which I hope helped provide context for which jumper is right for you and why. Now that you’ve eaten your metaphorical vegetables...
The guide to Shetland sweaters: Part two, brands
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Genuine Scottish knits is another independent factory . They make Lovely jumpers and at a good price. A lot of the companies on here just up charge massively for their stuff to cover their overheads whilst offering no re...
Reader profile: Ben C
December 10th 2021I’ve known Ben for a long time now. He worked round the corner from me during my journalism days, and we were both customers of visiting artisans like Elia Caliendo and Simone Abbarchi. We even did a shoot together for Elia years ago. Ben and ...
How I wear a black leather jacket
December 3rd 2021I’ve had this vintage leather jacket for about four years and it hasn’t been worn often - perhaps a handful of times a year. If I’m honest, it was because I felt a little self-conscious in it. I didn’t want to look like I wa...
How I wear a black leather jacket
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Hi Simon - I long ago ordered a MTM black horsehide leather jacket from Aero in a similar style to the one you wear in this article. No cross zips or belts, etc. I wanted black intentionally to dip my toes in the “look...
Black tie among friends
October 22nd 2021By Tony Sylvester A couple of weekends ago, at the invitation of photographer Jamie Ferguson and writer Aleks Cvetkovic, a few friends got together for a weekend away in the Devonshire countryside. Obviously, social invitations and jaunts...
Black tie among friends
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I must say that is a bold look, sounds like it made an impression though, so well done to that individual....
Autumn/Winter Top 10: Wax, Ivy and secateurs
October 11th 2021This year’s A/W Top 10 list includes a sprinkling of new names, but a lot of familiar ones too. I don’t think this is unexpected or unwelcome. The world of classic, crafted menswear is not large, primarily because men still don’t ...
Autumn/Winter Top 10: Wax, Ivy and secateurs
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I did briefly, you're right, but ended up giving them back...
Comfortable yet elegant: A cosy winter combination
October 6th 2021*Note: The source of the material for the trousers has been corrected, below. It was Zegna denim, not Loro Piana. Still not available though!* We haven’t done a simple outfit post in a while, so let’s talk about this one - worn for a rec...
Comfortable yet elegant: A cosy winter combination
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That sounds nice David, yes, although is it wool? Is it worsted/smooth? Are we talking a high-twist suiting-like material?...
Colour, size and drama: How to dress like André L...
August 18th 2021André Larnyoh has enviably easy style. It’s tempting to put this down to his work as an actor, but that would be too simplistic. That training certainly creates “natural physical awareness”, as he puts it, but the...
Colour, size and drama: How to dress like André L...
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The best one was Chinatown . Great suits and jackets to emulate ....
The (17) made-to-measure tailors I have known
July 12th 2021*UPDATE: Since this article was published, Brioni has also been tried and reviewed, as has J Mueser* Although I haven’t covered the same number of MTM tailors as bespoke ones, Permanent Style has steadily accumulated a good range - from Kiton ...
The (17) made-to-measure tailors I have known
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Hi Simon, I am interested in a brown three season MTM Neapolitan jacket to wear mostly casually with some ability to dress up (inspired by your Eduardo De Simone brown cashmere jacket). I was looking at a 320 gram or 11....
Spring/Summer Top 10: Chores, shirts and sweats
April 30th 20211. Drake’s bright-red suede chore jacket £1195 I’ve been asked a few times over the years about these suede chore jackets from Drake’s. Personally I tend to prefer blouson styles, and chore coats in cottons, particularly vint...
Spring/Summer Top 10: Chores, shirts and sweats
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Thanks Simon!...
Outfits I got wrong
February 19th 2021Everyone gets stuff wrong. We all have outfits we look back on years later, and cringe. Fortunately, I believe this is something where you learn and progress. It is not a cycle of fashions, where every few years you wear something different, and di...
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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Thanks Dachshund. I ended up speaking directly with Castaner regarding sizing and can confirm that although the shoes are shorter than standard leather shoes the two size 45 Castaners I ordered through Mr Porter are perf...
Nicola Cornacchia grey summer suit: Review
June 1st 2020This summer suit from Sartoria Cornacchia was made for me last year, and I would like to apologise for the delay in covering it. I didn’t get around to shooting the suit until the end of the Summer; events and the pop-up then got in the way; a...
Nicola Cornacchia grey summer suit: Review
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Robert: Of all things, I stumbled upon your comment buried in this thread and found it very helpful. I’ve recently started using Flor’s myself for alterations and have been very happy. After losing a fair bit of weig...
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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Normal napoleon? No, I wouldn't wear leather sneakers with it......
Light relief: Jamie’s clothes and style
April 8th 2020OK, 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....
What I wear working from home
March 23rd 2020A reader asked last week what I wear when I’m working at home, given how many more people are now being forced to do so. It’s something I’ve done on-and-off for years, but particularly in the past two, since Permanent Style became...
What I wear working from home
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Thanks Leo. No I wouldn't expect there to be a dress code, but it is useful to know what others usually wear, as you want to be smart but not out of place. For example, my grandfather always wore a jacket and tie to Chri...
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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That would be my general impression as well, but hard to say as I haven't been in there for quite a long time...
The dark shirt
August 26th 2019Wearing a dark shirt with a tie is an easy style to get wrong, I think. It used to be quite widespread in the 1990s: dark maroon or navy shirts with a strongly coloured tie. It seemed to be worn by a certain kind of salesman. If done right, though...
The dark shirt
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Dark blue, but no not as strong as some dark shirts...
A Pitti diary: The experience, the brands, the pa...
June 19th 2019Pitti is a long trade show: four full days, when most are usually three. As a result, by Friday everyone is exhausted, with selling, talking, and late dinners. Although it does depend on why you’re there. Most people fall into one of three gro...
A Pitti diary: The experience, the brands, the pa...
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Thanks. De Bonne Facture are lovely - not always my kind of style, but they make great pieces...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
April 24th 2019Last week the weather in London turned from 12 degrees to 22 in a couple of days. It seems that what passes for the English Spring is finally here. Of course, with most shops and brands Spring/Summer collections arrived in February, and went on sale...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
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Appreciate simon...
Best lookbook 2019: Drake’s (or, what is heritage...
March 11th 2019Best lookbook: Drake's Runners-up: Stoffa, Saman Amel This was our first award on lookbooks, and I think it raised some interesting questions about how brands present themselves in their imagery. Certainly that was what I ended up talking...
Best lookbook 2019: Drake’s (or, what is heritage...
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The popped collar look is trite and a bit of a cliche in the fashion menswear marketing world. Best to be avoided....
