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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Generally I wear wider on more classic ones. However the difference is not big between 20cm and 21cm...
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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Yes, it's kind of a petrol blue/grey. I like it...
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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Yes I know, frightening isn't it?...
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 about with...
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....
Christmas gift list 2018
November 30th 2018It’s that time of year again. The TV adverts that started a month ago should have been a warning. Below is my Christmas gift list for 2019. It is not a comprehensive list of the best menswear gifts right now. It’s certainly not related i...
Christmas gift list 2018
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Good point, no in a medium now. Though that is partially preference and partially me getting a bit bigger. I take medium now...
The summer tie
August 17th 2018I don’t tend to wear brightly coloured ties. Too often they’re brash and loud, where a dark simple tie would be more tasteful. The only time I’ve regularly worn them is in unusual colours like lime green, rather than primary red...
The summer tie
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Yes, it can - I have one myself and it's nice...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2018
May 2nd 2018Last week a friend in the industry asked me what aspect of writing Permanent Style I like the most. It is always, easily, discovering a new tailor, cloth or product that is different and inspiring. That journey from discovering something new, to see...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2018
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I see. Thanks so much Simon!...
Holiday snaps 2018: Eidos, Aspesi, Doek, Drake...
April 20th 2018Travelling to India on holiday this Easter gave me a reason to get the hot-weather clothing out early. It was unseasonably hot even for there, with the temperature pushing 40 degrees. We took the opportunity to visit the 100 Hands factory in Amritsar...
Holiday snaps 2018: Eidos, Aspesi, Doek, Drake...
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Article coming on that tomorrow! Good timing......
Wearing warm and cold colours
April 4th 2018Taka from Liverano. Lots of colour and pattern, but overall quite cold Being able to judge the relative formality of an outfit is a key component of dressing well in modern, variable working environments. Many things contribute to this formality: Mo...
Wearing warm and cold colours
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Hi Simon, I'm a first-time commenter but a longtime reader, and Permanent Style is easily my favorite menswear resource and a big influence in my style journey, so thank you for that! I do have some constructive criticis...
Unexpected texture and colour – Denim and l...
March 19th 2018I think it’s telling that the thing that makes me happiest about this outfit is the oatmeal-linen shirt, a piece made bespoke by D’Avino. I’ve been doing this for a while - trying to combine pieces of classic menswear in ways that ...
Unexpected texture and colour – Denim and l...
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Thank Mike, but please refrain from talking to other commenters like that. Cheers...
The fashions of classic menswear
March 16th 2018Although we sartorial enthusiasts aspire to style that lasts decades, not seasons, I think it's important to recognise the fashions we still follow. While we shun band T-shirts or 'ugly' trainers, we are still strongly influenced by our peers and th...
The fashions of classic menswear
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Nothing is really timeless - they go up and down over the decades just as lapel widths increase and decrease. But I like a slightly higher gorge, as it flatters the shoulders rather than the chest. And the absolute key i...
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
March 1st 2018Although I love rich, natural colours (particularly in Autumn) I've always been fascinated by the subtleties of monochrome dressing. It has such strong style, and yet there is so little too it. It's striking and unusual, and yet quiet. These photo...
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
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No worries Daniel. Dark-brown suede could be fine - rather like black jeans, when they're faded and have enough of that casual vibe as your charcoal linen sounds like it has, they work well. Also, I'd encourage you to co...
Five paradigms of casual clothing: Which do you w...
February 28th 2018Although casual clothing is far more susceptible to fashions than tailored clothing, it is possible to organize it into certain groups, or paradigms. These groups, such as preppy clothing or workwear, often have their roots in particular parts of th...
Five paradigms of casual clothing: Which do you w...
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Overshirts could fall into several, particularly as it's not really a traditional category of clothing. A military one would be something like the Jungle Jacket, a workwear one more a heavy flannel shirt worn over a ther...
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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Personally, I think you need both. Chunky roll necks are great but they're jacket substitutes, not to wear under a jacket. I'd get the chunky first, like Rubato or Brycelands, as the thinner style under a jacket is a lit...
Best Brand 2018: Drake’s (or, how to expand...
January 29th 2018Best Brand of the Year: Drake's Runners up: Stoffa, Private White VC The Permanent Style award for ‘Brand of the Year’ was understandably the hardest to define of our five awards - launched a few weeks ago. People can like brands for m...
Best Brand 2018: Drake’s (or, how to expand...
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I'm not sure on which ones are made where to be honest Malcolm. It has varied a bit. The Portugal ones I've seen and talked to other readers about haven't had as nice a collar and had more variation/shrinkage...
Saman Amel made-to-measure jacket: Review
January 22nd 2018It’s so enjoyable writing good reviews. It is valuable to write balanced, semi-critical pieces of course, and this is a core part of Permanent Style. But you always feel very conscious of the effect the criticism will have, and bad even if it&...
Saman Amel made-to-measure jacket: Review
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Yes that's right John. If you want examples, have a look at the different tailors that are analysed in our Tailors Styles series. You can easily see how those foreparts compare with different tailors, and the different e...
Brands need to talk about product
December 29th 2017There are several ways to define the menswear world we write about. As classic style, for instance, or about quality and craft. Also as luxury, given such quality is expensive. But one aspect that is rarely emphasised, and should be more in my opini...
Brands need to talk about product
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Well, my main point was, that the quality is often not there. I don't have an issue with paying a premium price for a premium product, but I won't pay it for an average or even below average product. Here's an example: R...
High/low dressing
December 6th 2017The biggest potential pitfall with tailored dressing is looking fussy. Fussy is not sexy; it is not attractive. It is closely related to appearing ‘affected’ or ‘mannered’. Looking relaxed in clothing, on the other hand, is v...
High/low dressing
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A little more fussy, but not much. For me, these work best when they're more like an overshirt - a little bigger and a little longer, worn over a vest or T-shirt. It's a jacket or cardigan substitute, not a shirt one...
The Drake’s x Permanent Style outfit
November 20th 2017Drake's was one of the first menswear brands that really inspired me, back in the days when I'd sit in Michael Drake's study going through old decorative art books, dissecting patterns. Drake's managed to combine craft and style, deep tradition and ...
The Drake’s x Permanent Style outfit
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It's here John...
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 of that mon...
How to dress for very hot weather
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To be honest, no probably not. While it is nice if your teenage daughters like how you dress, I wouldn't say they would be near the top of my priority list (my two eldest are also teenagers). My partner, me, and my cultu...
The ‘Style Guide’ dinner: What is the...
July 26th 2017Last month, we organised a dinner at the beautiful Beaumont Hotel to celebrate The Style Guide - the book published earlier this year by myself and photographer Jamie Ferguson. There had been official launch events, and signings, at Fenwick's of Bo...
The ‘Style Guide’ dinner: What is the...
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Hope you enjoy the little video, changing a bit with humour your dinner for your book. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CD-nn2zpvRN/?igshid=1deds976zz0ra...
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 still use Rimowa when I'm checking something in, but I'm not sure I'd buy again today given the prices. I'm yet to find an alternative - everything people suggest is either worse quality or just as expensive....
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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Yes it was, and yes I think it would do. It would feel a little heavy, but otherwise be really nice...
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...
