Layering and accessories for cold Spring days

May 7th 2021

Back when these things were possible, I remember an American friend visiting in the Spring and asking: “How on earth do you dress for this weather? I can see my breath in the morning, but my midday I’m roasting and can barely wear a jack...

Layering and accessories for cold Spring days

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I don't think so, no. Though it's also one to think yourself - if you saw someone wearing one around where you are, would it look odd to you?...

StyleMay 7th 2021

Both chic and bold: How to dress like Angel Ramos

May 5th 2021

Although Angel Ramos and I have only met a few times, we’ve always seemed to have something in common when it came to styles we liked. Angel wears slippers a lot, and has more of a tendency towards bright colours and patterns. The overall image...

Both chic and bold: How to dress like Angel Ramos

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I think it can look cool but you need to want to look like Angel, which is rather bolder than most styles we feature. Also has to be appropriate to you and where you live/work of course...

StyleMay 5th 2021

Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury

March 8th 2021

Best artisan 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury I decided to give my Artisan of the Year award this year to Whitcomb & Shaftesbury because, looking back on recent commissions, they have so consistently delivered on quality and value. Thos...

Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury

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If that's the starting price, yes I'd still say they are good value. I don't think you can find an English-cut suit at that kind of price and quality elsewhere. You can certainly get good value elsewhere, eg WW Chan in H...

TrousersMarch 8th 2021

Navy jacket and jeans (with recommended cloths)

August 5th 2020

A few readers asked in our recent Complete Capsule posts about the kind of navy jacket I mentioned, that would work with jeans as well as flannels. So I thought I’d shoot this example from Solito, which Luigi made me last year but which I've ...

Navy jacket and jeans (with recommended cloths)

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I would say that the greater risk is the jacket appears a little showy or dressy with mother of pearl. It can be nice, but horn is usually better and you can have more flecks and contrast, or a slightly lighter shade, if...

StyleAugust 5th 2020

Wearing black

January 22nd 2020

Over the past year, I’ve gradually been wearing more black. Readers will have seen that in the recommendation of this Berg & Berg black shirt , for example, and these black cords . It's been particularly pronounced with shoes though, a...

Wearing black

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If that's the material then I think DB probably, lean into the style of it...

Coats - ShoesJanuary 22nd 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

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Cream can be, yes, particularly if you want to wear it casually mostly, though I wear it mostly in things like brushed cottons or cord rather than oxfords...

ShirtsJanuary 13th 2020

Video: What ‘spalla camicia’ really m...

December 30th 2019

As soft Neapolitan jackets have become popular in the past 10 years or so, the phrase 'spalla camicia' has been more and more frequently used. However if it means anything consistently, this Italian phrase for 'shirt sleeve' refers to a pretty narro...

Video: What ‘spalla camicia’ really m...

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I'd say that's probably deliberate - a question of more fullness being pushed towards the top of the sleeve, rather than about being spalla camicia or not. I wouldn't mind it, but more a personal one as to whether you do...

Suits - VideoDecember 30th 2019

Video: English and Neapolitan jackets compared

November 22nd 2019

This groundwork for this video was laid two weeks ago, when we examined the various aspects of the cut of a jacket. It might be worth watching that first, if you haven't already. It showed the most important points of cut and structure, from the siz...

Video: English and Neapolitan jackets compared

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Lovely to hear Henry. Been doing it for too long to stop now! They are particular examples and they are a little different to each other as well. Others do versions too though, I think Poole introduced one a couple of ye...

Jackets - VideoNovember 22nd 2019

Video: The cut and parts of a bespoke jacket

November 6th 2019

At the prompting of readers, I will be doing some more video pieces over the coming months, looking at different aspects of suit style. These new, slightly shorter films will be a nice accompaniment to the Style Breakdown series - where I measure an...

Video: The cut and parts of a bespoke jacket

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And so I thought too! However their prices are slightly higher now, am afraid....

Jackets - VideoNovember 6th 2019

The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2019

October 21st 2019

This series started as a way to highlight cloths from the hyper-seasonal collections - usually Italian - that came and went within a few months. The impulse was that readers often saw something I had had made, and asked what the cloth was - but by ...

The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2019

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The suit or tailoring is whether we like it or not on a decline. Many corporate offices no longer require a suit or even a blazer / jacket unless you are meeting clients. On the street suits and blazer / jackets are rare...

ClothOctober 21st 2019

A guide to high-twist bunches

July 1st 2019

This is a summary and analysis of the high-twist wools available from different mills and merchants. As with the linen one we did last year, the aim is to set out most of the range so that bespoke customers know if their tailor is missing something...

A guide to high-twist bunches

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Thank you for your reply and advice....

ClothJuly 1st 2019

Video: Douglas Cordeaux and Gianluca Migliarotti ...

June 12th 2019

Why did the Japanese spend all day screaming at Douglas? How does Gianluca think Italian artisans are being dishonest? This conversation between myself, Gianluca Migliarotti of Pommella trousers, and Douglas Cordeaux of Fox Brothers, I think qualifi...

Video: Douglas Cordeaux and Gianluca Migliarotti ...

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I'm sure it was Fox Brothers, but other than that I don't know, sorry...

Cloth - TrousersJune 12th 2019

Kathryn Sargent chalk-stripe suit: Style Breakdown

May 10th 2019

Kathryn Sargent, perhaps unexpectedly, is one of the most structured and square-shouldered of the suit styles in this series. The make is most similar to Huntsman, which we featured here as a hunting jacket in their house tweed, while Chittleboroug...

Kathryn Sargent chalk-stripe suit: Style Breakdown

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I wouldn't say it would be that versatile, but it is nice, some real character in that blue - a little like an airforce blue flannel, but a touch subtler even than that I think you'll find it great with white and navy, b...

May 10th 2019

A Connolly tonal outfit: cream, grey and brown

April 1st 2019

This outfit, worn on the last Saturday of our pop-up shop, is a good illustration of the kind of clothing that excites me at the moment. It could be defined, perhaps, as casual but luxurious, muted but refined. Casual, in that there’s no jacke...

A Connolly tonal outfit: cream, grey and brown

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I think that sounds very nice, yes. I would say it would be great to have a similar piece to take to the tailor for inspiration, as it rarely works out perfectly if you ask them to try and design something with just a fe...

StyleApril 1st 2019

Introducing: Striped PS Oxford cloth

February 8th 2019

The traditional, nubby oxford fabric we developed last year has proved so popular that we’ve decided to introduce another option. It’s a little unusual in another way though, beyond the robust, textured yarn. It’s an off-white and ...

Introducing: Striped PS Oxford cloth

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No the colours won't fade that way. I don't tend to wash them damp, but if I could be bothered to do so, they would be slightly easier to iron...

ShirtsFebruary 8th 2019

Popular at the pop-up: Hollywood tops, linen shir...

July 25th 2018

Given the heat at the moment in London, it shouldn’t be surprising that linen is the most attractive thing in the pop-up up shop, which has been going wonderfully so far. Edward Sexton’s Hollywood-top trousers (above) have been particula...

Popular at the pop-up: Hollywood tops, linen shir...

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No, the A&S will be better, but that's clear from the price too. And the difference will be mostly in the fineness of the linen, so it depends whether that matters to you...

Casual clothing - ClothJuly 25th 2018

Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers

May 4th 2018

Last 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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Yes I think so...

Casual clothing - KnitwearMay 4th 2018

Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers

April 18th 2018

If shirts are the items in a man’s wardrobe where he wants most predictability and consistency, then trousers are undoubtedly second. In that spirit, over the past year I have regularly commissioned odd trousers (‘odd’ as in separa...

Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers

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It's pretty much £1000 today, so it's gone up a lot...

TrousersApril 18th 2018

Fox re-weave my ecru cavalry twill

February 12th 2018

*Cloth now sold out. Fox are taking pre-orders for the next batch* At our pop-up shop back in April 2017, Fox Brothers brought up some vintage bolts to offer readers, including a rather beautiful ecru cavalry twill. I bought a length myself, and s...

Fox re-weave my ecru cavalry twill

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Thanks for clarifying, Simon. I have never had cream trousers and I actually look forward to wearing them and if I find they are not for me than so be it. But then my style development curve is in another phase than your...

Cloth - TrousersFebruary 12th 2018

Fox trousers (And everything else from Day 1 of t...

November 17th 2017

Matthew Coles of Drake's (and Dominic of Edward Sexton behind) Francis Paley of Chittleborough & Morgan (a photography magnet...) Allan's family! There was a really lovely atmosphere to the opening of our second pop-up shop on Wednesday nigh...

Fox trousers (And everything else from Day 1 of t...

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No, flannel trousers are not that suited to hot, humid weather...

TrousersNovember 17th 2017

The Pop-Up Shop is back!

November 1st 2017

I'm very excited to say that the Permanent Style Presents pop-up shop will be back this winter, opening in two weeks on November 15th. We've switched approach slightly, using a slightly smaller space but staying open much longer (5 weeks) - so hop...

The Pop-Up Shop is back!

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Yes, we have most of the remaining pieces in the pop up....

November 1st 2017

How to wear trainers: Part 3. Style

October 13th 2017

This 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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Stan Smiths are a little round and chunky for most of the things we write about, but if you like that vibe (eg with a looser, bigger fit perhaps) then a runner along the lines of New Balance is more in these days. Person...

Denim - KnitwearOctober 13th 2017

Fox Brothers vintage cloth – available in t...

March 3rd 2017

Shop update: Sartoria Solito and Luca Avitabile shirts will be in the shop today and tomorrow for a trunk show. They're pretty full already, but if you want to try and make an appointment, please contact [email protected] or luigisolito@yaho...

Fox Brothers vintage cloth – available in t...

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No, not at all Nick. Often the opposite - vintage clothes were often woven more densely and so are stronger. Not always of course though, and I'm sure there are more delicate cloths that won't age as well...

ClothMarch 3rd 2017

Pop-up shop: The brands and the opening party

February 9th 2017

Following last week's announcement of our pop-up shop on Savile Row - under the banner 'Permanent Style presents' - here are some details of the shop and the brands. I also include an invitation, above, to any readers to come to the opening party o...

Pop-up shop: The brands and the opening party

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Thank you Simon, see you tomorrow and have fun tonight with the launch....

February 9th 2017

Green flannel suit – from Brian Smith

October 2nd 2015

Few readers will be surprised to hear that I like a nice green suit. Green is a wonderfully versatile colour, going with every autumnal colour you can think of, plus really strong browns, purples and oranges that few other colours could support. (...

Green flannel suit – from Brian Smith

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I think it's a strong colour, and it would have to be very much your style to wear strong colour like this for it to work. Even as a jacket or trousers on their own, it would be strong and unusual. Unless you wear someth...

Style - SuitsOctober 2nd 2015