The (17) bespoke shoemakers I have known
This article was originally written back in 2014. Back then I had tried seven bespoke shoemakers, and nothing in Japan. Seven years later, the number has more than doubled, and the spread is wider – also encompassing some semi-be...
The (17) bespoke shoemakers I have known
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I think that's fine - I'd certainly happily spend more on an overcoat than on shoes. However, that's in large part based on my experience of bespoke shoes, which has been patchy - see article here....
My Summer shoes
Shoes can be one of the trickiest areas for clothing in the summer. Unless we require a jacket, it’s pretty simple to wear a well-cut polo shirt on top and drapey linen trousers on the bottom, and stay cool. But shoes are always re...
My Summer shoes
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So we're talking deck shoes, here from Paraboot in a dark brown? I think they're always going to be a push with a sports jacket. Not impossible by any means, but you'd have to be leaning heavily into the Ivy sack jacket,...
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 like the pin. I wonder how many of the people objecting to it would object to a poppy or a cross....
Stoffa made-to-measure trousers: Review
Tailored cotton trousers are, in my experience, an absolute bastard to get right. I had my first pair made with Anderson & Sheppard seven years ago. The colour was perfect (a light stone grey), as was the cut. But they always felt like old m...
Stoffa made-to-measure trousers: Review
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Yes I would, either...
The shoe Super Trunk in London – and best s...
Last Saturday was the Super Trunk Show in London – an event for shoe brands and enthusiasts that has been in London twice before. (It was originated in Stockholm, where the sixth iteration takes place later this year). Super Trunk is great fun...
The shoe Super Trunk in London – and best s...
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Yes, though a lot of the bespoke makers are quite flexible there. Look at Ugolini too...
Artisan of the year 2019: Gaziano & Girling ...
Artisan of the Year 2019: Gaziano & Girling The Artisan of the Year category in our annual awards is an opportunity for me to personally recognise a bespoke maker, outside of the usual cycle of reviews and product launches. It is,...
Artisan of the year 2019: Gaziano & Girling ...
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Sure, thanks, Simon....
How to polish shoes: Part 2, polish and mirror shine
As with the first in our shoe polishing videos, this film is more discursive than most, with context and analysis around both the talk and the demonstration. Most videos on polishing just show one person doing what they do, and coming up ...
How to polish shoes: Part 2, polish and mirror shine
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Hi J. To be honest, not soon I'm afraid. We are planning a follow-up video but it has been slow....
How to polish shoes: Part 1, context and cream
For the next in our series of practical videos, I wanted to tackle shoe polishing. But, also to present it in a way that was more discursive, and explained rather than just taught. Most videos on polishing just show one person doing what they do, an...
How to polish shoes: Part 1, context and cream
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Partially, yes. You're not stripping off all the wax when you do that, just a little, but you may want to reapply some wax as well. That said I've never done such a dramatic amount of layers in one go on a shoe!...
Summer shoe constructions; Gaziano & Girling...
A few shoemakers have launched unlined or softer versions of their shoes this year, in order to try and make something more comfortable in hotter weather. Of course, completely unlined shoes with cemented soles will always be the lightest - as with ...
Summer shoe constructions; Gaziano & Girling...
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There is a series of recommendations on this post Luke. Do bear in mind that you get a lot more with a factory resole from G&G though, with the shoe going back on its original last to get shape, and so on...
The summer tie
I 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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I don't have any cotton ties I don't think, but I would feel they'd be less necessarily summery, and cotton/silk even more so....
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
Although 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...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
I had this tweed jacket made by South Korean house B&Tailor over the past 18 months, using Robin Petterson - a Swede who does their fittings in London and at home in Stockholm. Unfortunately, although the end result isn’t too bad (just...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
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Thank you Simon. I appreciate the clarification....
Gaziano & Girling introduces my loafer ̵...
The hatch-grain loafers I commissioned with Gaziano & Girling back in 2012 have consistently been among my favourite shoes - both for me and for readers. The mid-brown colour is tremendously versatile (everything from cream to mid-grey trous...
Gaziano & Girling introduces my loafer ̵...
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I personally like the shape of the Piccadilly more, but they're both beautifully made shoes...
Gaziano & Girling bespoke loafers – Re...
These bespoke suede loafers from Gaziano & Girling have been a while in the make - I last covered the first fitting back in September 2016. It hasn't taken over a year to get from that fitting to now, however. They were actually ready in th...
Gaziano & Girling bespoke loafers – Re...
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Yes, this would be very helpful....
Building a wardrobe: Bespoke shoes
As the last post on building a wardrobe - focused on Neapolitan tailoring - proved popular, I thought I'd do a second looking at shoes. But rather than look at my whole shoe collection, which numbers more than 40 pairs and would take a long time to ...
Building a wardrobe: Bespoke shoes
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I think they would be very useful as well, it depends what other shoes you have and what trousers you wear most - smarter or less so. To be honest I'd also say that if you're a student with a small collection of good sho...
Staples for a hot climate – Reader question
Dear Simon, I recently read your 2014 article, ' The staples of a good wardrobe' and was wondering how you would modify it for warmer climes like Hong Kong and Singapore? Grey flannel isn’t a great option for most of the year here, cashmere i...
Staples for a hot climate – Reader question
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Oh good, pleased it was helpful...
Gaziano & Girling bespoke loafers (and the b...
The older I get, the more I wear well-made clothes, and (most importantly) the more I think about clothes, the simpler I seem to dress. I am rarely without my navy grenadine tie. I now have Crispaire trousers in three different shades of grey. Ever...
Gaziano & Girling bespoke loafers (and the b...
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It's not mine, but I believe it's Frank Clegg https://frankcleggleatherworks.com/...
Gaziano & Girling celebrate 10 years
Launching a brand is not hard. Someone does it in our area every week, and is nice enough to email to let me know. However, launching a brand, making it a success as bespoke, then launching ready-to-wear, setting up your own factory off the back of...
Gaziano & Girling celebrate 10 years
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Hi Simon, Is the Mr Olivier Rosenfeld 3rd owner of Gaziano&Girling ?...
Scarf outfits: Solito, Cifonelli, Anderson &...
Several readers asked what I was wearing in the video we produced recently for Begg & Co scarves. So here they are, one by one. In the jacket shots, above: Navy cashmere jacket by Solito. Not a great level of finish, but one of the most u...
Scarf outfits: Solito, Cifonelli, Anderson &...
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The stitching can be a little loose and irregular - I've had linings come loose for example, though they were then repaired. And buttonholes etc aren't that fine...
Nineteen of our squares left… (and the virt...
There are just 19 of our cashmere squares left – the beautiful collaboration we started a few weeks ago with Begg & Co. The colours have sold pretty evenly, with 9 navy and 10 ‘natural’ (pictured above) remain...
Nineteen of our squares left… (and the virt...
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Yes I would...
Video: How to look after your suit
This is the first in a series of videos – made in conjunction with Richard Anderson – on maintaining, brushing and pressing a suit. [It’s worth enlarging to full screen if you want to watch it all] They are p...
Video: How to look after your suit
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How wide should such a "wide-shouldered" hanger for suits be?...
Casual tie and sports jacket (military donegal de...
In the spirit of our recent posts on assembling outfits, here’s the process that put this one together. Originating idea: I’ve always liked the way this pale, silk tie from Ralph Lauren goes with my Rubinacci cashmere jacket. The corn...
Casual tie and sports jacket (military donegal de...
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Hi, I'm afraid I never did an article about the belt, but I can do something more general in the future, yes absolutely...
London: A sartorial city guide
I’ve had quite a few requests by readers over the past year for city guides, so this is the first in a series. In London, there are so many options that it makes sense to group some together. Also, if I leave too many out I’ll...
London: A sartorial city guide
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Sorry Severin, these city guides are proving hard to keep up to date - it's quite a lot of work. On vintage, unfortunately pretty much all the good ones have closed down. Try Levinson's...
A hot, formal evening in Florence
Four things contribute most to the formality of an outfit: shine, darkness, contrast and desaturation. We see all four of them in formal outfits such as black tie. Dark black or midnight blue is contrasted against stark white. There is virtually n...
A hot, formal evening in Florence
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Great tie!...
Change your laces
Laces are to a shoe what buttons are to a jacket. Often ignored, but with a disproportionate important effect on the overall look. The most attractive buttons, for me, are always matte horn with a touch of contrast in their colouring. They produc...
Change your laces
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That might be ok, but keep them the same thickness as the sneaker laces - thin ones would look out of proportion...
