The (17) made-to-measure tailors I have known
*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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I agree, just a jacket alone for Toscana line I was quite €3000! Is it even worth it ? I paid €2000 previously for a Toscana line jacket and even that I felt it was very steep. Whilst I appreciate their talent and sk...
Gieves & Hawkes linen suit: Style Breakdown
Gieves & Hawkes has rarely had a distinct house style in recent decades. Although historically a military and naval outfitter, and making its suits with a similar amount of structure and strength, the cut has varied with cutters. Kathryn Sa...
Gieves & Hawkes linen suit: Style Breakdown
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Hey there, I would look at the bunches of W Bill, Brisbane Moss, Holland & Sherry and any other British mill that offers Irish linen. If you can't find a dark enough navy there, try and find someone that can source from ...
The (55) bespoke tailors I have known
This post was originally written in 2012: a breakdown of all the tailors I have tried personally (rather than just written about), split into different countries. It was updated in 2016, and I have updated it again now in 2020, adding a fu...
The (55) bespoke tailors I have known
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Thanks!...
Video: How much can you alter a suit?
One of the reasons a bespoke suit can last a long time is that it is easier to adjust, and the tailors that made it are better at doing so. It's easier to adjust because more cloth is left in the seams, and in more places, than anything made in a fa...
Video: How much can you alter a suit?
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Thank you, as always!...
Gieves & Hawkes bespoke linen suit: Review
This dark, muted green linen was a risk. I had never had anything like it before, let alone seen it on anyone else. But I think it’s worked out very well. I’m pleased as well as relieved. The colour is unusual yet subtle. Indoors, it l...
Gieves & Hawkes bespoke linen suit: Review
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Not off the top of my head, no, but if you can't find it in bunches like W Bill, Holland & Sherry or others than stock Irish linens, try Ulster Weavers or Baird McNutt, which are the mills they buy from (not everyone has...
Green/black linen suit, with Davide Taub at Gieve...
Relief, and relaxation. Those are my abiding memories of this, my fitting at Gieves on a new suit. Readers commented on a previous post that it was nice to know what I was thinking and feeling during a fitting. That it felt more immediate and person...
Green/black linen suit, with Davide Taub at Gieve...
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I do wear it, but I wouldn’t say it’s a versatile, wear-every-week piece. More occasional (in both senses). I don’t think the trousers would be great in that respect either. I’d just go for a normal dark-green li...
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2018
A reader commented on the last instalment of this list that it shaped his whole season’s shopping. No pressure then. Many of the ranges will feature in other coverage later in the year – particularly the ones I’ve alr...
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2018
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Slim...
How great things age: Gieves & Hawkes bespok...
This post could come under the ‘How great things age’ or the ‘Reflections on bespoke’ heading. Whatever the category, readers have asked frequently about this pea coat , how it has held up and – more speci...
How great things age: Gieves & Hawkes bespok...
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To be honest I far prefer our PW one. The embroidery is beautiful, but really too fancy for a good everyday piece...
High/low dressing
The 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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Too far apart to be merely harmonious; not far apart enough to be high/low. I would focus on getting outfits that work naturally together first, before thinking about anything like high/low...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
Thank you everyone that responded to my ‘You are the interviewer’ post a couple of weeks ago. The number of variety of questions was staggering, and I will try to answer as many as I can over the coming weeks. It may take time, but I wou...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
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I don't know the exact history, but I think it came from English tweed jackets which themselves were derived from those made for riding...
The ‘Style Guide’ dinner: What is the...
Last 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...
Video: The Young Tailors Symposium
Looking back on it, our summer 2016 edition of the Symposium series - which focused on young tailors - was particularly interesting. It's easy to forget until you see our film, shown here, how much the backgrounds of each tailor varied. Each was als...
Video: The Young Tailors Symposium
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Very well done. I think the videos on this site are a nice extra touch. It adds extra value and experience to hear from the personal side of tailoring, which I think is a very wirthwhile side to this industry. Luxury ite...
The Young Tailors Symposium – discussion
Our Young Tailors Symposium last week in Florence - in the beautiful Stefano Bemer atelier - threw up some really interesting areas of discussion. The six tailors all had rather different backgrounds: some trained in completely different fields befo...
The Young Tailors Symposium – discussion
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It varies, but largely yes...
The Young Tailors Symposium – filming on th...
Davide Taub of Gieves & Hawkes One of the nicest things about the Young Tailors Symposium last week was the fact we managed to arrange a film - something that will record for the hundreds of thousands of you what we discussed and enjoyed. We...
The Young Tailors Symposium – filming on th...
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Hopefully September, but there's been a delay on production over August...
Young tailors take over Instagram!
This week the young tailors featuring in our Symposium at Pitti will be taking over my Instagram account. Every day, a different one of the six tailors from England, Italy, Hong Kong and Korea will post images of the pieces they are making and the t...
Young tailors take over Instagram!
This week the young tailors featuring in our Symposium at Pitti will be taking over my Instagram account. Every day, a different one of the six tailors from England, Italy, Hong Kong and Korea will post images of the pie...
The Young Tailors Symposium at Pitti Uomo
Every Pitti Uomo for the past two years, we have held an event to bring people together with a unique group of the finest craftsmen in the world. For the next instalment, we will be returning to last summer's focus: bespoke tailoring. But whereas t...
The Young Tailors Symposium at Pitti Uomo
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No, it's not really about craft - it's a trade show, where people come to see and buy product. And then there are the peacocks, who are about style (in theory) not craft....
Final bespoke gilet, Davide Taub at Gieves &...
Last August I began this project with Davide Taub, head cutter at Gieves & Hawkes, to create a bespoke gilet that could be buttoned into a variety of jackets. I think it’s fair to say the project has been largely, but not entirely s...
Final bespoke gilet, Davide Taub at Gieves &...
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Interesting, thanks Paul...
BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie
One of the nicest aspects of the Bespoke Tailors Benevolent Association dinner every year is the evening wear. Although most cutters and tailors aren’t actually into clothes and style, they are all wearing something bespoke – s...
BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie
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No, you'd only expect to see the cufflink when you were using your arm, eg reaching, holding a glass, eating etc...
Paris, Mr Porter, and Dalcuore visiting London
A round-up of different notices today – three separate posts seems like overkill. First, I had the pleasure of putting together Mr Porter’s lead journal story last week – featuring some of our favourite craftsmen in ...
Paris, Mr Porter, and Dalcuore visiting London
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I had a chance to meet Eithen this weekend in NYC, where he accompanied Luke and Richard on one of Thom Sweeney's regular visits here. It's exciting to see this still young firm already working so hard to bring in fresh ...
The casual waistcoat: preppy herringbone
Over the years I’ve had a few casual waistcoats made. What makes them casual? Well primarily cloth, ideally something with a pronounced texture and perhaps a chunky pattern – in this case, a tan/black herringbone woven from a w...
The casual waistcoat: preppy herringbone
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Basically, under the jacket collar, you don't also want a waistcoat collar that is just as thick, as this then means a lot of material in one place. A dress waistcoat will often be cut a little lower, or not have a colla...
How great things age: Bespoke leather jacket
The ‘ How Great Things Age‘ series celebrates and examines how quality menswear ages over time. Often, it becomes more beautiful, though different materials from leather to cotton to board age in very different ways. The last ...
How great things age: Bespoke leather jacket
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Great thank you, have a pair Galway's in brown suede. Cliff...
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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It certainly could be, and it will be updated this year. On being short and chubby, to be honest I have no idea if some RTW brands would work better than others. I have suggestions on what proportions work better (see ar...
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...
Savile Row’s driving jackets for Bentley
Bespoke driving jackets designed by Dege & Skinner, Henry Poole, Gieves & Hawkes and Huntsman. Which is your favourite? ( Worth expanding to full screen)
Savile Row’s driving jackets for Bentley
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Methinks you cats are being a little harsh toward the fine folks at Huntsman. That is one gorgeously cut jacket and waistcoat. All the others feel a bit fiddly, like something Tom Cruise would wear in a Mission: Impossib...
The subtlety of a suede jacket
Loro Piana I’ve been pleased to see that suede has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. Italians like Loro Piana have always done it well – often in a classic Italian mix of brown suede and grey cashmere – but others ...
The subtlety of a suede jacket
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It says in the caption? All old Loro Piana...
