Outfits I got wrong
Everyone 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...
Outfits I got wrong
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yes I would Jack...
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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I've been meaning to do a full post on this comparison for a while, sorry I haven't yet. In brief though, bespoke will usually fit better, yes. Not always, but usually, and have more of a bespoke shape. However, when you...
Video: Comfort vs style in the fit of a suit
Here is the final video in our series on how a jacket should fit. The first looked at the basics of fit, while the second was on the length of a suit jacket. In this third one, we look at how much the fit of a suit is a matter of comfort. So arguing...
Video: Comfort vs style in the fit of a suit
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Navy serge, as here....
Video: How long should a jacket be?
This is the second in a series of videos in which we're looking at how a jacket should fit. The first one, here, was a summary of the basics on fit. In this second one, we look at the length of a jacket. This is the kind of thing that can seem like ...
Video: How long should a jacket be?
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There is a tradition that they should be a little shorter, but really I think that's been erased with the different lengths of jackets generally from different tailoring traditions now available. I'd say more the opposit...
Video: How a jacket should fit
This is the first in a series of three videos in which I look at how a jacket should fit. In this first one, we cover the basics around the jacket - front, back and side. It's a useful summary of the main points, and applies as much to a high-street...
Video: How a jacket should fit
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It's hard to say Jack - if those items are quick bulky, it might be inevitable, but that also depends on the cloth. If it were something that could be done with letting out, it would be the chest and perhaps the waist. B...
Video: Maintaining and caring for your suit
The Campaign for Wool recently asked me to help them with a series of videos educating people on caring for wool products. Chaired by HRH Prince Charles, the Campaign is a charity that communicates how environmentally friendly and sustainable wool i...
Video: Maintaining and caring for your suit
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Thank you, Simon and Michael. Appreciate it....
Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown
A nice thing about our Finest Tailors series is that, as we add more tailors to it, each becomes a reference for the next, making comparisons easier. This Henry Poole suit, then, makes an interesting comparison to the Richard Anderson tuxedo we fea...
Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown
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It's spelt out and compared to other DBs here Andy. Hope that's useful...
Five double-breasted styles compared
Last month we talked about how small changes in the proportions of a double-breasted jacket can have a radical effect on its style - and therefore on the people or situations it suits. This week I've used five of my own jackets to demonstrate these...
Five double-breasted styles compared
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I wouldn’t say there is anything specific about a cloth that makes it good for a DB SJ rather than an SB. There’s an argument a DB is more formal, but actually it looks just as good in linen, cotton or cord. Perhaps ...
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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Thank you....
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...
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...
Dege & Skinner celebrate 150 years
This year Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner are 150 years old – pretty impressive for any business, but particularly one that is still family owned. In fact, the house has done rather well in the last couple because of that herita...
Dege & Skinner celebrate 150 years
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Nick, glad our bespoke tailoring has stood the test of time for your father...
How to compare RTW and MTM suits
Since I wrote a post at the beginning of the month urging readers to comment and ask questions on Permanent Style, quite a few have asked about different ready-to-wear and made-to-measure brands. I’d like to explain how to compare RTW, and why ...
How to compare RTW and MTM suits
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I think you're right to be cautious - and I don't cover much MTM partly because it can be unreliable. But I'd have no hesitation recommending Saman Amel. I suggest starting there. And start with a conservative suit rathe...
Royal warrant holders at the Coronation Festival
This past weekend saw the Coronation Festival in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, at which holders of royal warrants exhibited. The royal warrant is not exactly the mark of quality that some might assume, given that it includes Austin Reed and Daks...
Royal warrant holders at the Coronation Festival
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The latter is more accurate. But K&H are also not really saying they can do anything at all. All adaptation has its limits....
James Weir: Style and the tailor
I first met James two years ago while following the making of my DB Prince of Wales suit at Henry Poole. ( You can see that full series here.) As with most the Row’s apprentices, he has a passion for clothing that extends far beyond his day-to-...
James Weir: Style and the tailor
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What comes across is the passion this young man has for the craft of tailoring. If you read closely what he says he comes from a background thats rich with textile and makers. He's been immersed in the language and tradi...
Reader question: Side straps and chinos
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 424 2417 Euromoney PLC 20 4 2968 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Incotex trousers Dear Simon, I have a couple of questions on trousers which I haven’t seen you address. First, you said in a post a while ago that...
Reader question: Side straps and chinos
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Thanks Simon....
Hawthorne and Heaney: embroidery project
Last week I wrote about Claire Barrett of Hawthorne & Heaney, who does fine embroidery on livery, shirts and slippers for the bespoke menswear trade, as well as working with fashion designers in London. I came to her to learn about the proce...
Hawthorne and Heaney: embroidery project
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No no no no no! This upsets me almost as much as the double bottom hole trend I witnessed during the coverage of the Olympics. I get the same reaction when I see a beautiful women with a tatttoo on her lower back....
Claire Barrett, Hawthorne & Heaney
I do love learning about other crafts. There’s nothing like the series of ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions that takes you deeper, step by step, into understanding the way quality things are made, as well as the commercial reaso...
Claire Barrett, Hawthorne & Heaney
I do love learning about other crafts. There’s nothing like the series of ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions that takes you deeper, step by step, into understanding the way quality things are made, as well as the commer...
Tariq Mahmoud: Royal College of Art show
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 273 1559 Euromoney PLC 12 3 1914 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false A couple of weeks ago I had the eye-opening experience of attending the fashion degree show at the Royal College of Art in London. I normally avoid fash...
Tariq Mahmoud: Royal College of Art show
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 273 1559 Euromoney PLC 12 3 1914 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false A couple of weeks ago I had the eye-opening experience of attending the fashion degree show at the Royal College of Art in...
How bespoke tailors work
Henry Poole cutter Craig Featherstone marks out my Prince-of-Wales suit Last week a reader asked me who the various people were in a bespoke tailoring house, and it occurred to me that this is one area I have never offered a guide to. So here goes. T...
How bespoke tailors work
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Thanks Lindsay...
Henry Poole and Aston Martin – innovative pockets
The inside pockets of a jacket can be fairly dull. I went through a phase of having the inbreast pockets made to perfectly fit my wallet (which is rather long) and my iPhone (which is rather narrow and short). But I never seemed to put the right one ...
Henry Poole and Aston Martin – innovative pockets
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If he drove a Triumph, he wouldn't need to change the sparkplugs mid-race. Only Aston had that much blow-by. Watkins Glen Historicals last weekend had a great turnout of Triumphs, MG's Aston, Austins and the occasional I...
Different ways to pad the chest of a suit
A reader commented that the way he spots a good bespoke suit is to look under the lapel and look for the little pinpricks that betray hand padding. This does indeed show where the tailor has come through the suit cloth as he sews the parts of the che...
Different ways to pad the chest of a suit
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There is no particular tailor that does a 'drape cut' but you can get more room in the chest from the likes of Dalcuore or Ciardi...
Prince of Wales at Henry Poole: Part 9
The final part this, in the series on having a Prince of Wales suit made at Henry Poole. In the end we went with a 4×4 finish on the front, with grey buttons instead of brown. I decided 2×2 would be a little too flashy, but am exper...
Prince of Wales at Henry Poole: Part 9
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Hi Simon Some months ago I comissioned a very similar suit. The first months were a little bit dissapointing since this pattern and the db jacket were difficult or even impossible to wear in a business environment. Howev...
Prince of Wales at Henry Poole: Part 8
A second forward fitting on the Henry Poole double-breasted last week, with Craig hoping that this would be ready to finish off and deliver. A few last tweaks were required, however. The chest still needed more clearing under the right arm, a problem...
Prince of Wales at Henry Poole: Part 8
A second forward fitting on the Henry Poole double-breasted last week, with Craig hoping that this would be ready to finish off and deliver. A few last tweaks were required, however. The chest still needed more clearing ...
New versions of Sam Cundey’s special red tie
The Henry Poole burgundy that was seen as the lining and overcheck on my DB suit has always been used as the colour for the Sam Cundey special red tie. This year that is being expanded into a full range of ties on the same, indivudal weave design. Th...
New versions of Sam Cundey’s special red tie
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Available in store now and from Simon, who is currently touring California. On the website soon. Simon...
