The (61) bespoke tailors I have known

October 30th 2024

  This article has been updated every four years for the past 12 years. It was originally written in 2012, and has had new versions in 2016, 2020 and now 2024. The number of bespoke tailors we have tried and covered has increased, but the g...

The (61) bespoke tailors I have known

Match in comments:
I don't, sorry...

October 30th 2024

Outfits I got wrong

February 19th 2021

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

Match in comments:
yes I would Jack...

Casual clothing - ShoesFebruary 19th 2021

Video: Comfort vs style in the fit of a suit

April 24th 2020

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

Match in comments:
Hey Jack, I really don't know I'm afraid - I would have guessed the material, but if that's the same then I have no idea...

Suits - VideoApril 24th 2020

Video: How long should a jacket be?

March 30th 2020

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?

Match in comments:
Pleased you found it useful Ryan. Choosing between these measures is a question of personal preference - they all have a good rationale behind them. Personally I'd want the jacket to cover my seat still...

Suits - VideoMarch 30th 2020

Video: How a jacket should fit

March 9th 2020

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

Match in comments:
This does look a little short to me, though the better photo would probably be from the back - you want the seat to be pretty much covered. See video here on how to assess jacket length...

Suits - VideoMarch 9th 2020

Video: Maintaining and caring for your suit

November 9th 2018

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

Match in comments:
Thanks Max. I'd agree on cedar, and on most of those scent-related remedies generally. I find if I smoke/spray for moths once a year I have no issues at all...

Suits - VideoNovember 9th 2018

Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown

June 8th 2018

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

Match in comments:
For what it's worth, I had the exact same issue with a commission from Henry Poole with the very poor shoulder fit / divoting. I'm quite surprised how they are letting items come out like this....

SuitsJune 8th 2018

Five double-breasted styles compared

September 1st 2016

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

Match in comments:
The buttons do make a difference in making something a blazer not a suit jacket, but so do lots of others...

SuitsSeptember 1st 2016

BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie

February 18th 2016

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

Match in comments:
Only somebody who doesn’t understand would think of wearing a smoking jacket at a black tie evening....

Black tie - StyleFebruary 18th 2016

London: A sartorial city guide

August 12th 2015

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

Match in comments:
Hi Todd, This list is a little out of date, sorry. I will update it soon. Sadly, London really isn't very good for vintage these days. It's just about worth going to Brick Lane for things like Levison's and House of Vint...

August 12th 2015

Savile Row’s driving jackets for Bentley

May 18th 2015

  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

Match in comments:
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...

JacketsMay 18th 2015

Dege & Skinner celebrate 150 years

April 29th 2015

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

Match in comments:
Nick, glad our bespoke tailoring has stood the test of time for your father...

StyleApril 29th 2015

How to compare RTW and MTM suits

February 21st 2014

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

Match in comments:
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...

SuitsFebruary 21st 2014

Royal warrant holders at the Coronation Festival

July 15th 2013

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

Match in comments:
The latter is more accurate. But K&H are also not really saying they can do anything at all. All adaptation has its limits....

July 15th 2013

James Weir: Style and the tailor

February 25th 2013

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

Match in comments:
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...

February 25th 2013

Reader question: Side straps and chinos

September 5th 2012

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

Match in comments:
Thanks Simon....

Reader questionsSeptember 5th 2012

Hawthorne and Heaney: embroidery project

August 13th 2012

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

Match in comments:
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....

August 13th 2012

Claire Barrett, Hawthorne & Heaney

August 10th 2012

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...

August 10th 2012

Tariq Mahmoud: Royal College of Art show

June 11th 2012

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...

ShoesJune 11th 2012

How bespoke tailors work

March 7th 2012

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

Match in comments:
Watched a documentary on Clark Gable. They described his farther as Just a Cutter. Made it sound like he was nothing....

March 7th 2012

Henry Poole and Aston Martin – innovative pockets

September 16th 2011

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

Match in comments:
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...

September 16th 2011

Different ways to pad the chest of a suit

July 13th 2011

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

Match in comments:
It's the actual act of pad stitching the chest piece of a jacket....

SuitsJuly 13th 2011

Prince of Wales at Henry Poole: Part 9

May 30th 2011

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

Match in comments:
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...

May 30th 2011

Prince of Wales at Henry Poole: Part 8

May 6th 2011

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 ...

May 6th 2011

New versions of Sam Cundey’s special red tie

May 2nd 2011

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

Match in comments:
Available in store now and from Simon, who is currently touring California. On the website soon. Simon...

TiesMay 2nd 2011