Brand: Hermes

There are some interesting things going on in French menswear.  Although France has generally been the poor cousin to Britain and Italy here, in the last 30 years it seemed to get worse. Most of the good shops closed (O...

The silk and leather headquarters of Hermes are in a pretty nondescript set of white buildings just outside Lyon. Here, there are the 100m and 150m-long silk printing tables that I described in our previous post. There...

I’ve been buying and wearing Hermes silk scarves for several years. (Indeed, a nice thing about the seasonal collections is, with a little work, you can date them all precisely). So it was a personal pleasure to visit...

You know when you think you’re not part of a trend, and then see everyone wearing the same thing? As a clothing snob that likes to think he’s different to everyone else, it’s very annoying. I had admired Michael H...

  It’s that time of year again. The TV adverts that started a month ago should have been a warning. Below is my Christmas gift list for 2019. It is not a comprehensive list of the best menswear gifts right now. I...

This is the latest in my somewhat infrequent series on the style of my favourite people in the menswear industry. For those that want to catch up, the previous instalments have been: Personal style: How to dress like Br...

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 ot...

As I return from two summer trips - one for a week in Florence, the other a week in Naples - it seems a fitting time to run through what I pack for trips such as these. I know readers have asked about it in the past. Of...

Many readers said they liked the personal, behind-the-scenes approach of Plaza Uomo's cover story on me last year.  Here, then, is another angle. My desk, where I write most of these posts, and therefore probably the m...

   At our book launch in Stockholm last week, Konrad Olsson (above) – editor of Plaza Uomo magazine – asked some rather stimulating questions. Such as, what is quality? Well, for me quality (in clothing) is aspec...

   Readers often ask for ‘capsule collections’ of types of clothes – shoes, suits, ties etc. There are many reasons such a list is useful. It can point to the ‘essentials’: those things th...

  One of the advantages of a long-running blog, perhaps, is the ability to look back and see how purchases have performed over time. It’s particularly useful when we emphasise – as we do, day after day R...

  In my review of Spanish tailor Reillo’s cotton suit last week, there proved to be only room to analyse the fit and make. Yet a reader rightly pointed out that green cotton-gabardine is hardly an everyday cloth o...

A silk scarf, tied any way, is a great way to recreate the contrast achieved by a suit and tie and keep the neck warm. The sheen of this Hermes silk scarf contrasts particularly nicely with the deep texture of a Shetland...

I was in Paris last week for a couple of articles, as well as visiting the usual suspects.  Here in a green raincoat from Hermes with brown leather collar detail. Because green is the third colour.  Traveller trilby fr...

My latest article in the Financial Times, on luxury hiking boots, was published this weekend.  If you’re interested, the post can be found here....

The growth of men’s bags as a sector is quite incredible. Menswear as a whole has outstripped women’s clothing for a few years now, as we’ve accepted the idea of buying better clothes and wearing them better. But w...

Dear Simon, I have been wearing a messenger bag for some time for commuting as it’s a very handy way of containing all the bulk and occasional papers that I have to cart around with me. However, I have worried for ...

At the Monocle Summer Fayre this weekend. Monocle’s quirky and intelligent selection of partners and products was on display, as well as some rather fetching goats. It was also the opening day of Trunk Labs: a new bran...

Hi Simon, I’ve been following Permanent Style for a while now, as well as investing significantly more of my time trying to learn more about menswear. As my style has evolved and I find myself wearing a blazer or s...

Sophie Coryndon’s toolbox for her decorative lacquer pieces These are good times for craft. Hermès is bringing its festival of artisans to London next month; Vacheron Constantin is touring Europe with a series of ...

   Leather bags are unique among men’s accessories. A good one will last a lifetime and, if treated well, will look better at the end than the beginning of your life together. Only leather has this attribute, gaining...

Hype iPad cover, £150 There is a surprising lack of good, mid-market leather products and bags out there. By mid-market I mean those stitched by machine rather than by hand (which adds considerably to the price) but oth...

I always used to describe my style as how the Italians wear English clothes. Talking to Michael Drake recently though, (whose taste and sense of colour I respect immensely) I think the French might be a better reference ...

As the days begin to grow colder, one of the most tactile pleasures is wearing a short scarf at the neck. I’ve never taken to wearing an ascot in an open shirt collar, much as I agree with the rationale of retaining so...