Hermes Sac a Depeches: How Great Things Age

November 20th 2024

  We haven’t one of these for a while – the last was Lucas’s canvas bag from Charlie Borrow – so I thought it would be good to do one on a recent acquisition of mine. I loved Lucas’s bag; I even pr...

Hermes Sac a Depeches: How Great Things Age

Match in comments:
It's their Barenia leather Thomas. That's the type and the colour. Togo leather doesn't darken with age or create any variety of colour like you see here. Some people like that, some don't. And thank you!...

BagsNovember 20th 2024

I’m going on holiday (again)

August 2nd 2024

Back in the Easter holidays, Manish kindly took over Permanent Style for a week, so I could completely switch off and spend time with the family. That seemed to work well, both because the site didn't explode and because a few readers seemed to appr...

I’m going on holiday (again)

Match in comments:
No, sorry JC. We only do pre-orders for a couple of items each year, as a way to offer different colours or sizes. We run a waiting list instead...

Glasses and jewelleryAugust 2nd 2024

Reader profile: Tetsuya

June 19th 2024

Tetsuya Yamashita is a reader that Lucas knows rather than me. Back in the days when he ran the Drake’s pop-up in the old Beige shop in Paris, Tetsuya was a regular visitor, and is still a friend of Beige today. In fact we used their shop as a...

Reader profile: Tetsuya

Match in comments:
I think it's unlikely to be honest Matthew, so many people we want to do! But maybe...

Jackets - ShoesJune 19th 2024

How to wear a shawl or stole

February 12th 2024

A shawl (or stole) can be a really practical thing to wear. Simply hung round the neck, it’s a lovely layer of warmth down the front of the body and on the back of the neck. And when looped or tied, it’s also effective protection against...

How to wear a shawl or stole

Match in comments:
Perhaps smaller sizes might work - I'd worry lighter fabrics might not wrap so well, though perhaps if you're a woman that look works more easily...

Hanks and scarvesFebruary 12th 2024

Swimming shorts: Simple, tasteful, flattering

July 19th 2023

I haven’t written about swimming shorts for a long time. Other than a passing reference on our regular ‘holiday snaps’ articles , it’s been over a decade since they were covered on PS. Even back then, it was a pretty short ar...

Swimming shorts: Simple, tasteful, flattering

Match in comments:
Mine are a bit casual - I wouldn't wear them with a smarter, knitted polo. They might feel different in cord though...

July 19th 2023

The Bores jacket: My Fox version

June 12th 2023

The Bores jacket from Chato Lufsen has been covered on PS before - it was reviewed by contributor Tony Sylvester in November last year. But seeing that jacket in person made me reconsider the style, and then when Christophe of Chato Lufsen - who ma...

The Bores jacket: My Fox version

Match in comments:
Thanks, Simon. That's so helpful!...

JacketsJune 12th 2023

An Hermes silk scarf with all navy

January 30th 2023

Long-term readers will be familiar with my passion for Hermes silk scarves, which I’ve often bought over the years as a treat, and of which I now have a small collection (nine of them, since you ask). I’ve found particular enjoyment thi...

An Hermes silk scarf with all navy

Match in comments:
The other benefit of a square (100 x 100 especially) scarf is that you can use the Japanese art of Furoshiki (there are even courses on it) meaning you can make your scarf useful when required. A prime example is taking ...

Hanks and scarvesJanuary 30th 2023

Wear loafers with jeans

October 10th 2022

In the hyper-casual world we’re living in, any opportunity to add a little smartness to everyday clothing should be grabbed with both hands. One of the most effective ways to do this, I’m finding, is wearing loafers with jeans. Jeans ar...

Wear loafers with jeans

Match in comments:
Thanks Simon. Yes, makes sense. As a first loafer, would you recommend suede or cordovan (per above, would probably be Alden LHS in snuff or brown suede or #8 shell cordovan)? Both seem like good options!...

Denim - ShoesOctober 10th 2022

Layering and accessories for cold Spring days

May 7th 2021

Back when these things were possible, I remember an American friend visiting in the Spring and asking: “How on earth do you dress for this weather? I can see my breath in the morning, but my midday I’m roasting and can barely wear a jack...

Layering and accessories for cold Spring days

Match in comments:
I don't think so, no. Though it's also one to think yourself - if you saw someone wearing one around where you are, would it look odd to you?...

StyleMay 7th 2021

My journey in perfume

April 2nd 2021

A couple of weeks ago I cleared out a lot of perfumes sitting in our bathroom cabinet. The cabinet is actually a tall, vintage piece, originally for a dining room. It has drawers in the bottom where we keep towels and sheets, and shelves in the top...

My journey in perfume

Match in comments:
Nothing has changed, no, and I have repurchased one since...

PerfumeApril 2nd 2021

Wearing red – with L’Etiquette

June 12th 2020

The fourth issue of L’Etiquette came out last week, and it remains the best menswear magazine in the world for me. (See previous article here for an explanation why.) We’re honoured to be the only website permitted to translate and repub...

Wearing red – with L’Etiquette

Match in comments:
Not an easy one to wear well, Varun. Certainly different from the way red is done here...

StyleJune 12th 2020

The colours and combinations of Hermes

May 15th 2019

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 is also a new two-storey build...

The colours and combinations of Hermes

Match in comments:
Thanks. I'm pleased you like those combinations, but I wouldn't really use them on shirts or suits. More in accessories, and particularly scarves and handkerchiefs I think. On 'unoriginal' I'm not sure you can't be very ...

Hanks and scarvesMay 15th 2019

Hermes silk printing, Lyon: Factory visit

March 20th 2019

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 the silk printing atelier...

Hermes silk printing, Lyon: Factory visit

Match in comments:
I don't know Carl, but I doubt you can tell that much from a stamp, it wouldn't be a hard thing to fake...

Hanks and scarvesMarch 20th 2019

Olive-green corduroy suit – from Ettore de ...

December 28th 2018

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 Hill’s green-...

Olive-green corduroy suit – from Ettore de ...

Match in comments:
I can't to be honest, but they do look pretty similar. I think that would make up nicely...

Bags - ClothDecember 28th 2018

Christmas gift list 2018

November 30th 2018

  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. It’s certainly no...

Christmas gift list 2018

Match in comments:
Good point, no in a medium now. Though that is partially preference and partially me getting a bit bigger. I take medium now...

Belts and wallets - Hanks and scarvesNovember 30th 2018

Combining colours and patterns: How to dress like...

March 26th 2018

  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 Bruce Boyer (and part ...

Combining colours and patterns: How to dress like...

Match in comments:
Excellent. He knows how to do a flow of tone from top to bottom -- for instance, light sport coat, while the dark tie leads the eye down to the dark pants. Perfect. Fullness of shirt collar/ tie width/ lapel width in har...

StyleMarch 26th 2018

High/low dressing

December 6th 2017

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

Match in comments:
You definitely can do that, play around with more casual trousers perhaps, like jeans, chinos etc...

Hanks and scarves - HatsDecember 6th 2017

What I pack when I travel

July 19th 2017

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 course, an...

What I pack when I travel

Match in comments:
Thank you, Simon! I prefer the curved collar on bomber jackets so I am missing this one on your design. Seems like I have to ask a tailor putting it together for me. Regards, Frederik...

Bags - Casual clothingJuly 19th 2017

My desk

July 5th 2017

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 most important Permanent Style-r...

My desk

Match in comments:
Hey Bolaji, Yes, I've written comprehensively about moths here. This desk also opens up into a flat surface - you couldn't work on that angle...

Glasses and jewellery - Hanks and scarvesJuly 5th 2017

What is quality? What about design? – Stock...

November 2nd 2015

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 aspects of manufacture that lea...

What is quality? What about design? – Stock...

Match in comments:
Hi Hugo, Well spotted. It will be launching on the website next week - there is a special edition of it just for readers... S...

November 2nd 2015

If you only had five ties – a capsule colle...

October 26th 2015

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 that provide t...

If you only had five ties – a capsule colle...

Match in comments:
Yes, that is a good idea, but probably not for me because I only wear ties with business suits nowadays....

TiesOctober 26th 2015

Ten bags over ten years

June 1st 2015

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 – the value of inv...

Ten bags over ten years

Match in comments:
No worries Eoghan, it's normally fine, I just happen not to have that bag anymore...

BagsJune 1st 2015

A green cotton suit?

January 12th 2015

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 option. I’ll expla...

A green cotton suit?

Match in comments:
It would have both those advantages, yes. And I'd imagine it would be suited to the kind of person that liked the look and line of hopsack, but didn't live somewhere particularly hot...

Cloth - ShoesJanuary 12th 2015

Hermes silk scarf with Shetland sweater

April 2nd 2014

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 sweater. It can be worn with...

Hermes silk scarf with Shetland sweater

Match in comments:
It's a 90cm square, the classic women's size. But Hermes only keep a design for a season or two, so it won't be around any more I'm afraid....

Hanks and scarves - StyleApril 2nd 2014

Postcard from Paris

February 11th 2014

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 from Lock & Co; Alfred Dun...

Postcard from Paris

Match in comments:
It's beautiful, but as with most designer brands, only available for that season I'm afraid......

Coats - StyleFebruary 11th 2014