Sartoria Ciardi ulster coat: Style Breakdown
This ulster-style overcoat was made for me by Sartoria Ciardi , the Neapolitan tailor, in 2020. Although I’ve had a few pieces of tailoring from Ciardi in the past five years, this is my only coat from them. It has proved to be one ...
Sartoria Ciardi ulster coat: Style Breakdown
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It's at waist level, straight...
The Guide to Tweed: Bunches
In our voluminous Guide to Cloth series , we’ve already done an article on tweed. But that was about the history, the style and a little about the types. There was no mention of bunches. Today’s article takes on that introduction, fleshes...
The Guide to Tweed: Bunches
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Yes, that's right, and lovely to hear!...
The guide to hopsack (and mesh, mock leno and bas...
Hopsack and similar materials are a good choice for summer blazers - sharp jackets usually made in smart colours, such as navy. The materials don’t vary that much, even if the weaves themselves are different. A mesh in a classic menswear dark...
The guide to hopsack (and mesh, mock leno and bas...
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No Jack, it depends entirely on the yarn (rough, smooth etc), the weave and the colour/pattern...
A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches
I’ve been buying and wearing more corduroy in recent years - including the new dark-brown jacket above, from Sartoria Ciardi . I think the reason is that if you’re not dressing for a formal office, worsted is likely to feel out of place...
A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches
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Either would be good Steve. I'd personally pick the brown, but it's really personal, they'd both work well for that kind of use...
Pirozzi dupioni-silk jacket: Review
This jacket from Sartoria Pirozzi doesn’t really need a normal review. The point of it was to cover the tailor again because they are now coming to London frequently, having taken a share of a space in Shepherd Market. And it was to check th...
Pirozzi dupioni-silk jacket: Review
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I don't, sorry James. And yes, it's often fairly expensive, though it will vary a lot with the mills...
An investment dressing gown, made-to-order by Budd
Last winter, I spent a good few weeks looking for a dressing gown that would be worth investing in - something luxurious, to last many years but also enjoy at every stage. My existing gown was a towelling model from Anderson & Sheppard, whi...
An investment dressing gown, made-to-order by Budd
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Informative Article!!!!!!!!!!...
Introducing: PS Harris Tweed
My favourite Harris Tweed has not been available for a few years now. Originally offered by Holland & Sherry, I was such a fan that I used it for one of my favourite tweed jackets (from Elia Caliendo, below ), a fantastic ulster coat from L...
Introducing: PS Harris Tweed
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Okay, I will try them. Thank you, Simon....
Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...
Best artisan 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury I decided to give my Artisan of the Year award this year to Whitcomb & Shaftesbury because, looking back on recent commissions, they have so consistently delivered on quality and v...
Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...
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Amazing, so pleased Matthew. That's time, money and waste all saved!...
Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...
My love of bespoke overcoats continues unabated: the thing I was most excited about this Autumn was the prospect of wearing them again. It's annoying that, useful as they are (and arguably today, more useful than a bespoke suit) they are limited to...
Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...
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It's the former - white has this effect with a lot of people, really brightening up the face and making it look fresher. Unless you're very pale, it often works well. Also relevant is the contrast between the white shirt...
Jean-Manuel Moreau made-to-measure suit: Review
Let’s move the conclusion up to the top of this review, just to get it out of the way. This is a great made-to-measure suit. It’s fitted well, styled well and made well, and for me illustrates the pinnacle of what made-to-measure should...
Jean-Manuel Moreau made-to-measure suit: Review
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Good advice. Thank you!...
The French style of Kenjiro Suzuki (and mute cutt...
How do you make sure your best cutter doesn’t leave, taking customers with him? Simple: never let him meet the customers. I’ve always been aware that Smalto, the Parisian tailor, had an unusual system in its cutting room. Unlike most t...
The French style of Kenjiro Suzuki (and mute cutt...
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Well, best to judge trousers on where they sit standing up I think. Have a look at my various suit reviews and you'll get a better sense of the trouser length I like - eg the review of Suzuki's suit is here I'm not sure ...
The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2019
This series started as a way to highlight cloths from the hyper-seasonal collections - usually Italian - that came and went within a few months. The impulse was that readers often saw something I had had made, and asked what the cloth was - but by ...
The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2019
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The suit or tailoring is whether we like it or not on a decline. Many corporate offices no longer require a suit or even a blazer / jacket unless you are meeting clients. On the street suits and blazer / jackets are rare...
Blackhorse Lane, Holland and Sherry, Tusting and ...
Man, I love the pop-up shop. It's being going so long now that I know exactly what it will be like, and I look forward to the atmosphere, the chats, and the conversations with readers. It's exciting putting your products out carefully on display. It...
Blackhorse Lane, Holland and Sherry, Tusting and ...
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They did, yes. It certainly wouldn't be as long lasting as most suits - it would have to be part of a good-size wardrobe to make sense. Though of course it also depends how heavy the cloth is (fine wools don't have to be...
A guide to high-twist bunches
This is a summary and analysis of the high-twist wools available from different mills and merchants. As with the linen one we did last year, the aim is to set out most of the range so that bespoke customers know if their tailor is missing something...
A guide to high-twist bunches
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Good point Peter. I'd add that it is a touch more smooth and suit-like, but only a touch, and that's always the trade off with these high twists...
The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2019
This is the latest instalment in our series highlighting my favourite new seasonal cloths - providing a heads-up to readers on those that will mostly only be around for six months. It’s interesting to see how the ranges develop. While Cacciopp...
The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2019
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I do understand. No worries. Thanks again Lindsay...
A guide to linen bunches
This is the second in our series presenting all the cloth bunches currently available for bespoke, summarising what they contain and picking out our favourites. The summaries should help determine which bunches readers need to see, or request. And t...
A guide to linen bunches
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Many thanks - very useful to know!...
Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers
If shirts are the items in a man’s wardrobe where he wants most predictability and consistency, then trousers are undoubtedly second. In that spirit, over the past year I have regularly commissioned odd trousers (‘odd’ as in separa...
Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers
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Marvellous, thank you!...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
I had this tweed jacket made by South Korean house B&Tailor over the past 18 months, using Robin Petterson - a Swede who does their fittings in London and at home in Stockholm. Unfortunately, although the end result isn’t too bad (just...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
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Yes I think that's a good idea. Both look nice, my concern with the first would be it could be a little strong in colour, and the latter could be a little light and so more showy. We're talking small differences here, bu...
Drape and extended shoulders: The Disguisery
Last year I got to know a group called The Disguisery , based in Fitzrovia. (‘Disguisery’ is a collective noun for tailors.) A trouser workshop for many houses on Savile Row, they have been branching out into jackets and suiting, and cre...
Drape and extended shoulders: The Disguisery
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I don't, but I would look at Manish's article here for some comparison of cuts around that price. You can also ask a question there...
Cavalry twill for trousers
Finding the right material for odd trousers - those worn with sports jackets rather than suits - is not easy. The kind of smooth, worsted cloths you're used to wearing as part of a suit are too sleek and formal. Many cottons, particularly garment-w...
Cavalry twill for trousers
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Yes - a little smart, but they work well...
Harris Tweed waistcoat, Richard James
Although we discussed last week that the fit of a jacket is the most important - and flattering - part of tailoring, a waistcoat is in some ways the most satisfying. Of all the tailored garments, it is the one that sits closest to the body, and the...
Harris Tweed waistcoat, Richard James
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I accidentally bought too much of the PS Shetland Tweed. I'm having a jacket made, as planned, and with the excess I'm having a waistcoat made in a similar style to this one. I hope it will prove a nice standalone and la...
The appeal of the cotton suit – bespoke fro...
I've always found cotton very appealing for summer suits, but historically haven't had much luck with them. I had a navy one made by Choppin & Lodge, but the make was really too English and structured for the material (my fault, not theirs)....
The appeal of the cotton suit – bespoke fro...
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With something that sounds pretty minor like that, yes I will usually. It's just the character of the piece...
Dalcuore bespoke brown Crispaire suit
I was pleasantly surprised by the fit of this bespoke suit from Dalcuore in Naples, given I was a new customer and they were happy with just a single fitting. The jacket was a great fit straight off - clean through the chest, perfect on the shoulde...
Dalcuore bespoke brown Crispaire suit
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I wouldn't think that would be a good idea, no. You want some difference in texture or pattern - applies to pretty much all identical materials...
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 Holland & Sherry cloths I have known
At the Young Tailors Symposium in a couple of weeks, we will have one floor of the Stefano Bemer atelier dedicated to my favourite Holland & Sherry cloths. Holland & Sherry have generously supported the event, and I thought the best...
The Holland & Sherry cloths I have known
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Yes I think that might be the case. You're basically describing a jacketing material there...
