The (61) bespoke tailors I have known
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
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Yes, Des is very good. I can confirm, as I apprenticed under him for a number of years...
The guide to jacket pockets
As ever in the lovely, international, interactive community that is Permanent Style, this article was spurred by a reader. He asked about the appropriate configuration of jacket pockets on a suit he was ordering, and I realised we hadn&rsq...
The guide to jacket pockets
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I find the ticket pocket does not ruin symmetry as some commenters have opined. The outbreast pocket isn't accused of this and the ticket pocket could only balance it out if anyone noticed. I take function and let form f...
New York bespoke tailors – Updated
This is a fully updated version of our post from January on the bespoke tailors in and around New York. The contributions of readers were extremely helpful, particularly those that had used tailors personally, as this is an area with a lot of misinf...
New York bespoke tailors – Updated
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Thanks Simon, very much appreciated!...
Summer outfits at the Huntsman dinner 2018
“The therapy I never knew I needed.” That was how one reader described our reader dinner at Huntsman last year, and this year’s was no different. Ten winning readers came to the event, with four flying in specially from Spain, Ital...
Summer outfits at the Huntsman dinner 2018
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Very nice to see so many people who had travelled to the event and yet managed to look so elegant; a great deal of the effort to achieve this is not always immediately obvious....
Huntsman tweed jacket: Style breakdown
When people talk about an English military cut – the kind of thing that will make you feel like a soldier, stand up straight and give you an air of authority – this is what they mean. Although other Savile Row houses, such as Dege...
Huntsman tweed jacket: Style breakdown
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Myself, drape...
Come to (Summer) dinner at Huntsman
Last year we held a wonderful dinner for readers at Huntsman - celebrating different types of evening wear, with attendees the winners of a competition for evening outfits. This summer we have decided to do the same again, but celebrating all that i...
Come to (Summer) dinner at Huntsman
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Hi Simon, A great initiative yet again! For folks like my myself, who just couldn't participate in it, it would be of great interest in also seeing afterwards pics taken when the attendees are arriving at Huntsman's. Jus...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
Thank you everyone that responded to my ‘You are the interviewer’ post a couple of weeks ago. The number of variety of questions was staggering, and I will try to answer as many as I can over the coming weeks. It may take time, but I wou...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
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Hi there, apologies for the late reply, this dropped into spam for some reason. First thing I would say is, don't try and have Graham Browne make you a softer jacket - I tried that over a decade ago now, and others have ...
Video: Evening wear at the Huntsman dinner
As requested by readers, here is the video coverage we took on the night at our Huntsman dinner a couple of weeks ago. The sound quality isn't perfect (our fault) but you can certainly hear the short explanation I gave at the beginning of the dinner...
Video: Evening wear at the Huntsman dinner
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Well done ... lovely thoughts and great fellowship. Cheers to my confrères...
Huntsman dinner: The evolution of formal wear
Meekal Hashmi Last week’s readers dinner was, perhaps surprisingly, one of the more enjoyable evenings I’ve had in a long time. I say surprisingly because, as lovely as all the readers were certainly going to be, it is always hard to pre...
Huntsman dinner: The evolution of formal wear
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It's really hard to say on the dress code - different people mean different things by it. I think asking the host rather than me is probably a better idea there. We have done pieces on black tie variations though - see h...
Come to dinner at Huntsman
So, Huntsman invited me to host a dinner in their Savile Row shop in January. And rather than invite people from the industry (as we did last time in our Gathering dinner) I thought it would be nice to have readers along. As a nice celebration...
Come to dinner at Huntsman
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Hi Arne, Unfortunately, I would advise against using it in any other way. It will pretty much always look contrived. Just have to find (or organise) other black tie events I guess. Simon...
How wide should my jacket lapels be?
A reader asked this a few weeks ago now, and I thought I’d illustrate my answer by showing the widths that five tailors have cut for my body and proportions. As you can see from the images below, some lapels are wider than others, but t...
How wide should my jacket lapels be?
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Thanks TJ. I think 11cm might be ok then - you'll have more room to play with than me. But do look at it yourself when you're doing the fitting and consider it as a proportion rather than an absolute number....
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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I had a driving jacket made by Davide Taub some five-six years ago. Loden cloth instead of flannel and some details a little different. It's one of my most favourite jackets because it's so versatile. The detachable bib ...
Huntsman hires Campbell Carey and Robert Bailey
It was announced today that Huntsman has hired Campbell Carey as the new head cutter, to try and fill the hole left by Pat Murphy, who officially leaves this month for Davies & Son. Pat worked for many years at Davies before joining Huntsma...
Huntsman hires Campbell Carey and Robert Bailey
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Robert Bailey is on his own now. I’ve contacted him and his pricing seems competitive. Has a nice gallery on his website....
Savile Row, parties and branding
Last month there were three parties on Savile Row on the same night. Huntsman, Kilgour and Anderson & Sheppard all held events on the Monday of London Collections:Men, with very different atmospheres. While they showed very different ideas ...
Savile Row, parties and branding
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Is there a particular reason? This leads me on to my question about why you choose to or choose not to use a tailor, shirtmaker, shoemaker?...
Five tips on bespoke suits
The process of commissioning a bespoke suit is a nerve-wracking and, of course, expensive one. Permanent Style has provided extensive advice on this process over the years, particularly in posts covering suits from more than 20 tailors. But a reade...
Five tips on bespoke suits
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Thanks Simon! So pretty standard approach...
The BTBA summer party
Friday was the Bespoke Tailors’ Benevolent Association (BTBA, new version of MTBA) summer ball. As per usual there was an eclectic range of outfits, from sober business dress to top hats, cream linen to sequins. Three Anderson & Shep...
The BTBA summer party
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No, I'm afraid not. It looks very similar to my W Bill linen though: http://www.permanentstyle.com/2014/07/spanish-tailors.html...
How to pick buttons for a suit
Simon, I am a loyal fan in San Francisco. Your style, commentary and photos are extremely helpful in navigating the bespoke world, and more importantly, developing my style. Question: my tailor is making a navy three-piece suit, single breasted...
How to pick buttons for a suit
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Thank you so much!...
Huntsman rehires cutter Gordon Alsleben
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Huntsman rehires cutter Gordon Alsleben
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Noted, thanks Steven...
Interview: Roubi L’Roubi, Huntsman
Last month Roubi L’Roubi and his partner Pierre Lagrange bought Huntsman. Roubi is a couturier who cuts and makes clothes for men and women. Perhaps understandably, there were fears that he intended to turn Huntsman towards womenswear, read...
Interview: Roubi L’Roubi, Huntsman
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About four times that, but of course that's just general inflation. Many other things, especially rents in London, have risen much faster than that...
How to buy a quality suit
Men are not interested in the clothing of celebrities. At the most, the endorsement of a film star, a magazine or a fashion brand is an endorsement, a shortcut. A man’s number one priority is not looking stupid, and popular culture i...
How to buy a quality suit
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Refreshing honesty, thanks. That's where as a customer we have to make our decisions as informed as possible. And that's where we have to set our priorities and, dare I say, our values. I think that more durability per s...
Latest piece on How to Spend It
We have decided to give greater structure to my How to Spend It column, making it a practical analysis of how to buy various items in a men’s wardrobe. The first one, on suits, is now live. Read it here.
Latest piece on How to Spend It
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Just started following your blog, you have some really interesting and informative articles on here. I'm trying to start up my own British men's lifestyle blog, needless to say there's lots of inspiration here! Thanks, C...
The first BTBA annual Dinner
Thursday was the first Festival Dinner for the new Bespoke Tailors Benevolent Association. The new incarnation of the MTBA dinner, it was notable for two things: the brevity of the speeches, much to everyone’s relief, and the guest speaker Adri...
The first BTBA annual Dinner
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I agree; AA Gill is well worth interviewing. Clothes as culture is a topic too rarely mentioned. Great add, AP!...
Huntsman sold to Roubi L’Roubi
Interesting news, that Huntsman has been sold to women’s couturier Roubi L’Roubi (pictured above with Huntsman general manager Peter Smith and head cutter Pat Murphy, left and right). Roubi will be the new creative director and ha...
Huntsman sold to Roubi L’Roubi
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Based on what? I find it ridiculous how quickly everyone dismisses anyone who invests money on the Row. They said the same about Budd - someone saves the last handcutting bespoke shirtmaking premises in London and what's...
Hamilton & Hare boxer shorts
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 294 1678 Euromoney PLC 13 3 2060 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false One of the pleasures of writing this blog is meeting entrepreneurs. I’m not sure I’d ever have the courage to strike out on my own and found...
Hamilton & Hare boxer shorts
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The proof (in terms of price) is how comfortable the boxer is to wear and these are by far the most comfortable boxer short i have worn. I also think the packaging with the wash bag is novel and means you are less likely...
Three truths, universally acknowledged
There are certain tendencies among stylish men that never make it into the lists of rules. They are not as intuitive or easily explained, perhaps, as covering your waist when wearing black tie or matching your socks to your trousers. But they are alm...
Three truths, universally acknowledged
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I can see how it could be considered a little dandy, but again I think it's a very small point to be honest. I wouldn't think it would ever be inappropriate...
