Reader profile: James
James is a reader I met in Korea last year. A friend of our host Sam Ahn, he joined us for dinner on the last night with Assisi. James has been a customer of various bespoke tailors for about 10 years, but has largely settled down to using Sartoria...
Reader profile: James
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Not sure of your personal situations but i have a some ecru pants and lighter tops that i also hardly wear. For me, its about a little too aware of the lightness of the pant (how it stands out, even as an ecru) or how th...
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!...
On baseball caps – and logos in general
Baseball caps are, in many ways, the lazy option for headwear. They’re ubiquitous, they’re cheap and they go with everything. I completely understand those that fight the good fight for brimmed hats, and feel it necessary to attack ball ...
On baseball caps – and logos in general
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Caps are ubiquitous, but they work. The real sartorial mishap is in two of these photos: the turned up, quarter zip sweater. The uniform of the purgatory that is "Casual Friday"....
Should you buy a copy? What’s the harm?
A few weeks ago, a reader asked my opinion on a pair of suede boots that were clearly a copy of the popular Open Walk from Loro Piana . That soft, unlaced chukka has become so widespread in a few short years that some don’t even recognise them...
Should you buy a copy? What’s the harm?
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Well I'd argue there's another point on top of this one to make. Quality. Recently, my wife needed a pair of new shoes. She previously had both a pair of Clark's, and a pair of "More expansive brand" (to respect anonymit...
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 wool/silk/linen: Mixes, colours, bunches
My Brioni jacket in a cream beige wool/silk/linen Wool/silk/linen blends have been a favourite for summer jackets for many years, although in the UK they only started to be offered about 10 years ago. More recently, English mills have also started ...
A guide to wool/silk/linen: Mixes, colours, bunches
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You don't, but it isn't necessarily a good idea to do so - it doesn't necessarily tell you anything useful. People are so used to a 'brand' today and taking everything from that, but mills make for different people, in d...
To whisper with your clothes – or why I’m f...
By Andreas Weinas This headline might be one of the more confusing ones to have appeared on Permanent Style, but bear with me. Simon reached out to me at the beginning of the year, asking if I wanted to do a piece on PS about something I found parti...
To whisper with your clothes – or why I’m f...
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It's a nuanced question, it would require a full post at some point if it's worth discussing...
A guide to brands of unstructured jacket
By Manish Puri Whilst soft tailoring is hardly a new concept, there’s something about unstructured tailoring that feels particularly in sync with modern life: it’s indisputably more casual, reframes imperfections as characteristics, is l...
A guide to brands of unstructured jacket
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Manish/ Simon, I don’t suppose you’ve ever tried the Sunspel unstructured blazer? At £350, it seems to me pretty cheap compared to where the majority of their products sit in terms of pricing (although I’m no expe...
Behind the scenes at the Loro Piana factory
When we were talking about Loro Piana on a recent post, a reader inquired about the manufacture and what I knew about it. I thought it would be interesting, therefore, to publish in full this chapter from The Finest Menswear in the World , my book f...
Behind the scenes at the Loro Piana factory
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Nothing's manufactured in Mongolia, that's where the cashmere is sourced from. As with everyone - except Loro Piana are pretty much the only one to do the sourcing themselves...
The height of knitwear: why necklines matter
A couple of weeks ago we talked about necklines on knitwear - as part of the article on mock necks . I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at this, in particular the effect of different heights of crewneck. Just as with the colla...
The height of knitwear: why necklines matter
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Cheers John...
Casual chic: The art of looking smart without a suit
Connolly I often find there's a lot of anxiety among readers, and consultancy clients, about how to dress smartly without tailoring. It is, of course, a topic we've addressed many times. But today I'd like to emphasise a point that’s often mi...
Casual chic: The art of looking smart without a suit
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I do both Tamesh, sometimes mixing it up and sometimes wearing much more similar pieces together...
The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2020 – fea...
The headline news in this season’s round-up is the launch of Anglo-Italian cloth . That’s right, the shop that does MTM tailoring is also selling cloth that customers can take elsewhere to have made. The move was spurred, according to ...
The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2020 – fea...
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Probably not Dennis to be honest, the reception of them generally wasn't that great, and 90% of the questions I get are about classic cloths rather than seasonal ones, or new unusual bunches. There's probably a better ar...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
I think L'Étiquette is the best menswear magazine in the world at the moment. The main reason is its ability to cover bespoke tailoring and high-street casual - Caraceni and Converse - in a way that feels both easy and relevant. This applies ...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
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Hi. If someone wants to flaneur, let him flaneur away. I agree that Mr. Barnes is ever seeking his perfect imperfection. All power to him. Everyone has to have their passion or quest. Mine is finding the perfect thifted ...
The weekend capsule wardrobe
A weekend wardrobe can be a particular challenge for guys that care about their clothes. It should be relaxed and easy – not requiring much thought, and a nice change from the working week – yet cover a wide array of activities...
The weekend capsule wardrobe
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No, sorry Max...
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...
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...
The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2018
This is the second post we've done highlighting our favourite cloths from new seasonal bunches. The first, on Spring/Summer 2018, is here. Unfortunately the bunches come in late in the season, but there's still probably time to use these recommendat...
The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2018
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Thanks!...
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!...
The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2018
Great as our Guide to Cloth series is, it deliberately doesn’t recommend specific cloths in specific bunches. This is largely because bunches change regularly (sometimes every six months) and if we did, the Guide would quickly be out of date. ...
The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2018
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It depends a lot on the trouser. With high-twist wools, no. With flannel or tailoring cottons, yes quite a lot...
Finest Knitwear available again – in navy a...
Our Finest Knitwear, which we created earlier this year, is back in a second batch with a new colour. Alongside the navy fine-merino knitwear - in crewneck and V-neck - there is now also a dark, muted green that I picked for its versatility. Both ar...
Finest Knitwear available again – in navy a...
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How wonderful, thanks for letting me know Michael...
Our Autumn knitwear Top 10
The survey we did of Spring/Summer pieces in the shops was very popular back in June. This Autumn/Winter, therefore, we thought we’d do two separate ones - the first (today) on winter knitwear, and the second on casual winter coats. As with th...
Our Autumn knitwear Top 10
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Hi Sebastian, Bear in mind that Scott & Charters was unusual in selling direct to retail as a mill, and I think over time they've proven why, as it's a hard model for a factory to do if they don't invest in the retail si...
The cap
If styled right, a cap is a wonderfully useful accessory. Not as formal as a fedora, yet not as casual as a beanie, it can bridge a greater range of outfits than any other hat. When the temperature is in single figures, and your lack of hair makes a...
The cap
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No worries Jay, no post is ever too old! It depends a bit on what else you wear, but I guess a dark-grey or mid-grey herringbone perhaps? Something with a little pattern but not too much, in a conservative colour, and pr...
Your next sports jacket: Oatmeal cashmere from El...
This pale, oatmeal-coloured cashmere is my new favourite sports-jacket material. When men are picking colours for sports jackets, their second choice (after the obviousness of navy) is usually grey. Which can be great, in: a rougher, preppy herrin...
Your next sports jacket: Oatmeal cashmere from El...
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I think that could like nice Wes, yes, in the right cut/style of jacket....
Interview: Pier-Luigi Loro Piana
Long-time readers will know how much of a fan I am of Loro Piana. In particular, of their marked commitment to quality compared to other designers – even if that comes with the same big-brand prices. I’ve worn their blousons, gilets...
Interview: Pier-Luigi Loro Piana
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It's always a pleasure...
Double-breasted checks, and cream trousers
A couple of readers commented on the collar of my Anderson & Sheppard suit in our recent video, ‘How to look after your suit’. A&S have always cut a particularly thick collar (1.75 inches at the back for me), an...
Double-breasted checks, and cream trousers
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Thank you, most helpful...
