Spring/Summer Top 10 ’23: Shirts, shorts an...
It may still be cold outside (in the UK), but it’s late April and time for a write-up of the Spring/Summer pieces I’ve liked from our favourite brands. If you have any questions about other releases from these brands (or indeed brands n...
Spring/Summer Top 10 ’23: Shirts, shorts an...
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I haven't, sorry Shem. I wouldn't worry too much about the wool, it can be nice to give some performance and body to cotton. But hard to say much about the make or fit remotely...
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...
Expressing yourself: How to dress like Milad Abedi
The photographer Milad Abedi is someone whose style I’ve liked for a long time, but in a quiet way. Whenever we’ve shot together I’ve been interested in what he’s wearing and found something I liked, but he wasn...
Expressing yourself: How to dress like Milad Abedi
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Thank you very much Simon for the quick response as always!...
Some interesting Pitti picks: Mixing patterns, la...
As we did last year, during Pitti I picked out a few people and outfits that I really liked, but that could have been missed - because they’re not Ethan, Jake or Tatsuya Nakamura. They’re deliberately a mix of smart and casual, tailoring...
Some interesting Pitti picks: Mixing patterns, la...
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Does anyone happen to know where the tie that Christopher Berii is wearing comes from. I just love it...
Proportions and high/low: Lessons from womenswear
By André Larnyoh The world of women’s fashion is huge. In variety, scope and scale, it towers above menswear. Yet, usually, men keep women’s styling at arm’s length, because it seems so different to what we know, and because...
Proportions and high/low: Lessons from womenswear
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I think there's a key point here, André. There's a fine line between loose fit and too big, just as there is with slim vs skinny/too right....
Crowley Vintage: Shopping a look
Crowley Vintage is a vintage shop in Brooklyn, New York with a more particular angle than most. We’ve talked in the past about different types of vintage - those that focus on older or newer, on rarity or thrift - but there are few that focus...
Crowley Vintage: Shopping a look
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I find the missing price tags baffling and an instant turn-off. It makes me feel like the shop keeper is sizing you up, ever in the lookout for the next sucker....
Autumn/Winter picks 2022: J Press, RM Williams, A...
L’Impermeabile gilet, at John Simons £435 This lightly waxed gilet, particularly in the pale beige colour, is reminiscent of the Eddie Bauer style that has become popular in recent years. It’s 100% cotton on the outside though, whi...
Autumn/Winter picks 2022: J Press, RM Williams, A...
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Dear Simon, I'm surely not the only one who's been waiting for that R.M. Williams deep dive! I've been in the market for a Chelsea and I cannot decide between RM and Carmina to try, so I'll need your help I guess!:D Than...
The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender
It’s that time of the year again. Brands have been receiving all the spring clothing they ordered last year, even though they weren’t quite sure whether it would arrive, or be swallowed by an unexpected lockdown. So rejoice, there are n...
The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender
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Thank you for pointing out carrier company. The jacket was not for me but I came across the fisherman’s jumper. A robust navy roll neck with raglan sleeves - I has been looking for one like this with raglan sleeves for...
A guide to piqué cotton polo shirts
By Manish Puri Whilst the recent sun in London has brought a sugar rush of excitement for the warmer days that lie ahead, it also brings a more troubling, recurring question: how do I usually dress for summer? It shouldn’t be difficult to answ...
A guide to piqué cotton polo shirts
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Thank you....
Behind the scenes: The design work at Ralph Lauren
I don’t think consumers value design that much any more. They concentrate on price and (more justifiable) quality, but design often gets swamped by hype. What is fashionable rather than what’s well-designed. A large part of the reason is...
Behind the scenes: The design work at Ralph Lauren
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Wow… what a scumbag. Interesting in the article he owed money to owner (now deceased) of Manolo Blahnik - the same guy who was evicting Andre Leon Talley from his white plains home. I guess he helped him start up his b...
Outfits I got wrong
Everyone gets stuff wrong. We all have outfits we look back on years later, and cringe. Fortunately, I believe this is something where you learn and progress. It is not a cycle of fashions, where every few years you wear something different, and di...
Outfits I got wrong
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yes I would Jack...
My Summer shoes
Shoes can be one of the trickiest areas for clothing in the summer. Unless we require a jacket, it’s pretty simple to wear a well-cut polo shirt on top and drapey linen trousers on the bottom, and stay cool. But shoes are always re...
My Summer shoes
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I'd disagree slightly Mark. Although the Suit Supply version is much more clearly a copy, all these brands are offering the shoe because the Loro Piana has been so popular. And I do think most people that support good me...
Lockdown looks: What I really wore at home
Every day, when I get dressed, there is something new I’m interested in wearing. Not necessarily new clothing, but a new outfit, a new combination of colours, perhaps a mixing of styles. And sometimes just a combination that feels new, becaus...
Lockdown looks: What I really wore at home
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It's hard sometimes to quantify precisely, because of the combination of gauge and ply - the gauge meaning it might be chunky hard but it's more loosely put together. Our shawl is a little like that....
The unexpected inspiration of Ralph Lauren womens...
Something that I find often surprises readers is how much the brands they admire are influenced by womenswear. It’s a topic we discussed briefly with Saman Amel last year, with Dag and Saman talking about old collections that inspired them, m...
The unexpected inspiration of Ralph Lauren womens...
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Great recommendation. Thanks Jeldrik...
Don your highborn cloak: Ralph Lauren, saviour?
I recently finished reading In His Own Fashion , the official biography of Ralph Lauren, which Alan Flusser kindly gave me last year. I’d recommend it to anyone - it’s both interesting as a history of fashion in the past 50 years, and i...
Don your highborn cloak: Ralph Lauren, saviour?
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RLPL and Ollie Edwards! At first, my wife used to give me odd looks when she saw me looking at numerous and numerous pics of those two. 😀 Now she's used to it and actually sends me a link every time she finds somethin...
Light relief: Jamie’s clothes and style
OK, so. Friend and photographer Jamie Ferguson has been locked up indoors for weeks, as we all have. And he’s gone a bit stir crazy. We had started talking a while ago about shoots we could do remotely. Perhaps looking at a few out...
Light relief: Jamie’s clothes and style
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Good morning..Jamie is having fun ...being well dressed..bravo!!! Peace...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
Last week the weather in London turned from 12 degrees to 22 in a couple of days. It seems that what passes for the English Spring is finally here. Of course, with most shops and brands Spring/Summer collections arrived in February, and went on sale...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
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Did you see Manish's guide on places we like for RTW trousers? Most of those places do linen as well. The comments are useful too...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2018
Last week a friend in the industry asked me what aspect of writing Permanent Style I like the most. It is always, easily, discovering a new tailor, cloth or product that is different and inspiring. That journey from discovering something new, to see...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2018
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Hey Gab, They have aged pretty well, yes, though I'd say Aspesi is generally a good Italian brand but not the best quality around. The materials in the polo were good, but there was nothing that special about the make. I...
Five paradigms of casual clothing: Which do you w...
Although casual clothing is far more susceptible to fashions than tailored clothing, it is possible to organize it into certain groups, or paradigms. These groups, such as preppy clothing or workwear, often have their roots in particular parts of th...
Five paradigms of casual clothing: Which do you w...
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No Cormac, by primary I mean pieces that are core to that look, that really define it. By secondary, I mean ones that go well with it, are often worn with it, but that are perhaps more general or shared with other styles...
Saman Amel made-to-measure jacket: Review
It’s so enjoyable writing good reviews. It is valuable to write balanced, semi-critical pieces of course, and this is a core part of Permanent Style. But you always feel very conscious of the effect the criticism will have, and bad even if it&...
Saman Amel made-to-measure jacket: Review
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Thank you, that helped a lot....
Brands need to talk about product
There are several ways to define the menswear world we write about. As classic style, for instance, or about quality and craft. Also as luxury, given such quality is expensive. But one aspect that is rarely emphasised, and should be more in my opini...
Brands need to talk about product
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Well, my main point was, that the quality is often not there. I don't have an issue with paying a premium price for a premium product, but I won't pay it for an average or even below average product. Here's an example: R...
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...
Anglo-Italian denim and Ralph Lauren cardigan
Rather a contrast this to Wednesday's post on dressing for hot weather. But it's good to look ahead to Autumn (God I'm looking forward to it - the coats, the knitwear, the hats!). And it's nice to be able to write about something that's actually in...
Anglo-Italian denim and Ralph Lauren cardigan
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It's a mix of two things: the cut I find a little too slim and tapered now, and the washes I don't like that much - they feel a bit too artificial. I'd go with raw denim and wear them in yourself....
Summer colours: Tobacco and tan
Shades of tobacco and tan are one of the loveliest things to wear in the Summer. As the weather warms up, I've put together three outfits here - all somewhere in the 5 to 7 formality range - that illustrate this. They are displayed on my wonderf...
Summer colours: Tobacco and tan
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That bunch is no longer current I'm afraid (as with pretty much all cloths older than 2 or 3 years). Most still carry a natural or biscuit-coloured version however...
The suede blouson for travel
Blousons come in many shapes and sizes, but they are united by a short length, fuller body and collar. Blousons work particularly well with higher-waisted tailored trousers, and for that reason make a great casual alternative to a tailored jacket. ...
The suede blouson for travel
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I wouldn't wear it with indigo jeans, no, though most of these might be a little smart for that anyway. I wouldn't wear olive that way either. If that's the look you want, you're better looking at the RRL western options...
