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 r...

This summer suit from Sartoria Cornacchia was made for me last year, and I would like to apologise for the delay in covering it. I didn’t get around to shooting the suit until the end of the Summer; events and the pop-...

Six years ago, we began a collaboration to create a perfect polo-collar sweater, called the Dartmoor. It was made by John Smedley, was popular with readers, and sold out several times. Since then, unfortunately, Smedley ...

In previous installments in this series, we analysed what could be considered the modern Neapolitan style (a Solito jacket) and the traditional one (a Ciardi suit). Next, we look at how different elements of these can be...

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 Hi...

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 ...

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...

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...

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....

Naples has the biggest concentration of high-end handmade menswear in the world. Although not so much for shoes, for tailoring and shirtmaking this is the motherlode, with hundreds of tailors in the city and surrounding ...

A slightly smaller set of reviews in the brand round-up this month, with more focus on the details. Rubinacci suit carrier, £1200 therake.com/brands/rubinacci/bags First up is this leather suit carrier - or garment bag ...

In recent months a few readers have asked for a breakdown of how I built my wardrobe - my plans, my process and my lessons learned. Doing so across all types of garment and even styles would produce a very long, unwieldy...

I know I've written about green and pink a few times before. I could find one old post with a little flower illustration, but there must be more. Perhaps it's the fog of Christmas food and wine clouding my mind.  In any...

Although some of the products aren't to my taste, I always keep an eye on what The Rake are doing in terms of collaborations. It's interesting to see a clear vision move through different brands and categories.  One t...

I’ve had a few questions from readers as to my views on The Rake’s new collaborations – products that the magazine started selling on its site a couple of months ago.  I’ve seen most of them first hand, indeed...

A capsule collection has many uses. When you travel for long periods, for example, you want a small but versatile collection of clothes that has a large number of permutations, and suits different occasions. And if you c...

Milan is the centre of the men’s fashion industry, yet as far as style is concerned, there are surprisingly few shops worth visiting. Via Montenapoleone, Via Della Spiga and the roads that run between them are all ple...

A couple of weeks ago when we showed the pictures from our Tailoring Symposium at Pitti, a reader asked if there were any images of Wei Koh’s suit. I had mentioned that the founder of The Rake was wearing a Rubinacci...

In the spirit of our recent posts on assembling outfits, here’s the process that put this one together. Originating idea: I’ve always liked the way this pale, silk tie from Ralph Lauren goes with my Rubinacci cashme...

Four things contribute most to the formality of an outfit: shine, darkness, contrast and desaturation. We see all four of them in formal outfits such as black tie. Dark black or midnight blue is contrasted against stark ...

At the BTBA party last month I wanted to try wearing my tobacco-linen jacket separately. It is part of a suit of course, but it was commissioned from Sastreria Langa in Madrid with a ‘shirt’ sleeve and patch pockets ...

Dear Simon,  Following your Calvo de Mora combination [above] What are your general guidelines to wearing a black necktie? Most of the time I see it paired with the classic ensemble of white shirt with a grey jacket/gre...

The crossover between denim and tailoring is an interesting one. The appeal is perfectly understandable: like tight fits, short jackets or bracelets, it reflects a desire to undermine the conservative preconceptions of s...

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 ...

In an age where suits no longer dominate the workplace, more and more men are wearing separate jackets and trousers. But while the dress code is more relaxed, the outfit is suddenly more complicated. There is much broade...