Shopping in person at Marrkt, York

March 11th 2022

I was in York last week. It’s where my wife grew up, and I’ve been dozens of times over the years, though not for the past three or four. The centre has a lot more closed shops since Covid; it’s quite sad. But I did notice one big ...

Shopping in person at Marrkt, York

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Quite a few people have Greg, yes, it comes up a fair bit. They're not always great on their communications. I'm sure you noted this, but it does take something like 4-6 weeks for payment, as they have to allow the purch...

Casual clothing - ShirtsMarch 11th 2022

Blouson, chore, or leather jacket? An exercise in...

June 7th 2021

Three years ago, I wrote an article called ‘ Five paradigms of casual clothing ’, which attempted a rough division of informal men’s clothing into different styles. It was an interesting exercise. The categories were necessarily ve...

Blouson, chore, or leather jacket? An exercise in...

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Oh good...

Casual clothingJune 7th 2021

Seraphin made-to-order project with Connolly

October 29th 2019

*UPDATE: The offer has now launched, and the jackets are available to order in the Connolly shop, or by phone, until December 10th. Sizes and measurements of the jacket are included at the bottom of this post. Sleeve lengths can be altered. If you w...

Seraphin made-to-order project with Connolly

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Sometimes, but the emphasis is much more on the materials, which are the best in the world...

Casual clothingOctober 29th 2019

Paris: A sartorial shopping guide – 2019 up...

July 22nd 2019

There are some interesting things going on in French menswear. Although France has generally been the poor cousin to Britain and Italy here, in the last 30 years it seemed to get worse. Most of the good shops closed (Old England, Arnys) and accordin...

Paris: A sartorial shopping guide – 2019 up...

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Thanks Stanislav, yes need to update these!...

July 22nd 2019

A Pitti diary: The experience, the brands, the pa...

June 19th 2019

Pitti is a long trade show: four full days, when most are usually three. As a result, by Friday everyone is exhausted, with selling, talking, and late dinners. Although it does depend on why you’re there. Most people fall into one of three gro...

A Pitti diary: The experience, the brands, the pa...

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Thanks. De Bonne Facture are lovely - not always my kind of style, but they make great pieces...

Bags - Casual clothingJune 19th 2019

Introducing: The Suit-Carrier Holdall

November 9th 2017

Although many of our collaborations have taken a while, this has been the hardest and most time-consuming ever. Perhaps because it is so different, and functionality so important. It is a bag and garment carrier in one - and it is called the Suit-Ca...

Introducing: The Suit-Carrier Holdall

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Good point Mike. I do use it a fair bit, but I travel with tailoring more than most people. I don't use it when I'm not carrying a suit/jacket...

BagsNovember 9th 2017

Chapal made-to-measure leather jacket, Paris

September 5th 2016

Fans of vintage clothing should love Chapal. They’re using the same leathers, the same linings, the same hardware they supplied to the French and US airforces 100 years ago. When I wrote about fellow French leather-specialist Seraphin earlier ...

Chapal made-to-measure leather jacket, Paris

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Both are good and I wouldn't say the quality difference is much. It's more a difference of style - I would only go with Chapal if there's a design of jacket or coat there you really like, and equally with Cromford. There...

Casual clothingSeptember 5th 2016

Seraphin leather jackets – factory visit

April 15th 2016

I love visiting factories. Always have done. The Best of British book made use of a lot of factory visits I did in the first five years of the blog – to Corgi, Dent’s, Sunspel etc. And The Finest Menswear in the World was a great ...

Seraphin leather jackets – factory visit

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Seraphin and Chapal are on the same level in terms of quality, but the style is very different - continental modern vs vintage military. Cromford not on the same quality level, and cover lots of styles. There are lots of...

Casual clothingApril 15th 2016

Seraphin leather jackets, Paris

March 9th 2016

France is blessed with some of the finest makers of leather jackets in the world. There are very few around Europe that retain their own manufacturing; and of those, most are low-volume makers that stand out for their traditional production method...

Seraphin leather jackets, Paris

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Wow, now that's value! Unfortunately on eBay people tend to know what they are and they go for rather more...

Casual clothingMarch 9th 2016