The seven shirts I ordered last year
We don't talk about shirt commissions that often on Permanent Style, unlike suits or coats or shoes. But I steadily add a handful every year, on top of the PS ones we make up like the Madras or Ramie . The choices tend to be a mix of remaking old f...
The seven shirts I ordered last year
Match in comments:
Oh good, so lovely to hear Gez...
Why I love my Ferdinando Caraceni blazer
This jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni has become one of my real favourites in the past couple of years, and I think it’s worth exploring why. It says something about where tailoring is today, at least for me. It was made in 2021 by Nicoletta C...
Why I love my Ferdinando Caraceni blazer
Match in comments:
Hey JJ, I have visited actually, and they have some nice things in there. I will be covering them soon. My review of their MTM jacket for me was actually not bad at all, it was just some lack of transparency over product...
The Simone Abbarchi workshop, in a little street,...
I know shirtmaker Simone Abbarchi has a lot of PS customers in London and New York. They might like to know - and see - where their shirts are made. It’s a little workshop about 10 minutes drive outside of Florence. Simone arrives every morni...
The Simone Abbarchi workshop, in a little street,...
Match in comments:
Yes...
Summer Top 10: Polos, more polos, and espadrilles
I wasn’t going to do a ‘high summer’ version of our seasonal Top 10. After all, the spring edition back in April included such things as panama hats and boat shoes. But everyone’s stock has been arriving so late that the int...
Summer Top 10: Polos, more polos, and espadrilles
Match in comments:
I haven't, no...
Reader profile: Patrick
Patrick Dawson is a retired news correspondent, now living in London. During his career he worked for ABC, CNN and NBC and covered the Balkans War from Kosovo, the Gulf War from Kuwait, and was the first NBC correspondent on the ground during 9/11. ...
Reader profile: Patrick
Match in comments:
Patrick always exhibited class and elegance in his dress style while working as a reporter in NYC. Neat, precise, and understated....
Reader profile: Ben C
I’ve known Ben for a long time now. He worked round the corner from me during my journalism days, and we were both customers of visiting artisans like Elia Caliendo and Simone Abbarchi. We even did a shoot together for Elia years ago. Ben and ...
Reader profile: Ben C
Match in comments:
Love the semi-casual....
New black bullskin tote, and angled DBs
A new black version of our bullhide tote, a collaboration with Frank Clegg, goes on sale today. It’s available on the Frank Clegg site (not ours) alongside a restock of the dark brown. I shot some pictures of it with Alex last week, and it re...
New black bullskin tote, and angled DBs
Match in comments:
For some combinations of those things, no it would be fine. But probably not for all of them. Eg black jeans, nice ecru knit, white tennis shoes, would be lovely with it. But less so blue jeans and an old T-shirt. So it'...
My shirt collars
When we published our recent article on the types and styles of shirt collars , a reader requested a follow-up piece on the precise dimensions of what I wear. In fact, this has come up a few times over the years, particularly as we’ve talked...
My shirt collars
Match in comments:
Yes, it's often something I play about with during an appointment with a bespoke maker. It can work affectively - buttons tend to be set the same for different sizes of shirt even, but of course we are all quite differen...
The cream shirt
There is a certain type of gentleman who swears by the cream shirt. Who argues passionately for its elegance over that boring, corporate alternative: white. When I say there is a type, I am basing this on three men, all of an older generation, who ...
The cream shirt
Match in comments:
Yes I think you can - most of the time people don't even notice it's not white. I think it's as versatile as white too, so navy, grey, charcoal are all good...
Introducing: The Madras linen
There is a certain preponderance among men to order bespoke shirts in loud checks. This must be the case, because most patterned materials offered for bespoke are bright and loud. Even though the ones available in a mill’s full collection - o...
Introducing: The Madras linen
Match in comments:
a plus one from me to bring it back!...
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
Although I love rich, natural colours (particularly in Autumn) I've always been fascinated by the subtleties of monochrome dressing. It has such strong style, and yet there is so little too it. It's striking and unusual, and yet quiet. These photo...
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
Match in comments:
No worries Daniel. Dark-brown suede could be fine - rather like black jeans, when they're faded and have enough of that casual vibe as your charcoal linen sounds like it has, they work well. Also, I'd encourage you to co...
Florence: A sartorial shopping guide
Florence is best known as a tourist destination in the summer – the Uffizi, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio – and a menswear hub in January and June, when it plays host to the men’s trade show Pitti Uomo. But it has enough ...
Florence: A sartorial shopping guide
Match in comments:
Bought a belt at Scuola di Cuoio and their pricing is surprisingly attractive, considering they produce locally and there is no designer brand premium. They have everything from luggage, (women‘s) bags, leather jackets...
Escorial jacket: The modernity of muted colours
There are many ways in which you can make a sartorial outfit look younger or more modern. Extremes are always wrong: very short jackets, big puffy shoulders. They just look trendy, for a bit. But aside from the extremes, I would argue proportions...
Escorial jacket: The modernity of muted colours
Match in comments:
I think that might be right, it was a hard one to photograph...
The in-between (pub, weekend) jacket from Stile L...
As on Wednesday, so today. A piece made to measure by Neapolitan brand Stile Latino, with similar attractions. As with the completely unstructured coat we featured on Wednesday, this jacket is: An effective bridge between the formal and the casua...
The in-between (pub, weekend) jacket from Stile L...
Match in comments:
A fantastic looking jacket. I love the ease. The look is incredibly relaxed and comfortable. Would you or any readers know of ready to wear brands that might make something similar in a hunter, rifle, or rich moss green?...
Simone Abbarchi shirt fitting
When I brought my shirt from Simone Abbarchi back to him in June (or rather his assistant, Gianluca) we ended up making quite a few changes. This may be a cause for concern, though I will reserve judgment. I had had one fitting originally, in a t...
Simone Abbarchi shirt fitting
Match in comments:
There isn't anything on that specifically on shirts Harry. It's also less consistent with shirt makers than with tailoring. But usually it means you're working from an existing shirt pattern, yes, so some small changes w...
Simone Abbarchi – finished bespoke shirt
It’s probably worth saying this once more. These images are merely indicative. They are intended to give a general impression of the shirt (a lovely grey from Simone Abbarchi). They are not intended to be the basis of an assessment of the fi...
Simone Abbarchi – finished bespoke shirt
Match in comments:
Sure, thanks, Simon....
Grey cashmere and brown flannel: Caraceni and Abb...
Last week’s explanation of how I put an outfit together seemed to be popular, so let’s try that again. This outfit is simpler than last week’s. There are fewer colours, there’s no tie to worry about, the handkerchief is pla...
Grey cashmere and brown flannel: Caraceni and Abb...
Match in comments:
Yes, I'd start with brown as the safest, then try something that is similar, like olive, and only occasionally look for something with more contrast that was a harmonious colour...
Simone Abbarchi shirts, Florence
Simone Abbarchi is a Florence-based shirtmaker that has made for my friend Tommaso Capozzoli for a long time. He has always said that they have a very good relationship between price and quality, and he’s right. Simone’s made-...
Simone Abbarchi shirts, Florence
Match in comments:
More like 180 for MTM and 240 for bespoke these days....
Grey shirts with grey suits, at Milan launch
Last week was the official launch of the Permanent Style book, with an event in Milan hosted by Vitale Barberis Canonico and A Caraceni. I was interviewed by the fashion editor of La Repubblica, Simone Marchetti, about my history and views on cont...
Grey shirts with grey suits, at Milan launch
Match in comments:
They remind me of school uniform but I have several now including a French cuffed Etro number and a button down from Santillo, both of which work well as suggested with a vintage grey tie from Hardy Amies in wool or a kn...
