Reader profile: Sebastian

November 24th 2023

Sebastian has an interesting story - a clothing story with distinct phases. He’s a long-term reader (just over 10 years) and has worn many different styles, many different brands. But he's another PS reader in essence - always a little similar...

Reader profile: Sebastian

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Most classic menswear brands will not offer discounts and often don't go on sale...

Coats - JacketsNovember 24th 2023

An Hermes silk scarf with all navy

January 30th 2023

Long-term readers will be familiar with my passion for Hermes silk scarves, which I’ve often bought over the years as a treat, and of which I now have a small collection (nine of them, since you ask). I’ve found particular enjoyment thi...

An Hermes silk scarf with all navy

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Yes, that would be nice PA. Nice size for that...

Hanks and scarvesJanuary 30th 2023

Reader profile: David E

December 19th 2022

David is an example of a reader that has been into clothes for a long time, and now looks back on it from the perspective of a professional and father, fitting that interest into a life that has changed dramatically. A resident of south-east London...

Reader profile: David E

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That’s very encouraging. May give him a commission soon. Many thanks Lindsay...

StyleDecember 19th 2022

Playing around with white bucks

August 4th 2021

During sunny weather in the past few weeks, I've been playing around with these old shoes from Lodger, the shoe shop that used to be on Clifford Street in London, and where I first started writing about menswear . The shoes were a recreation of a 1...

Playing around with white bucks

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I have two pair of white BUCS. One is Nunn Bush and is a Derby style. The second is by Churches. It is a wingtips style. I have a Sperry trainer in white canvas. I think I am well represented here. I like my white shoes ...

Shoes - StyleAugust 4th 2021

Layering and accessories for cold Spring days

May 7th 2021

Back when these things were possible, I remember an American friend visiting in the Spring and asking: “How on earth do you dress for this weather? I can see my breath in the morning, but my midday I’m roasting and can barely wear a jack...

Layering and accessories for cold Spring days

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I don't think so, no. Though it's also one to think yourself - if you saw someone wearing one around where you are, would it look odd to you?...

StyleMay 7th 2021

Navy jacket and jeans (with recommended cloths)

August 5th 2020

A few readers asked in our recent Complete Capsule posts about the kind of navy jacket I mentioned, that would work with jeans as well as flannels. So I thought I’d shoot this example from Solito, which Luigi made me last year but which I've ...

Navy jacket and jeans (with recommended cloths)

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I would Ciardi, Pirozzi and Ettore de Cesare probably. The softness won't vary much, the thing to watch out for is just getting a very natural shoulder - no roping at all in the sleevehead...

StyleAugust 5th 2020

Two reader stories: Starting and building a wardrobe

January 21st 2019

  In recent years I’ve done an increasing amount of personal consultancy, meeting readers in person to answer their questions rather than just here on the website. I don’t really advertise it because I don’t have much capac...

Two reader stories: Starting and building a wardrobe

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I would be confident enough to trust in Luca making a more formal shirt suitable for a bow tie. What attracts me to Luca is that there are no minimum number of shirts for a first bespoke commission with him. T&A, if ...

January 21st 2019

Solito summer jacket: Style breakdown

December 24th 2018

The next area we move onto in our Style Breakdown series is Naples – which might have more high-end bespoke tailors than anywhere else in the world. Neapolitan tailoring is known for its soft jackets, with light shoulder padding and chest c...

Solito summer jacket: Style breakdown

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Probably not much more than you've already said, but you could emphasise that you want to feel very comfortable, to see more drape in the material, or perhaps that you'd like to be able to wear a sweater underneath it so...

JacketsDecember 24th 2018

Finest Knitwear available again – in navy a...

October 25th 2017

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...

October 25th 2017

Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...

September 20th 2017

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 take time, but I wou...

Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...

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I don't know the exact history, but I think it came from English tweed jackets which themselves were derived from those made for riding...

Black tie - CoatsSeptember 20th 2017

What I pack when I travel

July 19th 2017

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. Of course, an...

What I pack when I travel

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I highly recommend the unlined Duke from EG. Supremely comfortable and stylish, if you like a more classic / robust shape than B&L and something more substantial than the Polperro. I have a lovely biscuit coloured pa...

Bags - Casual clothingJuly 19th 2017

Naples: A sartorial shopping guide

July 12th 2017

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 region, and thousands working ...

Naples: A sartorial shopping guide

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Probably not, but worth asking the maker if they can perhaps prepare a fitting for you in that time, so you can be fitted and have the finished shirt sent to you...

July 12th 2017

Wearing black (in a sports jacket)

June 26th 2017

I recently remembered these shots we took last year in Japan - it was September, but Tokyo was hot and humid, as Europe has been in recent weeks. Although wool, the checked jacket is 9 ounces and half lined, wearing pretty cool. It was a useful piec...

Wearing black (in a sports jacket)

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It was about black in the pattern, rather than being completely black. To be honest I'd avoid a black jacket. It will make bold colours and patterns look stronger if anything. Grey is best at neutralising those. And navy...

Jackets - StyleJune 26th 2017

Cavalry twill for trousers

March 22nd 2017

Finding the right material for odd trousers - those worn with sports jackets rather than suits - is not easy. The kind of smooth, worsted cloths you're used to wearing as part of a suit are too sleek and formal. Many cottons, particularly garment-w...

Cavalry twill for trousers

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Yes - a little smart, but they work well...

TrousersMarch 22nd 2017

Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits

January 26th 2017

As mentioned in my original post about this reader competition, our aim was to explore the different forms formalwear can take today. Men will always have a need to dress up, in order to appear appropriately for a smarter, more important and more f...

Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits

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I wore my Cleverley imitation brogues. I don't think there's anything wrong with Oliver's trousers - they are just breaking a bit more at the front as a result of how he is standing. I also wouldn't go with turn-ups, bot...

Black tieJanuary 26th 2017

Building a wardrobe: Neapolitan tailoring

January 6th 2017

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 piece, so I thought I would ...

Building a wardrobe: Neapolitan tailoring

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My quintessential piece of advice for anyone considering going to a Neapolitan tailor is: make sure you are going to a Neapolitan tailor because you like the style and not because it is cheaper than Savile Row. If you go...

JacketsJanuary 6th 2017

Wearing a grey linen shirt – or the virtues...

October 28th 2016

A style post today, after several product and profile pieces in recent weeks. To break it down into bullets: I love grey shirts, primarily with navy suits or jackets as an alternative to white and blue. It feels urban and modern The problem is, wit...

Wearing a grey linen shirt – or the virtues...

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It would probably be too smart I would think...

StyleOctober 28th 2016

Colour combinations, from casual to formal

May 31st 2016

The colour combinations that we discuss every week in regards to formal wear, can be applied just as readily to casual wear. Although there will always be elements that don't crossover (such as the immense versatility of denim) a lot of the themes ...

Colour combinations, from casual to formal

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It is, yes, though I haven't tried others so I'm not sure how much longer other ones are I'm afraid...

Casual clothing - DenimMay 31st 2016

Escorial jacket: The modernity of muted colours

April 4th 2016

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

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I think it would look great in either, and no, I really don't think a cut always looks better in any particular fabric - just different. Eg a fine worsted is more formal and arguably suits a sharper cut. But there is som...

Jackets - StyleApril 4th 2016

Which office are you? (Or, a sliding scale of for...

February 15th 2016

Dressing well is as much about propriety as it is about style, quality or personality. This is particularly true at work, where there are often prescriptions, or at least expectations, about professionalism and clothing. I have often talked over ...

Which office are you? (Or, a sliding scale of for...

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Understand your pain. Same here in Chicago, most I can do is 4; I usually do 3/4. Too junior to go to 5....

Shoes - StyleFebruary 15th 2016

Scarf outfits: Solito, Cifonelli, Anderson &...

January 18th 2016

Several readers asked what I was wearing in the video we produced recently for Begg & Co scarves. So here they are, one by one. In the jacket shots, above: Navy cashmere jacket by Solito. Not a great level of finish, but one of the most u...

Scarf outfits: Solito, Cifonelli, Anderson &...

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The stitching can be a little loose and irregular - I've had linings come loose for example, though they were then repaired. And buttonholes etc aren't that fine...

StyleJanuary 18th 2016

Video: The Tailoring Symposium

January 5th 2016

  Ahead of our next Symposium in Florence next week – focusing on accessories – here’s a reminder of the tailoring edition I organised last summer. The Rake organised this video of our discussion beforehand, at ...

Video: The Tailoring Symposium

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Thanks Irv, lovely to hear...

VideoJanuary 5th 2016

Checked jackets and accessories

September 7th 2015

This was taken during a recent photo shoot for Plaza Uomo magazine in Sweden. I think the only time I have shown the jacket before I wore it open-necked (blue shirt and navy crew neck, with charcoal trousers). It is not an easy pattern to accessor...

Checked jackets and accessories

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The green plaid is 9/10 ounce I believe. A little too light, as you say, but I really liked the design. The navy cashmere was a touch heavier...

Jackets - StyleSeptember 7th 2015

Luca and Luigi in New York

September 4th 2015

New York will be getting its first visit from shirtmaker Luca Avitabile and tailor Luigi Solito in a couple of weeks, which I know will be welcome news for readers that have watched their pieces on PS for the past couple of years. Details are bel...

Luca and Luigi in New York

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Fused. As noted elsewhere, it's what I prefer...

September 4th 2015

Hopsack blazer: the perfect summer jacket

May 29th 2015

This Caliendo hopsack blazer was completed earlier in the year and is now fast becoming the most useful item in my wardrobe. Just like the Solito cashmere blazer I had made for Autumn/Winter last year, it is thrown on with everything: with a shirt ...

Hopsack blazer: the perfect summer jacket

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No I haven't, sorry...

JacketsMay 29th 2015