The (61) bespoke tailors I have known
This article has been updated every four years for the past 12 years. It was originally written in 2012, and has had new versions in 2016, 2020 and now 2024. The number of bespoke tailors we have tried and covered has increased, but the g...
The (61) bespoke tailors I have known
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Sorry for this very belated reply. I only discovered it today! No, I’ve never tried C&M or Sexton but I’d sincerely love to give them a try one day… budget permitting!!!! Steed experience was fairly good but I ...
Who are my favourite tailors? (Part two)
Please read part one of this article, here , before this one. Without that context, setting out my priorities, this summary will likely be misleading. Everyone is different, wants different things from bespoke, and simply gets on with people differ...
Who are my favourite tailors? (Part two)
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Hey Billy, I wouldn't say WW Chan was a bad experience at all. However, they probably were a little more passive than some, yes. I don't think this is necessarily bad, it will suit some customers, plus most tailors don't...
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
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Pat Dawson has -always- looked great. He and I competed in local news in NYC back in the late 80s, and even then he was the best-dressed man I knew. I'm not at all surprised it has continued....
The jackets I picked for winter
A couple of weeks ago, when our little Indian summer here in the UK came to an end, I started the process of switching my wardrobe around for colder weather. I keep winter sweaters, roll necks, coats and heavy tweeds stored in the attic, and slowly...
The jackets I picked for winter
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I had my colours done years ago, but to be honest I can't remember. As we discussed here, I'm not sure it's that useful On picking five, have you seen the articles on that subject in the Wardrobe Building guide?...
Adding interest to a navy blazer and grey trousers
We used to do a lot of posts called ‘ Reader questions’. Someone asked recently what happened to them. Well, we still do them - it’s just that the site is now so big that posts normally reflect a half dozen readers asking similar ...
Adding interest to a navy blazer and grey trousers
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It's a navy cashmere, covered in more detail here...
The formal tieless jacket – with Steven Hit...
How smart can you be without a suit or tie? Formality in tailoring is often discussed in terms of these two things. And it is true that wearing a suit rather than a jacket, and a tie rather than an open-necked shirt, will usually be smarter. But i...
The formal tieless jacket – with Steven Hit...
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They definitely lean in that direction, but it does depend a lot on the other things going on in the outfit - a white poplin shirt and a sharp grey trouser looks fine with a leather lace-up, but a denim shirt and olive f...
The guide to jacket pockets
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 realised we hadn&rsq...
The guide to jacket pockets
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Depends on the length of the jacket - on your size. It's also slightly a question of style, because the pockets usually look best when the top aligns with the second button, but that second button position depends on the...
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
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No probably not...
Wearing navy trousers as separates
I’ve generally cautioned in the past against wearing navy tailored trousers as separates, with a jacket. This is for a few reasons. First, I know from experience that it’s an option men often go for. They’re likely to already have...
Wearing navy trousers as separates
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I think grey and even dark brown still go with more things than navy, though it does help a lot if the navy is very dark....
Steven Hitchcock tweed jacket: Style Breakdown
Steven Hitchcock is perhaps still best known as the son of John Hitchcock, long the head cutter at Anderson & Sheppard. Steven trained there, and his style is similar to A&S. But it’s not quite the drape cut that A&...
Steven Hitchcock tweed jacket: Style Breakdown
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Thanks so much for the very valuable advice, Simon!...
Introducing: Striped PS Oxford cloth
The traditional, nubby oxford fabric we developed last year has proved so popular that we’ve decided to introduce another option. It’s a little unusual in another way though, beyond the robust, textured yarn. It’s an off-white and ...
Introducing: Striped PS Oxford cloth
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Cheers Will...
Charcoal donegal-tweed jacket – from Steven...
Charcoal is a surprisingly useful colour in an odd jacket. Great with muted tones of tan, green or brown, it's also dark enough to go with lighter grey flannels. And charcoal is my favourite colour to wear with cream trousers. It tends to tone down ...
Charcoal donegal-tweed jacket – from Steven...
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I think I'd probably go with belt loops, you're right. It's really a question of what style you want though - side adjustors would be beautiful but smarter and a little more unusual...
Sky-blue tweed jacket from Steven Hitchock
A couple of readers e-mailed yesterday to ask about the jacket I was wearing in the images of visiting Simonnot-Godard. It is the jacket I had made by Steven Hitchcock back in 2012 - a sky-blue tweed from Holland & Sherry's Harris Tweed bun...
Sky-blue tweed jacket from Steven Hitchock
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Yes, a muted colour in a brown or green would be nice...
Trousers to wear with grey jackets – Reader...
Hello Simon I am struggling with a lighter grey jacket like in your Caliendo denim post, or a navy jacket. Are they really that versatile to be the top 2 odd jacket colours? (As you mentioned in your oatmeal jacket post.) What are the trouser colou...
Trousers to wear with grey jackets – Reader...
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Very helpful, thanks!...
Steven Hitchcock fitting: Let the tailor cut his ...
I return to the drape style with recognisable regularity. For those without a big chest – and not that bothered about big, wide shoulders – it is a very flattering shape. Many also forget how slim it is usually cut through the ...
Steven Hitchcock fitting: Let the tailor cut his ...
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I think it would, if you still want a flattering silhouette but don't want especially big shoulders. I'd go for Steven myself, and I know A&S make things for the King still, but I don't know who made that suit in particu...
Reflections on bespoke 2: J Panther, Tom Davies a...
My last ‘reflections on bespoke’ post back in January was very popular. Readers seemed to respond to the assessment of bespoke commissions with the wisdom of hindsight, and I have to say I sympathise. Here, then, are five more, ...
Reflections on bespoke 2: J Panther, Tom Davies a...
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A tiny bit of room with some side straps......
How to buy my first bespoke suit – reader q...
Dear Simon, In a couple of months time I will be 21. This is clearly an important time in one’s life, in my case particularly as I will also be undertaking the purchase of my first bespoke suit. As a regular reader of your blog I’...
How to buy my first bespoke suit – reader q...
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Thanks Sam, great update, and great knowing how timeless this advice has been...
The style of cycling
Cycling has to be the most stylish sport in the world. It has such an elegant, innate rhythm, plus a deep design heritage, a unique culture, and some of the most beautiful settings in the world. I sat down recently with three of the leading lights at...
The style of cycling
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Probably not worth it Andrew, unfortunately....
The BTBA summer party
Friday was the Bespoke Tailors’ Benevolent Association (BTBA, new version of MTBA) summer ball. As per usual there was an eclectic range of outfits, from sober business dress to top hats, cream linen to sequins. Three Anderson & Shep...
The BTBA summer party
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No, I'm afraid not. It looks very similar to my W Bill linen though: http://www.permanentstyle.com/2014/07/spanish-tailors.html...
Women’s tailoring at Kathryn Sargent
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Women’s tailoring at Kathryn Sargent
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Thank you...
And so is Steven Hitchcock…
Just a reminder to those in the US that were interested in seeing Steven Hitchcock, following my recent series of pieces with this ex-Anderson & Sheppard cutter here. He will be in New York from this Sunday to Wednesday (20th to 23rd) with s...
And so is Steven Hitchcock…
Just a reminder to those in the US that were interested in seeing Steven Hitchcock, following my recent series of pieces with this ex-Anderson & Sheppard cutter here. He will be in New York from this Sunday to Wednesday ...
Steven Hitchcock – the final jacket
I picked up my final jacket and trousers from Steven Hitchcock last week. The result is a beautiful tweed jacket – light and comfortable but still with definite shape – and a wonderfully fitting pair of moleskins. Steven describes...
Steven Hitchcock – the final jacket
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Very few tailors do the back seam by hand, and I don't think Steven does on all his jackets either, but would have to check as it's been a while since this post....
Steven Hitchcock – the first fitting
This is the basted fitting on a tweed jacket and moleskin trousers from Steven Hitchcock, ex-Anderson & Sheppard cutter and now very successful in his own right. It is a pocket baste, in that the front edges are unfinished as well as the col...
Steven Hitchcock – the first fitting
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Hi Paul, It is indeed, but the number of changes here is only slightly more than I've had at other tailors for my first piece. I've actually just had the second fitting, and neither the trouser width nor the jacket lengt...
Steven Hitchcock: a stylish tweed
The Rake is running a few articles at the moment around the theme of families, and particularly fathers and sons. Tailoring is particularly strong ground for these relationships, I suppose because it is so male dominated, because cutting is a solo cr...
Steven Hitchcock: a stylish tweed
The Rake is running a few articles at the moment around the theme of families, and particularly fathers and sons. Tailoring is particularly strong ground for these relationships, I suppose because it is so male dominated...
Reader question: Differences between bespoke tailors
CS, Los Angeles: I have been reading PS for the last few months in an effort to educate myself on various matters of style. First and foremost, I want to thank you for the time and effort you put into your work in this area. I suspect that you have a...
Reader question: Differences between bespoke tailors
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I would suggest you look at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury as an English starting point, and probably not Liverano as that's very expensive. For Neapolitan, I'd suggest either Caliendo or Ciardi...