How was Dry January for you?
I didn't buy any clothes this month. That wouldn't be a hardship for most people and it wasn't much of a hardship for me, but I was surprised how much it changed my perspective. On the day after publishing our article announcing our Dry January pr...
How was Dry January for you?
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Thanks, yes, all those were on my mental checklist....
Christmas Gift List 2023: Do not read!
Permanent Style reader, this is not for you. This is intended for your wife/husband/partner/child/dog, in an attempt to help source a Christmas present for someone who, let’s face it, is very fussy in general but particularly about clothing. ...
Christmas Gift List 2023: Do not read!
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I'd go off the shoes primarily, and I think both suede or leather would be fine, I don't think leather would be too smart...
Wythe, Bally, P Johnson: A/W 2023 highlights
Some old, some new in this year’s round-up of Autumn/Winter products. These articles are a nice way to mention brands on the edge of our radar (Bally) as well as to discuss new releases from favourites that wouldn’t otherwise get a full ...
Wythe, Bally, P Johnson: A/W 2023 highlights
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Yes. Trees make less of a difference, but I still would if they were worn regularly. Worth a brush down after wear just like suede as well...
Packing for travel: My Japan capsule wardrobe
I thought it would be interesting to do a post on what clothing I packed for my recent Japan trip. People always seem to like these capsule pieces , although this trip was particularly challenging for a couple of reasons. First, I needed a full ran...
Packing for travel: My Japan capsule wardrobe
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Yes there's quite a lot in there I'd question, most obviously the suit jacket with the jeans, and the gabardine suit with the oxford shirt. I think you could take a fair bit from this, but I would be cautious around the ...
The state of independent menswear in the UK
By Lucas Nicholson. With the closure this year of the Oi Polloi shop in Manchester by its owners, JD Sports, it felt like it was an appropriate time to talk about the state of independent menswear stores in the UK. This is something of a passion of...
The state of independent menswear in the UK
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Another sad loss recently is Hanon Shop in Aberdeen. Reading the last few pages of comments on their TrustPilot page is like reading the condolences on someone's death notice. A great shop, with a great selection and gre...
Wear loafers with jeans
In the hyper-casual world we’re living in, any opportunity to add a little smartness to everyday clothing should be grabbed with both hands. One of the most effective ways to do this, I’m finding, is wearing loafers with jeans. Jeans ar...
Wear loafers with jeans
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Love seeing you Simon wearing the dress loafers in jeans. Very hot look! Please do more !...
The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender
It’s that time of the year again. Brands have been receiving all the spring clothing they ordered last year, even though they weren’t quite sure whether it would arrive, or be swallowed by an unexpected lockdown. So rejoice, there are n...
The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender
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Regarding Trumpers. Apart from ordering a tub of Almond Shaving Cream which is utterly superb and highly concentrated in a very generous 200g tub... probably the best value of all the prestige London barbers, I asked for...
A guide to piqué cotton polo shirts
By Manish Puri Whilst the recent sun in London has brought a sugar rush of excitement for the warmer days that lie ahead, it also brings a more troubling, recurring question: how do I usually dress for summer? It shouldn’t be difficult to answ...
A guide to piqué cotton polo shirts
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As with other items of clothing, IMO, respectfully I must add, that I seem to see way way too much said about sizing down, slimmer sizes etc….and not enough on sizing up. There are big guys out there, broad shoulders, ...
A guide to brands of unstructured jacket
By Manish Puri Whilst soft tailoring is hardly a new concept, there’s something about unstructured tailoring that feels particularly in sync with modern life: it’s indisputably more casual, reframes imperfections as characteristics, is l...
A guide to brands of unstructured jacket
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Manish/ Simon, I don’t suppose you’ve ever tried the Sunspel unstructured blazer? At £350, it seems to me pretty cheap compared to where the majority of their products sit in terms of pricing (although I’m no expe...
The guide to Shetland sweaters: Part two, brands
By Manish Puri "In part one of this guide, we discussed the general styles and constructions of Shetland jumpers, which I hope helped provide context for which jumper is right for you and why. Now that you’ve eaten your metaphorical vegetables...
The guide to Shetland sweaters: Part two, brands
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Nice to hear Eddie. Was there anything in particular you thought was out of date?...
Christmas gift list 2021: Shawls, soap and Swan S...
It’s that time of the year again. So, with both apologies and thanks to readers that bemoaned the lack of this list last year, these are just a few of my favourite things... In these lists we try to go beyond menswear into other beautiful, cra...
Christmas gift list 2021: Shawls, soap and Swan S...
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Hi Simon. This is very helpful indeed. Dry clean it will be. Thanks. Yash...
The suede overshirt (or shirt-jacket, or shacket)
I have this image in my mind. Of a man meeting a good friend for brunch on a Sunday morning. A man that dresses as I want to: considered and tasteful, not showy or sloppy. He's looking forward to a coffee. He carries a newspaper under his arm in ca...
The suede overshirt (or shirt-jacket, or shacket)
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Thank you!...
Colour, size and drama: How to dress like André L...
André Larnyoh has enviably easy style. It’s tempting to put this down to his work as an actor, but that would be too simplistic. That training certainly creates “natural physical awareness”, as he puts it, but the...
Colour, size and drama: How to dress like André L...
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The best one was Chinatown . Great suits and jackets to emulate ....
Playing around with white bucks
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 ...
The Real McCoy’s chinos: Review
If the last chinos we reviewed in this series were a little more unusual ( from Casatlantic ) then today we’re back with a very good, very everyday pair. Similar in that respect to the first brand we covered - Rubato - just more on the workw...
The Real McCoy’s chinos: Review
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To be honest it's been a while since I tried the Toys ones Joseph! From what I remember they were similarly styled, but I preferred the toughness of the material on the McCoys ones...
Support our shops. At least the real ones
It is genuinely important that - if you can - you visit a UK shop and support it now they’re open again. Why? Because good retail offers something distinct that could easily be lost. Let me explain the difference between a good menswear store...
Support our shops. At least the real ones
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Can't believe I forgot about Blackhorse Lane - such a pleasure to deal with. Discovered them before I heard about them here, just stumbled in there not knowing what they were about. Long may they thrive....
Honing your style
Over the years, it’s noticeable that even the most fashionable, the most clothes-obsessed of men tend to narrow their tastes. It takes decades, and often involves a lot of experimentation in their 20s and 30s. But by the time they reach 40 or...
Honing your style
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Kakuta's father? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakuji_Kakuta...
Espadrilles: Style, occasion, and brands
UPDATE: This is a nice video from Diegos showing how espadrilles are made. You can see the better, neater hand sewing of the soles mentioned below. I remember clearly when I got my first pair of espadrilles. I was 19, on holiday in Spain, and bough...
Espadrilles: Style, occasion, and brands
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No it's my normal size...
Baseball cap, white jeans and Ivy: Pick and choose
There are five elements I want to talk about in this outfit. Five. And I’ll take them all separately - because you can easily change one, or only like one. There’s no need to lift an outfit (or, give it the thumbs up/down) as a whole. ...
Baseball cap, white jeans and Ivy: Pick and choose
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Correction . Shirt in grey brushed cotton or a suitable light grey polo shirt ....
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2019
Welcome to our small but regular selection of interesting things this Autumn/Winter. As ever, this is a highly personal list, which makes it both idiosyncratic and entirely without commercial angle - no one can ever and will ever be able to pay to a...
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2019
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I haven't seen that one in person. It looks nice though...
Hand-dyed Mandarin jacket from Prologue
In the past five years, it feels like everyone has started doing some kind of shirt-jacket. It was a natural extension of the soft tailoring trend, perhaps, and it certainly gained traction when shirtmakers realised they could offer this too - a we...
Hand-dyed Mandarin jacket from Prologue
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Nice, lovely to hear Doug...
Holiday snaps 2019: No shorts in the city
I just got back from our annual summer holiday: two weeks in Portugal, in a villa with my wife and children, miles away from anything. I normally write a post running through things worn on holiday, as I know readers find it interesting h...
Holiday snaps 2019: No shorts in the city
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'It's possible to be overdressed in this way, too'. If such an outfit which you are wearing or for example an outfit like a shirt/polo with linen trouser and espadrilles can seem overdressed then what does the average cr...
Stoffa made-to-measure trousers: Review
Tailored cotton trousers are, in my experience, an absolute bastard to get right. I had my first pair made with Anderson & Sheppard seven years ago. The colour was perfect (a light stone grey), as was the cut. But they always felt like old m...
Stoffa made-to-measure trousers: Review
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All my trousers are garment washed. It’s easy enough to do you just wash them every time they get grubby! So those shiny cotton chinos I get made to measure here in the uk look like those garment washed gap chinos in n...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
Last week the weather in London turned from 12 degrees to 22 in a couple of days. It seems that what passes for the English Spring is finally here. Of course, with most shops and brands Spring/Summer collections arrived in February, and went on sale...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
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Appreciate simon...
How to wear a horsehide jacket: Armoury x Real Mc...
I’ve never had a horsehide jacket before. I did have an old, vintage one rom RRL a few years ago, but it was so old and soft that it felt nothing like this, like new horsehide. To be honest, I’d been rather put off by the styling of hors...
How to wear a horsehide jacket: Armoury x Real Mc...
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To be honest I think a cafe racer rarely looks good, it's a bit flash. You could wear this with a casual shirt, yes, and perhaps loafers. I'm not sure it would be me, but it's one I would have a go at and see...
