How to pack for a three-day trip: Video

March 4th 2024

The ' travel capsule' posts we've done are always popular - I think because they are useful for actual travel, but also for anyone looking to build a versatile wardrobe in general. In that way they're one more addition to the 'wardrobe building' ser...

How to pack for a three-day trip: Video

Match in comments:
For a smart pair, something in a dense weave like a cavalry twill or a whipcord...

Bags - VideoMarch 4th 2024

When to wear a tie: Personality and opportunity

February 19th 2024

At Pitti Uomo back in January I took the opportunity to wear mostly tailoring and ties - the two outfits shown above and below. And it felt great. I know there are traditionalists who see me as the antithesis of this, as I’m rarely pictured w...

When to wear a tie: Personality and opportunity

Match in comments:
Isn't it all about the context? If you have spent the day in court or in meetings, there is nothing unbecoming about having a drink at the end of the day in a navy suit and white shirt without the tie. It's an odd look i...

TiesFebruary 19th 2024

My case for the lightweight English jacket

February 9th 2024

By Aleks Cvetkovic. For much of my career I’ve felt like an anomaly, especially at the likes of Pitti or industry events. Principally this is because I’ve always chosen to wear structured tailoring, largely from London tailors, over the ...

My case for the lightweight English jacket

Match in comments:
Thanks Paul. Yes I can see that would work for comments at a bigger scale, or if I weren't going through each one personally...

JacketsFebruary 9th 2024

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

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

Coats - JacketsNovember 24th 2023

The practicality of a sweater over the shoulders

April 12th 2023

Wearing a sweater over the shoulders has a lot of negative connotations. But if you can get away with it - because of your style, of where you are, or just because of your personality - it’s incredibly practical. This suit I wore at Pitti earl...

The practicality of a sweater over the shoulders

Match in comments:
Understood Rob. I personally find it doesn't really fall off, but then it depends what I'm doing that day - I'm just walking around town and chatting, not playing with the kids. And, if I tie the sleeves I don't find the...

Knitwear - SuitsApril 12th 2023

Who are my favourite tailors? (Part two)

January 18th 2023

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)

Match in comments:
Ha, that's interesting. Actually, I remember the last time I went through a lot of bespoke houses browsing the web I liked Sartoria Corcos almost the most....

January 18th 2023

Wearing all black

August 12th 2022

I’ve been playing around with black so much in recent years (note, this is classic menswear - it’s years/decades, not weeks/months) that I thought I’d try out wearing nothing but black. This was during Pitti at Florence, on a rela...

Wearing all black

Match in comments:
From Trunk, their collab with Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu in Kyoto. They don't have any models at the moment from what I can see on the website...

Style - WatchesAugust 12th 2022

The guide to morning dress: Part three, the final...

July 15th 2022

by Aleks Cvetkovic Having now been to my first Royal Ascot, it strikes me that the hardest thing to do with morning dress is to get the details right, and in so doing capture a kind of comfortable ‘old school’ elegance without looking li...

The guide to morning dress: Part three, the final...

Match in comments:
This is excellent... do you know if this attire would count as Morning Dress today for the purpose of attendance in the Royal Enclosure?...

SuitsJuly 15th 2022

Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...

June 22nd 2022

This brown wool/silk/linen jacket was made in a lightweight model that Savile Row tailor Dege & Skinner introduced last year. It has a thin shoulder pad and no chest canvas, unlike their normal tailoring. I can directly compare the differen...

Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...

Match in comments:
I don't think I'd worry on the coolness point, as it is so lightweight, but yes I think you'll find the trousers too flimsy to get long-term wear out of. Sorry, it otherwise sounded like a great plan!...

Jackets - TrousersJune 22nd 2022

The guide to morning dress: Part two, cut and make

June 6th 2022

By Aleks Cvetkovic Welcome to the basted fitting for the bespoke morning suit by Whitcomb & Shaftesbury that we referenced in the first instalment of this series. As mentioned previously, the coat is cut in traditional black featherweave wor...

The guide to morning dress: Part two, cut and make

Match in comments:
Aleks is correct. Plain grey trousers aren't part of the traditional morning coat outfit. If you wore plain grey trousers with a morning coat to a wedding then people who care about classic menswear would notice this, an...

SuitsJune 6th 2022

The guide to morning dress: Part one, style

May 16th 2022

Morning dress is an area I’ve always found fascinating, but never have occasion to wear myself. I do want to have some guidance on Permanent Style, however - so when Aleks Cvetkovic told me he was having morning dress made for the first time, ...

The guide to morning dress: Part one, style

Match in comments:
I can see I might go to someone with more experience, yes, though I believe Steven would have that. I would certainly ask. I wouldn't necessarily go to a more traditional tailor though, no. I would certainly trust Davide...

Jackets - SuitsMay 16th 2022

A collared cardigan under a jacket: Ciardi and Co...

March 9th 2022

In recent weeks I’ve been playing around with this button-through cardigan from Colhay’s. Initially I was sceptical as to whether I’d ever wear it tucked in - and afraid it was a little lightweight to wear untucked. The same fear ...

A collared cardigan under a jacket: Ciardi and Co...

Match in comments:
Thanks Ollie, I did!...

Knitwear - StyleMarch 9th 2022

Why I’m wearing more belts

January 5th 2022

In recent months I’ve been wearing belts more often, after years of hardly doing so at all. I never wore them with tailoring, preferring the clean, elegant look of an unfettered waistband with side adjustors. And I didn’t even wear the...

Why I’m wearing more belts

Match in comments:
Many thanks Manish!...

Belts and wallets - StyleJanuary 5th 2022

How my jacket style has changed

November 12th 2021

In recent weeks we’ve been talking a lot about reflections on bespoke over time; the lessons I draw from commissioning tailoring for 13 years or so. We did an article on how dramatically tailoring can be altered , using my Chittleborough &...

How my jacket style has changed

Match in comments:
If it's only slight, then do so at the first fitting. Particularly because you will want to see all those things in the context of the suit as a whole - the proportions with other things like chest, length etc...

November 12th 2021

Real bespoke chinos, in design, cloth and cut

September 29th 2021

  Chinos from tailors never feel like chinos. Why is this? I used to think I knew the answer: the fabrics they used were too fine – dress cottons, made with fine fibres, finished for a sleek look and good drape. Chinos, even lu...

Real bespoke chinos, in design, cloth and cut

Match in comments:
They do, though I'm not sure on the materials, have to check with them...

Casual clothing - TrousersSeptember 29th 2021

Matching checks on a jacket

September 10th 2021

Checked jackets are always a lot of fun for tailoring discussions. Nothing makes you look harder at a fabric than working out the advantages and disadvantages of check arrangements. The jacket above - first shown in our recent article on the new PS ...

Matching checks on a jacket

Match in comments:
Good question, I'm not sure actually. I think that would be the starting point, the placement the tailor would start with. But it might not be possible, perhaps, if the customer was stooped, so the back had to be rather ...

JacketsSeptember 10th 2021

Introducing: Permanent Style Plaid

August 25th 2021

Two years ago, when we visited the Joshua Ellis mill near Batley, Yorkshire, I spent a happy couple of hours browsing their archive. As you might expect, the vast majority were classics: plain or textured cashmeres, houndstooths and herringbones. T...

Introducing: Permanent Style Plaid

Match in comments:
Thanks Leif, the material is coming back into stock this summer, for autumn/winter jackets...

ClothAugust 25th 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

Match in comments:
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

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury RAF-blue suit: Style ...

April 9th 2021

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury have achieved great popularity in recent years because of their pricing. They offer one service where the majority of the suit is made in their Indian workshop, and as a result can offer a Savile Row suit for just unde...

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury RAF-blue suit: Style ...

Match in comments:
I am aware everything has become quite quickly expensive over the past few years but their offshore suit now starts from around £3,200 which in my opinion is a massive jump in two years. I wasn’t really sceptical abou...

Cloth - SuitsApril 9th 2021

Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...

March 8th 2021

Best artisan 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury   I decided to give my Artisan of the Year award this year to Whitcomb & Shaftesbury because, looking back on recent commissions, they have so consistently delivered on quality and v...

Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...

Match in comments:
Amazing, so pleased Matthew. That's time, money and waste all saved!...

TrousersMarch 8th 2021

Heavy brown Brisbane Moss cords

December 11th 2020

The main reason I shot this outfit with Milad last month was to talk about the cords - a heavy Brisbane Moss brown that has both its pleasures and its weaknesses. I’ll run through the rest of the outfit too though, because there are a few thin...

Heavy brown Brisbane Moss cords

Match in comments:
I'm not a big pleats fan period, but I would not have them here particularly, as you say because of the weight and thickness of the cord. A lighter, thinner cord might be OK...

TrousersDecember 11th 2020

The T-shirt under a shirt (and tailoring)

March 18th 2020

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at a relatively casual outfit - and how elements such as a baseball cap or bright knitwear could make classic menswear less formal, with some Ivy influences. Today I’d like to talk about one element that I find...

The T-shirt under a shirt (and tailoring)

Match in comments:
I'm afraid it's one of those late nights of fretting over what to wear for event again, Simon. The idea of a T-shirt under a shirt peaked my interest as a potential de-formaliser. One google search later and I find mysel...

Casual clothingMarch 18th 2020

The style of a belted wrap coat – with Whit...

January 27th 2020

Just before Christmas, I took my belted coat into Whitcomb & Shaftesbury to have it converted into a normal overcoat. As detailed on my original article, this was always a possibility. I began the experiment of a bespoke wrap coat with the...

The style of a belted wrap coat – with Whit...

Match in comments:
I would certainly he hesitant about playing with the proportions too much, MK, at least until you've worn it a fair bit. Also, if it's a straight cut like that, don't ever just taper the waist. If you want it more shaped...

CoatsJanuary 27th 2020

Introducing: The white PS Oxford

January 13th 2020

On the final day of the pop-up shop back in October, it occurred to me to bring in my blue PS Oxford shirt - to show how it had softened with age. The response was telling. Half of the people that felt it bought one on the day, and several of the o...

Introducing: The white PS Oxford

Match in comments:
Hi Ayush I think that's a risk with all colours, but, I agree, the effect might be exaggerated with unusual colours because the standout more. In the example you've given, I think it's not so much the colour (which I don...

ShirtsJanuary 13th 2020

Wearing navy trousers as separates

December 20th 2019

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

Match in comments:
Wearing the two together? Nothing wrong with it, but as is often the case with navy chinos, another colour like beige or brown would be nicer...

Style - TrousersDecember 20th 2019