My first bespoke overcoat

May 30th 2025

By Manish Puri . Spring is well and truly here in London. I’ve just returned from a stroll through my local green which was fizzing with people enjoying cold beers and iced coffees. Through the window I can see my neighbour scraping last year...

My first bespoke overcoat

Match in comments:
This is a brilliant coat, Manish. What is the exact fabric? And what weight is it? Many thanks....

CoatsMay 30th 2025

The culture and colour of Chennai

April 4th 2025

In the old areas of Chennai, you’ll often see a brightly painted deity on the corners of the streets. It’s not primarily an expression of piety, however - its main goal is to stop people pissing there. No matter how desperate or secular ...

The culture and colour of Chennai

Match in comments:
Thank you Affan, and yes that's certainly my impression as well! I continue to be aware of your shoes through Arterton over here Lovely to hear on the magazines...

Factory visitsApril 4th 2025

Starting from scratch: The Whitcomb & Shafte...

March 31st 2025

One of the things that has impressed me most over the years with my Whitcomb & Shaftesbury tailoring is how consistent it has been. That might not seem like the most exciting thing to praise, but it happens surprisingly often that an Englis...

Starting from scratch: The Whitcomb & Shafte...

Match in comments:
I am a delighted customer of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. What a wonderful article....

Factory visitsMarch 31st 2025

Packing for travelling between seasons: cold then...

January 10th 2025

When I travelled to Thailand last month, I had a slightly different packing challenge to usual: in London it was eight degrees (celsius) with cold drizzle; in Bangkok it was 30 degrees and balmy. Now I wouldn’t be outside in the UK that long ...

Packing for travelling between seasons: cold then...

Match in comments:
When I say black jeans at any time, I mean ones that are at least a little washed out, not flat black. The ones here are a little washed out, but not extremely and I find you don't need that...

StyleJanuary 10th 2025

Brown ‘Art du Lin’ suit from Pirozzi and Whitcomb

June 26th 2024

Quite a few people have asked about how the ‘Art du Lin’ linen from Solbiati performs, as it’s become quite a trend across different tailoring brands. Indeed, I hear Solbiati have now largely sold out of a lot of it and there are l...

Brown ‘Art du Lin’ suit from Pirozzi and Whitcomb

Match in comments:
Yes I think Art du Lin would probably be better, though it would be great to see one after a few years...

Style - SuitsJune 26th 2024

Which office are you? A cold, current 2024 update

May 22nd 2024

The article ‘Which office are you?’ in 2016 was one of the most popular we have ever done on PS. I think largely because it showed clearly how outfits could be adjusted to different levels of formality, at a time when office attire was a...

Which office are you? A cold, current 2024 update

Match in comments:
Yes I'd say so...

Jackets - KnitwearMay 22nd 2024

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:
I usually wear it and then fold it on top of my carryon on the plane. On the choice, it depends a fair bit on your style and what you're going to be doing on the trip. If in doubt maybe the charcoal raglan...

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:
Either cashmere or wool - tweed is wool of course, but you don't need to have something as coarse and hairy as that. Just a pure wool, somewhere between 11-15oz depending on where you live. Could be a cashmere mix, or fu...

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:
What video was it?...

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:
Saman Amel does. P Johnson for some things...

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:
I probably haven't done it often enough Mark, but I think most are robust enough...

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:
I don't Federico, but I'd also say it's not somewhere that really has much identity any more. I'm not sure of a reason to use them rather than someone with more consistency elsewhere on the Row...

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:
Will do. Many thanks meanwhile. I DO think that it’s fun to experiment though!...

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:
I read this comment a while back and was already mildly annoyed by the implications here. I know I'm very late to the party, but having now reread the post and the comments, I can't help myself. "Someone with a Balkan su...

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 prefer it without a pattern myself, but I think that's because I prefer subtler styles wherever possible - I don't really wear many checked jackets for that reason for example. So it is personal too...

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:
Hey Oliver, I checked with Aleks, he said the coat was about 3 3/4 inches, while with the waistcoat he wanted it to be as wide as possible without reaching beyond the edge of it, which was about 4 1/2 inches...

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:
Nice hat, Lock an co are the best, pity it does not quite fit...

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:
Hi, In general no, I haven't, at least from a style point of view. I have usually stayed with the tailor's preference. However, over time my body has got a little bigger and as a result it has sometimes made sense to cut...

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:
Perhaps a touch, perhaps I'm a little in between those two...

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:
That sounds too long to me, but it is a little bit a question of style. See here for more on ideal length Shortening a single breasted jacket is a hard thing to do and generally I wouldn't recommend it I'm afraid. Also a...

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 luxury ones, ...

Real bespoke chinos, in design, cloth and cut

Match in comments:
That hasn't been an issue, but the brand should be aware of it and either account for it at the beginning or pre-wash...

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:
I think it would be better in the lambswool but still quite soft...

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 B...

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 B...

Match in comments:
Thanks Simon....

Cloth - SuitsApril 9th 2021