The practicality of a sweater over the shoulders
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
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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...
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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Does anyone have experience with Mayer and Mortimer in Sackville Street? Is Malcolm Plews still active? I think he has shared M&M’s premises in the past....
Wearing all black
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
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Really? Oh well, never mind...
The guide to morning dress: Part three, the final...
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...
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Some observations: I like how you told them to place a buttonhole at the centre for the watch chain. I came up with another neat solution that avoids having to sew a buttonhole, and instead hide on in a central seam, whi...
Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...
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...
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Oh good, nice to hear Jack...
The guide to morning dress: Part two, cut and make
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
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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...
The guide to morning dress: Part one, style
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
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Oh...Stephen...I totally agree with that. The only thing is that the trousers and shirt poking out of them are my regular office look. I like the look but it is very annoying always tuck your shirt into your pants. And w...
A collared cardigan under a jacket: Ciardi and Co...
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...
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Interesting, thanks Guy...
Why I’m wearing more belts
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
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No...
How my jacket style has changed
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
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Yes, though with bespoke there should be lots of inlay to play with...
Real bespoke chinos, in design, cloth and cut
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
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I'd go with typical tailored cotton trousers in that case, yes...
Matching checks on a jacket
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
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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 ...
Introducing: Permanent Style Plaid
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
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I'm so pleased to hear that, thank you for letting me know...
Layering and accessories for cold Spring days
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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Perhaps, as now we're going with a lighter weight and a summer material. But even then if the colour/pattern isn't that summery it might be OK. Eg my Pirozzi silk is light and really a summer jacket, but it looks fine wi...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury RAF-blue suit: Style ...
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 ...
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I don't think it has changed much, John, but I would give them a call and ask (before an appointment), they're very nice and will tell you promptly. I agree though that tailors put people off by not being more transparen...
Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...
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...
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Amazing, so pleased Matthew. That's time, money and waste all saved!...
Heavy brown Brisbane Moss cords
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
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Best suggestion is spencers trousers in Yorkshire. Made to order service. If you have a pair of trousers that fit well you can measure them to ensure a good fit. Very good quality trousers in a large variety of clothes. ...
The T-shirt under a shirt (and tailoring)
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)
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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...
The style of a belted wrap coat – with Whit...
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...
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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...
Introducing: The white PS Oxford
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
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Thank you kindly! I was hoping to find any kind of online retailer for Loopwheeler and that is all I came up with....
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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Thanks Lukasz, and yes good points...
PS shirts available to try in Prologue, Stefano B...
Despite the inquiries readers often make during the pop-up, we have no plans to open a permanent shop. However, we have started working with a few friends around the world to make it easier to try on the various shirts and polo shirts. Last year, St...
PS shirts available to try in Prologue, Stefano B...
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Yes, to try on...
A Connolly tonal outfit: cream, grey and brown
This outfit, worn on the last Saturday of our pop-up shop, is a good illustration of the kind of clothing that excites me at the moment. It could be defined, perhaps, as casual but luxurious, muted but refined. Casual, in that there’s no jacke...
A Connolly tonal outfit: cream, grey and brown
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That looks good Jack - doesn't look like too dark and olive, but certainly a dark brown...
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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It's probably best to check with the support team, they'll have the latest. I believe some of it is coming quite soon. Sorry, lots of logistics so it needs someone else to keep completely on top of it!...
Belted polo coat, from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury
So this was an interesting experiment. My idea was to make my first overcoat with Whitcomb & Shaftesbury as a belted wrap coat. So no buttons on the front, just a belt. A jigger button inside to keep the inside layer fastened, but none on th...
Belted polo coat, from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury
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Cheers Hugh...
