Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury
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 value. Thos...
Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury
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If that's the starting price, yes I'd still say they are good value. I don't think you can find an English-cut suit at that kind of price and quality elsewhere. You can certainly get good value elsewhere, eg WW Chan in H...
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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Nice! So good to hear Nick...
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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Not at all, an interesting and useful view Stephan. I would disagree myself, but perhaps with slightly more casual things it could be better, as you say....
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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If you like the style and nothing else really works in the same way, then yes I think it's good. I'd go for wool I think. I'm not sure you'd notice much difference for 500 extra...
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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Cream can be, yes, particularly if you want to wear it casually mostly, though I wear it mostly in things like brushed cottons or cord rather than oxfords...
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 don't know I'm afraid, as mine was an archive piece. Best to check with Fox...
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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I think that sounds very nice, yes. I would say it would be great to have a similar piece to take to the tailor for inspiration, as it rarely works out perfectly if you ask them to try and design something with just a fe...
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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No the colours won't fade that way. I don't tend to wash them damp, but if I could be bothered to do so, they would be slightly easier to iron...
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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I'd still say they're a strong contender. Very few people do proper bespoke, cut in the UK, at that kind of price. Most other are £5000 and above now...
Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong ...
It was really lovely being back in Hong Kong last week, after a few years away. The talk we Lorenzo Cifonelli and I did at Attire House worked well - more a conversation than an interview, with Lorenzo asking me questions about other tailors, and th...
Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong ...
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Ideal would be a little less strong in colour, but it will work...
Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers
Last Friday was annoyingly cold, and damp. Combinations of subdued, rich colours always give me the most pleasure - but it felt particularly appropriate on a day like this. The textures of the three pieces also went well together: the fuzzy surfac...
Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers
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Yes I think so...
Suit Style 8: Trouser measurements, style and pro...
One of the reasons jacket fits and styles are so hard to describe is they cannot easily be put into numbers. Trousers, by comparison, are pretty straightforward. From the shoe up, there is: circumference at the trouser opening or bottom, at the kne...
Suit Style 8: Trouser measurements, style and pro...
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If you want that kind of clean look Daniel, yes you'll either have to go a little shorter on the cuffed trousers or a little wider. Personally I'd go a little shorter. It's either that or not have the cuffs...
Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers
If shirts are the items in a man’s wardrobe where he wants most predictability and consistency, then trousers are undoubtedly second. In that spirit, over the past year I have regularly commissioned odd trousers (‘odd’ as in separa...
Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers
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It's pretty much £1000 today, so it's gone up a lot...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
I had this tweed jacket made by South Korean house B&Tailor over the past 18 months, using Robin Petterson - a Swede who does their fittings in London and at home in Stockholm. Unfortunately, although the end result isn’t too bad (just...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
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This oatmeal tweed with a black roper? I'm not sure to be honest, that would create quite a lot of contrast between shirt and jacket. Is it a combination you've seen work elsewhere?...
The perfect wedding suit
It is the time of year for wedding preparations, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share images of my friend Oliver’s wedding last year. He is wearing probably my favourite groomsman’s outfit. First, the colour. P...
The perfect wedding suit
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Personally, I'd say always keep it simple for something like a wedding Zakary. White shirt, simple tie - grey, pale blue, maybe a lilac or something if you want to. But don't overthink it - this is about simple and elega...
Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits
As mentioned in my original post about this reader competition, our aim was to explore the different forms formalwear can take today. Men will always have a need to dress up, in order to appear appropriately for a smarter, more important and more f...
Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits
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I wore my Cleverley imitation brogues. I don't think there's anything wrong with Oliver's trousers - they are just breaking a bit more at the front as a result of how he is standing. I also wouldn't go with turn-ups, bot...
Suit style 2: The single breasted
This is the fourth article in our Guide to Suit Style. You can see the full contents so far, and browse between them, on the right-hand side of this post. Fitting on a Hardy Amies single-breasted jacket How many buttons should I have on a single-bre...
Suit style 2: The single breasted
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It's a style thing Jawahar, I wouldn't think about it in practical terms - so many things on a jacket are not practical. As a style, it makes the jacket a little shorter and boxier, gives it a roundness and makes it a li...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury visit the US
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, the fabulously good value tailor I have written about recently, visit the US 5-6 times a year. They will be there next in a couple of weeks – in New York for three days and then Los Angeles for one. The ...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury visit the US
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Oh good...
Air force (RAF) blue flannel suit: Whitcomb &...
Air force blue is a beautiful colour. Better than the bright, tonic blues that are so popular these days – so much deeper, so much more subtle. Also known as RAF blue, the colour refers to the uniforms issued to the Royal Air Force when...
Air force (RAF) blue flannel suit: Whitcomb &...
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thanks Simon, waistcoat abandoned...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury final suit – gre...
Back in October there was a lot of interest around my post on the bespoke service at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. Their ‘classic bespoke’ service, which involves cutting the suit in London (by a very experienced Row cutter), and the...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury final suit – gre...
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From what I've seen of the Huntsman service it's good, but it is expensive for what it is. I think you'll be absolutely fine if that's what you want. If you want to be safe, try on something they already have and give yo...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury – first fitting
I recently had the basted fitting for my two suits from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury – the tailor that runs a workshop in India but has all the suits cut by the same person London. They had offered to make me two suits – on...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury – first fitting
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Maintained their quality...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury – foreign bespoke
If you’re looking for a good bespoke suit in London, there aren’t many English options between £1000 and £3000 or so. Most are closer to the £1000 make and finish, but simply charge twice as much. An interesting ...
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury – foreign bespoke
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Absolutely. An important element in choosing bespoke, or the current trend of near bespoke, is that the resultant fit and nature of handwork makes for longevity. On balance such a garment worn once or twice a week will, ...
