Huntsman dinner: The evolution of formal wear
Meekal Hashmi Last week’s readers dinner was, perhaps surprisingly, one of the more enjoyable evenings I’ve had in a long time. I say surprisingly because, as lovely as all the readers were certainly going to be, it is always hard to pre...
Huntsman dinner: The evolution of formal wear
Match in comments:
It's really hard to say on the dress code - different people mean different things by it. I think asking the host rather than me is probably a better idea there. We have done pieces on black tie variations though - see h...
Come to dinner at Huntsman
So, Huntsman invited me to host a dinner in their Savile Row shop in January. And rather than invite people from the industry (as we did last time in our Gathering dinner) I thought it would be nice to have readers along. As a nice celebration...
Come to dinner at Huntsman
Match in comments:
Hi Arne, Unfortunately, I would advise against using it in any other way. It will pretty much always look contrived. Just have to find (or organise) other black tie events I guess. Simon...
BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie
One of the nicest aspects of the Bespoke Tailors Benevolent Association dinner every year is the evening wear. Although most cutters and tailors aren’t actually into clothes and style, they are all wearing something bespoke – s...
BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie
Match in comments:
Depends on the context. A 200 guest gala dinner, no. A 20 guest dinner in a private dining room, yes....
Black tie for New Year’s Eve
Dress way the hell up, as our American cousins might say. New Year’s Eve is a special event, and it deserves a special effort where our clothes are concerned. That doesn’t have to be black tie, as above, but wear a jacket at the...
Black tie for New Year’s Eve
Match in comments:
Alliow me to note that the BOUTONNIÈRE is not a ceramic flower, but a porcelain or bone china flower, and thus more delicate. It breaks in a second. I broke dozens already. That is what I like about them: you have to ta...
Classics that never get used: Reader question
Beautiful, but will you wear it? Dear Simon, I have been quite busy in the last seven years building a wardrobe that will seem modest by your standards, but is still quite substantial for me. And obviously once you start, it’s hard to stop: t...
Classics that never get used: Reader question
Match in comments:
To follow-up, spectator shoes w/canvas are a bit lighter for warmer weather. Crocketts does them, I think they are stocked at Ben Silver in Savannah GA....
Thanks for all your support
For the first time last month, the numbers of visits to Permanent Style topped 250,000. (That’s visits, not visitors – which is less – or impressions – which is more.) In the past six months our traffic has gro...
Thanks for all your support
Match in comments:
Bonne Année, Simon, and to your regular and casual readers as well. I really enjoyed reading your posts in 2012! John...
The Tailor & Cutter – a square dinner ...
This drawing from The Tailor & Cutter is lovely; but it’s not really my style. Not because a white dinner jacket would be too showy unless I were dining in truly balmy weather. But, rather, because everything about it is too squa...
The Tailor & Cutter – a square dinner ...
Match in comments:
Dear Patrizio, Thanks for the question. The links don't seem to work for me, but I can see the images from the email you originally sent, which shows Prince Charles in a rather nice dinner jacket with vents. Are you sugg...
Variations on the summer dinner jacket
The Burma shade summer dinner jacket Esquire, August 1936: “The old summer formal combination of blue jacket and white flannels got the gong because of its obvious incongruity with summer evening dresses. “Hence the white dinner j...
Variations on the summer dinner jacket
Match in comments:
Hi Simon, Can I ask your advice about a white dinner jacket. I am thinking of having one made for use in the summer. I was planning on a single-breasted peak lapel with one button. What advice would you have about cloth ...
Silk and wine with your evening wear
The fair haired boy of the beach walk Esquire, January 1935: “This is the semi-formal evening outfit that will be worn by the best-dressed men at Palm Beach this winter. It consists of a white shawl collar dinner jacket with dress trousers ...
Silk and wine with your evening wear
Match in comments:
Simon, Very true, I had a feeling of this but I was blinded by a designer piece. Thanks for the feedback, Julio B....
Black suits are for glamour, not business
I have a friend that loves black suits. Can’t get enough of them. For him, a black suit and a white shirt are the chicest things a man can wear. He is a big fan of Reservoir Dogs, so that might have influence him somewhat, but he still has a po...
Black suits are for glamour, not business
Match in comments:
I'd keep it very simple to be honest. Go with that and then try some interesting shirt/tie options. If you look up 'wearing black' on the site you'll find some suggestions, with my black suits and jackets I've had...
My 50-year-old black tie
I had heard ‘stories’ about treasures found in second-hand shops before. The way it goes, one day the author is browsing through the racks while his girlfriend tries on shoes, and all of a sudden he discovers an Anderson & Sheppa...
My 50-year-old black tie
Match in comments:
The way it goes, one day the author is browsing through the racks while his girlfriend tries on shoes, and all of a sudden he discovers an Anderson & Sheppard suit in exactly the right size. It seemed a little unlike...
Reader question: Covering the black tie waist
MC: Simon, I’m interested in your thoughts on a waistcoat pairing for my upcoming wedding. My tuxedo is single button, peak lapel (grosgrain). I have flexibility on the shirt style (wing or standard collar) and the waistcoat. Would you recommen...
Reader question: Covering the black tie waist
Match in comments:
If I may give my opinion, I'd say why not in really festive occasion, Valentine or Christmas, at home, But the sad part is : You can't really chose "not too expensive" or you risk the chance of appearing very cheap like ...
The three black-tie sins
Criticism of what people wear to black-tie events tends to focus on obvious sins: wearing a lounge suit, wearing a coloured tie and wearing a long tie instead of a bow ( though this is less objectionable than one may think). These are some of the big...
The three black-tie sins
Match in comments:
Yes that can be nice, certainly...
Black tie: What does correct mean?
During comments on a recent posting, discussion of the use of the word ‘correct’ came up in reference to black tie. Unfortunately, that word has almost no firm meaning today in reference to menswear. Even with regards to black tie, which ...
Black tie: What does correct mean?
Match in comments:
Shoes are an easy one, Euan, as a polished black oxford is perfectly normal with black tie, more so really than patent shoes. The rest of the black tie is hard though - nothing really works without a lot of compromise, e...
Evening wear: Why a four-in-hand is better than a...
Aren’t you just sick of celebrities turning up to the Oscars in a four-in-hand tie? A black tie event demands a bow tie. A long tie may be trendier, but this is an outfit steeped in history. History and tradition demand a bow tie. Right? Wrong....
Evening wear: Why a four-in-hand is better than a...
Match in comments:
Dear Simon living in Zurich I have the advantage of beeing in Milano in three hours. I have not only bought traditional Marinella ties but also more modern ones from AD56. The shop owner wears them very casually, the thi...
