Sartoria Melina bespoke leather jacket – Re...
October 9th 2017My leather jacket from Sartoria Melina arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I’m relieved to say the fit is good and the product excellent. I was rather worried at the fitting we had in Naples, because the canvas toile they had created was rather...
Sartoria Melina bespoke leather jacket – Re...
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I would say green is about the same in terms of versatility. The things I got right were: longer length, roomier body (can wear a knit under), lower buttoning point, wider lapel.......
Sartoria Melina – bespoke Neapolitan leather
September 4th 2017As regular readers will know, I am a big fan of leather and suede outerwear - whether from the superfine Seraphin, historic Chapal or uber-modern Stoffa. I have tried, used and love them all. When it comes to tailored jackets, however, I want to sti...
Sartoria Melina – bespoke Neapolitan leather
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I'd say they're pretty similar, really all aiming at the top available...
Sage green and tobacco brown – earthy summer
August 11th 2017Finding new colour combinations I like makes me disproportionately happy. I know this doesn’t apply to every menswear enthusiast, but for me the interrelationship of colours is one of the most enjoyable and creative aspects of dress. Particular...
Sage green and tobacco brown – earthy summer
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I don't, sorry Daniel...
What I pack when I travel
July 19th 2017As I return from two summer trips – one for a week in Florence, the other a week in Naples – it seems a fitting time to run through what I pack for trips such as these. I know readers have asked about it in the past. Of course, an...
What I pack when I travel
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I still use Rimowa when I'm checking something in, but I'm not sure I'd buy again today given the prices. I'm yet to find an alternative - everything people suggest is either worse quality or just as expensive....
Connolly: Style and fashion meet on Clifford Street
July 14th 2017Connolly, which opened on Clifford Street at the end of last year, is one of the most interesting new menswear stores London has had for a while. It offers luxury clothing, both under its own name and a few European brands ( Charvet, Car Shoe, Stile...
Connolly: Style and fashion meet on Clifford Street
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My please Scott, really pleased it's worked well for you, and you appreciate the quality...
Stoffa suede flight jacket – Review
June 9th 2017Readers will be familiar with how excited I was about trying Stoffa - the made-to-measure company run by ex-Isaia man Agyesh Madan - now he is doing trunk shows in London. Agyesh's aesthetic is beautiful, simple and modern, with jackets and trouser...
Stoffa suede flight jacket – Review
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Sorry, I just read you note about their pricing changes above. More than fair. Would rather pay $1800 at Stoffa then $3500 at The Row. Thanks....
Anglo-Italian: Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis op...
May 26th 2017Last night was the (soft) opening of Anglo-Italian, the new shop in London being run by ex-Armoury buddies Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis. It’s been a long time coming. Various events have slowed things down, and even last night the mirrors w...
Anglo-Italian: Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis op...
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It's very early days - I've only worn them one day. But my initial thoughts are that I like the low profile, the suede, and the low lacing - they all give them character. I wore them with workwear chinos and they were gr...
Summer colours: Tobacco and tan
May 12th 2017Shades of tobacco and tan are one of the loveliest things to wear in the Summer. As the weather warms up, I've put together three outfits here - all somewhere in the 5 to 7 formality range - that illustrate this. They are displayed on my wonderful...
Summer colours: Tobacco and tan
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That bunch is no longer current I'm afraid (as with pretty much all cloths older than 2 or 3 years). Most still carry a natural or biscuit-coloured version however...
Shorts, slubs and natural colours: My pieces from...
May 7th 2017As is now customary (after three seasons we can say that, right?) I picked out my favourite 10 pieces from No Man Walks Alone's stock last week. I took advantage of being in New York to go through most things in person, and there are therefore some...
Shorts, slubs and natural colours: My pieces from...
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I wish!...
The versatile outerwear of The Workers Club
April 17th 2017It never fails to surprise me how little magazines analyse product when they cover a brand. An article is more likely to be about the founders and their story than the product itself - setting it in context, comparing it to its peers, analysing both...
The versatile outerwear of The Workers Club
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I owned a wax Barbour for years. IMO it was high maintenance and eventually it just wore out. I won't be getting another!...
Skoaktiebolaget and Stoffa in How To Spend It
April 15th 2017He looks pretty suave doesn't he? Got a good lean on. Patrick at Swedish shoe shop Skoaktiebolaget recently posed for an article of mine, above, in How To Spend It magazine. (A supplement of the Financial Times, and arguably the top luxury publicat...
Skoaktiebolaget and Stoffa in How To Spend It
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Hi Simon, Have you considered writing for publications like Gay Times or Attitude? Both publications are aimed mainly at men and could increase your audience (and income). Best regards Joel...
Stòffa: Beautiful, refined, made-to-measure (and ...
March 15th 2017Last week, Agyesh Madan of Stòffa visited London for the first time, in a trunk show alongside Marcus Malmborg (Swedish agent for Eidos made-to-measure, among other things). Eidos is more of a known entity, and we will cover the service more ...
Stòffa: Beautiful, refined, made-to-measure (and ...
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I can't remember seeing that shade in person. If it is any lighter than that, it wouldn't look great with grey trousers, which is a bit of a limitation. In the image it does just about, but also with particular things el...
Cromford: Leather jacket alterations and bespoke
February 13th 2017At the end of last year I got to know the new owners of the General Leather Company on Chiltern Street - now renamed Cromford Leather. This was exciting because they not only make leather and suede jackets on the premises, but undertake alterations ...
Cromford: Leather jacket alterations and bespoke
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I am glad it was an enjoyable experience for you. I think that you should definitely do it again sometime and hopefully I will be able to make it to that one...
My seasonal selection on No Man Walks Alone
December 18th 2016Earlier this week, No Man Walks Alone published a piece I wrote for them while in New York, selecting my favourite pieces from the stacked shelves of their NY showroom. This is something we started with the Spring/Summer range back in May, and prov...
My seasonal selection on No Man Walks Alone
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No sorry, but worth asking Press2Dress...
Review: Craftsman Co made-to-measure suede jacket
November 23rd 2016A couple of months ago I started the process of trialling Craftsman Co, a new and small Hong Kong-based company that is making leather and suede jackets. The process was smooth and well run, but the end results were a little mixed: good but not perf...
Review: Craftsman Co made-to-measure suede jacket
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Wish I'd seen this sooner. I don't buy clothes often and went in on some of the 'new' gurgkha linen trousers. Got the same 'it's out of stock' excuse. Emailed with 'Bianca' several times about it. I didn't do my purchase...
Ethan Newton’s Tokyo store – Brycelan...
November 4th 2016I was quite intrigued to see Ethan Newton’s Bryceland's store in Tokyo when we visited a few weeks ago. In particular, how he is presenting his view on tailoring and how that mixes with the more casual americana side. The tailoring is essentia...
Ethan Newton’s Tokyo store – Brycelan...
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A vintage backpack, and a collaboration Brycelands did years ago with Frank Clegg, using some vintage cloth....
The corduroy suit
September 9th 2016I have a friend who wears what he calls ‘knockabout’ suits. How exactly he knocks about in them I don’t know, but the meaning is clear: these are casual suits, that don’t belong in a formal environment like an office. Most no...
The corduroy suit
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Great, thanks, Simon....
Chapal made-to-measure leather jacket, Paris
September 5th 2016Fans of vintage clothing should love Chapal. They’re using the same leathers, the same linings, the same hardware they supplied to the French and US airforces 100 years ago. When I wrote about fellow French leather-specialist Seraphin earlier ...
Chapal made-to-measure leather jacket, Paris
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Both are good and I wouldn't say the quality difference is much. It's more a difference of style - I would only go with Chapal if there's a design of jacket or coat there you really like, and equally with Cromford. There...
The suede blouson for travel
August 10th 2016Blousons come in many shapes and sizes, but they are united by a short length, fuller body and collar. Blousons work particularly well with higher-waisted tailored trousers, and for that reason make a great casual alternative to a tailored jacket. ...
The suede blouson for travel
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I'd suggest looking at some vintage-style brands, like Warehouse, Real McCoys, Buzz Rickson etc as a first port of call. Vintage pieces were shorter and so theirs often are too...
Holiday snaps 2016: Linen bomber, cotton trousers...
August 1st 2016A brief post today, with some pictures from holiday. Casual but still classic in cut and colour, and catering to the heat. First, above, ‘Dani’ espadrilles from La Portegna. I’m still in two minds about these, after a we...
Holiday snaps 2016: Linen bomber, cotton trousers...
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We're looking into a dark brown as well as the navy...
Colour combinations, from casual to formal
May 31st 2016The colour combinations that we discuss every week in regards to formal wear, can be applied just as readily to casual wear. Although there will always be elements that don't crossover (such as the immense versatility of denim) a lot of the themes ...
Colour combinations, from casual to formal
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Thanks Zawaad. No, but I certainly plan something. Thanks for the suggestion...
Seraphin leather jackets – factory visit
April 15th 2016I love visiting factories. Always have done. The Best of British book made use of a lot of factory visits I did in the first five years of the blog – to Corgi, Dent’s, Sunspel etc. And The Finest Menswear in the World was a great ...
Seraphin leather jackets – factory visit
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Seraphin and Chapal are on the same level in terms of quality, but the style is very different - continental modern vs vintage military. Cromford not on the same quality level, and cover lots of styles. There are lots of...
Drake’s soft, stylish jackets
March 30th 2016Drake’s will always be best known for their ties, then handkerchiefs, then perhaps knitwear. But for the past few years they have also been doing a nice little range of jackets in the Clifford Street store that deserve attention. (£895...
Drake’s soft, stylish jackets
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I don't know much about the current production I'm afraid, though they seem to have been a victim of brand expansion from a style point of view...
Bespoke suede jacket – Cifonelli
March 14th 2016This finished suede jacket from Cifonelli shows the beautiful breadth of what bespoke tailoring can do. Bespoke is not just for business suits; it is not just for casual jackets; it is for anything that benefits from hand-cut line and structure. ...
Bespoke suede jacket – Cifonelli
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Really interesting, thanks Simon...
Seraphin leather jackets, Paris
March 9th 2016France is blessed with some of the finest makers of leather jackets in the world. There are very few around Europe that retain their own manufacturing; and of those, most are low-volume makers that stand out for their traditional production method...
Seraphin leather jackets, Paris
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Hej Simon! Thank you for covering Seraphin. I think their dedication and quality is really a league itself. Do you have a similar recommendation (high end quality under one roof, maybe making for the best brands also but...
