Category: Casual wear

It was freezing in London last week. Temperatures below zero consistently; more snow than we’ve had in a decade. Of course, it’s nothing compared to the US east coast - or Scandinavia - but it was rather a s...

This is the second in our series of videos looking at practical aspects of menswear. The first, available here, explained the basics of good shoe care, with Edward Green on London's Jermyn Street. In this second inst...

Although casual clothing is far more susceptible to fashions than tailored clothing, it is possible to organize it into certain groups, or paradigms. These groups, such as preppy clothing or workwear, often have their r...

The Spring/Summer collections may be arriving, but it’s 2 degrees outside in London, and I’m continuing a season-long love affair with roll necks. The wonderful thing about a roll neck is that it is both ver...

Although I applaud the resurrection of British craft, it is the quality of the work itself - rather than where it takes place - that I’ve always thought should be the consumer’s priority. So while it was lov...

This is the latest in a series of posts where I gather together new brands or products I've tried (sometimes outside the normal bounds of sartorial menswear) and review them. They are all based on personal experience, a...

One thing readers asked for in our 'We are 10' post was more reflections on bespoke pieces. When covering bespoke, I tend to write both an initial piece giving the background and approach of the maker, and then a fuller...

The blouson in general, but particularly in brown and especially in brown suede, has to be one of the most versatile pieces in a man's wardrobe. The shape is short and neat enough to work well with smarter clothing; sue...

It really is a lovely feeling walking into the pop-up shop for a new week. There’s Carmen from Camiseria Burgos in Madrid, whom I haven’t seen for five years, pretty much. Next to her is Benedikt from Shibum...

A few readers last week asked about this outfit I included in our 'High/low dressing' post. It's a combination I love, and shamelessly copied from an Italian gentleman I saw in Milan a few years ago. Men should never be...

It’s been so fun swapping in brands every week or two during the pop-up shop. A lot of work, but fun: it feels like a different place, a slightly different atmosphere, every weekend. On Wednesday this week we exch...

The biggest potential pitfall with tailored dressing is looking fussy. Fussy is not sexy; it is not attractive. It is closely related to appearing ‘affected’ or ‘mannered’. Looking relaxed in clo...

First off, I need to mention that the J.Girdwood website is finally up and active. Anyone that has been into the first or second pop-ups will have seen James (above) and his J.Girdwood range of products. They include s...

The Armoury really inspired me (as it did many others) when it started out in Hong Kong, and I still get particularly excited about having them in the pop-up shop. I was in there yesterday, looking through everything wi...

I finally got around to putting together a Christmas gift guide for this year, which I know many readers have asked about (and like forwarding directly to their wives). I have deliberately not included either Permanent ...

A few menswear shoemakers have expanded into women’s shoes in recent years. These shoes will generally be a lot better made than the other women’s shoes in the market, and not necessarily more expensive (giv...

Since I first wrote about Cromford Leather nine months ago, I’ve been using them consistently for leather alterations. I thought it was worth a catch-up piece, therefore. It's also a nice opportunity to show their...

Bang in the centre of the country, Umbria is often referred to as the ‘green heart’ of Italy. A fertile, forested region, it is known for its truffles and wines - and is where several of the best Italian kni...

This post is an illustrated explanation of how I wear trainers, or sneakers. As with similar exercises on the blog, I have attempted to be as structured as possible, keeping some parameters constant in order to focus on...

The survey we did of Spring/Summer pieces in the shops was very popular back in June. This Autumn/Winter, therefore, we thought we’d do two separate ones - the first (today) on winter knitwear, and the second on c...

My 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 toi...

In recent years, as premium trainers/sneakers have increasingly popular, readers have asked for my view on when they might be appropriate, and when they are, what they should buy. I covered that last point in the first ...

Good trunk shows pick good locations. Not necessarily fancy, but convenient and in a space that shows the product in a good light. This is particularly true with ready-made or made-to-measure brands, where customers are...

As 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 j...

Rather a contrast this to Wednesday's post on dressing for hot weather. But it's good to look ahead to Autumn (God I'm looking forward to it - the coats, the knitwear, the hats!). And it's nice to be able to write abou...