How hand-loomed madras is made: A visit to OMTC, ...

April 9th 2025

We’ve written about Original Madras Trading Company before. Manish did an article last year explaining the history of the company - including its much larger manufacturing parent - and how it has resurrected hand-loomed madras in India. But t...

How hand-loomed madras is made: A visit to OMTC, ...

Match in comments:
I wish OMTC produced Madras shirts in the more "traditional" combinations of red, yellow and blue, and if not, then if the PS Madras shirt could be restocked....

ClothApril 9th 2025

A guide to pure-silk tailoring

March 24th 2025

  Silk used to be more commonly seen in tailoring than it is today. That’s in large part because quality silk has become so expensive, but also I think because we’re less used to seeing it around – even on bespoke custo...

A guide to pure-silk tailoring

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I expect so, and it has become rarer since...

ClothMarch 24th 2025

De Bonne Facture: More like themselves

February 26th 2025

I’ve known the brand De Bonne Facture for a long time, seeing them at stockists like Trunk and No Man Walks Alone over the years, and chatting to the founder Déborah Neuberg over dinner or at Pitti. I’ve also admired their philos...

De Bonne Facture: More like themselves

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Great review. And if i'm allowed to say, something i'd love to see more of. I'm 26 and was on boarded in my late teens / early twenties through the writing on more traditional clothes which was / still is new and excitin...

Cloth - CoatsFebruary 26th 2025

Learning lessons: Light-grey overcoat and horsebi...

December 16th 2024

I had this overcoat made earlier in the year by Sartoria Ciardi from Naples, but have only had a chance to wear it consistently the past few months. The cloth is CT17 from Fox - a 20/21oz wool in their overcoatings bunch. I was confident of the sty...

Learning lessons: Light-grey overcoat and horsebi...

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Yes, it is the char brown. I'd say not as versatile as either of those, but still very useful...

Cloth - CoatsDecember 16th 2024

Unmilled Coarser Heavier Worsted Wool Twill Trousers

November 4th 2024

Not everyone likes flannels . They can bag a bit, at least more than the worsteds guys are used to wearing to the office. That just means a press now and again, but hey some people are very lazy busy. If flannels aren’t an option, and it&rsqu...

Unmilled Coarser Heavier Worsted Wool Twill Trousers

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It looks like it might fit into this category well, but I would want to look at it in person...

Cloth - TrousersNovember 4th 2024

A Guide to Mohair

October 9th 2024

  There are two main reasons people use mohair for tailoring today. One is for eveningwear, when they want something with a little more sharpness and lustre; the other, less common, is as an alternative to high-twist wools in the summer. An...

A Guide to Mohair

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Thanks Simon, I’ll continue the hunt!...

ClothOctober 9th 2024

Maison Hellard: Tasteful, experimental linen

September 6th 2024

By Manish Puri. I’m in a car with Nathan Hellard - the founder of French linen merchant Maison Hellard - and we’re kindly being chauffeured by Nathan’s father, Philippe, from Pau to the commune of Assat, where the company is based....

Maison Hellard: Tasteful, experimental linen

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While not really the point of the article, I can't believe no-one has mentioned that you managed to avoid getting pizza on your suit, given light colours seem to have a magnetic attraction to brightly coloured food!...

ClothSeptember 6th 2024

Introducing: The Permanent Style collection at Fox

August 14th 2024

When I visited T&G Caraceni in Rome last year, a particular bolt of vintage cloth caught my eye. It was a brown-and-black houndstooth tweed, mid-weight but densely woven (as a lot of that vintage tweed tends to be). Unfortunately only 1.5m ...

Introducing: The Permanent Style collection at Fox

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Simon, Very helpful, thank you! Best, Robert...

ClothAugust 14th 2024

Manish’s five bespoke lessons: Picking cloth

February 16th 2024

By Manish Puri. This article is the second in a series dealing with my personal experiences of having bespoke/MTM clothes made over the last six years. The first covered some of my tips for working with tailors, while this piece focuses on the lesso...

Manish’s five bespoke lessons: Picking cloth

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Haha! Thank you so much for complimenting my piece, Kevin :)...

ClothFebruary 16th 2024

The story behind the English Tweed coat

December 22nd 2023

When we develop a new coat with Private White VC, Lucas and I generally travel up to Manchester to them in person, to talk through the idea and dig into the archive. At the end of last year, when we went up to discuss our ‘English Tweed&rsquo...

The story behind the English Tweed coat

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Thanks Simon...

ClothDecember 22nd 2023

The Guide to Tweed: Bunches

December 6th 2023

In our voluminous Guide to Cloth series , we’ve already done an article on tweed. But that was about the history, the style and a little about the types. There was no mention of bunches. Today’s article takes on that introduction, fleshes...

The Guide to Tweed: Bunches

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The logic makes sense, yes. When I have seen it in person I haven't usually liked the colour combinations that much, but that's likely largely personal...

ClothDecember 6th 2023

Swedish craft companies playing the long game: Sv...

November 13th 2023

By Dag Granath Something that’s true for most – if not all – companies covered by Permanent Style is that they aspire to create something that stands the test of time. Two of my favourite Swedish companies outside menswear have th...

Swedish craft companies playing the long game: Sv...

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Most certainly. It is something worth bringing up with them. For good or bad, many international customers find their way to MMF via interior architects which means they rarely connect personally with the company....

ClothNovember 13th 2023

The guide to hopsack (and mesh, mock leno and bas...

July 7th 2023

Hopsack and similar materials are a good choice for summer blazers - sharp jackets usually made in smart colours, such as navy. The materials don’t vary that much, even if the weaves themselves are different. A mesh in a classic menswear dark...

The guide to hopsack (and mesh, mock leno and bas...

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No, patch pockets can be great too - my old DB one here had them...

ClothJuly 7th 2023

A guide to wool/silk/linen: Mixes, colours, bunches

May 10th 2023

My Brioni jacket in a cream beige wool/silk/linen Wool/silk/linen blends have been a favourite for summer jackets for many years, although in the UK they only started to be offered about 10 years ago. More recently, English mills have also started ...

A guide to wool/silk/linen: Mixes, colours, bunches

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No worries James...

ClothMay 10th 2023

A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

November 9th 2022

I’ve been buying and wearing more corduroy in recent years - including the new dark-brown jacket above, from Sartoria Ciardi . I think the reason is that if you’re not dressing for a formal office, worsted is likely to feel out of place...

A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

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Yes, that would be very helpful because nearly everyone struggles with that, I believe....

ClothNovember 9th 2022

Fitting a bespoke jacket – in de Le Cuona s...

June 1st 2022

The first fitting is where the craft of bespoke tailoring most reveals itself. Imagine lifting up the point of one shoulder. That shortens that side of the jacket, so it will have to be lengthened. It changes the angle relative to the other shoulde...

Fitting a bespoke jacket – in de Le Cuona s...

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Good point Edward. I have, but you need a collar that's a little higher than most, so it is actually taller than the jacket collar. Also, it helps if it's the structure of shirt I generally favour - lightweight fusing. T...

Cloth - JacketsJune 1st 2022

Linen, paisley and velvet interiors: de Le Cuona

January 7th 2022

I recently followed a thread of interest from shirtmaker Emma Willis, to the slow-woven fabric of her dressing gowns, to the company that produces them, de Le Cuona. It was a fairly speculative journey. I had no idea whether anything I discovered at...

Linen, paisley and velvet interiors: de Le Cuona

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There will be a post on mine next week JH, so you don't have to wait long. But it was a plain cashmere from Budd...

ClothJanuary 7th 2022

A visit to Molloy & Sons

December 17th 2021

Living in a city, it’s easy to become reliant on Google Maps. After all, it will tell you not only where things are, but how to get there, which train is fastest, and the branches of Pret a Manger along on the way. Driving from Belfast to Don...

A visit to Molloy & Sons

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Nope. I asked them and it's Magee....

ClothDecember 17th 2021

The Willy Wonka wool room

November 15th 2021

OK, so when I wrote last week about how Donegal yarn is spun, I left out the best bit. It was deliberate, as I thought this process deserved a post on its own. When Maureen at Donegal Yarns started our tour of the factory, she said she had taken a ...

The Willy Wonka wool room

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That’s what I figured. But thought I’d ask....

ClothNovember 15th 2021

How Donegal yarn is made

November 1st 2021

*Donegal Coat update: The first batch is ready and will be shipping out this week. A smaller second batch will go on sale next week. Use the form on the shop page to be added to the waiting list for that if you're interested* Jamie and I travelled t...

How Donegal yarn is made

Match in comments:
Thank you Lindsay. Yes that's a nice idea but, not to always throw a spanner in the works, usually these kinds of points are more nuanced than that. Irish linen is wonderful, but stiffer and more formal than lighter Euro...

ClothNovember 1st 2021

Introducing: Permanent Style Plaid

August 25th 2021

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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My pleasure Nezar. This is a trap some people interested in menswear fall easily prey to in my opinion : they love some much clothes that they end up bringing attention on them instead of using them to bring attention on...

ClothAugust 25th 2021

Introducing: PS Harris Tweed

April 23rd 2021

My favourite Harris Tweed has not been available for a few years now. Originally offered by Holland & Sherry, I was such a fan that I used it for one of my favourite tweed jackets (from Elia Caliendo, below ), a fantastic ulster coat from L...

Introducing: PS Harris Tweed

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You don't have to worry Miriam, the lining won't show through and it will protect from the wind - it's what it was made for! Certainly don't wash it...

ClothApril 23rd 2021

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury RAF-blue suit: Style ...

April 9th 2021

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 ...

Match in comments:
At the first appointment, certainly. Even if you don't define it then, it's useful for the tailor to know what you're after...

Cloth - SuitsApril 9th 2021

The guide to cloth for black tie (or tuxedo)

September 4th 2020

My Cifonelli velvet jacket The cloth that you select for a tuxedo (or black tie) probably won’t get as much thought as the design, the shirt or indeed your bow tie. The options are fairly limited, and all those other things will have a greater ...

The guide to cloth for black tie (or tuxedo)

Match in comments:
Hi Sorry, Simon is on holiday this week. However, I know his preference is for black - especially if it is likely to be your first and only dinner suit. I think midnight blue has historically held a reputation as looking...

Black tie - ClothSeptember 4th 2020

Introducing: PS Selvedge Chambray

August 24th 2020

Back in 2017, Jamie Ferguson and I visited fabric mills in Japan - like Hosoo, in Kyoto (pictured below) , which produces the most extraordinary silks. It was really interesting to see the weaving side of Japanese heritage, and the typically innovat...

Introducing: PS Selvedge Chambray

Match in comments:
Thank you...

ClothAugust 24th 2020