Which colour of linen do I want?
At this time of year, I’m often asked what linen suit, jacket or trouser a reader should get. Their eyes are turning to summer, and often an event that will involve summer tailoring. We’ve written about the appeal of linen in general be...
Which colour of linen do I want?
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No worries at all...
The Maison Hellard / Permanent Style olive linen
Last year, my old Paul Stuart trousers bit the dust. I’d had the beauties since 2014, ever since an initial visit to interview Ralph Auriemma , so they’d done well. But in the middle of last summer they finally wore through. I did look ...
The Maison Hellard / Permanent Style olive linen
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It's just called MH x PS...
The Russell check – A bolder jacket choice
A bold checked jacket is not the most versatile thing to own. Quite aside from how many other things it goes with, its boldness means that it will likely outshine them all, and stick in the memory of anyone you meet. It’s not something you can...
The Russell check – A bolder jacket choice
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Think would be much better to reduce the country associations if you had the jacket made by an Italian tailor....
The origins of tweed patterns: Scottish estates a...
When we visited Johnston’s of Elgin earlier this year, their archive room was a pleasant surprise. As well as old cloth books and ledgers, it included a display on the history of tweed, and going through this with the archivist reminded me of ...
The origins of tweed patterns: Scottish estates a...
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Dear Simon Crompton, thank you for this wonderful post! It ist very interesting for someone like me who is a fan of the traditional british clothing/stile (maybe with a modern twist). I appriciate your great blog a lot, ...
Why do my flannels keep wearing through?
I was reading a piece in The Times last month which hailed the flannel trouser as the new trend in menswear. It’s funny how the mainstream can sometimes take a long time to catch up - it must be 15 years since the growth of ‘classic mens...
Why do my flannels keep wearing through?
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Looking at mtm or rtw mid grey flannel trousers. Does anyone have existence with both Cavour and Besnard? Besnard gives a ton of options online and seem reputable. If there are other similar shops please let me know....
An Introduction to Thai Silk
Simon is away on holiday this week, so you have a whole wonderful week of Manish to look forward to. By Manish Puri . On my recent trip to Thailand in celebration of my girlfriend’s birthday, in between attending three menswear dinners, docum...
An Introduction to Thai Silk
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Haha! How lovely, Stephan....
The cornucopia of Cilento in Naples – and b...
It would be easy to walk past Cilento in Naples. I know because I've done so myself, several times. There’s a good chance your eye will be caught by a silk tie in the window, or a bottle of perfume sitting there, expectantly. But then you&rsq...
The cornucopia of Cilento in Naples – and b...
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I'm in Toronto often enough - do you mind providing the name of the store?...
How the Permanent Style Madras was woven
On Friday we’ll be launching our hand-woven Madras shirts, a collaboration we’re really proud of - both because of the people we visited in Chennai that made it so authentically, and because of the unique comfort and quality of the cloth...
How the Permanent Style Madras was woven
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The cloth is on sale here Heath (though it is currently sold out - more is coming soon)...
Spring/Summer Highlights 2025 – including b...
In this edition of our regular seasonal highlights we're doing things a little differently. First, I'm including bespoke commissions for the first time. This is in response to a few readers asking what, if anything, I’m having made, and it ma...
Spring/Summer Highlights 2025 – including b...
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I was not sure where to post this, but for those who want a more casual quarter zip than the Zagora that still fits a tailoring aesthetic, I can highly recommend the 18 East "Collan" zip collared sweatshirt. As with all ...
How hand-loomed madras is made: A visit to OMTC, ...
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, ...
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Thanks Simon...
A guide to pure-silk tailoring
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 customers, let a...
A guide to pure-silk tailoring
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No problem. Yes I would still recommend the same books, and while you will see quite a lot of variation, there shouldn't be much you'd consider looking like a cheap satin. I would particularly focus on the Zegna offering...
De Bonne Facture: More like themselves
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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Nice...
Learning lessons: Light-grey overcoat and horsebi...
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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I may have been lucky, but the only time I bought a pair of second hand shoes I didn't have any problems with this....
Unmilled Coarser Heavier Worsted Wool Twill Trousers
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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I've only tried it as trousers David, but I would say it's not as warm as flannel, while being a little warmer than most modern suitings...
A Guide to Mohair
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. And there&rsq...
A Guide to Mohair
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No worries. On the mix, as I said in the piece they really divide into two - 40% or higher, or more like 15% or lower. I'd pick between them depending on how much you really want that crisp mohair look or not. Weight is ...
Maison Hellard: Tasteful, experimental linen
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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The linen cotton from Manufacture metise is my choice for trousers. Its astounding value and very very high quality. All made on old shuttle looms in France ....
Introducing: The Permanent Style collection at Fox
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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It will be per linear metre I'm pretty sure...
Manish’s five bespoke lessons: Picking cloth
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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A navy blazer is undoubtedly the safest choice (my own first bespoke piece was a navy flannel blazer), but its one of drawbacks is, I see often one encounters the same uniform elsewhere. At a recent conference, I saw a g...
The story behind the English Tweed coat
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...
The Guide to Tweed: Bunches
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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No, not really GA...
Swedish craft companies playing the long game: Sv...
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....
The guide to hopsack (and mesh, mock leno and bas...
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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Only that it would usually have a drier handle and more matte surface, which might feel less business-y...
A guide to wool/silk/linen: Mixes, colours, bunches
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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It's a vintage piece Rob - see article covering it here...
A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches
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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No worries RM, happy to...
Fitting a bespoke jacket – in de Le Cuona s...
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...
