Category: Hats

I'm not sure whether it came across, but I was almost surprised by how much I liked the Optimo hats I saw in New York last October. It was the first time I had seen them first hand, and the felt was noticeably different...

I'm pleased to say the Permanent Style watch caps are finally available again - on the shop site - after some delays. There are two colours: a slightly darker navy than last time, which I feel is more sartorial and suit...

Optimo is everything you might want from a craft manufacturer. There was a passionate beginning; a long gestation; success and popularity; and now a beautiful new factory that supports transmission of the craft. Plus  ...

  A reader commented on the last instalment of this list that it shaped his whole season’s shopping. No pressure then. Many of the ranges will feature in other coverage later in the year – particularly the o...

This suit from Vicenza-based Sartoria Pasinato has turned out very smartly, with a clean fit and very sharp line. Part of this is a result of the cloth, which is a cavalry twill from Vitale Barberis Canonico (584, 440g)...

Next year I will publish a travel guide to the best men's stores around the world, with Thames & Hudson. Alongside the city chapters there will be interviews with well-travelled people in the menswear industry, high...

Every man thinks hats don't suit him. Yet every man, of every shape and size, used to wear a hat - and they looked good. Conclusion: men don't know how to pick a hat.  I know I've run through that before, but it bear...

As promised last year, the Permanent Style watch cap is finally available - it’s on the PS store, price £69 plus VAT, in navy or grey. It’s a collaboration I’ve been building to for a long time. As far back as 20...

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 clothing, on the ot...

This is a nice exercise in combining summery, pale colours. The challenge is being light and pale overall, while retaining enough contrast between shirt, jacket and trousers - both in colour and texture.  The startin...

Last 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...

For many reasons - personal, business, product, sheer beauty of execution - I’ve long been a fan of The Armoury. They were therefore one brand I was particularly excited to get into our Savile Row pop-up shop. However...

This outfit, which was shot for the recent cover story of Plaza Uomo magazine, is probably one of the most casual ever featured on Permanent Style. Much like the first image of our popular ‘ Which office are you?’ p...

These things always seem to come in bunches.  First Esquire named me in a top 10 and now Plaza Uomo have published their latest edition, with a profile of me as the cover story.  Plaza is a Swedish fashion magazine,...

If styled right, a cap is a wonderfully useful accessory. Not as formal as a fedora, yet not as casual as a beanie, it can bridge a greater range of outfits than any other hat. When the temperature is in single figures,...

For a home studio and workshop, Stephen Temkin's set up is pretty cool.  He lives in a large house in downtown Toronto, Canada. The work is largely done in the basement (where the ironing and larger equipment is) and ...

This outfit was used in a piece written recently for Drake's regarding corduroy.  The piece mentions some of the associations that corduroy often carries, and ways to avoid them; basically, keeping the colours dark and...

A reader recently commented that the site could do with some more practical pieces about putting clothes together - rather than commissioning them.  I am deeply appreciative of such feedback. I do try to keep a balance...

  Horatio Nelson first walked into Lock & Co hatters in November 1800. He had just returned from the Mediterranean, and came into the St James’s Street store to order a cocked hat and cockade. The two-cornered sty...

I have never been a big fan of fur. Not for any ethical reason, but simply because I have rarely found pieces that are subtle enough to appeal to me. The lambskin coat above, before you raise a quizzical eyebrow, does no...

A reader recently asked me what hat I wear during the winter. It breaks down into three options: The trilby A ‘proper hat’, as many people seem to refer to it, a trilby or fedora is the default option with tailoring....

A well-made panama hat is an exquisite creation. Crafted from fine, closely woven straw, it is soft, cool and breathable, yet structured enough to hold an elegant shape. It is simple and supple – the result of one of t...

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Following yesterday’s post on my visit to Christys, to see the making of a fedora, here is a video made last year by Christys showing the same process with a little more movement (and a thumping beat)....

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