Rubinacci donegal jacket: Style breakdown
March 8th 2019In previous installments in this series, we analysed what could be considered the modern Neapolitan style (a Solito jacket) and the traditional one (a Ciardi suit). Next, we look at how different elements of these can be combined in a Neapolitan suit...
Rubinacci donegal jacket: Style breakdown
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Hi Simon, Thanks, yes I can see how that would be helpful. I guess it's not normally a high priority given it's an easy thing to convert yourself, and some people use both fairly interchangeably. But if I have time I'll ...
Solito summer jacket: Style breakdown
December 24th 2018The next area we move onto in our Style Breakdown series is Naples – which might have more high-end bespoke tailors than anywhere else in the world. Neapolitan tailoring is known for its soft jackets, with light shoulder padding and chest c...
Solito summer jacket: Style breakdown
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Probably not much more than you've already said, but you could emphasise that you want to feel very comfortable, to see more drape in the material, or perhaps that you'd like to be able to wear a sweater underneath it so...
Ciro Zizolfi bespoke tweed jacket: Review
December 10th 2018Now and again, a bespoke commission is almost seamless. At every fitting, you like the look of the jacket and almost nothing seems to be needed on the fit. Just as importantly, the tailor delivers what they say they will: the jacket is always ready ...
Ciro Zizolfi bespoke tweed jacket: Review
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Dear all, I would like to praise Ciro and Andrea Zizolfi. Firstly, this is subjective but I believe they have a great house style, more traditional Neapolitan than modern meaning that the jackets are a bit longer and pro...
Liverano & Liverano purple jacket: Style Bre...
November 26th 2018Following our last piece of bespoke tailoring to be analysed in this series – Ferdinando Caraceni in Milan – we now turn to the most famous of the Florentine tailors: Liverano & Liverano. Liverano has received such attenti...
Liverano & Liverano purple jacket: Style Bre...
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Great article, Manish! It's one of your best, and I found it highly relatable. I recently lost my bespoke virginity after a 20-year wait (I think he is the one), and here are my takeaways from the fabric selection ...
Bespoke v Made-to-Measure: Eduardo de Simone jackets
November 14th 2018When Eduardo de Simone and I met at his factory last year, we spent a long time talking about the advantages and disadvantages of bespoke and made-to-measure (MTM) tailoring. As a result of them, Eduardo proposed an experiment. He offered to make me...
Bespoke v Made-to-Measure: Eduardo de Simone jackets
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Hand padding refers to the process of creating the canvas with hand stitches, which creates shape in the chest. It is different to whether the jacket is canvassed (which just means there is canvas in there, half or full,...
Ferdinando Caraceni herringbone suit: Style break...
October 26th 2018Following on from French bespoke style with Camps de Luca, we now arrive in Milan with Ferdinando Caraceni. Milanese tailoring has quite a distinct style, with light structure overall but a strong shoulder. So while tailors from Milan will talk about...
Ferdinando Caraceni herringbone suit: Style break...
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If it helps, I find the opposite of square much more intuitive, and a helpful reference in contrast. The opposite of square shouldered are sloping shoulders: when the shoulders slope relatively more downwards from the he...
Charcoal donegal-tweed jacket – from Steven...
October 8th 2018Charcoal is a surprisingly useful colour in an odd jacket. Great with muted tones of tan, green or brown, it's also dark enough to go with lighter grey flannels. And charcoal is my favourite colour to wear with cream trousers. It tends to tone down ...
Charcoal donegal-tweed jacket – from Steven...
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They're pretty much the same, just not quite as slim in the waist!...
The guide to cashmere and precious fibres
October 1st 2018Luxury fibres like cashmere or vicuna can make lovely, indulgent cloths for sports jackets. Having mostly stuck to linen, tweed or related mixes in recent years, I recently commissioned a jacket in 100% cashmere (from Eduardo de Simone) and it’...
The guide to cashmere and precious fibres
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Johnstons, Harrisons and the other English mills tend to be denser, which I like, but the quality otherwise is similar. Loro Piana stands out most for its designs and colours...
The rules and how to break them 8: Button a DB
August 22nd 2018This is the latest in a nice series of posts called ‘ The Rules and How to Break Them‘. Like the other Guides we have put together recently, it now has its own homepage, here. You can navigate to that page by clicking on the &...
The rules and how to break them 8: Button a DB
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Thanks Fabrizio, wonderfully put! (Yes yes, but better late than never)...
Huntsman tweed jacket: Style breakdown
July 27th 2018When people talk about an English military cut – the kind of thing that will make you feel like a soldier, stand up straight and give you an air of authority – this is what they mean. Although other Savile Row houses, such as Dege...
Huntsman tweed jacket: Style breakdown
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Hey Joel, That does feel a little long to be honest. I can see the jacket in the image could be a touch longer, but I'd worry an extra two inches would be too much, and it's a hard thing to alter. Nice to be reminded of ...
Popular at the pop-up: Hollywood tops, linen shir...
July 25th 2018Given the heat at the moment in London, it shouldn’t be surprising that linen is the most attractive thing in the pop-up up shop, which has been going wonderfully so far. Edward Sexton’s Hollywood-top trousers (above) have been particula...
Popular at the pop-up: Hollywood tops, linen shir...
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No, the A&S will be better, but that's clear from the price too. And the difference will be mostly in the fineness of the linen, so it depends whether that matters to you...
Double-breasted cotton jacket and striped shirt
July 9th 2018When I first had this cotton jacket made, I noted that it was a tricky one to work into an outfit. The vintage cotton cloth ( more details here) is rather rough and casual, yet the cut and style are quite smart. Having it as a double-breasted jacket...
Double-breasted cotton jacket and striped shirt
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Good question. I think probably because that colour doesn't really look like part of a suit. Also helps that it's a DB, and the more texture the cotton has, the easier it is too...
Summer checked jacket – at the Dalcuore Rak...
June 29th 2018If there’s one thing I have a (very relative) lack of, it’s summer sports jackets - casual pieces for warm days, using the linen/wool/silk mixes the Italians are so good at. So it was nice to have this jacket from Dalcuore made up in tim...
Summer checked jacket – at the Dalcuore Rak...
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I'd say cream to pale beige. Not a bright or strong colour. I don't know on that bunch I'm afraid...
Anderson & Sheppard two-button jacket: Style...
June 25th 2018This is the third in our Finest Tailors series breaking down the styles of the world’s finest tailors. Following on from Richard Anderson and Henry Poole, we now turn to Anderson & Sheppard. Now, Anderson & Sheppard is justly fa...
Anderson & Sheppard two-button jacket: Style...
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They're stated on most of the product articles: 6 foot tall, 39 inch chest, 33 inch waist, 12.5 stone...
The Tailor Styles series
May 24th 2018The reviews of bespoke suits I’ve written over the years haven’t always been the same. Some included more on the experience (particularly when it was bad); some focused on the fit; others were more about style or make. Their length and ...
The Tailor Styles series
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Oh good, nice to know Lindsay...
Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong ...
May 21st 2018It was really lovely being back in Hong Kong last week, after a few years away. The talk we Lorenzo Cifonelli and I did at Attire House worked well - more a conversation than an interview, with Lorenzo asking me questions about other tailors, and th...
Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong ...
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I think that can be fine - the danger comes more when the linens are pretty similar in texture and weight...
Unexpected texture and colour – Denim and l...
March 19th 2018I think it’s telling that the thing that makes me happiest about this outfit is the oatmeal-linen shirt, a piece made bespoke by D’Avino. I’ve been doing this for a while - trying to combine pieces of classic menswear in ways that ...
Unexpected texture and colour – Denim and l...
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Thank Mike, but please refrain from talking to other commenters like that. Cheers...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
February 9th 2018I had this tweed jacket made by South Korean house B&Tailor over the past 18 months, using Robin Petterson - a Swede who does their fittings in London and at home in Stockholm. Unfortunately, although the end result isn’t too bad (just...
B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review
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Yes I think that's a good idea. Both look nice, my concern with the first would be it could be a little strong in colour, and the latter could be a little light and so more showy. We're talking small differences here, bu...
Saman Amel made-to-measure jacket: Review
January 22nd 2018It’s so enjoyable writing good reviews. It is valuable to write balanced, semi-critical pieces of course, and this is a core part of Permanent Style. But you always feel very conscious of the effect the criticism will have, and bad even if it&...
Saman Amel made-to-measure jacket: Review
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The top-level Saman Amel is a higher quality make, being hand padded, but I'd still largely pick on which style you prefer. Eg the Saman notch is a big higher...
Reflections on bespoke: Stoffa, Richard James, Ca...
January 1st 2018One 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 review when the piece is read...
Reflections on bespoke: Stoffa, Richard James, Ca...
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I never did a full piece on it I'm afraid. But those trousers were in heavy Pardessus cloth that Holland & Sherry no longer sells, made by Elia Caliendo. The shirt is in Everyday Denim made by Luca Avitabile, and the sho...
Begg, J. Girdwood and The Rake (Chapal, Sciamat, ...
December 1st 2017First 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 some Permanent Style favourites...
Begg, J. Girdwood and The Rake (Chapal, Sciamat, ...
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Perhaps a mid or pale brown? Also stronger colours like oranges and reds, if that's your style...
The Drake’s x Permanent Style outfit
November 20th 2017Drake's was one of the first menswear brands that really inspired me, back in the days when I'd sit in Michael Drake's study going through old decorative art books, dissecting patterns. Drake's managed to combine craft and style, deep tradition and ...
The Drake’s x Permanent Style outfit
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Not really, no...
Sartoria Formosa – bespoke-made RTW and MTM...
September 25th 2017Sartoria Formosa - led by Gennaro, above - is similar in some ways to the likes of Dalcuore or Ambrosi, in that it is a traditionally bespoke Naples house that has expanded into ready-to-wear in recent years. Five years ago it did no RTW or made to ...
Sartoria Formosa – bespoke-made RTW and MTM...
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Oh good, I'm pleased that comes across. And yes, that does sound like it's not right (and probably hard to make big enough to be right...)...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
September 20th 2017Thank you everyone that responded to my ‘You are the interviewer’ post a couple of weeks ago. The number of variety of questions was staggering, and I will try to answer as many as I can over the coming weeks. It may take time, but I wou...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
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I don't know the exact history, but I think it came from English tweed jackets which themselves were derived from those made for riding...
Saman Amel – Classic tailoring with a moder...
September 6th 2017Good 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 more likely to compare them t...
Saman Amel – Classic tailoring with a moder...
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Hi Dave, If you can, I would try on a Ring Jacket piece at the Armoury, then go see Saman Amel and see what they have, and see which style appeals instinctively. Both offer great products - and it sounds like you won't c...
