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...
Sartoria Melina – bespoke Neapolitan leather
September 4th 2017As 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 jackets, however, I want to sti...
Sartoria Melina – bespoke Neapolitan leather
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I'd say they're pretty similar, really all aiming at the top available...
Dalcuore: Gigi on expansion, craft and young tailors
August 25th 2017Gigi doesn’t normally talk much. The master cutter at Neapolitan tailors Dalcuore, he normally stands back, silently, as Damiano and Cristina do the talking. This is both his character and a result of speaking little English. It was nice to ha...
Dalcuore: Gigi on expansion, craft and young tailors
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Now that Gigi has died from COVID, do you know what is going to happen with Dalcuore? I see they are still doing trunk shows, but is the quality, fit, and cut going to be the same?...
How to dress for very hot weather
August 16th 2017As mentioned on my ‘What I pack’ post, I’ve been travelling a lot in high heat recently. There was Pitti in Florence, where the temperature topped out at 37 degrees. Naples in July was very similar. And Puglia at the end ...
How to dress for very hot weather
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It certainly is Shem, yes, just a little harder on style and elegance. It's hard to go into all things here, but I think it becomes very much about the cut of those other pieces. Eg you want to avoid both top and bottom ...
Wear a jacket
August 14th 2017Dressing well becomes a matter of habit, over the years. You get used to wearing long socks, or high trousers, or being draped in slightly heavier cloth. But these habits have to be instilled. One I find most powerful to instil, through conscious re...
Wear a jacket
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Yes Peter. A good point and a good idea. Thank you...
P Johnson tailoring – Review
August 9th 2017As with most of my reviews, I wrote a first, introductory post on P Johnson last year, after they opened in London. My apologies that the full review, here, has taken so long. In that time John, James and the others have moved from the pop-up in Soh...
P Johnson tailoring – Review
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Bijan already retired. One of his apprentices Noal Gurung opened his own business called 1mm in the central business district, not far from Bijan's own shop. There is another business Sartoria Sciarra that would be of in...
Ettore de Cesare workshop, Naples
August 4th 2017*For more on Ettore de Cesare, and examples of the pieces he has made for me, see original post here* The workshop of Ettore de Cesare is in Vomero, a residential neighbourhood on the hill behind central Naples. But he lives in the centre of town. E...
Ettore de Cesare workshop, Naples
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Yes they have, thank you Ian. Or more specifically, the car coat is reversible, the overcoat unlined. I'll change that now...
Pale summer colours (in vintage linen)
July 17th 2017This 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 starting point is the jacket, made for m...
Pale summer colours (in vintage linen)
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thank you, much appreciated!...
Ettore de Cesare – Neapolitan summer blazer...
June 30th 2017In some ways, this navy jacket and topcoat from Ettore de Cesare are the antithesis of the Disguisery tweed jacket we featured last week. Ettore is a third-generation Neapolitan tailor known for his close-fitting, unstructured garments and leather ...
Ettore de Cesare – Neapolitan summer blazer...
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He would certainly be happy to change things, but to be honest I would always go to a tailor whose style you don't want to change that much - you'll never be able to specify everything you want to change. More on that he...
Wearing black (in a sports jacket)
June 26th 2017I recently remembered these shots we took last year in Japan - it was September, but Tokyo was hot and humid, as Europe has been in recent weeks. Although wool, the checked jacket is 9 ounces and half lined, wearing pretty cool. It was a useful piec...
Wearing black (in a sports jacket)
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It was about black in the pattern, rather than being completely black. To be honest I'd avoid a black jacket. It will make bold colours and patterns look stronger if anything. Grey is best at neutralising those. And navy...
Drape and extended shoulders: The Disguisery
June 21st 2017Last year I got to know a group called The Disguisery , based in Fitzrovia. (‘Disguisery’ is a collective noun for tailors.) A trouser workshop for many houses on Savile Row, they have been branching out into jackets and suiting, and cre...
Drape and extended shoulders: The Disguisery
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Hi Simon, I wonder if you know the shoulder width (point to point from the back) of this jacket? I have just started reading more about extended shoulders, and would like to understand how much is too much (cm) to extend...
Marcus Malmborg: Eidos made-to-measure in London
May 29th 2017This week, Thursday June 1st to Saturday 3rd, both Agyesh of Stoffa and Marcus Malmborg for Eidos will be back in London. I’ve written previously about the wonderful colours and design sense of Stoffa, but not about Mr Malmborg (above). Marcus...
Marcus Malmborg: Eidos made-to-measure in London
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Unfortunately I have to add that my own experience with Mr Marcus Malmborg is not a good one. At best I could describe his customer service skills as very poor, and at worst he is possibly dishonest. I would advise again...
Anglo-Italian: Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis op...
May 26th 2017Last night was the (soft) opening of Anglo-Italian, the new shop in London being run by ex-Armoury buddies Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis. It’s been a long time coming. Various events have slowed things down, and even last night the mirrors w...
Anglo-Italian: Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis op...
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It's very early days - I've only worn them one day. But my initial thoughts are that I like the low profile, the suede, and the low lacing - they all give them character. I wore them with workwear chinos and they were gr...
P Johnson: Contemporary, made-to-measure tailoring
April 5th 2017In a similar way to Stoffa (covered recently here), I loved the aesthetic of P Johnson tailoring before I ever got to see any in person. We are all - in our various ways - battling to show how useful, beautiful and relevant tailoring can be to the c...
P Johnson: Contemporary, made-to-measure tailoring
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Neapolitan...
Harris Tweed waistcoat, Richard James
January 9th 2017Although we discussed last week that the fit of a jacket is the most important - and flattering - part of tailoring, a waistcoat is in some ways the most satisfying. Of all the tailored garments, it is the one that sits closest to the body, and the...
Harris Tweed waistcoat, Richard James
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I accidentally bought too much of the PS Shetland Tweed. I'm having a jacket made, as planned, and with the excess I'm having a waistcoat made in a similar style to this one. I hope it will prove a nice standalone and la...
Building a wardrobe: Neapolitan tailoring
January 6th 2017In recent months a few readers have asked for a breakdown of how I built my wardrobe - my plans, my process and my lessons learned. Doing so across all types of garment and even styles would produce a very long, unwieldy piece, so I thought I would ...
Building a wardrobe: Neapolitan tailoring
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My quintessential piece of advice for anyone considering going to a Neapolitan tailor is: make sure you are going to a Neapolitan tailor because you like the style and not because it is cheaper than Savile Row. If you go...
Video: The Young Tailors Symposium
November 18th 2016Looking back on it, our summer 2016 edition of the Symposium series - which focused on young tailors - was particularly interesting. It's easy to forget until you see our film, shown here, how much the backgrounds of each tailor varied. Each was als...
Video: The Young Tailors Symposium
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Very well done. I think the videos on this site are a nice extra touch. It adds extra value and experience to hear from the personal side of tailoring, which I think is a very wirthwhile side to this industry. Luxury ite...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
November 14th 2016This 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 the fit contemporary. But you...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
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Yes, it probably would, and wouldn't wear them together today - see article here on outfits I'd wear differently...
Japanese tailors: Anglofilo, Sartoria Domenica, V...
October 19th 2016The Japanese tailoring tradition is relatively short. After all, until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, almost no western-style tailoring was worn in the country. The Restoration made western dress required for courtiers and bureaucrats, and increasin...
Japanese tailors: Anglofilo, Sartoria Domenica, V...
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Yes, it’s definitely value for money in terms of the work involved...
Ferdinando Caraceni double-breasted cotton jacket
October 10th 2016This is my final cotton jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni - which fortunately I received a few weeks ago and was therefore able to wear a fair bit before the weather turned. It is obvious even now that this is a piece that will wear in beautifully. As...
Ferdinando Caraceni double-breasted cotton jacket
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Perhaps in the autumn, yes, though not sure I'd wear it into the winter. A heavy cord might be better, easier to have that in a heavier weight and not be too stiff...
Chinos, loafers and a sports jacket (or sweater)
August 29th 2016Those on the Drake’s mailing list may have seen this outfit on Friday, accompanying an article on their new trouser range. To fill in the details: the olive Drake’s chinos were worn with a white lightweight pique-cotton shirt made by Luc...
Chinos, loafers and a sports jacket (or sweater)
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Cheers Andrew! I can't say I have though on exactly that shade of Olive. The Anglo Italian ones are pretty close...
A lapis-blue linen jacket for summer
August 20th 2016Summer clothing, particularly from Italian brands, often includes a lot of light, bright colours. These can be difficult to wear, particularly in northern European countries where the sun might not be that consistent. I'd suggest that of those brig...
A lapis-blue linen jacket for summer
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Probably not, no...
Richard James bespoke tailoring
August 12th 2016Richard James are an interesting name in bespoke tailoring. Better known for ready-to-wear suits and various accessories, they’ve actually had a bespoke operation since they set up – in a small shop at 31 Savile Row – over 20 years...
Richard James bespoke tailoring
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I recently saw a flyer from them offering handmade to measure and MTM. Would you please give me insight on what would the differences be? More specifically than the obvious that one involves hand work....
Coarse vs fine cottons in tailoring
July 25th 2016We covered the appeal of cotton as a tailoring material generally last week, but didn't talk about the different types of cottons. There are corduroys and moleskins of course, gabardines and seersucker. But a difference I find particularly interesti...
Coarse vs fine cottons in tailoring
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I still think the finer cottons here are good, but they're definitely a different aesthetic - they're not shiny, but they are finer, not as tough...
Colour combinations, from casual to formal
May 31st 2016The colour combinations that we discuss every week in regards to formal wear, can be applied just as readily to casual wear. Although there will always be elements that don't crossover (such as the immense versatility of denim) a lot of the themes ...
Colour combinations, from casual to formal
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It is, yes, though I haven't tried others so I'm not sure how much longer other ones are I'm afraid...
