Category: Knitwear

Although casual clothing is far more susceptible to fashions than tailored clothing, it is possible to organize it into certain groups, or paradigms. These groups, such as preppy clothing or workwear, often have their r...

The Spring/Summer collections may be arriving, but it’s 2 degrees outside in London, and I’m continuing a season-long love affair with roll necks. The wonderful thing about a roll neck is that it is both very practi...

A few readers last week asked about this outfit I included in our 'High/low dressing' post. It's a combination I love, and shamelessly copied from an Italian gentleman I saw in Milan a few years ago. Men should never be...

It’s been so fun swapping in brands every week or two during the pop-up shop. A lot of work, but fun: it feels like a different place, a slightly different atmosphere, every weekend. On Wednesday this week we exchange...

The Armoury really inspired me (as it did many others) when it started out in Hong Kong, and I still get particularly excited about having them in the pop-up shop. I was in there yesterday, looking through everything wi...

I finally got around to putting together a Christmas gift guide for this year, which I know many readers have asked about (and like forwarding directly to their wives). I have deliberately not included either Permanent ...

A few menswear shoemakers have expanded into women’s shoes in recent years. These shoes will generally be a lot better made than the other women’s shoes in the market, and not necessarily more expensive (given the d...

Bang in the centre of the country, Umbria is often referred to as the ‘green heart’ of Italy. A fertile, forested region, it is known for its truffles and wines - and is where several of the best Italian knitwear fa...

This post is an illustrated explanation of how I wear trainers, or sneakers. As with similar exercises on the blog, I have attempted to be as structured as possible, keeping some parameters constant in order to focus o...

The survey we did of Spring/Summer pieces in the shops was very popular back in June. This Autumn/Winter, therefore, we thought we’d do two separate ones - the first (today) on winter knitwear, and the second on casua...

Good 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...

Rather a contrast this to Wednesday's post on dressing for hot weather.  But it's good to look ahead to Autumn (God I'm looking forward to it - the coats, the knitwear, the hats!). And it's nice to be able to write ab...

Connolly, which opened on Clifford Street at the end of last year, is one of the most interesting new menswear stores London has had for a while. It offers luxury clothing, both under its own name and a few European bra...

As is now customary (after three seasons we can say that, right?) I picked out my favourite 10 pieces from No Man Walks Alone's stock last week.  I took advantage of being in New York to go through most things in perso...

The Style Guide has been wonderfully received so far - at the launch events in London and New York, but also online and through personal messages. Thank you all.  There are a few things I realise I haven't emphasised s...

Many thanks to everyone for the response to The Finest Knitwear since it went on sale, and to the continuing popularity of the Friday Polos.  Stock is running short, with just 28 pieces left and crewneck the most popul...

I've always rather liked domestic fixes to knitwear. Darning holes, removing pilling, slimming bodies: I've consistently practiced and written about them all over the years. (Posts at those links).  But being introduce...

Although some Permanent Style collaborations have been rather esoteric (purple slippers anyone?), the most satisfying have always been those that go on to become wardrobe staples. Our next - available exclusively in the...

We took this picture of Patrick Johnson, founder of P Johnson, last month. It occurred to me at the time how hard it is to wear a sweater over the shoulders, as Patrick does. It's something I rarely do, and it's probabl...

For the past four months I’ve been wearing and trying out the knitwear of Luca Faloni - an Italian with an online store based here in London. Luca offers quite a broad range of things, including leather goods, scarves...

Few things given me more pleasure than looking after good clothes, and being rewarded with a better-lasting and even better-looking wardrobe. This happens most obviously with leather products like shoes and bags, and ar...

    UPDATE: Original article published in 2013   The article in the bottom of this post was originally published in September 2013, when Berk in the Burlington Arcade was closing. Ballantyne, the factory, was shutti...

Those 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-co...

The following is an extract from my book Best of British: The Stories Behind Britain’s Iconic Brands , published by Prestel. Dedicated copies are available to buy here – Johnstons of Elgin It has survived two world...

Simon, Would you be willing to do a post on (casual) summer dressing? It’s the area of dress I struggle with the most. Every time I go on summer/spring holidays I find myself browsing through the internet looking for ...