Merry Christmas everyone

December 25th 2023

Thank you everyone for what you have helped Permanent Style become this year. Merry Christmas from myself, Lucas and all our wonderful contributors. Here's to a stylish, creative and pleasurable 2024. Pictured above: Selfie at last year's pop-up, we...

Merry Christmas everyone

Match in comments:
Yes true, it is a little big in that style, works well with the belt...

Black tieDecember 25th 2023

Christmas Gift List 2023: Do not read!

December 8th 2023

Permanent Style reader, this is not for you. This is intended for your wife/husband/partner/child/dog, in an attempt to help source a Christmas present for someone who, let’s face it, is very fussy in general but particularly about clothing. ...

Christmas Gift List 2023: Do not read!

Match in comments:
I'd go off the shoes primarily, and I think both suede or leather would be fine, I don't think leather would be too smart...

Belts and wallets - Black tieDecember 8th 2023

Christmas gift list 2022: Towelling, tooling and ...

December 7th 2022

1 Double-breasted towelling robe Anderson & Sheppard, £395 The sartorial design of this robe from Anderson & Sheppard is so satisfying. It basically has ulster-coat lapels, with one buttoning under the chin when the collar is u...

Christmas gift list 2022: Towelling, tooling and ...

Match in comments:
I think the off-white x beige is the best yes, even with those trousers...

Bags - Belts and walletsDecember 7th 2022

My bespoke bow tie, from La Bowtique

February 21st 2022

Back in December we covered the various styles of bow tie , from batwing to butterfly. Learning about the traditions and conventions helped me clarify which style I prefer for myself, and today I’ll be covering which one I had made, and why. ...

My bespoke bow tie, from La Bowtique

Match in comments:
Good to know. Many thanks Lindsay...

Black tie - TiesFebruary 21st 2022

Cocktail attire: An argument for a new type of ev...

December 31st 2021

Just before Christmas, I organised a Permanent Style Christmas dinner, to thank a few people that had helped and supported PS in recent years. We were hosted by Geordie D’Anyers Willis of Berry Bros & Rudd, which was kind of Geordie, ...

Cocktail attire: An argument for a new type of ev...

Match in comments:
Great, sounds good David...

Black tie - StyleDecember 31st 2021

Merry Christmas (Eve)

December 24th 2021

Today, Permanent Style takes its traditional, annual day off - I know, a whole day! So stop reading this, go talk to a loved one, and stay away from screens. Unless it's to watch a gushy Christmas movie you can take a cheeky nap in the middle of. Th...

Merry Christmas (Eve)

Match in comments:
Looks like a 1990 Mouton second from left, and a Latour at far right....

Black tieDecember 24th 2021

The styles of bow tie – and why they matter

December 20th 2021

I rarely wear a bow tie. Certainly never casually, and the number of black tie excuses has dwindled since I left my job in legal journalism. Back then there were several award ceremonies a year - we even threw four ourselves - but those have gone a...

The styles of bow tie – and why they matter

Match in comments:
Thanks for that Lindsay...

Black tie - TiesDecember 20th 2021

Black tie among friends

October 22nd 2021

  By Tony Sylvester A couple of weekends ago, at the invitation of photographer Jamie Ferguson and writer Aleks Cvetkovic, a few friends got together for a weekend away in the Devonshire countryside. Obviously, social invitations and jaunts...

Black tie among friends

Match in comments:
I must say that is a bold look, sounds like it made an impression though, so well done to that individual....

Black tieOctober 22nd 2021

The guide to cloth for black tie (or tuxedo)

September 4th 2020

My Cifonelli velvet jacket The cloth that you select for a tuxedo (or black tie) probably won’t get as much thought as the design, the shirt or indeed your bow tie. The options are fairly limited, and all those other things will have a greater ...

The guide to cloth for black tie (or tuxedo)

Match in comments:
I don't have any more information I'm afraid KD...

Black tie - ClothSeptember 4th 2020

Video question: How can I dress up without a suit?

May 6th 2020

  One of the things I enjoy most about Permanent Style is the comments from readers. It’s like each article is a new thread in a forum, with subject raised and then comments, experiences and questions all following, vastly enriching t...

Video question: How can I dress up without a suit?

Match in comments:
Hi Creceden, Thank you, that's very kind. If the jacket you're talking about is the one in the picture, it looks like a nice material and I like the combination with the roll neck. But it's more traditional and i think i...

Black tie - StyleMay 6th 2020

Editing Instagram: Dressing for different walks o...

August 7th 2019

  Great as Instagram is, a definite flaw is its lack of an effective archive. There’s no way to search old images, so unless you save an image yourself, you can’t find old pieces or browse effectively. Just as important a fr...

Editing Instagram: Dressing for different walks o...

Match in comments:
Anyone know Peter’s height? Just curious....

Black tie - Casual clothingAugust 7th 2019

John Demsey hosts Budd and Anderson & Sheppard

October 24th 2018

Coverage of our events last week in New York is going to work in reverse. First, here, is the party after the Symposium - which Anderson & Sheppard customer John Demsey (Executive Group President, Estée Lauder) held at his house in Ma...

John Demsey hosts Budd and Anderson & Sheppard

Match in comments:
I can't say I'm a fan of patch pockets on DB, especially on the chest. I've noticed some jackets with patches on both sides, which look terrible....

Black tieOctober 24th 2018

Richard Anderson tuxedo: Style breakdown

May 25th 2018

This is the first in a series of articles looking back at suits I have had made by the world’s major tailors, and examining their style through a consistent set of parameters and images. For background and context, see the introduction here . H...

Richard Anderson tuxedo: Style breakdown

Match in comments:
Probably black, or if it was midnight, actual midnight, so looks like black. Not the navy that often passes for midnight. Everything else pretty much as here I think. DB would be tempting, but I have my DB velvet from Ci...

Black tieMay 25th 2018

Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...

September 20th 2017

Thank 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...

Match in comments:
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...

Black tie - CoatsSeptember 20th 2017

Video: Evening wear at the Huntsman dinner

January 31st 2017

As requested by readers, here is the video coverage we took on the night at our Huntsman dinner a couple of weeks ago. The sound quality isn't perfect (our fault) but you can certainly hear the short explanation I gave at the beginning of the dinner...

Video: Evening wear at the Huntsman dinner

Match in comments:
Well done ... lovely thoughts and great fellowship. Cheers to my confrères...

Black tie - VideoJanuary 31st 2017

Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits

January 26th 2017

As mentioned in my original post about this reader competition, our aim was to explore the different forms formalwear can take today. Men will always have a need to dress up, in order to appear appropriately for a smarter, more important and more f...

Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits

Match in comments:
I wore my Cleverley imitation brogues. I don't think there's anything wrong with Oliver's trousers - they are just breaking a bit more at the front as a result of how he is standing. I also wouldn't go with turn-ups, bot...

Black tieJanuary 26th 2017

Huntsman dinner: The evolution of formal wear

January 25th 2017

Meekal Hashmi Last week’s readers dinner was, perhaps surprisingly, one of the more enjoyable evenings I’ve had in a long time. I say surprisingly because, as lovely as all the readers were certainly going to be, it is always hard to pre...

Huntsman dinner: The evolution of formal wear

Match in comments:
Kudos to you Simon for organising and, more importantly, involving readers and admirers of the site....

Black tieJanuary 25th 2017

Come to dinner at Huntsman

December 13th 2016

So, Huntsman invited me to host a dinner in their Savile Row shop in January. And rather than invite people from the industry (as we did last time in our Gathering dinner) I thought it would be nice to have readers along. As a nice celebration...

Come to dinner at Huntsman

Match in comments:
Hi Arne, Unfortunately, I would advise against using it in any other way. It will pretty much always look contrived. Just have to find (or organise) other black tie events I guess. Simon...

Black tieDecember 13th 2016

BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie

February 18th 2016

One of the nicest aspects of the Bespoke Tailors Benevolent Association dinner every year is the evening wear. Although most cutters and tailors aren’t actually into clothes and style, they are all wearing something bespoke – s...

BTBA dinner: The best-dressed men in black tie

Match in comments:
Only somebody who doesn’t understand would think of wearing a smoking jacket at a black tie evening....

Black tie - StyleFebruary 18th 2016

Black tie for New Year’s Eve

December 31st 2014

Dress way the hell up, as our American cousins might say. New Year’s Eve is a special event, and it deserves a special effort where our clothes are concerned. That doesn’t have to be black tie, as above, but wear a jacket at the...

Black tie for New Year’s Eve

Match in comments:
Yes, they can and look elegant in that setting...

Black tie - StyleDecember 31st 2014

Classics that never get used: Reader question

July 30th 2014

Beautiful, but will you wear it? Dear Simon, I have been quite busy in the last seven years building a wardrobe that will seem modest by your standards, but is still quite substantial for me. And obviously once you start, it’s hard to stop: t...

Classics that never get used: Reader question

Match in comments:
Hi Simon, I enjoyed this post greatly! I am actually currently commissioning a new double breasted 3 piece suit! I of course have typically had one in my wardrobe, and in the past prior to my strict adherence to only sac...

Black tie - ShoesJuly 30th 2014

Thanks for all your support

December 31st 2012

For the first time last month, the numbers of visits to Permanent Style topped 250,000. (That’s visits, not visitors – which is less – or impressions – which is more.) In the past six months our traffic has gro...

Thanks for all your support

Match in comments:
Bonne Année, Simon, and to your regular and casual readers as well. I really enjoyed reading your posts in 2012! John...

Black tieDecember 31st 2012

The Tailor & Cutter – a square dinner ...

January 9th 2012

This drawing from The Tailor & Cutter is lovely; but it’s not really my style. Not because a white dinner jacket would be too showy unless I were dining in truly balmy weather. But, rather, because everything about it is too squa...

The Tailor & Cutter – a square dinner ...

Match in comments:
Dear Patrizio, Thanks for the question. The links don't seem to work for me, but I can see the images from the email you originally sent, which shows Prince Charles in a rather nice dinner jacket with vents. Are you sugg...

Black tie - JacketsJanuary 9th 2012

Variations on the summer dinner jacket

May 13th 2011

The Burma shade summer dinner jacket Esquire, August 1936: “The old summer formal combination of blue jacket and white flannels got the gong because of its obvious incongruity with summer evening dresses. “Hence the white dinner j...

Variations on the summer dinner jacket

Match in comments:
Hi Simon, Can I ask your advice about a white dinner jacket. I am thinking of having one made for use in the summer. I was planning on a single-breasted peak lapel with one button. What advice would you have about cloth ...

Black tie - JacketsMay 13th 2011

Silk and wine with your evening wear

April 13th 2011

The fair haired boy of the beach walk Esquire, January 1935: “This is the semi-formal evening outfit that will be worn by the best-dressed men at Palm Beach this winter. It consists of a white shawl collar dinner jacket with dress trousers ...

Silk and wine with your evening wear

Match in comments:
Simon, Very true, I had a feeling of this but I was blinded by a designer piece. Thanks for the feedback, Julio B....

Black tieApril 13th 2011