Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
December 2nd 2019I think L'Étiquette is the best menswear magazine in the world at the moment. The main reason is its ability to cover bespoke tailoring and high-street casual - Caraceni and Converse - in a way that feels both easy and relevant. This applies ...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
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Hi. If someone wants to flaneur, let him flaneur away. I agree that Mr. Barnes is ever seeking his perfect imperfection. All power to him. Everyone has to have their passion or quest. Mine is finding the perfect thifted ...
The polo shirt under knitwear
November 27th 2019I have a particular problem with crewneck sweaters. Although I love them, I find my relatively long neck means they don’t look good without a collar underneath. I need a shirt, rather than just a T-shirt. It’s the reason I sometimes we...
The polo shirt under knitwear
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It could work, but I think the finer Smedley might struggle over the polo shirt - the latter would be a bulkier material than the former, which is not really what you want when you wear one thing over another...
The weekend capsule wardrobe
November 13th 2019A weekend wardrobe can be a particular challenge for guys that care about their clothes. It should be relaxed and easy – not requiring much thought, and a nice change from the working week – yet cover a wide array of activities...
Ivy Style today: The Symposium video, New York
October 30th 2019Last week's Symposium in New York was hugely enjoyable. There were over 200 enthusiastic people in the audience (standing room only) and I think the speakers were perfect. Alan Flusser gave the historical background on Ivy style (having lived it him...
Ivy Style today: The Symposium video, New York
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By the way, if you want an explanation from Alan on why he dresses this way today, it can be found here: https://alanflusser.com/musings-from-alans-desk/alan-flusser-style...
How to buy vintage clothing: Three experts give t...
October 16th 2019Vintage clothing has become more and more popular over the past decade. Underneath obvious markers like the launch of brands RRL, or artificially aged sneakers, men have been gradually buying into vintage because it’s authentic, because it&rs...
How to buy vintage clothing: Three experts give t...
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Workwear is a nice area, like duck canvas, French blue cotton. But they're hard to find as they tend to wear through quite quickly (also always too short for me!)...
Video debate: The future of tailoring, with Saman...
September 27th 2019The lack of a coherent dress code in modern offices does not mean men will wear tailoring less. It just means they have more choice. And Saman and Dag find that their customers are both bankers dressing down (not in a suit, but not in a polo either)...
Video debate: The future of tailoring, with Saman...
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Thank you very much for immediate response!...
The knitted, fully fashioned T-shirt
August 30th 2019When I travel, my default these days is a blouson over shirt and trousers. It makes a nice switch from tailoring during the working days – perhaps a little more comfortable, but more importantly just a change that feels as good ...
The knitted, fully fashioned T-shirt
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Thanks Joshua. Yes, I would. And if I wanted to make everything a little smarter I might balance the knit t-shirt with a loafer....
Holiday snaps 2019: No shorts in the city
August 14th 2019I just got back from our annual summer holiday: two weeks in Portugal, in a villa with my wife and children, miles away from anything. I normally write a post running through things worn on holiday, as I know readers find it interesting h...
Holiday snaps 2019: No shorts in the city
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'It's possible to be overdressed in this way, too'. If such an outfit which you are wearing or for example an outfit like a shirt/polo with linen trouser and espadrilles can seem overdressed then what does the average cr...
Kindness, sexiness, materialism: Gauthier Borsarello
August 12th 2019Gauthier Borsarello is one of the most refreshing people in menswear today. I hope that came across in o ur recent piece on his shops and projects in Paris - including Holiday, Le Vif and L’Etiquette magazine. What we didn’t get a chanc...
Kindness, sexiness, materialism: Gauthier Borsarello
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It is surprising to me how emotionally Gauthier´s opinions were discussed here. As a regular reader I felt his opinions were agreeable and well put. They were familiar and refreshing at the same time. Always nice when y...
Editing Instagram: Dressing for different walks o...
August 7th 2019Great 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...
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Anyone know Peter’s height? Just curious....
Interview: Gene Krell, a life in clothing
July 31st 2019Gene Krell is a legend. Today the international fashion director for GQ and Vogue in Japan, he ran the seminal glam and dandyism shop Granny Takes a Trip from 1969 and later worked with Vivienne Westwood. He is a punk, a buddhist and a philanthropis...
Interview: Gene Krell, a life in clothing
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I don't agree with Gene's comment about Japanese fashion and Yakuza etc. He said: "It’s only since the adoption of American dress in the 50s that any of this has been real. They’d never seen clothes like that before....
Jamie’s alternative Pitti picks
July 29th 2019Jamie Ferguson (above), the photographer I’ve worked with over the past few years on Permanent Style, has a different style to me. He gets tailoring, and wears tailoring, but he also wears more sportswear, more workwear, and experiments more....
Earthy, refined colours for summer: Biagio Granat...
July 12th 2019Today is a lovely day in London (the day I write this, that is, July 3, not the day it’s published). Sunny, a light breeze, a few clouds drifting across the sky. It’s twenty-three degrees celcius. The kind of temperature where you can we...
Earthy, refined colours for summer: Biagio Granat...
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I have mine made with a light fusing, either a moderate spread or a button-down. However, whether the collar stands up or not will be just as much down to the cut of it - how high it is made at the front and back, and th...
Tatsuya Nakamura and Tomoyoshi Takada of Beams &#...
July 5th 2019Tatsuya Nakamura Japanese fashion drives so much of classic style that we barely see in the West. Italian brands can be huge in Japan, yet barely be covered here. Partly as a result, Japanese buyers are some of the most knowledgeable in the world. T...
Tatsuya Nakamura and Tomoyoshi Takada of Beams &#...
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Hugh, I think your comment is bit limiting. Obviously we're on an Ivy kind of blog, but if there's one thing I think about Tokyo is that it is defined by its diversity of cultures. These trad/classic style buyers are one...
The Wedding Style Guide: It’s not about you
June 28th 2019One of the lovely things about the questions and comments we get on Permanent Style is the trends they highlight. In the past two weeks there have been dozens of questions on old posts about wedding attire. So I know everyone is thinking about what ...
The Wedding Style Guide: It’s not about you
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A pocket watch actually should not be part of a wedding morning dress ensemble as a wedding is a church event followed by a private party. In neither occasion is it appropriate to have a watch. This is obviously extremel...
Which sports-jacket office are you?
June 5th 2019One of the most popular posts we’ve ever written on Permanent Style was ‘Which office are you?’, back in February 2016. It showed a spectrum of outfits from T-shirt and jeans, through knitwear and flannels, up to a jacket and tie -...
Which sports-jacket office are you?
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Yes that can be an issue. Look at Italian jacketings in particular, around 11-13oz if there are some. And go for a subtle pattern in the weave like a herringbone...
England and Florence: Understated, rural style
May 13th 2019I always wondered why my friend Tommaso was such a fan of British style: he always wore tweed jackets, flannel trousers, Scottish knitwear. Even cotton Harrington jackets. His green tweed jacket from Loris Vestrucci was one reason I was i...
England and Florence: Understated, rural style
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I'm exaggerating, but there is a tendency among many Neapolitans to be a bit flamboyant and try to show off with their clothes - Neapolitans themselves tell me, so it must be true!...
If you only had five business suits: A capsule co...
April 29th 2019These ‘Building a Wardrobe’ pieces have now been collected into a Guide, which will expand over time. You can see the list at the right (on desktop), at the bottom of this post (on mobile) or simply on its own page here. &nbs...
If you only had five business suits: A capsule co...
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I haven't used either, but I know them. I wouldn't worry about 1% cashmere from a performance point if view. Does it feel nicer with it, to you?...
Men need a core casual wardrobe
April 26th 2019Over the next few weeks, will be doing a few posts on creating a core wardrobe of clothes – often called a ‘capsule collection’ – to add to those already published on ties, shirts and handkerchiefs. In my opini...
Men need a core casual wardrobe
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More elegant with tailored trousers...
A Connolly tonal outfit: cream, grey and brown
April 1st 2019This outfit, worn on the last Saturday of our pop-up shop, is a good illustration of the kind of clothing that excites me at the moment. It could be defined, perhaps, as casual but luxurious, muted but refined. Casual, in that there’s no jacke...
A Connolly tonal outfit: cream, grey and brown
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Great, thank you, Simon....
Dressing for complexion and skin colour: Should y...
March 27th 2019High contrast Readers regularly ask about whether they should wear certain colours, and why certain clothes might appear to ‘wash them out’. My opinion has always been that skin colour and complexion is less important than most think. Th...
Dressing for complexion and skin colour: Should y...
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Hi there, Good point, yes it makes more of a difference when you're not layering. And often stronger colours are worn in the summer too. On the second point, yes it is the contrast between the garment and your skin which...
Best lookbook 2019: Drake’s (or, what is heritage...
March 11th 2019Best lookbook: Drake's Runners-up: Stoffa, Saman Amel This was our first award on lookbooks, and I think it raised some interesting questions about how brands present themselves in their imagery. Certainly that was what I ended up talking...
Best lookbook 2019: Drake’s (or, what is heritage...
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The popped collar look is trite and a bit of a cliche in the fashion menswear marketing world. Best to be avoided....
Best-dressed man 2019: @Gusvs9 (or, dressing simp...
February 20th 2019Best-dressed non-professional 2019: @Gusvs9 Runners-up: @urbancomposition, @flannels_and_tweed @Gusvs9 doesn’t like people to know who he is. You never see his face on Instagram, and there is no biography. Such an approach...
Best-dressed man 2019: @Gusvs9 (or, dressing simp...
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Great advice. Thanks for the ideas...
Strong colour in accessories
February 1st 2019The tangerine orange looks nice against the brown tweed, doesn’t it? This combination, worn up to see Joshua Ellis recently, spurred a few thoughts on colour. Here they are. First, I don’t wear many strong colours just because I find tha...
Strong colour in accessories
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Thanks Daniel. Mine was more of a shawl-scarf, and I don't think they do it anymore I'm afraid....
How to layer knitwear
January 4th 2019Layering knitwear can be both stylish and practical. Practical, because it gives particular warmth on a cold day - more, usually, than a shirt under knitwear. The multiple layers are also easy to add and remove as the temperature varies. And stylish...
How to layer knitwear
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Oh, that's very good for me! Thank you, Simon!...