Bruce Boyer’s A&S jacket: How great th...
January 15th 2021When Bruce read our article on Nicoletta Caraceni’s 50-year-old jacket recently, he was spurred to send an example of his own: the Anderson & Sheppard jacket worn above. And really, there are few people better placed to talk about how ...
Bruce Boyer’s A&S jacket: How great th...
Match in comments:
Hello Bruce. Great article and wisdom “That’s a shame because cheap clothes are so much more expensive over a lifetime.” My father worked at A&S in the '60s & '70s, he was a cutter, but mainly front of hous...
The Permanent Style Awards 2021: Charity, e-comme...
January 11th 2021It’s hard to use terms for this past year that haven’t already been overused, and lost most of their meaning along the way. But there are certainly several issues and trends that have naturally emerged from it, and which I wanted to refl...
The Permanent Style Awards 2021: Charity, e-comme...
Match in comments:
Hi Z S, thanks for sharing. I am quite interested in the Yukata wearing but do you recommend any places to purchase?...
New daily email and comments page, plus 1.2 milli...
January 8th 2021Over the past six months, we've made several improvements to the website based on requests in last year's reader survey . Some of the new pieces of functionality will not be that obvious, so I wanted to highlight them here to make sure everyone can...
New daily email and comments page, plus 1.2 milli...
Match in comments:
I didn't, no, sorry...
The Christmas Quiz!
December 25th 2020**UPDATE: The answers to the quiz are now listed at the bottom of this post. Don't peek if you want to try it out yourself first! The winner of the competition was Mathias Olsen. Well done to him.** This is a spot of fun for Christmas Day. It should...
The Christmas Quiz!
Match in comments:
Bracket seven brings back memories of ridiculousness. Also, does Conduit, Lamb’s count?...
Which brands do we cover, and why?
December 14th 2020Now more than ever, I think it’s important to say what we stand for at Permanent Style. And one of the ways that comes across clearest is our editorial policy: what we cover, and what we don’t. Implicitly, this defines our values. It re...
Which brands do we cover, and why?
Match in comments:
Thanks Markus. I don't think it's so much a question of location - the Italian tailors I use, and brands I respect, would also not fit that tight or short. And many English brands go for the tight/short look. Good point ...
The perspective of medieval menswear
December 7th 2020I recently saw a presentation by the cultural historical and writer Benjamin Wild (below), on the history of menswear. The talk covered everything from 1300 to the present day, but it was pre-20th Century that was the most interesting. The developm...
The perspective of medieval menswear
Match in comments:
I've been trying to write a sort of novel set in medieval-ish times I guess but with more of a fantasy twist and all I can imagine the men wearing are different variations of buttoned shirts and pants. Does anyone have a...
The Permanent Style x Cromford shearling coat
November 27th 2020I’ve been lucky this year that so many outerwear collaborations have come to fruition - no delays, no problems, everything fulfilling my expectations. That doesn’t always happen. This next one is no less exciting than the others, but I ...
The Permanent Style x Cromford shearling coat
Match in comments:
No worries Carl. The point on dirt does apply to lighter shades of brown too, but it's not as bad as with other lighter colours. Suede will last, it just doesn't have a patina that is attractive with dirt and time as lea...
What is comfort?
November 23rd 2020Working from home has thrown up lots of interesting clothing debates recently - including whether people will just stop caring, as we discussed recently . Another interesting one, I think, is the idea of comfort. As in, ‘It’s just so co...
The mock neck
November 20th 2020I’m not sure about the mock neck. It’s been having a resurgence recently - everyone is doing one, from Camoshita to Loro Piana, Margaret Howell to Inis Meain. I can’t remember the last time a style of knitwear became so ubiquitous...
The mock neck
Match in comments:
I don't really like that look with roll necks, but it's worse with mock necks, because you see so much of the collar. Or at least we can say, it's a more showy look that way...
Buying vintage – with Oliver and Carl of Ru...
November 11th 2020While in Stockholm last month, I spent a morning shopping with Oliver (Dannefalk, above) and Carl (Pers) of Rubato. I was particularly interested to hear their views on vintage shopping, as I knew that both of them used to work in vintage stores in ...
Buying vintage – with Oliver and Carl of Ru...
Match in comments:
I love the Arnold Palmer yellow. Hopefully they repeat it....
The symbolic value of clothes: An interview with ...
November 2nd 2020Philip Warkander is a Swedish academic, lecturer at Lund University in fashion studies. We got to talking recently thanks to an introduction by Dag at Saman Amel, and it was interesting how many of the topics Philip covers - from the value placed o...
The symbolic value of clothes: An interview with ...
Match in comments:
Nicely put Ben. Good to have an accurate Gatsby reference too. I always find it odd how many people use that as a reference to the pleasure and attractiveness of money, when it's more like the opposite....
Fashion is running out of ideas, faster and faster
October 16th 2020A couple of weeks ago I picked up a men’s fashion magazine in the new (very nice) newsagent on Chiltern Street. I really miss good print products, and fashion magazines in particular. I think I flicked through it all in five minutes, and felt ...
Fashion is running out of ideas, faster and faster
Match in comments:
I think it's really hard to say Shem - we don't have consistent trends in the same way anymore. At the same time as big fits might be reaching a zenith, a lot of people (particularly outside London or other big cities) s...
Postcard from Stockholm
October 9th 2020So here's the weird thing about Stockholm: nothing is weird. Everything feels normal. No one wears a mask, and while there’s still social distancing, it's minimal and feels almost like politeness. People do sanitise their hands frequently, an...
Postcard from Stockholm
Match in comments:
No, sorry Stefan, it’s never really been a focus of the site. I also don’t usually have the money to spend on luxury places!...
My beard
Match in comments:
No I don't to be honest, either, though I probably should!...
Postcard from Milan
September 25th 2020When I was young, my family used to play a game on holiday. The question for all of us was: what can you see that tells you you’re in a different country? It could be the types of trees, the style of road signs, the way people gesticulate. It ...
Postcard from Milan
Match in comments:
Quite a burden! But one I'll certainly enjoy trying to carry, if nothing else. Who are the younger Roman tailors by the way? It would be good to get their names out there and help. I have found among the Milanese and Rom...
How Permanent Style works as a business
September 2nd 2020Fashion media has had a hard time of it in recent years, with near constant disruption - which Covid-19 has only made worse. So why am I confident that Permanent Style can survive this turmoil? What revenue streams support that, and what investment...
How Permanent Style works as a business
Match in comments:
Interesting article. Every business has its core, and in the case of PS that core is you, Simon, and your take on fashion and the world. If PS would grow to big, you would be spending more time on the business side and l...
How to launch a menswear brand
August 26th 2020Despite the uncertainty in the world right now - and the economy in particular - it has never been easier to launch a brand. Indeed, I suspect that in the next couple of years most of the new, interesting designs will come from small start-ups, rath...
How to launch a menswear brand
Match in comments:
Hey Jay, I do think it would be hard to be honest. Your main challenge would be the number of English and non-English brands sold here. Not just the Northampton makers, but Weston, loads of Alden, Corthay for a long time...
We will not all be wearing T-shirts and sweatpants
August 12th 2020Apparently there is a thing called a Zoom shirt. It sits on the back of your chair at home, and just before you start a meeting with your boss or colleague, you put on the shirt to look professional. You know, over a T-shirt and sweatpants*. There ...
We will not all be wearing T-shirts and sweatpants
Match in comments:
Thanks for the suggestion Shem - it's not something I wear that much but I can give it some thought...
Local UK tailors: Controlled crowdsourcing
July 10th 2020Readers have commented fairly regularly that it would be good to include more local UK tailors on Permanent Style. I’ve generally been resistant, largely because those tailors would be relevant to only a small number of people. As they tend n...
Local UK tailors: Controlled crowdsourcing
Match in comments:
Stewart Christie take 18-20 weeks for bespoke. That’s a ridiculous lead time....
Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing
June 22nd 2020A reader recently asked about what constituted the ‘finishing’ of a suit - and what indicates quality. I initially planned a response going through every aspect of this, with examples, but that quickly became unwieldy. There are just to...
Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing
Match in comments:
Yes I think that's a good call...
A complete capsule wardrobe
June 17th 2020This article was spurred by two things. First, by a reader specifically asking for it, on another capsule post in this series (always a good sign). And second, by some consultancy work I’ve been doing, where the client had assembled an impressi...
A complete capsule wardrobe
Match in comments:
Charcoal can be nice, yes, but olive would be my favourite and can be very nice, eg here...
The Coronavirus: We will survive because we care
May 13th 2020These are dark and uncertain times for businesses everywhere, in particular fashion. Who will care about their clothes if they’re at home the whole time? Who will spend large amounts of money on clothing when the economy is so uncertain? Two...
The Coronavirus: We will survive because we care
Match in comments:
Wow what an excellent article. That is the thing about buying from a business where the selection of clothing and accessories differs from a typical high street fare. I consciously decided over a year ago that when it co...
What I wear working from home
March 23rd 2020A reader asked last week what I wear when I’m working at home, given how many more people are now being forced to do so. It’s something I’ve done on-and-off for years, but particularly in the past two, since Permanent Style became...
What I wear working from home
Match in comments:
Thanks Leo. No I wouldn't expect there to be a dress code, but it is useful to know what others usually wear, as you want to be smart but not out of place. For example, my grandfather always wore a jacket and tie to Chri...
Something to read
March 19th 2020I’m sure this won’t be the first message you will have read about Covid-19, and how it affects what we do. But I think it’s worth setting out a view, even if it repeats what others have already - perhaps more eloquently - said. Fas...
Something to read
Match in comments:
I went in to the city for the first time in 6 months and said hello to the friends at Graham Browne. As expected, they're in dire straits. The City is still a ghost town. Business has all but dried up, and given continue...
Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi
March 2nd 2020Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi Enzo Ciardi has a lovely smile. It’s big (but then he’s big), it’s warm, it’s friendly. It’s extremely welcoming. And best of all, I can enjoy that smile fully. Because when he...
Artisan of the year 2020: Sartoria Ciardi
Match in comments:
I think that would be nice Alexander...
