Should you buy a copy? What’s the harm?
September 13th 2023A few weeks ago, a reader asked my opinion on a pair of suede boots that were clearly a copy of the popular Open Walk from Loro Piana . That soft, unlaced chukka has become so widespread in a few short years that some don’t even recognise them...
Should you buy a copy? What’s the harm?
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Well I'd argue there's another point on top of this one to make. Quality. Recently, my wife needed a pair of new shoes. She previously had both a pair of Clark's, and a pair of "More expansive brand" (to respect anonymit...
You are the interviewer 2
September 11th 2023Six years ago, we ran a really nice exercise on PS where readers became the interviewers, sending in questions they'd always wanted to ask. It sprung from a comment that at least one reader hadn't been very impressed with a recent interview with me....
Los Angeles: A city shopping guide
September 4th 2023By Lucas Nicholson I recently visited Los Angeles for the first time, and spent a very enjoyable week being proved wrong. Admittedly my hopes hadn’t been high for menswear in the city, but what I witnessed was wide appreciation of ...
Los Angeles: A city shopping guide
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I’ll be in LA next month and looking forward to visiting some of these shops. (I lived there decades ago so this is all new, especially the downtown scene.) Visvim looks like a fun space, but at $780 for a t-shirt ($85...
The PS talks are back – with Luke Walker of...
August 28th 2023A new season of talks is starting this Autumn, following the same format as the four we held last year - with Ethan Newton, Tony Sylvester, Jamie Ferguson and Rubato. The evenings at Mortimer House were immensely enjoyable, with around 50 readers ga...
The PS talks are back – with Luke Walker of...
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Hi, Yes it did, and yes there will be. Should be a week or two. No, LEJ was never part of this pop-up. They used the space back in the Spring, but we don't have that space any more so this Autumn we're just on our own fo...
Autumn/Winter 2023 on the PS Shop
August 21st 2023As has now become routine, here is a view into what’s arriving in the PS Shop during the rest of the year. There are some new products and restocks of favourites, for any that have missed them thus far. We try to give an accurate month for la...
Autumn/Winter 2023 on the PS Shop
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I haven't looked at the linens recently Ben, sorry. I can try and remember to next time I'm on the Row though. Never a problem to comment on old posts - PS articles never get old, they only mature...
Tracksmith running clothing: Review
August 2nd 2023Tracksmith, the running brand, recently interviewed me and a bunch of others for their magazine. The photos here are from that piece, and if you’d like you can read it here . It was nice having the excuse to reflect on what running has meant t...
Tracksmith running clothing: Review
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I’m glad to see this topic covered. I find it mind-boggling that none of the major shoe brands understand the need for a running shoe that has classic style and modern technology. When there’s only room to pack two p...
Memories of Edward Sexton
July 28th 2023Edward Sexton, the English bespoke tailor, sadly passed away this week. We were, as many readers will know, supposed to be holding a talk with Edward this past Spring, but his health has been poor for a while and that was postponed. In preparation ...
Memories of Edward Sexton
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It is, you'd expect that of any good quality suit...
Talon zips and velvet chandeliers: The Real McCoy...
July 26th 2023The Real McCoy's headquarters in Kobe, Japan is extraordinary. I had been warned it would be, but it really didn't prepare me for the scale of the operation or for the mix of craft and eccentricity. The company owns four warehouses in the port of ...
Talon zips and velvet chandeliers: The Real McCoy...
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I'm afraid they don't give tours normally Michael, not to customers or even most press...
Swimming shorts: Simple, tasteful, flattering
July 19th 2023I haven’t written about swimming shorts for a long time. Other than a passing reference on our regular ‘holiday snaps’ articles , it’s been over a decade since they were covered on PS. Even back then, it was a pretty short ar...
Swimming shorts: Simple, tasteful, flattering
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Yes that’s been my experience! They are all hideously expensive for the quality even when heavily discounted. Which is not something you could say about Private White VC outerwear for example, particularly at discount....
Sartoria Ripense: Visiting Andrea Luparelli in Rome
July 17th 2023By Manish Puri Whenever an article related to Rome is published on Permanent Style I’ve noticed there’s usually a reader comment or two about Sartoria Ripense – either asking about their style or praising their work. With this in m...
Sartoria Ripense: Visiting Andrea Luparelli in Rome
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I once had a tailor in Sicily make me a DB navy blazer with three patch pockets (although not the “mappina” sleevehead of that Solaro suit), and I regretted it—deciding it was just not my taste. The only DB jacket ...
How different materials decompose – The Aig...
July 14th 2023Last week I wrote about the loopwheel knitter Aigat , one of the most specialised producers of loopwheel fabric - for sweatshirts, T-shirts etc - in Japan. Something I wanted to save for a separate article was the display they had in their receptio...
How different materials decompose – The Aig...
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I don't know what to say then Ben, I'm surprised they haven't lasted that well. Obviously it depends how many shirts you have, but even before I was into menswear, pieces didn't fall apart like that. If you did want to i...
Friends and fun at the PS anniversary Open Day
July 5th 2023For the first hour-and-a-half of our Open Day last week, no one turned up. I sat there on a bench outside the shop, considering that maybe the ‘I am 15’ badge and the birthday banner weren’t so funny after all. Maybe they were just...
Friends and fun at the PS anniversary Open Day
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They've certainly been having a fashion moment, yes...
Nicoletta Caraceni on fitting Silvio Berlusconi
June 23rd 2023When we went to see Nicoletta Caraceni (above) in Milan recently, she had been approached several times by the Italian media to speak about the death of Silvio Berlusconi, who was a customer for much of his life. She didn’t want to talk on TV...
Nicoletta Caraceni on fitting Silvio Berlusconi
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He never migrated to Kiton. He received some suits as a present ( it happened often in his life even with other brands ) and Kiton made a big marketing operation with press. He ordered suits with us till the end of his l...
The Permanent Style Anniversary dinner
June 21st 2023Last November marked 15 years since the founding of Permanent Style. To celebrate the occasion, we planned two things: a personal dinner with friends in Florence and a more public event in the pop-up shop on Savile Row. The public event, to which al...
Thank you for being interesting and useful: Comme...
June 16th 2023It occurred to me recently that the point of, and policy on PS comments hasn't been talked about for a long time. It is usually hinted at, and only then when people skirt the edges of it. So here’s a summary, which will also become a static pa...
Thank you for being interesting and useful: Comme...
Match in comments:
This exchange made me chuckle!...
Overshirts and oxfords back in stock, plus restoc...
June 9th 2023The PS Oxfords in blue and white have just been restocked, as have the overshirts in navy (above). The shorts (below) also came in a week ago. Given the number of questions there have been about restocks, and issues with delays, we also thought it w...
Overshirts and oxfords back in stock, plus restoc...
Match in comments:
Slightly delayed, yes. Should be another week or two...
Please come to the Permanent Style Anniversary ‘O...
June 2nd 2023OK, so at the end of last year Permanent Style turned 15. We’ve been trying to think of ways to celebrate with as many people as possible, and this is the idea. On Tuesday, June 27th, we will have an ‘open day’ at the pop-up shop,...
Please come to the Permanent Style Anniversary ‘O...
Match in comments:
Will do Richard, thanks for coming...
Look after things you love: Repairing my Reverso
May 31st 2023It can be a little galling getting a high-end watch serviced. Given the cost could be between £500 and £1000, it's easy to feel you're spending a lot of money just to get the same thing back again. Perhaps it's easier to swallow if you'...
Look after things you love: Repairing my Reverso
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No they didn't actually, and no I didn't, but perhaps I should have done...
The state of independent menswear in the UK
May 22nd 2023By Lucas Nicholson. With the closure this year of the Oi Polloi shop in Manchester by its owners, JD Sports, it felt like it was an appropriate time to talk about the state of independent menswear stores in the UK. This is something of a passion of...
The state of independent menswear in the UK
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Another sad loss recently is Hanon Shop in Aberdeen. Reading the last few pages of comments on their TrustPilot page is like reading the condolences on someone's death notice. A great shop, with a great selection and gre...
A guide to vintage in Japan: Harajuku, Koenji, Osaka
May 19th 2023There are more vintage shops in Japan than anywhere else. Particularly in Harajuku, the fashion area of Tokyo, and in Koenji, a district about 40 minutes from the centre. But elsewhere too - Osaka, traditionally a fashion centre in Japan, has high-...
A guide to vintage in Japan: Harajuku, Koenji, Osaka
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Wonderful, thank you Gustav...
How we wear LEJ
April 26th 2023By Manish Puri with André Larnyoh. Luke Walker is the creative director of the brand LEJ. I still remember the first time I saw him. He was strolling across my local green, wearing faded jeans and a loose shirt that appeared to be somewhat re...
How we wear LEJ
Match in comments:
Hi Mark I think the first point is that the Plage Coat is a bit more of an outerwear piece than the Games Blazer. Also, the Blazer has more elements to it - more internal pockets, flapped external pockets, lapels, someti...
Inspiring Japan: The 2023 trip
April 24th 2023Last week I was in Japan for 10 days, mainly in Tokyo but also travelling around to Kobe, Osaka and Wakayama prefecture. It was the fourth time I’d been to Japan, but only the third for PS, and one of those had been for only a few days around ...
Inspiring Japan: The 2023 trip
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Yes, that's being updated and will be republished next week...
A Day in the Life
April 17th 2023My day begins around 6:30am, when my three-year-old starts shouting over the monitor that she wants to get up. That’s my job, in the highly organised division-of-labour that is our family life. I have to coax her out of her pyjamas and downsta...
The next talk with Rubato, and pop-up shop updates
March 10th 2023I’m pleased to say that the next in our series of talks at Mortimer House will be with Oliver and Carl from Rubato, on March 31st. These events have a really nice atmosphere, with everyone milling around, browsing the products and chatting to ...
The next talk with Rubato, and pop-up shop updates
Match in comments:
There are quite significant differences. The Rubato cut is a little unusual - a little shorter, a little fuller in the chest. They also tend to use lambswool rather than cashmere, which is a little chunky, hard-wearing b...
PS readers’ Customer Service Award 2023: Anglo-It...
March 3rd 2023Results of the Readers Awards 2023: Best customer service: Anglo-Italian. Runners-up: Anderson & Sheppard, The Armoury Best product: Private White VC. Runner-up: Anglo-Italian Best styling: Drake's. Runner-up: Rubato Best artisan: Corcos. Ru...
PS readers’ Customer Service Award 2023: Anglo-It...
Match in comments:
Thank you for the kind words James, It was a lot of work but we had a lot of fun as well! I'm glad you have fond memories of it!...
