The Armoury at the pop-up: College cardigan, R...
November 30th 2017The 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 with Dick (Carroll, pictured bot...
The Armoury at the pop-up: College cardigan, R...
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Nice, thanks Pat!...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
September 20th 2017Thank 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...
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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...
Introducing: The Permanent Style trench coat
September 13th 2017*Check the Shop page for stock levels* Our first collaboration this Autumn/Winter is, for me, the perfect trench coat - a limited edition of a Ventile coat being made with Private White VC. Visitors to the pop-up shop, or our UK manufacturing debat...
Introducing: The Permanent Style trench coat
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Cheers, Simon....
Ettore de Cesare workshop, Naples
August 4th 2017*For more on Ettore de Cesare, and examples of the pieces he has made for me, see original post here* The workshop of Ettore de Cesare is in Vomero, a residential neighbourhood on the hill behind central Naples. But he lives in the centre of town. E...
Ettore de Cesare workshop, Naples
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Yes they have, thank you Ian. Or more specifically, the car coat is reversible, the overcoat unlined. I'll change that now...
Ettore de Cesare – Neapolitan summer blazer...
June 30th 2017In some ways, this navy jacket and topcoat from Ettore de Cesare are the antithesis of the Disguisery tweed jacket we featured last week. Ettore is a third-generation Neapolitan tailor known for his close-fitting, unstructured garments and leather ...
Ettore de Cesare – Neapolitan summer blazer...
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He would certainly be happy to change things, but to be honest I would always go to a tailor whose style you don't want to change that much - you'll never be able to specify everything you want to change. More on that he...
Coherence: Vintage-inspired Japanese outerwear
March 31st 2017When I first heard about and tried Cohérence outerwear last year, I wasn't sure it would be for me. I tend to favour outerwear that flatters the figure and creates a straight-cut silhouette. So long in the body, slim at the waist and high in...
Coherence: Vintage-inspired Japanese outerwear
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Grenfell makes some great pieces, and it's a shame they're not more represented here in the UK. I haven't tried Grenfell cloth though so can't speak to that much I'm afraid....
The Dunhill archive
February 1st 2017As 'heritage' has become more popular in recent years, brands have increasingly emphasised their longevity, their history and their traditions. This has several issues. Most obviously, the brands that push this hardest often have the least to shout...
The Dunhill archive
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Over the years I've bought a number of pieces from Dunhill and enjoyed them. That said, my experience of them since their acquisition by the Richemont Group has been at best, variable. There seems to be a lack of consist...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
December 16th 2016These things always seem to come in bunches. First Esquire named me in a top 10 and now Plaza Uomo have published their latest edition, with a profile of me as the cover story. Plaza is a Swedish fashion magazine, and Plaza Uomo has an English ver...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
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Hi Neil, Has your copy come through yet?...
Unstructured casentino coat – Rubinacci x T...
December 9th 2016Although some of the products aren't to my taste, I always keep an eye on what The Rake are doing in terms of collaborations. It's interesting to see a clear vision move through different brands and categories. One that caught my attention recently...
Unstructured casentino coat – Rubinacci x T...
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The cut is kinda weird. I ordered mine at the rake last week. It's size 56. My usual jacket/suits size is US 44 in most men's wear brands like Hackett, Charles Tyrwhitt..etc. However, 56 is quite snug overall, and I'm ha...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
November 14th 2016This outfit was used in a piece written recently for Drake's regarding corduroy. The piece mentions some of the associations that corduroy often carries, and ways to avoid them; basically, keeping the colours dark and the fit contemporary. But you...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
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Yes, it probably would, and wouldn't wear them together today - see article here on outfits I'd wear differently...
Edward Sexton long overcoat – finished
April 18th 2016This is the finished charcoal overcoat from Edward Sexton, and it’s hard to over-estimate how much pleasure it gives me. It’s a very different feeling from my navy Cifonelli coat. That is practical, every day, an anonymous touch of lu...
Edward Sexton long overcoat – finished
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I haven't Mark, but I would worry that if they were actual vents, the coat might flap open rather a lot - these are pleats rather than vents, in that they're not actually open...
Edward Sexton long, grey overcoat
January 25th 2016Last summer, Edward Sexton and I were sitting in the gardens of the Four Seasons hotel, Florence. It was a beautiful evening. Warm, with a light breeze, scattered groups sitting at the tables and wandering across the lawn. The conversation turned ...
Stile Latino grey double-breasted coat
December 30th 2015For men who – for reasons of economy or laziness – want a coat that will go with everything, this might be the perfect candidate. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’d recommend it. It was made for me by Stile Latin...
Stile Latino grey double-breasted coat
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On the inside of the jacket? Yes, thats a label like you'd have on the breast pocket, and is meant to stay on...
Tips on buying an overcoat
October 16th 2015One of these days I’ll put together an editorial calendar. It always comes as a surprise when people start asking for advice on overcoats as the weather turns cold, but it shouldn’t. The same people ask for tips on luggage and swimming...
Tips on buying an overcoat
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I'd look to something like a grey herringbone Peter - there are few outerwear colours that really bridge those levels of smartness, but mid-grey herringbone is one....
Stile Latino – from Vincenzo Attolini
September 2nd 2015I interviewed Vincenzo Attolini (above) back in January. This post is therefore a little late, although the advantage is the clothes will be dropping into shops now, unlike other pieces from trade shows where you have to wait at least six months t...
Stile Latino – from Vincenzo Attolini
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MY GOD!!! The first tailor to be frank about the pros and cons of handwork etc. While I love handmade button holes, most cannot make a tightly woven one that is sharp and beautiful. Most are relatively loose and worthles...
What is worth being made bespoke?
August 21st 2015Re-fitting for a Simone Abbarchi shirt, Florence In comments to Friday’s post on my ‘go-to’ clothing, readers said they would like to see a post suggesting which types of clothing it is most worth having made bespoke. In order to...
What is worth being made bespoke?
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yeossal "I think" did for me. I have a stock pair with just lower rise, and more than a couple mtm trousers. mtm does seem to fit better. not perfect, but I just got tired of playing with measurements and settled on just...
Cifonelli double-breasted overcoat
January 26th 2015For the reader who commented that my pieces on Cifonelli tend towards the emotional, I apologise in advance. This is a beautiful, beautiful coat, and one of the finest things I have ever worn. Right, that’s over. Down to details. This is...
Cifonelli double-breasted overcoat
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I'd go for 80/20 I think. I also find that these days I prefer something more substantial and hard wearing, less luxe. I'm making a new navy overcoat for next year that will certainly be mostly wool, if not all....
The bespoke pea coat – Part 5
December 8th 2014A few more details on the bespoke pea coat from Gieves & Hawkes, as promised. (By the way, isn’t the pitch of the sleeve above gorgeous? Easier with a heavy cloth of course, but it is a uniquely pleasurable sight.) So, the last po...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 5
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There are no sizes, Islam - it is bespoke. However, we did make a ready-to-wear pea coat with a similar aesthetic - see the PS shop here....
When we write about… E Tautz
December 3rd 2014In our last post in this series on new London shops, we looked at how readers – with a natural affinity for fit and materials – could analyse the casual wear offered by Private White VC. In this post we shall do the same for E Tautz, but ...
When we write about… E Tautz
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No not pure bespoke, but I guess my point was I can read about latest "fast fashion" brand on GQ or whatever I guess. Of course, the articles on Smedley and tie-makers etc I see as very valuable. But to the other 'J' :) ...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 4
December 1st 2014Two weeks ago I finally received the pea coat that Davide (Taub, Gieves & Hawkes) and I have been working on for just over a year. There are a few pieces of clothing that make me literally dance for joy when I get them (such as the Stefano ...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 4
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This is spot on: elegant and well fitting, without veering into costume. The GS shop is a sorry sight these days though. The clothes are distinctly average with little setting them apart from the high street. It does loo...
How to dress for winter
November 12th 2014I’m so excited the weather in London has finally turned cold. Summer clothing is great, but there’s just so much more of it in winter: hats, scarves, gloves, overcoats, plus heavy-gauge knitwear and serious boots. The key to dressing we...
How to dress for winter
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I don't know the detail there I'm afraid, sorry...
Postcard from Mackintosh – drawing on the t...
November 4th 2014Often the most charming aspect of a factory is the way its industrial environment has been altered by the employees. Usually that amounts to no more than photos of children on desks, or the scores of the five-a-side competition on the pinboard. The...
Postcard from Mackintosh – drawing on the t...
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It's a shame not to make more use of that somehow, it's so authentic and says much about the company. It'd also be a tragedy to leave it behind after the move, for the same reasons....
How an overcoat should fit (Cifonelli fitting)
September 5th 2014A reader recently asked me how an overcoat should fit – around the armholes, in the shoulder width – and given that I already had a post planned on this fitting on a Cifonelli overcoat, I thought I would combine the two. The central pro...
How an overcoat should fit (Cifonelli fitting)
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I see. Even then I can't recommend anything specifically, I would just look at articles on PS regarding fit. How a shirt should fit, how a suit should fit etc. And in every review of a suit or jacket there will be commen...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 3
July 24th 2014The bespoke pea coat had many inspirations. Among its foremost influences were the personal creations of Davide (Taub, Gieves & Hawkes head cutter); the Gieves military and naval archive; and the embroidery designs of lovely Claire (Barrett...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 3
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I'm afraid I don't have any Sam, sorry...
Postcard from Paris
February 11th 2014I was in Paris last week for a couple of articles, as well as visiting the usual suspects. Here in a green raincoat from Hermes with brown leather collar detail. Because green is the third colour. Traveller trilby from Lock & Co; Alfred Dun...
Postcard from Paris
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It's beautiful, but as with most designer brands, only available for that season I'm afraid......
