The guide to denim and chambray shirtings
September 16th 2019A denim or chambray shirt can be great with tailoring. Perhaps more than anything else, they have the ability to subvert its corporate, even dandy associations. They reliably give the appearance of being both casual and practical. The two ...
The guide to denim and chambray shirtings
Match in comments:
It depends a lot on the style and the colour. Both can be dark or pale, with a more or less smart collar...
The new Lightweight Friday Polo
July 3rd 2019This is the lovely - and reader-driven - new version of the Lightweight Friday Polo. The version we did last summer, in white piqué, was popular and sold out, but several readers commented that it was a little too transparent for them. So t...
The new Lightweight Friday Polo
Match in comments:
Thank you, yes good points. I rather liked the fading on the navy, but it suited a more casual polo, less the fine cotton of this one....
A Pitti diary: The experience, the brands, the pa...
June 19th 2019Pitti is a long trade show: four full days, when most are usually three. As a result, by Friday everyone is exhausted, with selling, talking, and late dinners. Although it does depend on why you’re there. Most people fall into one of three gro...
A Pitti diary: The experience, the brands, the pa...
Match in comments:
Thanks. De Bonne Facture are lovely - not always my kind of style, but they make great pieces...
The guide to summer shirt fabrics
June 7th 2019The aim of a shirt bought for summer might seem easy: to stay cool. But there are several variations here, and crossovers with styles and other functionality. This, then, is our substantive yet focused guide to buying a shirt fabric for th...
The guide to summer shirt fabrics
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I had two t-shirts from the same manufacturer, one in coton and one in 70% bamboo / 30% coton mix. The bamboo one did have that sheen, felt softer, cooler, but had a tear quite easily. Plus, I didn't quite like the drape...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
April 24th 2019Last week the weather in London turned from 12 degrees to 22 in a couple of days. It seems that what passes for the English Spring is finally here. Of course, with most shops and brands Spring/Summer collections arrived in February, and went on sale...
Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2019
Match in comments:
Appreciate simon...
Everyday Denim shirts back in stock, and Lighter ...
March 25th 2019[Everyday Denim shirts available here. Lighter Denim shirts here] When you talk to craftsmen or designers about things you like in their range, there’s often a particular smile that creeps across their face. Actually, it usually starts as som...
Video: A bespoke shirt fitting
March 6th 2019Akshat of 100 Hands was a little nervous before this, but he needn't have been. He is one of the most thoughtful people out there on shirts, their fit and their make. Partly, this is because he's simply been through it all: building a shi...
Video: A bespoke shirt fitting
Match in comments:
Hey Jim, It's very hard to say from a single static picture, but I would expect that you would get less collapsing of the cloth at the sides of your chest and back, which probably comes from shoulders that are a little m...
The Guide to Performance Shirtings
March 1st 2019Performance fabrics are very in. Every retailer seems to be offering travel shirts that resist wrinkling, staining or soaking. Fans of classic clothing are usually sceptical about such fabrics. This is largely because they can seem like a ...
The Guide to Performance Shirtings
Match in comments:
Personally I really don't mind having slightly wrinkled shirts, though I rarely travel with menswear so it never gets all that bad. In the case of linen, I quite like the rumpled and typical look of it. Unfortunately not...
Introducing: Striped PS Oxford cloth
February 8th 2019The traditional, nubby oxford fabric we developed last year has proved so popular that we’ve decided to introduce another option. It’s a little unusual in another way though, beyond the robust, textured yarn. It’s an off-white and ...
Amended Friday Polos in stock – and availab...
December 14th 2018Thank you for waiting so patiently - particularly those on the waiting list, who were alerted to the Friday Polo's availability a couple of days ago. The Friday Polo is now back in stock, in its original four colours: navy, green, grey and white. Yo...
Amended Friday Polos in stock – and availab...
Match in comments:
I think it could look good, yes. I tend to wear them with softer cuts of tailoring, and that will be easier, but they can work with others - just keep the materials more casual, as you suggest...
Ciro Zizolfi bespoke tweed jacket: Review
December 10th 2018Now and again, a bespoke commission is almost seamless. At every fitting, you like the look of the jacket and almost nothing seems to be needed on the fit. Just as importantly, the tailor delivers what they say they will: the jacket is always ready ...
Ciro Zizolfi bespoke tweed jacket: Review
Match in comments:
Thanks!...
The guide to Superfine shirtings
November 19th 2018There has been a lot of debate in recent years as to what should be called a Superfine cloth for suiting. As wools got finer and finer, and more and more expensive, it looked increasingly silly to focus on a single attribute like fineness, when so ...
The guide to Superfine shirtings
Match in comments:
Many, many thanks for this Simon. I appreciate it's a niche question, but the answer does not appear to be anywhere on the internet!...
No Man Walks Alone A/W: Frank Leder, Monitaly, So...
October 29th 2018It’s been over a year since I last had the chance to browse the stock at No Man Walks Alone and write one of these pieces, for which I blame a lack of travel to New York. It is possible to select a few favourites online, of course, particularl...
No Man Walks Alone A/W: Frank Leder, Monitaly, So...
Match in comments:
'No man walks alone' - possibly not the best brand name during the current Covid 19 outbreak. We are all walking alone now! They will need to rebrand....
Introducing: Everyday Lighter Denim
October 17th 2018It's that time of year, and new things are all arriving at once. Today it's a new, lighter shade of the Everyday Denim. Everyday Denim shirting went down really well with readers, both as fabric and finished shirts, and several asked for other varia...
Introducing: Everyday Lighter Denim
Match in comments:
After ca. 18 months. The fading is more pronounced than I expected. Especially on my heat points, neck and chest. I still prefer it to a standard denim that fades less....
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2018
October 10th 2018A reader commented on the last instalment of this list that it shaped his whole season’s shopping. No pressure then. Many of the ranges will feature in other coverage later in the year – particularly the ones I’ve alr...
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2018
Match in comments:
Yes good point, I think that was more a case of how I came to feel about the PWVC cut over time, rather than changing my tastes. But yes shetlands I definitely wear less. Apart from those two I wear Colhay's, Bryceland's...
The guide to casual shirt fabrics
September 23rd 2018As work environments become increasingly casual, men are more in need of less formal shirts – usually worn without a tie, often with flannels or chinos. It’s fairly easy to see which styles of shirt are more casual. A French or doub...
The guide to casual shirt fabrics
Match in comments:
Hi - I think I've answered this question on another post?...
Bespoke pyjamas – at Burgos, Madrid
September 7th 2018I don’t wear pyjamas to sleep in. I’ve always found them too constricting, and prefer underwear. However, ever since I had children (mine are now 10 and 7) I’ve put on pyjamas when I get up. With kids you’re more likely to be...
If you only had five shirts: A capsule collection
August 31st 2018Readers have asked for a while for this post: something recommending a core, versatile shirt collection. The idea of suggesting such ‘capsule’ collections is that they help a newcomer build a wardrobe, prioritising the things that will gi...
If you only had five shirts: A capsule collection
Match in comments:
Being an oxford makes it a little harder, but when I say something is hard to wear, I don't mean it's impossible - just that there aren't many options, and those ones won't be a style everyone wants. That Rubato look is ...
The quality of 100 Hands shirts
August 15th 2018Back in April I wrote my first post on shirtmaker 100 Hands, having visited their factory in Amritsar, India. I argued that the important point to address first was that making in India involves no necessary compromise on labour conditions, skill or...
The quality of 100 Hands shirts
Match in comments:
As someone from India and quite familiar with the industry here, when you talks about wages without talking several other economic factors one missed the point. Wages in India is going to be much lower than the UK or Net...
Introducing: The lightweight Friday Polo
August 6th 2018Lovely as our Friday Polos are, they're not really built for Summer. The classic Friday Polo uses a luxurious piqué cotton from Caccioppoli which, while noticeably nicer than other polo cottons, is relatively thick and best suited to the othe...
Introducing: The lightweight Friday Polo
Match in comments:
That's unfortunate! Appreciate the response, cheers Simon....
Where and why I shop: Wei Koh, The Rake
July 30th 2018Next year I will publish a travel guide to the best men's stores around the world, with Thames & Hudson. Alongside the city chapters there will be interviews with well-travelled people in the menswear industry, highlighting their tips and in...
Where and why I shop: Wei Koh, The Rake
Match in comments:
I second Crazy Pig. Some of their designs are really fashion forward, but I found a lovely, slim signet ring (exactly what I’d been trying to find without success for well over a year). I popped over to the food court ...
Popular at the pop-up: Hollywood tops, linen shir...
July 25th 2018Given the heat at the moment in London, it shouldn’t be surprising that linen is the most attractive thing in the pop-up up shop, which has been going wonderfully so far. Edward Sexton’s Hollywood-top trousers (above) have been particula...
Popular at the pop-up: Hollywood tops, linen shir...
Match in comments:
No, the A&S will be better, but that's clear from the price too. And the difference will be mostly in the fineness of the linen, so it depends whether that matters to you...
Short-sleeved Friday Polos available
June 22nd 2018A new batch of the short-sleeved version of the Friday Polo came in yesterday - in navy and light grey. They are available on the shop site now, though only 50 in each colour so worth grabbing quickly. It's been hard trying to decide which variation...
Short-sleeved Friday Polos available
Match in comments:
Hi Simon, What weight would you recommend for a summer polo? Thanks very much...
Indigo, navy and natural: A summer combination
June 11th 2018I’ve always liked indigo in tailoring, and find navy a good partner for it. The deep indigo of this linen shirt from D’Avino, for example, is significantly quietened by the navy blazer over the top, and makes that top half a story...
Indigo, navy and natural: A summer combination
Match in comments:
Yes...
Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong ...
May 21st 2018It was really lovely being back in Hong Kong last week, after a few years away. The talk we Lorenzo Cifonelli and I did at Attire House worked well - more a conversation than an interview, with Lorenzo asking me questions about other tailors, and th...
Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong ...
Match in comments:
Ideal would be a little less strong in colour, but it will work...
