Category: Shoes

These bespoke suede loafers from Gaziano & Girling have been a while in the make - I last covered the first fitting back in September 2016.  It hasn't taken over a year to get from that fitting to now, however. Th...

A few menswear shoemakers have expanded into women’s shoes in recent years. These shoes will generally be a lot better made than the other women’s shoes in the market, and not necessarily more expensive (given the d...

When I cover an artisan where I’m genuinely interested in the product - its quality, design and often heritage or story, I have something made. I then tend to cover the maker in one, initial post that explains their ...

Enzo Bonafe is one of only two men’s shoe factories left in the area around Bologna, Italy. The other is Testoni, and when Enzo left Testoni to set up his own factory, in 1963, there were more than 40 factories in th...

This post is an illustrated explanation of how I wear trainers, or sneakers. As with similar exercises on the blog, I have attempted to be as structured as possible, keeping some parameters constant in order to focus o...

In recent years, as premium trainers/sneakers have increasingly popular, readers have asked for my view on when they might be appropriate, and when they are, what they should buy. I covered that last point in the first ...

Following my post two weeks ago on what I pack for travel, a reader asked about non-clothing items - electronics, toiletries and so on.  So here are a few of my favourite things, which will certainly be going on holida...

As I return from two summer trips – one for a week in Florence, the other a week in Naples – it seems a fitting time to run through what I pack for trips such as these. I know readers have asked about it in t...

Connolly, which opened on Clifford Street at the end of last year, is one of the most interesting new menswear stores London has had for a while. It offers luxury clothing, both under its own name and a few European bra...

For the past year - ever since they were first launched here on Permanent Style - I have been wearing Sagans by Baudoin & Lange regularly and consistently.  But it has only been in the past few weeks, as the temper...

Many readers said they liked the personal, behind-the-scenes approach of Plaza Uomo's cover story on me last year.  Here, then, is another angle. My desk, where I write most of these posts, and therefore probably the m...

A slightly smaller set of reviews in the brand round-up this month, with more focus on the details. Rubinacci suit carrier, £1200 therake.com/brands/rubinacci/bags First up is this leather suit carrier - or garment bag...

Stivaleria Savoia is an old Milanese bespoke bootmaker ( stivaleria means bootmaker, and it was founded by craftsmen who made for the Savoia, or Savoy, cavalry). The designs are classic and practical, and unlikely to s...

I've always had a problem with Corthay shoes.  Not so much the style - while many of the designs and colours are too brash for me, I've consistently found interesting light and dark browns to keep me interested.  No...

The Style Guide has been wonderfully received so far - at the launch events in London and New York, but also online and through personal messages. Thank you all.  There are a few things I realise I haven't emphasised s...

He looks pretty suave doesn't he? Got a good lean on.  Patrick at Swedish shoe shop Skoaktiebolaget recently posed for an article of mine, above, in How To Spend It magazine. (A supplement of the Financial Times, and ...

Good things are happening in London at the moment.  There was our pop-up shop, of course; the new Drake's shop looks amazing (do visit if you haven't already); and an increasing number of artisans are coming to London....

Over the past 10 days I have generally prioritised writing about new brands in our Savile Row pop-up shop.  But there are also new developments at makers you will be familiar with - Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, B...

As the last post on building a wardrobe - focused on Neapolitan tailoring - proved popular, I thought I'd do a second looking at shoes. But rather than look at my whole shoe collection, which numbers more than 40 pair...

On Permanent Style we have always pushed the intelligent, considered acquisition of a quality wardrobe. This has many advantages. But it also has a large disadvantage: it removes, or at least makes less frequent, the un...

The ability - or more perhaps significantly, the willingness - of Saint Crispin's to re-last a pair of shoes is a key part of their attraction.  Having a personalised last is great, and arguably better value than besp...

These 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,...

Ludwig Reiter is an old shoemaker used to catering to a wide variety of customers. It sells bags, sandals and trainers alongside oxfords and brogues, for both men and women. Many of the styles also look a little old fas...

There is a bewildering number of shoemakers in Japan, somewhere between 35 and 40 depending on how you count. Although many have people working for them, they are all essentially sole operators. One person founded the h...

This 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...