What is sprezzatura?
January 11th 2016Given this is Pitti Uomo week, it seems fitting to bring up the topic of sprezzatura, which readers requested a post on a couple of months ago. It is also fitting because the term is so misused, often in reference to Pitti. Sprezzatura doesn&...
What is sprezzatura?
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I find my path to sprezzatura is to get dressed for an early day in the office, somewhat in the dark, trying not to wake a toddler....
Nineteen of our squares left… (and the virt...
December 28th 2015There are just 19 of our cashmere squares left – the beautiful collaboration we started a few weeks ago with Begg & Co. The colours have sold pretty evenly, with 9 navy and 10 ‘natural’ (pictured above) remain...
Nineteen of our squares left… (and the virt...
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Lovely to hear Robert, thank you...
Edward Sexton flannel – When to wear a suit
December 7th 2015Apparently people are becoming more casual. There are now such things as luxury jogging bottoms. But I’ll put my money on the fact that – even as the fashion wheel turns – the suit will remain the formal attire of cho...
Edward Sexton flannel – When to wear a suit
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Smith's Luxury Flannels...
Double-breasted checks, and cream trousers
October 30th 2015A couple of readers commented on the collar of my Anderson & Sheppard suit in our recent video, ‘How to look after your suit’. A&S have always cut a particularly thick collar (1.75 inches at the back for me), an...
Double-breasted checks, and cream trousers
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Thank you, most helpful...
Wearing a jacket and jeans
October 12th 2015If there is one question men ask more than any other, it is how to wear a jacket with jeans. Behind this usually lies a desire to dress up an outfit without appearing too up-tight. Friends in the creative or digital industries often have this prob...
Wearing a jacket and jeans
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It depends a little on the weight of cotton, which seasons it would work for. But I think it would certainly work with flannels, and maybe with linen if it was a lighter weight...
Green flannel suit – from Brian Smith
October 2nd 2015Few readers will be surprised to hear that I like a nice green suit. Green is a wonderfully versatile colour, going with every autumnal colour you can think of, plus really strong browns, purples and oranges that few other colours could support. (...
Green flannel suit – from Brian Smith
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I think it's a strong colour, and it would have to be very much your style to wear strong colour like this for it to work. Even as a jacket or trousers on their own, it would be strong and unusual. Unless you wear someth...
Rubinacci linen suit – on Wei
September 9th 2015A couple of weeks ago when we showed the pictures from our Tailoring Symposium at Pitti, a reader asked if there were any images of Wei Koh’s suit. I had mentioned that the founder of The Rake was wearing a Rubinacci-made number in the s...
Rubinacci linen suit – on Wei
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Yes, I'd wear some sort of collar, and probably slip-on shoes, like a loafer or a pair of Sagans for example...
Checked jackets and accessories
September 7th 2015This was taken during a recent photo shoot for Plaza Uomo magazine in Sweden. I think the only time I have shown the jacket before I wore it open-necked (blue shirt and navy crew neck, with charcoal trousers). It is not an easy pattern to accessor...
Checked jackets and accessories
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The green plaid is 9/10 ounce I believe. A little too light, as you say, but I really liked the design. The navy cashmere was a touch heavier...
How to wear a casual linen hank: less contrast, l...
August 26th 2015Handkerchiefs are not easy for a modern man. Few things are as conspicuous and unusual. Enough people wear ties and waistcoats to make them anonymous – even hats, which change the silhouette more than anything else, are more likely to be ...
How to wear a casual linen hank: less contrast, l...
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I ignore them mostly. If you're going out to something particularly smart, maybe give them a quick iron, but the wrinkles will be back within a couple of hours....
Casual tie and sports jacket (military donegal de...
August 17th 2015In the spirit of our recent posts on assembling outfits, here’s the process that put this one together. Originating idea: I’ve always liked the way this pale, silk tie from Ralph Lauren goes with my Rubinacci cashmere jacket. The corn...
Casual tie and sports jacket (military donegal de...
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Many thanks for your answer. I appreciate it....
Fun with flowers: wearing a buttonhole
August 10th 2015I like wearing a boutonniere – or buttonhole – on more formal or celebratory occasions. Mostly, I think, because it is another opportunity to play with colour. Having come up with a pleasing combination of suit, shirt, tie and ...
Fun with flowers: wearing a buttonhole
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That sounds good on the overall outfit, but yes I'd be very concerned about the strong red and green. Much better to have one of them more subtle...
A hot, formal evening in Florence
July 27th 2015Four things contribute most to the formality of an outfit: shine, darkness, contrast and desaturation. We see all four of them in formal outfits such as black tie. Dark black or midnight blue is contrasted against stark white. There is virtually n...
Wearing colour: Tobacco jacket and cream trousers
July 20th 2015At the BTBA party last month I wanted to try wearing my tobacco-linen jacket separately. It is part of a suit of course, but it was commissioned from Sastreria Langa in Madrid with a ‘shirt’ sleeve and patch pockets to make it c...
Wearing colour: Tobacco jacket and cream trousers
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It's covered quite a bit in the 'sliding scale' articles, like which shoe goes with which trouser etc. Maybe worth a check of those? Let me know what gaps you see...
Grey cashmere and brown flannel: Caraceni and Abb...
July 1st 2015Last week’s explanation of how I put an outfit together seemed to be popular, so let’s try that again. This outfit is simpler than last week’s. There are fewer colours, there’s no tie to worry about, the handkerchief is pla...
Grey cashmere and brown flannel: Caraceni and Abb...
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Yes, I'd start with brown as the safest, then try something that is similar, like olive, and only occasionally look for something with more contrast that was a harmonious colour...
Getting dressed: Tan jacket and green linen trousers
June 24th 2015OK, let’s break this down. There are four major choices of colour here: Trousers: green Jacket: tan Tie: brown Shirt: blue I put them deliberately in that order because that is the order in which they were chosen. Readers are familiar wi...
Getting dressed: Tan jacket and green linen trousers
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Simon, 3 years on from last check in. W Bill Linen - any nice olives in there that you would consider for smart casual trousers?...
Interview: Frederic Malle, selecting perfume
June 8th 2015It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Frederic Malle is the godfather of modern perfume. He was responsible for the first collections to champion the perfumer, back when designer brands were just starting to conquer the world. Frederic i...
Interview: Frederic Malle, selecting perfume
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I've also had some of my favourite scents tweaked, as I've already said in another post. My fear is cheaper ingredients and prices still the same or higher. The exception is removing possible harmful products or carcinog...
Change your laces
May 25th 2015Laces are to a shoe what buttons are to a jacket. Often ignored, but with a disproportionate important effect on the overall look. The most attractive buttons, for me, are always matte horn with a touch of contrast in their colouring. They produc...
Change your laces
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I have tried them and they are good quality, in a niche not many people do anything new in. The only thing I didn't like was those heavier brass aglets on some of the laces. They make themselves too much of a point of fo...
Book launch at Brio, Beijing
May 13th 2015In the past week I have been in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai – the images here are from the Beijing launch of our Permanent Style 2015 book at the menswear store Brio. George at Brio put on a nice display for the book, including severa...
Book launch at Brio, Beijing
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Not me, Stephen! Maybe it's the big man himself......
Grey shirts with grey suits, at Milan launch
May 5th 2015Last week was the official launch of the Permanent Style book, with an event in Milan hosted by Vitale Barberis Canonico and A Caraceni. I was interviewed by the fashion editor of La Repubblica, Simone Marchetti, about my history and views on cont...
Grey shirts with grey suits, at Milan launch
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They remind me of school uniform but I have several now including a French cuffed Etro number and a button down from Santillo, both of which work well as suggested with a vintage grey tie from Hardy Amies in wool or a kn...
Dege & Skinner celebrate 150 years
April 29th 2015This year Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner are 150 years old – pretty impressive for any business, but particularly one that is still family owned. In fact, the house has done rather well in the last couple because of that herita...
Dege & Skinner celebrate 150 years
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Nick, glad our bespoke tailoring has stood the test of time for your father...
Permanent Style dinner: The Gathering
April 16th 2015These are the first pictures from our first Permanent Style dinner, which was co-hosted with Essence Lifestyle on Monday at Club Cafe Royal – part of a series we are creating called The Gathering. It was a really lovely event, bringing to...
Permanent Style dinner: The Gathering
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I hope all who gatherered realise that, outside of the advertising environment (GQ, Esquire etc.), there can be few people in the UK who do more to promote UK/bespoke brands and their worth than this site. A bold stateme...
Thank you (in Cifonelli and Begg)
April 15th 2015Everything seems to be happening at once at the moment. Next week the Permanent Style magazines should be here, which is probably the most exciting thing. On Monday we held our first Gathering dinner, which everyone seemed to really enjoy. And we&a...
Thank you (in Cifonelli and Begg)
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I think it can look very nice. Bear in mind that linen and cotton will usually look more casual, though, and perhaps therefore better suited to casual jackets rather than suiting. Lightweight wools are often better with ...
The versatility of a gilet
April 10th 2015The most useful articles of clothing are often those that cover core of the body – waistcoats (knitted or woven), gilets, and to an extent scarves. It is they that make a lightweight outfit warm enough, or enable us to cope with cool morn...
The versatility of a gilet
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What is the rectangular inside pocket for? A ruler, to measure the distance of your country walk? A mini-baguette to eat by the river? A micro-umbrella to impress friends with your preparedness? A quill and parchment, to...
Wear a flower in your buttonhole
March 13th 2015It’s been beautiful weather this week – in London, anyway. Spring has sprung and the sun encourages some reflection in our dress. Which means more than just a pair of sunglasses. The wonderful thing about this time of year is t...
Wear a flower in your buttonhole
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Do you have any silk boutonniere/ buttonhole decorative sites to recommend? I have not been able to locate any of the examples shown in your blog posts for purchase... Thanks...
The formality of trousers: Reader question
March 9th 2015Dear Simon, I’ve always been extremes: a worsted wool suit or denim jeans. But having had my first couple of “sports jackets” made I thought it was worth while moving up in the formality stakes with trousers occasionally. I reali...
The formality of trousers: Reader question
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Thanks, yes I'm in the same boat, but I came across a beautiful pair at Drake's and started working through permutations, in the end I, reluctantly, left them on the rack. Discipline can be a harsh mistress....