Sartoria Ciardi cotton suit: Style breakdown

February 6th 2019

In our last installment in this Tailor Styles series, we looked at the modern incarnation of the Neapolitan jacket: light and soft, but also short with a small shoulder. Today’s suit, from Sartoria Ciardi, is the diametric opposite within Neap...

Sartoria Ciardi cotton suit: Style breakdown

Match in comments:
I think that's along the right lines, yes. The drape is also something you can tweak a little bit at fittings...

SuitsFebruary 6th 2019

Olive-green corduroy suit – from Ettore de ...

December 28th 2018

You know when you think you’re not part of a trend, and then see everyone wearing the same thing? As a clothing snob that likes to think he’s different to everyone else, it’s very annoying. I had admired Michael Hill’s green-...

Olive-green corduroy suit – from Ettore de ...

Match in comments:
Yes, a very dark brown...

Bags - ClothDecember 28th 2018

Video: Maintaining and caring for your suit

November 9th 2018

The Campaign for Wool recently asked me to help them with a series of videos educating people on caring for wool products. Chaired by HRH Prince Charles, the Campaign is a charity that communicates how environmentally friendly and sustainable wool i...

Video: Maintaining and caring for your suit

Match in comments:
Yes it is possible, and it should be OK to do it at home. The only risk is giving them a shine, but if you put a tea towel or other cloth underneath the iron, that won't happen. You might just need a bit of pressure, ste...

Suits - VideoNovember 9th 2018

White tie and blue shirt: Sunny formal in Sartori...

November 7th 2018

Wearing a white tie with a blue shirt is something that makes perfect sense in Naples. To a certain extent, wearing sugary-pink jackets and lapis-blue tailoring makes sense too. It's just sunny so much of the time, even in winter - and that sun is s...

White tie and blue shirt: Sunny formal in Sartori...

Match in comments:
No I haven't, sorry Greg...

Style - SuitsNovember 7th 2018

George the Presser

November 5th 2018

*Note: George has now combined with Celebrity Dry Cleaners and The Jaunty Flaneur shoe care, to form The Valet, offering all three services* There are many unsung heroes of bespoke tailoring, but one of the biggest has to be the presser. Frankly, a ...

George the Presser

Match in comments:
Ah, ok, I think that would be fine then Richard. In any case, nothing that hanging the suit when you get home (with plenty of space around it) wouldn't fix....

SuitsNovember 5th 2018

Nicola Cornacchia: Bread and murals in Puglia

October 12th 2018

It’s easy to draw conclusions about a tailor from their surroundings. The big houses of Savile Row certainly benefit from this, in particular those with wonderful interiors like Huntsman or Anderson & Sheppard. But they can be misleadi...

Nicola Cornacchia: Bread and murals in Puglia

Match in comments:
I don't, no sorry. I will check with them when I get to the post though...

SuitsOctober 12th 2018

Camps de Luca pick-and-pick suit: Style Breakdown

September 17th 2018

We are travelling gradually south in this series covering the styles of the finest tailors in the world. So having covered the major styles of London, we arrive in Paris – which is all close chests, roped shoulders and ornate finishing. Now...

Camps de Luca pick-and-pick suit: Style Breakdown

Match in comments:
I'm afraid I don't know actually Jonny, but it is something I could try and measure at some point. It's an interesting area...

SuitsSeptember 17th 2018

Sartoria Pasinato cavalry-twill suit: Review

August 29th 2018

This suit from Vicenza-based Sartoria Pasinato has turned out very smartly, with a clean fit and very sharp line. Part of this is a result of the cloth, which is a cavalry twill from Vitale Barberis Canonico (584, 440g). Twills like this (covert is ...

Sartoria Pasinato cavalry-twill suit: Review

Match in comments:
Sorry to chime in here but as a 'Brompton' commuter (I hope that translates to an international audience), I'd love an article on decent clothes that can be cycled in. It's all too easy to default to jeans which is a sha...

Hats - Socks and underwearAugust 29th 2018

Chittleborough & Morgan twill suit: Style br...

August 24th 2018

Of all the tailoring we have looked at it in this Tailor Styles series, this suit has to be the most dramatic and stylised. The lapels are big. Not just wide but rounded, ending with peaks high up the shoulder. The jacket is long, something accentuat...

Chittleborough & Morgan twill suit: Style br...

Match in comments:
Thanks Phong. I'd say they're pretty similar...

SuitsAugust 24th 2018

Suit Style 5: Selecting colour and pattern

August 10th 2018

This is part of a long-running series of articles known as the Guide to Suit Style, covering everything from the number of buttons on a suit to the difference between made-to-measure and bespoke. It will continue to be added to over the next few ...

Suit Style 5: Selecting colour and pattern

Match in comments:
Thank you so much!...

Cloth - SuitsAugust 10th 2018

Sartoria Panico grey-flannel suit: Review

August 8th 2018

Apologies to those that had been waiting a while for coverage of this suit. It was finished in the Spring, but Japanese magazine Men’s Precious asked me to wait until it had been shot as part of a feature before publishing. The photographs her...

Sartoria Panico grey-flannel suit: Review

Match in comments:
Thanks Simon, that's helpful. There's no burning need, it's mostly a nice to have - so I think I'll hold off until inspiration strikes. In terms of style, I increasingly prefer wider lapels and I think I prefer a soft ma...

SuitsAugust 8th 2018

Prologue: China-made sartorial-style tailoring

July 16th 2018

One of the most interesting things about the growth in tailoring in recent years has been the way models have changed, split or evolved. We have bespoke suits being cut in London but made in India (eg Whitcomb & Shaftesbury); we have tailors...

Prologue: China-made sartorial-style tailoring

Match in comments:
I haven't picked up my jacket yet, I'm afraid, so I just have the summer jacket pictured here, and my comments on it to go on. I'd still recommend it on the basis set out above, and those qualifications, but others might...

SuitsJuly 16th 2018

The first fitting process – with Sartoria P...

July 6th 2018

First, there must be coffee. With the Italians, always coffee. Being English I find it hard to relax and chat. I want to get straight to the fitting, rather than sit down and exchange niceties. But it is a nice social ritual, and does build relation...

The first fitting process – with Sartoria P...

Match in comments:
A few thoughts from a tailor’s point of view. When looking for a tailor I would suggest that research is key. Put the time into looking for someone who you feel you can talk to. If the company has sales people, ask to ...

SuitsJuly 6th 2018

Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown

June 8th 2018

A nice thing about our Finest Tailors series is that, as we add more tailors to it, each becomes a reference for the next, making comparisons easier. This Henry Poole suit, then, makes an interesting comparison to the Richard Anderson tuxedo we fea...

Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown

Match in comments:
Hi Andrew, Unfortunately a polo knit would be too casual for the material I think. It's too fine a worsted, rather than anything more casual. I've also tried navy as a shirt against and (although obviously different in t...

SuitsJune 8th 2018

Eduardo de Simone (Edesim) – The factory an...

June 4th 2018

I always enjoy visiting factories, and seeing Eduardo de Simone’s tailoring factory last month outside Naples was no exception. Indeed, it is right next to the first such tailoring factory I visited - Kiton back in 2011. Such factories do star...

Eduardo de Simone (Edesim) – The factory an...

Match in comments:
No, it has some light structure in there. Yes, there is pick stitching...

SuitsJune 4th 2018

The Tailor Styles series

May 24th 2018

The reviews of bespoke suits I’ve written over the years haven’t always been the same. Some included more on the experience (particularly when it was bad); some focused on the fit; others were more about style or make. Their length and ...

The Tailor Styles series

Match in comments:
Oh good, nice to know Lindsay...

Jackets - StyleMay 24th 2018

Dealing with losing and gaining weight

April 13th 2018

I've been on holiday for the past two weeks, swimming every day, and have noticeably lost weight. I'm tightening the side adjustors on my trousers where I didn't before. It reminds me how frequently readers ask about such fluctuations in weight, and...

Dealing with losing and gaining weight

Match in comments:
Probably the latter I think. Unless you know what you're new size will be, and there are any slightly oversized styles you will plan to wear when you're that size?...

Alterations and care - SuitsApril 13th 2018

Sartoria Panico fitting (and a roll neck for a lo...

March 30th 2018

One of the less-discussed sides of Pitti Uomo is the number of tailors that set up in a hotel or appartment at the same time as the fair, in order to see customers. Although most visitors to Pitti are buyers from around the world, those buyers are o...

Sartoria Panico fitting (and a roll neck for a lo...

Match in comments:
Not really. Bear in mind no one really wore T-shirts until after WW2....

SuitsMarch 30th 2018

Sartoria Vestrucci charcoal-flannel suit: Review

March 28th 2018

Right. Let’s do this by first running through the Vestrucci style and cut, and then going into the more subjective areas of reaction and experience. The suit being discussed is a Holland & Sherry charcoal flannel that I had made over...

Sartoria Vestrucci charcoal-flannel suit: Review

Match in comments:
Well, they're different styles in some ways - did you get a sense of that from reading both reviews, and perhaps looking at the Style Breakdown pieces on each as well?...

SuitsMarch 28th 2018

Ring Jacket, Japan – Factory visit

March 5th 2018

Given Japan’s reputation for quality and craft - particularly in denim and bespoke menswear - it would be natural to assume its suit manufacturing was of the same level. But until recently, most factories in Japan produced at a fairly low qual...

Ring Jacket, Japan – Factory visit

Match in comments:
The Armoury was never exactly the agent for RJ in Europe, as it was done by Taiwa, which no longer exists....

Factory visits - SuitsMarch 5th 2018

Sartoria Ciardi Neapolitan bespoke suit: Review

February 23rd 2018

A friend used to say that he knew whether a suit was going to be good at the first, basted fitting. I’m not sure I entirely agree. The first fitting is largely for the tailor, to make sure the fundamentals of balance etc are correct. It is at ...

Sartoria Ciardi Neapolitan bespoke suit: Review

Match in comments:
I would go with mine, and I wouldn't worry about the shoulders looking unusual Jack, it's such a subtle thing...

SuitsFebruary 23rd 2018

Reflections on bespoke: Stoffa, Richard James, Ca...

January 1st 2018

One thing readers asked for in our 'We are 10' post was more reflections on bespoke pieces. When covering bespoke, I tend to write both an initial piece giving the background and approach of the maker, and then a fuller review when the piece is read...

Reflections on bespoke: Stoffa, Richard James, Ca...

Match in comments:
I never did a full piece on it I'm afraid. But those trousers were in heavy Pardessus cloth that Holland & Sherry no longer sells, made by Elia Caliendo. The shirt is in Everyday Denim made by Luca Avitabile, and the sho...

Casual clothing - JacketsJanuary 1st 2018

Sartoria Ciardi – The next generation

November 27th 2017

Renato Ciardi, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was truly one of the greats of Neapolitan tailoring. Succession planning is rarely one of a bespoke tailor’s strengths, but fortunately the Ciardi family began planning for this several y...

Sartoria Ciardi – The next generation

Match in comments:
Simon, Shame that Ciardi does travel to the US. Which of the Neapolitan houses do travel to the States?...

SuitsNovember 27th 2017

Buttons online – Bernstein & Banleys

October 23rd 2017

It has always surprised me how many Italian tailors say they can’t source good, unpolished horn buttons. Particularly because, since its launch last year, even customers can buy them from UK distributor Bernstein & Banleys ( TheLiningC...

Buttons online – Bernstein & Banleys

Match in comments:
I see. I also wonder what material is used for button threads? Is silk a good material for this purpose?...

Alterations and care - SuitsOctober 23rd 2017

Musella Dembech double-breasted cotton suit ̵...

October 20th 2017

So how shall we review a suit? Let me count the ways. One: style. Still the most important thing, as much as we encourage men everywhere to care more about quality and fit. [Read my first post, with the background on Musella Dembech and its style, h...

Musella Dembech double-breasted cotton suit ̵...

Match in comments:
Hey Luke, Italian cottons, and this is a little lighter too, will be softer. They also soften with washing/cleaning, but English ones may well be denser and not do so as much. It's not standard practice to do that on cot...

SuitsOctober 20th 2017