Page 42 – Permanent Style

Codis Maya and The Workers Club – in the pop-up

Posted on 14/12/201701/04/2019 by Simon Crompton

It really is a lovely feeling walking into the pop-up shop for a new week.

There’s Carmen from Camiseria Burgos in Madrid, whom I haven’t seen for five years, pretty much.

Next to her is Benedikt from Shibumi, lining up his ties with his typical perfectionist’s eye.

Lia from Codis Maya is by the door, arranging the new bracelets she’s been making herself.

And in the corner is Adam Cameron of The Worker’s Club, bringing a casual but high-quality feel to the shop for the first time.

It’s like a strange party for all your favourite people. You want to talk to everyone at once.

Readers should be familiar with all four brands, but I’ll run through the new things each has to offer - two today and two tomorrow.

As with all posts on the pop-up, the things highlighted here are also available in the brands’ online or physical stores. As with any normal post.

Rosh and Lia (above) from Codis Maya are great fun - a real asset to the shop last time, and this one as well.

They work with traditional craftsman around the UK to produce their precious-metal and vitreous enamel jewellery - cufflinks, tie bars, studs and bracelets.

But while supporting all those crafts is great, and they design pieces themselves, it adds a little something that Lia has been training to make herself.

For the first time she’s offering pieces of her own - here bracelets in brass (above), copper, silver or gold, all with the possibility of initials stamped on one end.

They come in a range of sizes from small to extra-large, but given the design can easily be adjusted for different wrist sizes as well.

Priced from £65 for brass all the way up to £800 for gold.

The Workers Club is run by Adam Cameron (above), a designer who works for Connolly and Mr Porter as well as having his own brand with wife Charlotte.

Its core appeal, for me, is The Works: a water-resistant cotton shell, tweed gilet and down jacket that can be combined to create outerwear for the entire year.

The gilet and down can be worn separately, but largely their appeal is the ability to zip into the shell jacket and give it just the level of warmth required.

There are several versions of the shell in the shop: the original H2O version (an Italian version of Ventile); a rubberised one that is more waterproof but a little less breathable; a rip-stop with a (very) subtle camo design; and a wax with much bolder camo (shown below).

I particularly like the camo from a grahic design point of view - the way Adam worked with a designer to modernise a classic camouflage print and make it look both original and much more modern.

Since I first wrote about TWC there have also been some additions to the range. These include a parka is lighter in weight than the other shells, and packs away into itself. And into that parka, a wool liner than can also be worn on its own.

There is also yet one more option in The Works: a gilet that sits between the tweed and down, with water-resistant microfibre on one side and Loro Piana Storm System wool on the other.

Elsewhere, Adam also offers Japanese-made denim (indigo, black and natural, raw and washed) in a pretty slim cut (though with more room at the hips than most slim jeans.

There are scarves, wool beanies (below) and some T-shirts in a slightly short cut, with subtle red-kite branding.

The kite symbol comes from the birds of prey that populate the countryside around Adam and Samantha’s home in Oxfordshire.

It’s a bird that, as an ornithologist in my youth, I am also very fond of and always associated with being at Oxford.

The pop-up is open until Sunday, 11am to 7pm today and tomorrow, 10am to 6pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.

Details on Burgos and Shibumi tomorrow.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Am I effeminate? Am I vain? Reader questions on style and its context

Posted on 13/12/201713/12/2017 by Simon Crompton

It’s taken a while to get to these remaining questions from our ‘You are the interviewer’ post (thanks again for those - some great questions in there).

Hopefully I’ll be able to get through them all over the Christmas break.

Today, we’re going to look at questions of style - how much it relies on context, how others see it, and how my approach has changed over the past 10 years.

If you have any follow-up questions, please do leave them in the comments at the bottom of the post.

Alex: What habits or affectations do you like least in other men who attempt to dress well?

The thing I find most frustrating is clothing that’s clearly inappropriate to particular people or circumstances.

So the young guy in the office who wears a three-piece suit, tie and tie bar, when everyone else is in a shirt and chinos. Or worse, someone who wears a bowler hat every day, despite how anachronistic it is.

Key to dressing well is complimenting the people you are with and the place you are in. It is question of politeness.

Wooster: How does someone look stylish without looking dandyesque and/or effeminate? I love beautiful clothes, but work in a rather masculine environment where such traits are pretty much frowned upon.

And in a similar vein, how do you look stylish without looking pretentious? I’m neither a millionaire nor a country gent, but love the clothes some of them they wear. So how to avoid looking like a impostor?

I think the key is balancing my answer above - on being respectful and appropriate to the place you’re in - and sticking to your guns on the little things.

So men in your office might consider a tote bag to be effeminate. Screw them. It’s just a bag, it’s very practical, and frankly much of their reaction comes from fear.

But you’re never going to be able to dress like Jay Gatsby. Give up on that dream now. Abandon cream trousers, double-breasted waistcoats and spectator shoes.

Instead, take pleasure in clothes that are just as beautiful, but more appropriate to how and where you work. The subtle colours of Harris tweed; the patina of a well-loved split-toe derby; or a coat in a casual fabric but beautiful cut.

Ben: This is a question I’ve always had for those with some position in the fashion industry who demonstrate some self-awareness.

In advocating for a style on such a visible platform, one is constructing a strong identity for himself and attaching himself to a sympathetic community. Yet he doesn’t live merely in that community, but also others to which he presents himself in the clothing that he wears, others who do not share his values, who would scoff at his wardrobe. What’s your attitude toward the latter group?

I’ve always found it useful that I still work in an office, in a modern professional environment, as well as being involved in fashion.

So while I love dressing up a bit for menswear events, being in an office every day quickly brings me down to earth. I learn to push things a little bit, but not too far. To wear a jacket and perhaps a tie, but rarely a jacket, tie and handkerchief together. And always to make them a little more subdued, elegant and subtle in their style.

Often, staff in shops, lookbooks and advertisements should be seen as menus of clothing from which one or two things should be taken, rather than the outfit as a whole.

Joseph: Which piece of menswear would be a good analogy for yourself as a person?

Nice question. I’m going to go for a bespoke overcoat.

An overcoat is something everyone wears (so it will rarely stand out just for wearing one, as a jacket can do) but a bespoke example sets itself apart subtly with its structure and fit. And it can, to a certain extent, be dressed a long way up and down, so it’s very versatile.

I’m sure subtle and versatile must be the two words I use most on the blog.

And ‘interesting’.

Alex: Have there been times when dressing well has made people react negatively towards you?

Yes, absolutely. But more when I was younger. I think I’ve learned the lesson of my first answer, above, slowly over the years.

Today, negative reactions tend to be the basic ones from guys saying something is a little ‘effeminate’ - like the tote bag mentioned above.

You need to have enough self-awareness to know when they don’t know what they’re talking about - that you have a better understanding of how such a piece is seen in the society you live in than they do.

Fergus: I can see an evolution in your style across the life of this blog. I’d like to hear how you think your style has changed through all the experiments you’ve made. Why did you choose certain tailors and cloths when you started and why have you changed your style over the years?

I think this is an interesting follow-on to the previous question.

The first point is that I have learned to dress more in-keeping with my environment and peers. More unusual things like a double-breasted, pale-grey suit tend only to be used at menswear events.

My first ever bespoke suit, from Graham Browne, didn’t get worn that much simply because it was double-breasted. My first Savile Row suit, from Anderson & Sheppard, was a Prince-of-Wales three piece that was worn occasionally but the jacket on its own more often.

Over time my style has become more subtle, and so I’m excited by little things like cloth and texture. A recent example might be my Sartoria Melina leather jacket, which excites me for the beauty and wearability of the dark-brown nubuck.

A: How much importance on a scale of 1 to 10 do you place upon being dressed well (by that you can generally assume tailored attire) and being a gentleman - 10 being of most importance? Does being well dressed really “make the man”? Using a similar scale.

On the first two questions, perhaps 4 and 9.

I think clothing is important but it’s just one of the skills in life you should try to master - like cooking, or creating music. (See post here.)

If being a gentleman means being polite, considerate, caring and discerning, then it is very important. If it means smoking cigars, drinking cocktails and driving sports cars, then it is the least important thing in the world.

And no, clothing does not make the man. It’s more important than a lot of people think it is (it makes people treat you differently, and makes you feel differently about yourself) but it’s still a 4 out of 10.

Other things like health, culture and relationships are far more important, and do more to make the man.

Michael: What do you normally wear when playing or hanging out with your children?

My bespoke Levi’s jeans or Incotex chinos; a button-down shirt, perhaps in chambray or brushed cotton; a cashmere or shetland crewneck sweater. On the feet, boots, derbys or trainers.

A: Has PS made you vainer?

Yes, absolutely. I fight hard against it, and my friends and family are very good at bringing me down to earth, but it’s hard not to be affected by seeing your photo on a magazine cover etc.

I’d like to say it’s given my confidence rather than made me vainer. But I’d probably be wrong.

Certainly, the people I respect most in the industry are those that are the most honest, approachable and real. And the ones I dislike most are the preeners and posers.

I often try to smile in my photos to avoid the impression I’m taking myself too seriously. And I don’t think people that have met me in person would have that impression.

BespokeNYC: Recently it feels like there’s been more focus on casual pieces (or less businessey anyway) on PS, but perhaps that’s simply because business pieces are always going to be more limited in range so your collection is more “complete” now.

That’s a good point - I think the slight shift is just because I have spread out to find other things interesting, that all relate to the same sense of style. So fewer straightforward Savile Row business suits, and more which type and make of jacket works with jeans.

One thing I am always doing is experimenting with other types of clothing to see if they fit into my sense of style. And often rejecting them.

So on the formal side, perhaps a fur hat or astrakhan that I decide is too fussy; or on the casual side a denim chore jacket, seeing if it works with smarter trousers, and deciding it doesn’t.

I think you need to establish a sense of your own style and wardrobe, so that a lot of it works together, but then always test its assumptions with new things you see.

Ansgar: What is your idea about the budget for clothes? Some people stick to a 5% (of income) rule. What is your opinion?

It’s a little complicated, because a lot of it I justify as being part of the research for and coverage for the blog.

But I’d say it’s probably better to look at your absolute disposable income. So after you’ve paid for mortgage, food, travel, utilities and everything else (for you and your family). I’d say I spend about 60% of that disposable income on clothes.

Field jacket, rollneck and flannels

Posted on 11/12/201709/12/2017 by Simon Crompton

A few readers last week asked about this outfit I included in our 'High/low dressing' post.

It's a combination I love, and shamelessly copied from an Italian gentleman I saw in Milan a few years ago.

Men should never be afraid of taking inspiration from others, primarily because it's what everyone always does and has always done.

I remember a friend saying a couple of years ago that he wore purple socks with his brown-suede shoes in honour of Michael Drake, who is often seen in that combination.

But then Michael told me a few months later about the older, French friend he had copied it from.

On the day we shot this outfit, I was going to be in our pop-up shop moving around boxes and furniture.

I needed clothes that were comfortable and could be worked in, but still looked chic enough for seeing people around Mayfair.

I therefore went without a jacket, but stuck with the classic menswear combination of grey trousers and navy top - just a rollneck sweater instead of a blazer.

The rubber-soled, brown-suede Saint Crispin's boots are very comfortable and good for lots of walking, but again quite smart.

And the vintage M-65 field jacket on top rather than, for example, a suede blouson, was driven by that memory from Milan.

The M-65 is from The Vintage Showroom in London, and I prefer it to the simpler M-43.

The room provided by the pleats in the back is also helpful if you're wearing bulky knitwear underneath.

In the same way, I generally don't like modern versions of these cotton field jackets that strip away all the pockets and details, as it removes all the character of the jacket.

The Saint Crispin's boots have become one of my absolute favourite pairs of shoes in the past year.

We had an initial problem with the fit where the narrowness I need for my ankle (they are made on my personalised last) made the sides rub painfully on my ankle bones.

But some discussion over email and a couple of pictures was enough to explain the problem, and they came back fixed perfectly. (The sides were moulded outwards to curve around the bones).

Given Saint Crispin's don't currently visit London, being able to do this remotely is very important.

Style-wise, like many of my favourite things the boots look simple and classic (and are therefore very useful) but are elevated by beautiful, subtle craft.

The Classic Last shape is so elegant, the welt so thin, and the narrow waist cut in so sharply.

The latter two points in particular make a non-menswear-nerd admire the shoe without quite knowing why.

Lastly, the tote bag from Connolly was a purchase I was unsure about, but have come to love in the past couple of months.

It is made from an extremely soft nubuck, and is entirely unlined and unstructured.

This makes it wonderful to hold and feel, but I was afraid it would be rather impractical.

So far it's been OK but I do find it's easier to use when there is something substantial inside it, such a chunky sweater or a box. It wouldn't be the design I'd recommend to someone for a first good bag.

I've also sprayed the nubuck with a water repellent, and it hasn't become noticeably soiled despite regular use.

The hat, by the way is a Permanent Style piece I made with Johnstons in Scotland - remaking the exact style of an old one I bought in Italy and haven't been able to find elsewhere.

It's just a question of small tweaks to size, thickness and rib, but these small things make me happy.

I hope to put it on the shop in the next couple of weeks, when the pop-up calms down a bit.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Edward Sexton ready-to-wear: Hollywood-top trousers, shirts and knitwear

Posted on 08/12/2017 by Simon Crompton

It’s been so fun swapping in brands every week or two during the pop-up shop.

A lot of work, but fun: it feels like a different place, a slightly different atmosphere, every weekend.

On Wednesday this week we exchanged The Armoury for Drop93 - the pre-owned and consignment store from the Armoury team.

And we welcomed in Edward Sexton.

This is a significant launch for Edward Sexton as it is the first time they have done ready-to-wear trousers.

Fortunately, the Hollywood-top style (above) is meant to be loose in the leg and cinched slightly at the waist, so it is easy to fit a range of body types.

For anyone that isn’t familiar with the Hollywood-top style, it is a relaxed, high-waisted cut with what’s called a ‘grown-on’ waistband. Basically, it looks like there is no waistband at all, and inside there is less structure than a normal band.

A series of belt loops then run a touch below the top of the trouser.

Sexton started cutting them bespoke last year, and you can see my review of my bespoke ones here.

The RTW styles are cut like a traditional high-waisted trouser - so sitting on your natural waist, above the hip bone - unlike mine which were a little lower.

They are in three different VBC flannels, all 11oz, and cost £420.

Sexton’s other offerings are the pin-collar shirts they’ve had for a while (£190) and silver and gold pins for them (£140 to £510).

There are three-fold and seven-fold ties made by Bigi and designed by Edward and Dominic (£110 and £190) and some other accessories.

The knitwear is new this year - cashmere and wool rollnecks, and a chunky cashmere cable-knit. I’ve always associated Edward with rollnecks under tailoring, so it’s nice to see those in their collection.

A few readers on Instagram have asked about how to access these things if they can’t get to the pop-up shop.

As with all the brands, Edward’s things are available on his website - EdwardSexton.com

The concept of the pop-up shop has always been to bring together brands that you can’t normally access in London - either because they’re online only, or because they are based abroad.

So the brands tend to have everything available in their web shops as well as the pop-up - and these pieces are relevant to everyone, not just those that can wander down to Savile Row.

High/low dressing

Posted on 06/12/201719/07/2019 by Simon Crompton

The biggest potential pitfall with tailored dressing is looking fussy.

Fussy is not sexy; it is not attractive. It is closely related to appearing ‘affected’ or ‘mannered’.

Looking relaxed in clothing, on the other hand, is very attractive. It lies at the core of terms such as sprezzatura, grace and elegance.

It is why Hardy Amies told us to forget all about our clothing, once we had put it on.

I would argue this is at the very core of dressing well as a man, and is the thing sartorial dressers most frequently get wrong.

Fortunately, there are many ways to achieve it.

The first is dressing more simply, or avoiding anything that you feel you need to fuss with. The second and easiest is just being at ease, but this usually comes over a long period of wearing the same things. And a third is deliberately having some aspects of your dress imperfect (sprezzatura).

Here we will look at a fourth: mixing casual and formal elements together - sometimes called high/low dressing.

It is not the easiest way to avoid looking fussy or mannered; indeed it is easy to get wrong.

But it is perhaps one of the most stylish way.

One guiding principle for high/low dressing is to play with the accessories, not the core. So outerwear, not jackets; shirts, not trousers.

A second is to be aware there are grades of high and low, which should not be pushed too far apart. So a Barbour jacket with a casual suit, but not with black tie.

The further apart these two extremes are, the easier it is to get it wrong.

1 Outerwear

The easiest and by far the most popular way to add casual, or low elements to an outfit is with outerwear.

Examples of casual (and often cheaper) outerwear pieces that can work well are:

Waxed/hunting jackets (Barbour, on Jake below, often being good because many are long enough to cover the full length of the jacket)
Duffle coats (Gloverall’s Monty - above - being the classic, but there are lots of other options)
Tweed/raglan-sleeved country coats (Smarter, but still definitely more casual than a tailored overcoat)
Cotton army coats (Largely field jackets like the M-65, and at a stretch a fishtail parka)

It's easier to look casual and unfussy if the coat is a little beaten up, which leads to a lot of men buying them vintage.

If the fit can work on you, that’s fine, and certainly better than buying artificially aged versions from designer brands.

But be careful with the length. For example, I love my vintage M-65 (shown in the introduction) but my height means it is too short to wear over a tailored jacket.

The issue there is milder version of short gilets over jackets. This is certainly a look, and I can see why some people like it, but for me it stretches the high/low separation too far.

2 Shirts

Second easiest is the casual shirt. Two examples of this have been ubiquitous in recent years: the denim shirt and the polo shirt.

One extreme of the denim shirt is the thick, pearl-snap cowboy shirt (above). The other is the Everyday Denim shirt, which is closer to being a dress shirt that fades nicely.

Mostly it’s safer to have something in the middle - which is obviously denim, but still functions well under a jacket (above).

My advice here would be to never sacrifice fit points (eg long tails to tuck in, collar at a decent height) but feel free to play with the colours, washes and design details.

On the polo shirt, of course, my favourite is the two versions of the Friday Polo I’ve offered here on Permanent Style. But many others, particularly The Armoury (above), offer really nice versions to wear with tailoring.

It subverts the assumptions of tailoring in exactly the same way as denim, but if cut like a regular shirt, mostly just shows in the material and texture.

3 Accessories

Accessories are one of the easiest things to add an outfit, but don’t tend to make as dramatic difference as outerwear.

A beanie that sits close on the head and retains a clean look (above) can be nice with tailoring, and is a big contrast to the alternative of a fedora or trilby.

Caps sit somewhere in between.

Colourful scarves, such as those from Drake’s, Liverano, Rubinacci and others, are not so much more casual and ‘low’ as more fun. They’re colourful, more playful, and can soften tailoring in that way.

They can also be a little flamboyant though, and if anything I tend to prefer more muted scarves such as indigo dyes to achieve the same effect.

I also often wear, as shown at the top of this post, Hermes silk scarves with coats and knitwear.

If anything this is high/low the other way round: the fanciness of a silk scarf being brought down to earth by a wax jacket.

4 Shoes

A difficult area, largely because guys want to wear trainers with everything and it rarely works.

I’ve covered this in detail in my posts on how to buy and how to wear trainers, but in summary:

For a trainer to work with tailoring it must mimic some aspects of a dress shoe. Specifically long, clean lines, plain colour and a simple design.
They are best worn with more casual tailoring. So a cotton suit rather than a worsted suit, and most often just smart trousers, without a tailored jacket.

Most of the time, the best way to use shoes to look more relaxed is to just wear them - so they get worn in, look much loved and a little beaten up

5 T-shirts

A T-shirt under a jacket is a favourite of fashionable types, but rarely works.

If you have anything but a short neck, it will be much less flattering than a collared shirt. Also not great for the jacket collar against the skin.

In general - although not as casual - a rollneck or polo-collar buttoned up to the neck will be more effective.

If you do want to try it, go for a lightweight crewneck sweater underneath the jacket, rather than a T-shirt.

If it’s in cotton, it won’t be much warmer than a T-shirt, and it will make the neckline much smarter. John Smedley even does short-sleeved cotton knits in the summer.

Wearing a slim scarf underneath (as shown above) the jacket can help, as it will create a substitute collar at the neck, and follow the lapels of the jacket nicely.

If you want to try something along these lines, I recommend starting with outerwear.

Wear a sports jacket and flannels into a vintage store, and try various things over the top of your jacket, to see how you like the look.

And don’t be fooled by magazine shots. If you think someone looks good in a T-shirt and jacket, cover up their good-looking face and athletic body, then reconsider.

Photography: All Jamie Ferguson except silk scarf/D-43 and indigo scarf (both Drake's), white trainers (James Munro) and T-shirt (Gieves & Hawkes)

The many sides of buying more ethical clothing

Posted on 05/12/201706/12/2017 by Simon Crompton

One of the fundamental aims of Permanent Style has always been to show the value and enjoy of investing in better clothing.

Quality menswear not only often looks better with age, but can be better value than cheaper alternatives, if kept for a long time and looked after well.

It also absolutely minimises waste.

With quality clothing you might have one pair of shoes that lasts 10 years, perhaps, rather than three that last 3 or 4 each.

Buying less is not easy.

When you become more passionate about clothing, it’s hard to buy less of it. (You want to do the opposite, if anything.)

And we all know that heady retail fix - the thrill of the irresponsible purchase, the bright bag and the tissue paper.

I’ve always thought that’s one of the reasons men love shoes so much. It’s the one thing you can clean, cream and polish, and feel like you have something new again.

Eggert Johannsson, the Icelandic furrier who is stocked at Anderson & Sheppard, has always talked to me about waste.

He gets very frustrated with the strength of the anti-fur lobby, fear of which leads some governments to destroy thousands of culled animals every year, rather than try and re-use them for fur.

These include red fox in Germany, muskrat in Holland and brushtail possum in New Zealand. One of Eggert’s collections recovers baby lambs that die in their first few days, in order to re-use their skins.

Words like ethical, sustainable and ecological are often used interchangeably, as if they mean the same thing - rather than very distinct ideas.

Such discussion always reminds me of a friend that said he was proud to buy Fair Trade products and support local, English farmers. Even though those two ideas are mutually opposed.

As with many of my preambles, this is slowly getting to the point: Eggert sent me this article on Craftsmanship.net, which I would recommend reading.

More than anything, it shows how complex any argument about ethical clothing is: it requires balancing animal suffering, human livelihoods, environmental destruction, sustainable ecosystems and the natural landscape.

You cannot have all of those things. Prioritising one always means de-prioritising another.

Buying vegan, for example, is ethical in many ways but also usually means buying more plastic, which involves factories and emissions, and creates waste and landfill.

Fortunately, most of the things we value on Permanent Style come off pretty well.

Linen and hemp are the best materials, and vegetable tanning is a lot better than chrome. Leather is bad in some ways, but if you wear that leather jacket for a long time, it will be pretty good too.

Do have a read - the article is here, and you can support Craftsmanship.net if you feel moved to as well.

Images: top, Permanent Style; second, Eggert; third, Luke Carby; fourth and fifth, Craftsmanship.net

Shirtmakers and details announced for the Symposium

Posted on 04/12/201701/12/2017 by Simon Crompton

I'm pleased to say we have all the details confirmed for our Shirtmakers Symposium in Florence this January.

Please do RSVP to [email protected] if you would like to attend. We expect it to be quite packed.

The location is Palazzo Gondi, in the centre of Florence. So no walking south of the Arno this time.

And the shirtmakers we will be featuring are:

Darren Tiernan, Budd, London
Luca Avitabile, Naples
Paolo Maffeis, Emanuele Maffeis, Bergamo
Justin Chang, Ascot Chang, Hong Kong
Jack Sepetjian, Anto Shirts, Los Angeles

I was keen with this Symposium to get a range of makers from different locations - hence bringing in both Hong Kong and the US. But I also wanted to keep it to five speakers, as six has felt a little too many in previous years for everyone to get really involved.

Each of the five will be making a shirt to display at the event - with the theme 'Smart/Casual'.

The idea is that they will be the makers' interpretation of a shirt that can work in a modern, casual office, and also transition to the weekend or another informal occasion.

Alongside this, sponsors Albini will be presenting their latest development in a separate area.

It should be really interesting. I'm looking forward to digging into all the details of shirtmaking - and discussing people's views of the future.

See you there.

Simon

Begg, J. Girdwood and The Rake (Chapal, Sciamat, 100 Hands, Norman Vilalta…)

Posted on 01/12/201730/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

First off, I need to mention that the J.Girdwood website is finally up and active.

Anyone that has been into the first or second pop-ups will have seen James (above) and his J.Girdwood range of products. They include some Permanent Style favourites such as Bresciani socks, Merola gloves, Maglia umbrellas and so on.

James has got his shop site live, at www.jgirdwood.com, yesterday. More details on his aims for it in a week or two.

Next, The Rake.

The Rake’s online shop has grown so much in the past year that it’s been hard to squeeze things into their pop-up space. Even though they’re focusing on exclusives.

The good thing about this range is there’s something for everyone. So even if Sciamat jackets (above) are too eccentric, there is the quiet precision of 100 Hands shirts instead.

And there are so many brands that, were it not for The Rake and the pop-up, you wouldn’t see anywhere in London.

There’s Sciamat, Norman Vilalta, Chapal, Marol, 100 Hands, Francesco Marino and many more.

Personally, I’m really proud to have the Chapal aviator jacket on display in the window (£2735).

I wrote two years ago about having my own made to order in Paris, and I know several readers that have travelled to France just to see and try it in person. Now you can in the pop-up.

And 100 Hands (above, £300-£400) make simply the best hand-finished shirts anywhere - with all their tiny, precise hand-rolled hems.

They're available in several styles including a denim, a blue jersey, and a striped cotton.

Francesco Marino might be a new name for many readers. An old Neapolitan tiemaker, they do some very well-finished ties including (in the pop-up) a beautiful seven-fold printed gauze (below, ties £100-£125).

Elsewhere, some will want to try the extreme sleeveheads of Sciamat tailoring; there are Marol shirts including their denim dress range; and a range of Lardini tailoring.

Finally, nice to have my favourite Norman Vilalta back, with his swept chelsea boots (£1040) and pebble-grain derbys with super-chunky soles.

The grey in the middle below is the Rake exclusive - a patina that Wei picked out with Norman.

There are details on all the pieces, of course, on the Rake site. In case you want to check them out before visiting the shop.

Begg & Co, our third exhibitor in Week 3, will be well-known to readers but remains a wonderful option for Christmas presents.

It’s the time of year to wear scarves - and soon the time of year to give them - and even on the first day Begg was selling strongly.

The range in the pop-up includes ultra-thin wispy scarves (above, £245), thicker brushed arran models (£260 or £360), and the more casual kishorns (£175 or £280) - all in masculine colours of grey, navy, olive and so on.

There is also a small range of the PS squares that we designed with Begg last year, and the brass scarf ring developed with Alice Made This (pictured below).

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

The Armoury at the pop-up: College cardigan, ‘Marc’ coat and Real McCoy’s T-shirts

Posted on 30/11/201701/12/2017 by Simon Crompton

The 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 bottom) who has come over from New York to manage it.

My favourites were the college cardigan, the Coherence-collab ‘Marc’ coat, and the Real McCoy’s-collab T-shirts.

The shawl-collar college cardigan (£342, above) is a new piece for The Armoury, aimed at emulating vintage varsity pieces.

It is cut relatively short and square, with a small shawl collar and big mother-of-pearl buttons. It’s lambswool, made in Scotland, and also has a long chunky rib on the cuff.

What sets it apart from the other shawl cardigans we know, however, is the finish of the bottom edge.

Here you’d normally have ribbing - as on the end of the sleeve - but instead it’s a clean, square line finished by folding back the knit.

A subtle difference, but one that immediately makes it feel more like outerwear, and recalls those old American college pieces.

The ‘Marc’ (£2100, above) is an adapted version of the ‘Mutt’ by Coherence, with a simplified belt system and a few other changes.

The original had two buckles and other complications, and even this combines an inner catch, a nicely hidden button and then a single, central buckle.

The belt and waistline has also been lowered slightly, to modernise the shape (which was originally taken from a vintage dispatch coat) and a turn-back cuff added (which can easily be removed to alter the sleeve length).

The core appeal for me is the lines of the Marc though - a raglan shoulder that runs up into a surprisingly striking collar, and then a belt that accentuates the length and wide skirt.

It’s striking but in the most pleasing and subtle of ways. Line, curve and proportion.

Lastly, I was intrigued to see the Real McCoy’s collab pieces, as I’ve long been a fan of the brand and its London store.

Unfortunately only the T-shirts (£90) are available in the pop-up (everything else is largely sold out), but they are enough to show an interesting melding of the Real McCoy’s approach and more modern, wearable styles.

I have a lovely loopback tee from Real McCoy’s but it is too thick to wear under anything; The Armoury is in a lighter cotton but still slubby and with body you rarely find in modern T-shirts.

The collar, equally, is thick but not so much you couldn’t wear it under knitwear. And while I’d always want a slimmer fit in the body, it’s not as wide or short as some vintage pieces either.

Elsewhere, The Armoury also have their new shoe line (around £450, made in Northampton, lasts by Yohei Fukuda) in a decent range of sizes, as well as the Citi Hunter jacket (£636) we featured last time in a new olive colour.

There are cardigans (merino and cashmere) cut in the house style - short, to go with high-waisted trousers - as well as shirts, lapel chains and the Frank Clegg collab bags.

Plus Ring Jacket sports jackets and trousers, Nakata hangers, and tweed safari shirts.

A lot, in other words.

Remember, the plan is for The Armoury only to be here until Sunday, with Drop93 swapping in next week. So not long!

More details on all these pieces on The Armoury website. Linked to in the text above.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Christmas gift list 2017

Posted on 29/11/201701/04/2019 by Simon Crompton

I finally got around to putting together a Christmas gift guide for this year, which I know many readers have asked about (and like forwarding directly to their wives).

I have deliberately not included either Permanent Style products here, or those from the pop-up shop.

This is both to make the commercial relationship clear (ie, there isn't one), and because the pop-up and PS things have had enough coverage elsewhere.

I have also included a mix of non-clothing items: a few homewares and pieces of stationery think I think share values of craft and understated style with clothing on PS.

1 Anglo-Italian pocket squares

£45

For the man in the office that wants to dress up without looking out of place, a dark-toned pocket square can be a nice, subtle addition to an outfit.

This is something I have covered more than once before, and for that please forgive me.

But the Anglo-Italian hanks, in dark and harmonious block colours, deserve a place on this list for answering that need so perfectly.

2 Connolly wool vest

£270

Among my favourite pieces from Connolly this Autumn/Winter were navy and natural-coloured wool vests.

I used to have one in a similar style from Albam years ago, and found it endlessly useful. The style has a short shawl-collar, zip front and a drop back, and would usually be worn like a gilet - perhaps over a shirt but more often over other knitwear.

As with many other pieces, Connolly is set apart from designer brands by its love and understanding of traditional cloth - in this case a hardy but lightweight lambswool.

I'd recommend their over-sized herringbone coat on the same basis (blend of modern design and traditional materials) but at £1300 it is too expensive for a gift guide (if still good value for money).

3 Tanner Bates oak bark-tanned notebook

£165

From J&FJ Baker, the last remaining oak-bark English tannery, which supplies leather soles to all the Northamption shoemakers we love.

A notebook cover that can be polished and will look increasingly good with age. And inserts that are refillable, to allow it to be used for all those years.

Offered by a site called Waremakers, which resells a nicely curated selection of accessories, bags and homewares.

4 Fridja hand steamer

£99

I recently bought a Fridja clothes steamer to give all my linen tailoring a blast of steam before putting them away for the winter. I've tried a couple of other steamers, but was impressed by the value of the Fridja, as well as the series of online instructional videos.

The only thing it can't quite deliver on is pressing creases into trousers, as the clip-on attachment can't press the material hard enough - especially on anything other than lightweight worsted.

Although I bought the stand-up f1000 (£99), I also tried the portable f10, which is just as powerful - it just needs to be refilled more often.

5 Kaikado copper tea caddy

£155

An enormous amount of money to pay for a tin to keep your tea in, but it might be the homeware piece that gives me the most pleasure.

I use mine every morning, to spoon out the coffee into a stovetop espresso maker. The patina it now has, and the beautiful hand-created functionality of the airtight fit, are lovely.

Of course, it helps that Jamie and I visited them in Japan, and saw it being done first-hand.

Available at Postcard Teas in Mayfair, as well as the Margaret Howell store on Wigmore Street, which is a great gift destination for anyone that likes mid-century wares, books and furniture.

6 Anderson & Sheppard webbing belt

£95

I rarely wear a belt, but when I do it tends to be something simple and functional, such as brown woven-leather or brown webbing with a veg-tanned leather section at the front, as here.

I'm so used to having the infinite adjustability of side straps that I tend towards styles like these that aren't restricted to just a few widely spaced holes.

And the metal must be brass, which will tarnish and age as well as the leather it fastens.

7 Private White VC merino T-shirt

£99

A lovely, if indulgent, thing for the colder months.

Cotton/cashmere T-shirts that aren't too floppy and shapeless, and have enough cotton to be worn like a normal T-shirt, are hard to find.

I have one from Private White and wear it under shawl-collar cardigans and as an occasional pyjama top.

The plain cotton-jersey versions are also worth trying.

8 Field Day leather camera strap

£71.60

A nice, functional camera strap in a natural-coloured leather that darkens quickly with use.

I wouldn't use something this unpadded for a big SLR, but for a compact-system camera around the neck, it works very well.

Again, nice to have nice leather too.

9 Samuel Gassman reversed mother-of-pearl cufflinks

$116 (on sale at time of writing)

Samuel is a true French obsessive, with all the craziness and perfectionism that goes with it.

Self taught, he often brings a completely fresh eye to his designs - such as here, where he deliberately uses the reverse of the mother-of-pearl shell to highlight the subtle, perhaps more rustic texture of its underside.

As with many cufflink makers, some of Samuel's designs are a little too 'fun' for me, but I like these particularly. Also beautifully made, in the short silver bar and setting.

10 Transience Studio ceramics

£30-£45

I met potter May Tremain at the pop-up store recently.

Her husband is a reader of the blog and they came by the show me some of her work.

May's wabi-sabi philosophy chimed with me immediately, as I did a lot of studying around Japanese crafts and concepts when I travelled there last year.

The unfinished look won't be for everyone, but if you do like it, I recommend the mugs and black rough/polished bowls.

There is a little stock in the studio but most things are made to order.

Sartoria Ciardi – The next generation

Posted on 27/11/201721/03/2019 by Simon Crompton

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 years ago, and Enzo Ciardi (above, left) has been the head cutter for some time.

It was with some confidence, therefore, that I visited Enzo and his brother Roberto earlier this year, to commission a suit in a grey high-twist wool.

The Ciardi atelier is on the ground floor of a relatively new block on Via Giuseppe Fiorelli, in the middle of the historic centre of Naples.

The atelier itself is deep with history, though, with Renato’s awards and photographs of the great man around the walls, and two rows of historic irons on facing tables.

As a visitor to a famous tailoring house you secretly hope for these little things - souvenirs and ornaments that make its history manifestly real.

It shouldn’t matter (it should be the product that matters), but it is a pleasurable part of the experience.

Downstairs there is a small workshop (some is done off site) with space both for Enzo and Roberto (cutters) and five coatmakers.

As this was summer a lot of linen and linen mixes were going through, including blues, creams and forest green.

The detail of the green jacket below shows one decorative element that the Ciardis like - piping in complimentary colours on the inside of the jacket.

This jacket has been self-lined in the front (with the same material) but the pocket on the outside requires this supporting cloth on the inside, which is then finished with a brighter green.

It’s a little strong a contrast for me, but I did very much like the brown lining that Enzo had in his grey jacket - shown below - and opted to have that in the jacket of my suit too.

I generally just have matching linings in my tailoring, but some subtle lining colours can be particularly complimentary, or bring out a nice aspect of the cloth.

The Ciardi style is pretty typical Neapolitan: very soft canvas and shoulder pad, broad lapel, curved and open quarters.

The shoulder is not extended, tends to have a ‘shirt shoulder’ construction, and is finished with a subtle roping or ripples where the cloth is gathered at the top of the sleeve (shown on Roberto, below).

Both, again as with most Neapolitans, are quite subtle but do serve to give an impression of width to the shoulder without the need for padding.

One thing the Ciardis always do is cut the canvas of their chest on the bias, which gives it greater stretch and therefore comfort.

This is something not all Neapolitans do, and only Anderson & Sheppard and related tailors do in the UK.

The make and finishing at Ciardi is pleasingly neat - something that has a tendency to be better at the larger bespoke houses in Naples.

And the brothers occasionally like pick stitching on the jacket’s lapels and elsewhere in contrasting colours.

Again, not for me, but there is a fondness for brightness there, particularly in the summer.

One thing that tickled me about the fitting was that Enzo held the ends of the trouser legs for me as I put them on.

This is slightly awkward, as they have to be lowered gradually as your foot goes down the leg, but it is a nice traditional touch that I have only experienced elsewhere at Edward Sexton and Chittleborough & Morgan.

It is supposed to stop the trouser trailing on the ground as you put it on, and therefore prevent it getting dirty.

The basted fitting, shown here, was very strong.

This first fitting is for the tailor, of course, to get the balance right and sort out the fundamental structure of the suit.

There are few design questions and it is not for the customer to begin judging the overall look.

But it is always nice to see the cloth already running cleanly up the back and hugging the neck.

And to hear that the cutter is considering all the body points you know from experience will be an issue, such as my hollow lower back.

I hope to have the suit fitted again during Pitti in January, and finished soon after.

It will be great to be able to report that the house of Ciardi is in great hands, and with the new generation still deserves to be considered one of the best in Naples.

Price: Starting from €2800 for a two-piece suit (in Naples)

Travel: Currently the Ciardi brothers travel only within Italy, to Japan and Korea. But they are planning London (Enzo’s English is coming along impressively).

Cloth: A high-twist charcoal wool from Vitale Barberis Canonico: Spring Four Ply (853.601/56, 390g).

I am also wearing:

indigo linen shirt by D’Avino
navy blazer in 'mesh' wool from Holland & Sherry, by Ettore de Cesare
natural-coloured linen trousers made-to-measure by Salvatore Ambrosi
sisol panama hat by Lock & Co
bark-grey Sagans by Baudoin & Lange

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Baudoin & Lange women’s shoes (and Luca Faloni, and Honorific)

Posted on 24/11/201723/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

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 designer mark ups on the latter).

But there are two challenges.

One is getting a woman to pay a designer price for a non-designer shoe - to appreciate the quality and to look after it well enough so that the quality comes through.

And the second challenge is style. Men’s-style brogues may be fashionable at the moment, but they won’t be forever. Paying that much for a fashion item is tough.

Baudoin & Lange don’t have that second issue.

Their new women’s shoes (launched at the current Savile Row pop-up) are very similar in style to women’s flats, or ballet shoes.

They are already a staple of the female wardrobe. Allan and Bo just have to convince women to pay more money for better quality.

That quality is a considerable.

As a man you rarely realise how spoilt you are with shoe construction until you look at a ballet shoe.

It usually has nothing between the thin leather sole and the leather sock inside except a cloth-covered shank and a little bit of foam (which quickly compresses).

A Baudoin & Lange Sagan is a very simple men’s shoe, but it adds a proper leather insole to this list, quality foam padding and cork under that padding.

The upper is obviously also much higher quality, both looking better over time and being more comfortable.

I saw one stylish woman try on a pair of Sagans while waiting for her husband in the pop-up shop on Sunday, and the quality difference was immediately obvious.

Only the first issue, of paying £305 for a ballet shoe, remains.

Elsewhere in the pop-up shop (now in Week 2 - see schedule here), Luca Faloni has been as popular as expected.

His formula of high-quality cashmere in classic styles, and a good price, is an easy one to buy into.

Interestingly though, it has been his brushed-cotton shirts and buttoned hoodies (above) that have gone down particularly well so far.

And Mantas Lesauskas, founder of Honorific, deserves a big thank you for the valet stands he has contributed to the shop.

Not only does the pop-up have on display Mantas’s original valet stand (in steel and mahogany) and my personal stand (in brass and walnut), but the walls are decorated with his latest offering - the wall-mounted valet (above).

This model retains the most attractive parts of the stand - the hanger and trouser bar - but is a lot cheaper for being smaller. Although still expensive at £1,440, it’s a lot less than the classic stand’s £3,300.

Do pop into the pop-up if you have time this week.

It’s open until Sunday, before starting again next Wednesday with the second round of brands: The Armoury, The Rake and Begg & Co.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Simpson London leather goods – Factory visit

Posted on 22/11/201728/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

Simpson London in Canning Town is one of those rare things in British menswear: a shining new and dynamic factory.

I’ve visited dozens of British factories over the past 10 years, and although many of them have character in spades, they are often tired, uncomfortable places to work.

Simpson’s new operation is not in a particularly nice part of London, and is one unit in a small industrial park.

But inside, every craftsman has a large, well-lit bench to themselves.

There is space to move around, to communicate, and to consider things like efficient workflow.

“When we first saw this space last year it was just a big, white hangar,” says Patrick Coyne, managing director. “We had to imagine how it could become a workspace.”

They put in a mezzanine for the workers (and offices), and now use the level below for carpentry, storage and leather stock.

“We’re already looking at expanding into the other side of the building,” says Patrick. “We’ll need it - we’re hiring another five people over the next six months.”

The history of Simpson is a little complicated.

I first visited their factory in 2011 (see post here) at the invitation of Tanner Krolle. It was a ramshackle but charming place, and one of only a handful of places doing hand-sewn leather in London.

Robert Simpson had set it up in 1997, and it became the place where any high-end bag or shoemaker in London sent small orders to - including Foster & Son and Cleverley.

“I’ve sold Simpson-made products my whole life,” says Andy Murphy, who joined Simpson as business development manager last year from Foster & Son.

“Originally when I was at New & Lingwood, then Edward Green, then Cleverley, and finally Foster’s. I feel I know the product pretty well now!”

Robert sadly passed away in 2013.

A few years earlier William Asprey (founder of William & Son), who was also a big customer, bought the factory rather than see one of his main suppliers go under.

William has been the driving force behind it ever since, including the creation of a ‘Simpson London’ brand (largely sold in Japan, but now expanding) and the move in 2016 to this new factory.

I’m discussing the history with Andy as we tour the ground floor, looking through the stocks of bridle leather (which unlike most leathers, has to be stored flat).

“One of the things William insisted on when he bought the factory was that we had to have leather in stock - good supply, so we could deliver consistently,” he says.

“There have been so many changes like that. The passes, for instance, that allow people in and out of the store room. Before we’d often have no idea who was taking leather and where it was going.”

Next door a large, modern machine is set up to split leather to any required thickness.

And although press knives (above) are still created for every piece, large runs are all cut with a laser-cutting machine upstairs.

“The aim is to be very efficient, but also able to accept small orders,” says Andy. “We want to be consistent, and then open and transparent with how we work.”

The next room is my favourite: the carpentry.

Here wooden frames are made for attaché cases, games sets and jewellery boxes. But there is also a lot of design and prototyping.

John, the head of the department, potters around showing us various things in development.

“We’re cabinet makers really - making boxes to be covered in leather,” he says. “But there are also so many interesting new ideas.

"Like this barrel [not pictured]: we need to decide whether to make a leather one and line it in cedar, or try and make a cedar barrel itself first. I think either could work, but one’s likely to be a lot more efficient.”

There’s also an attractive flapped opening to many of the boxes (below) which John is putting into more and more things: “It should become a trademark. So people can tell it’s a Simpson product without having to put ‘Simpson’ on it.”

Upstairs on the main floor, the bag designer is being filmed by a film crew from a large brand - to show how their new women's handbag is made.

Everyone else is busy in their wide (and widely spaced) workspaces.

There is still a fair amount of hand-sewing going on, but orders for traditional attaché cases or doctor’s bags are rare.

Instead, hand-sewing is sometimes applied to other items, such as cases with nylon bodies but bridle-leather bases.

The bespoke area is interesting. One client has brought in a several leather cases and asked them to be copied several times in different leathers. (The new ones look better.)

And although the inking of leather edges is done by hand, again there is a new machine to speed up the drying process.

“It was such a bottleneck having dozens of pieces lying around, drying,” says Andy.

“There is even a machine that mixes the ink now, and will match the colour of any leather perfectly.”

As we look round the brand showroom Patrick talks about how pleased he is to have so many young people working in the factory. And about implementing an apprentice scheme.

From a customer's point of view, it’s interesting to see how broad the Simpson London range is, including games sets and luggage, plus soft leather pieces normally associated with French or Italian brands.

“This Pitti Uomo is only the fourth year under the new brand,” says Andy. “It's been interesting to see the reception - particularly as the offering has grown."

www.simpson-london.com

The Drake’s x Permanent Style outfit

Posted on 20/11/201703/11/2023 by Simon Crompton

Drake's was one of the first menswear brands that really inspired me, back in the days when I'd sit in Michael Drake's study going through old decorative art books, dissecting patterns.

Drake's managed to combine craft and style, deep tradition and wearable modernity, in a way that is still rare.

It is a very personal honour therefore, as this site approaches its 10-year anniversary, to have my name alongside Drake's.

Perhaps it is best thought of as a styling, though, rather than a collaboration.

It comprises a full outfit - jacket, trousers, shirt, tie and handkerchief - where I've selected one of my favourite materials for each, creating a look that I love, and is rather different to the classic Drake's aesthetic.

Each item is available in stock in Drake's stores, and we will be hosting a made-to-order event on Wednesday this week for anyone that wants to tweak their own version. (Or indeed order any other MTO.)

The outfit was based on these lovely photographs Luke Carby took of me at Pitti a couple of years ago.

Back then I commented that I liked the sombre green of that Escorial cloth - with its faint purple checks - and the slightly urban look of the grey brushed-cotton shirt.

It's not office-formal, nor country-casual, but something in between.

For the RTW version we went to Escorial again for the cloth, making it up in the Drake's three-roll-two style with patch pockets and self-lining in the front.

The shirt is in a similar brushed cotton, with a spread collar.

And rather than copy the original knitted-silk tie, I went for a brown large-knot grenadine - just because I love the 9cm-wide version of this from Drake's so much. I wear the navy version constantly.

That tie also has a small tweak I'm fond of: no keeper. Because a tie flows so much better without tucking in the back blade.

For the trousers, we selected a putty-coloured cavalry twill, which again is made up in Drake's standard style.

I've been wearing cavalry twill so much since writing about it back in March, and this colour is the most versatile of the lot. Pale and muted enough to go with any jacket (save mid- to light grey).

The handkerchief is not unusual, being a white 100% linen, hand-rolled. But it is my favourite.

One thing that is nice about the jacket design is that the lack of lining (and self-lining in the front) emphasises the natural stretch of Escorial wool.

I wrote about its crimp-based fine-merino properties on that original post, but you do feel it far more in this jacket than in my bespoke one, because there is no lining getting in the way.

Although readers have suggested it in the past, I've never wanted to design tailoring - primarily because so many other people do it so well.

However, it is nice to do something like this with Drake's, where I can pick cloths and as a result have the jacket and trousers available to anyone buying RTW or MTO.

These couple of months are always the biggest for menswear.

Compressed by the factory summer shutdowns at one end and Christmas sales at the other, it feels like almost a year of sales are squashed into a few weeks.

That's certainly been the case with my collaborations (sorry everyone), and it is with events too. But if you can make it down to the event this Wednesday, please do.

It's at the Drake's Clifford Street store, from 6pm-8pm. Drake's will also have their new range of made-to-order swatches to browse.

(The jacket pictured is a standard 38 chest, which is a pretty good fit on me apart from the length - the one thing I would change with MTO.)

Prices on the collaboration pieces (with links to the Drake's site):

Jacket: £1995 (Escorial is not cheap!)

Trousers: £395

Shirt: £155

Tie: £135

Handkerchief: £60

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Fox trousers (And everything else from Day 1 of the pop-up)

Posted on 17/11/201720/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

Matthew Coles of Drake's (and Dominic of Edward Sexton behind)

Francis Paley of Chittleborough & Morgan (a photography magnet...)

There was a really lovely atmosphere to the opening of our second pop-up shop on Wednesday night.

'A good vibe', James said, and he was precisely right.

Friendly, enthusiastic, interested. A lovely mix of people that all wanted to see and talk about what we were doing.

Thank you everyone (particularly Trunk for the flowers, and Alex and Jake for the champagne).

Aleks Cvetkovic of The Jackal (with emerging Movember 'tache)

So, what's new in the 'Permanent Style presents' shop this time around?

Well the first three brands all featured in the Spring: Fox Brothers, Baudoin & Lange and Luca Faloni. (Plus James Girdwood and Permanent Style of course.)

Allan and Bo have their women's collection on display for the first time (more of that later).

James has his Coherence in stock (Fou Fou and Henri) but again, more of that later.

And Permanent Style has the one-piece Friday Polos we launched this week; the Suit-Carrier Holdall; all the books; and odds and ends of the Finest Knitwear and Everyday Denim shirts.

Fox Brothers has a few new things, however - the most unusual of which is a range of trousers.

Douglas and Gianluca, of Fox and Pommella respectively, were talking about this at the last pop-up, and it's nice to see it come to fruition.

The trousers are in cream Fox flannel (370-400g), waist sizes 30-38, and made up by Pommella in Naples.

They have a mid-rise, a slim leg and side adjustors. There is plenty of hand work on display, although not pick stitching down the outside seams.

Inside there is a button fly and a double-buttoned French bearer; the hems are unfinished. Priced at £365.

Of course, cream is not the most practical colour in the world, but it is very versatile, and this has a nice handle for a lightweight flannel.

Elsewhere there are some nice handkerchiefs in silk (above) that has the matte texture and subtle patterns of a suiting.

All in muted colours - something I've been highlighting for a while (particularly at Christian Kimber) but now on display here and at Anglo-Italian.

Fox also has washbags, scarves and blankets (pictured below).

They have also brought a range of samples of limited-edition cloth - rather than the vintage bolts of last time.

By 'limited edition', Fox means cloth that was produced as samples, or as part of previous projects.

There is more than a few metres available (unlike the vintage bolts) but not as much as for the full current collection.

On the pop-up, just a reminder that we are open at 37 Savile Row on Wednesday to Sunday, for the next five weeks (until December 17th).

Every week or two the brands will be swapping round, so make sure you know who is on display, when. Timetable below.

Thank you all.

Week	Dates	Brand 1	Brand 2	Brand 3
1	Nov. 15-19	Fox Brothers	Baudoin & Lange	Luca Faloni
2	Nov. 22-26	Fox Brothers	Baudoin & Lange	Luca Faloni
3	Nov. 29- Dec. 3	The Armoury	The Rake	Begg & Co
4	Dec. 6-10	Drop 93	The Rake	Edward Sexton
5	Dec. 13-17	Shibumi	Codis Maya	The Workers Club

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

The one-piece Friday Polo

Posted on 15/11/201713/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

This is the latest iteration of our popular Friday Polo - in the same cut, cloth and colours, but with a wonderfully nonchalant one-piece collar.

The heavy pique-cotton of the Friday Polo continues to make it wearable year-round in the UK, and particularly nice this time of year.

The long body, shirt cuffs and bespoke details (like a small armhole) also make it particularly good under tailoring.

But I was keen to explore different options with the collar - something that made it slightly more than a copy of a dress shirt. And the one-piece collar does that.

Made from a single piece of material that flows from the placket on the front, up into the collar, round the neck and down again, it has a very different feel to a shirt with its separate placket, stand and collar.

The look is perhaps akin to a shawl collar on a cardigan, or a dinner jacket.

Certainly, the uninterrupted flow of the cloth suggests a similar air of casual relaxation. It is also, perhaps, one more way to subvert the formality of bespoke tailoring.

The one concern I had with this collar was that it would collapse under a jacket - not rolling nicely in the way a button-down should do (and thus serving to both open up the neck and frame the face).

So Luca (Avitabile, Neapolitan bespoke shirtmaker, below) and I worked hard on the length and shape of the collar's point.

It turned out that a slightly shorter, higher point would encourage the collar to roll more. But it couldn't be so short that it would pop out from under the jacket.

After a few iterations we found the perfect balance, and I actually feel the one-piece Friday Polo rolls more pleasingly around a jacket than the original.

There are of course, lots of one-piece-collar shirts out there.

Loro Piana does them, as does Eidos, as does Luca Faloni and many others. There's nothing new under the sun. (Not even holdall/suit carriers).

But there are no one-piece polo shirts in our Caccioppoli cloth, or in our handmade Neapolitan construction. This is a natural extension and slightly more degagé version of our standard Friday Polo.

The photoshoot shows the many different ways the one-piece Friday Polo can be worn.

Luca and I are wearing them as they were originally intended - me in the green colour under brown tweed, Luca in a grey under navy flannel.

Worn like this, it is a casual yet well-made and tailored alternative to a dress shirt.

Readers will recognise my Caliendo tweed jacket. The flannels are A&S, the shoes Dovers from Edward Green and the bag a vintage Filson.

The other two guys are more casual.

Ed Walsh (above - one half of the team behind Alice Made This) is wearing his polo under a Drake's cashmere shawl-collar sweater.

Below the waist are charcoal chinos, and on the feet a pair of Common Projects brown-suede chukka boots.

Keita Hiraoka (above, stylist at Monocle and Trunk Clothiers) is even more casual.

He wears his polo with an SEH Kelly corduroy jacket, jeans from OrSlow and black tassel loafers.

I love it when guys like Keita suggest things I wouldn't normally wear - like black shoes with mid-blue denim. It's the navy polo, I think, that is dark enough to make that work.

It probably goes without saying, given the shots, that the shoot (by Jamie Ferguson) was great fun. Nice to involve a range of people from around the industry.

The one-piece collar Friday Polo will be available in the four colours shown: navy, white, green and grey.

These are all colours we have used in the past, so if you have bought a Friday Polo previously, you will be familiar with them.

The new polo will only be available in our pop-up shop for the first week.

This opens today (see you there!), so they will be available online from next Wednesday, November 22nd.

I hope readers will forgive this blatant attempt to get some lovely people down to the pop-up (37 Savile Row - details here).

For those not familiar with the Friday Polo, here are some details:

The project was started in 2015 with Neapolitan bespoke shirtmaker Luca Avitabile, who has been making my shirts for a few years.
The idea was to use the best materials and as much as possible make them in the same way as Luca’s bespoke shirts.
Everything is hand cut, and there are five points of handwork: hand-inserted sleeves, buttonholes, buttons, gussets, and ends of the cuff placket.
The style is like a shirt, so shirt cuff, and long in the body and tail, designed to be worn tucked in.
Mother of pearl buttons.
The shirts will not shrink when washed, but should expand slightly in the waist. Do wash cool and line dry.

Logistics:

We sell at below the normal retail price. The one-piece polo costs £165 + VAT. With a standard retail mark-up these would be closer to £280.
Four sizes: Small, Medium, Large and Extra-large (see table below for dimensions).
Shipping from the UK.
Returns and refunds available if the product is in a resellable condition, although we do not cover the cost of return postage.

Sizing:

The shirts have a moderately slim fit.
In the images we are all wearing mediums except Keita, who is wearing a small.
If you are unsure about fit, we recommend comparing the measurements below to a polo shirt you currently own. They are in centimetres.

Chest Waist Yoke Sleeve Body

S 102 92 40 61 75

M 106 96 44 65 76

L 116 106 47 69 81

XL 124 114 48 69 81

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

We do plan another run of the standard polos next year, but not until the Spring.

Stivaleria Savoia bespoke shoes: Review

Posted on 13/11/201712/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

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 product and background; and a second post that more fully reviews the final product.

These posts can be months apart, but it’s only after that second post that I feel a reader can get a real feel for the product, and a true recommendation.

Stivaleria Savoia, a bespoke shoemaker based in Milan, is a tricky one.

I first covered them in June, and wrote about their wonderful history and time-frozen atelier.

It’s a lovely place - warm, welcoming and steeped in history - and one you'd hope will never change.

The world would be a lot poorer without these living embodiments of craft and tradition.

But unfortunately it might be that Savoia's deep roots have stopped them moving forward - and that this is reflected in the product.

The brown-calf cap-toe oxfords I had made were a good fit. Solid.

Not perfect, but then a first pair of bespoke shoes rarely is. It’s a developing relationship; the last is refined, and generally the second pair will fit better than the first.

This is the nature of bespoke, whether tailoring or shoemaking.

It breaks all the bonds of process-driven manufacturing, creating freedom but also risk.

Over time, that risk is reduced and it’s possible to get much closer to perfection than you can with an average-driven manufacturer. But the first time is rarely perfect.

That said, most bespoke shoes I’ve had fitted better than any ready-made pair, and these from Savoia were no exception.

The general issue I have with my ankle being too narrow for the width of my joints was easily solved, and the shoes fit well around the ankle, holding me in tight.

The fit was also great through the arch - often a problem with a first pair.

The only issue that would be corrected next time is there needed to be more space across the top of the joints, where the toes bend. Here the shoe is a little too close, and a tiny bit uncomfortable.

(Again, any ready-made shoe on me will have more than one equivalently small point of imperfection.)

The make of the shoe is also solid, although points like the segue between sole and heel on the side of the shoe (above) could have been neater.

There is also not a lot of finesse in the waist of the shoe, or the angle of the heel stack, which are aesthetic attractions of many bespoke shoes.

Fausto Risi of Savoia did offer me two options in terms of how the waist was finished: square or rounded.

I went for the rounded option, and there is a nice shape to the waist, as well as a subtle cut inwards on the side that is usually a sign of a hand-made sole.

And it would be harsh to judge the shoes on the basis of the finer making points like an ultra-slim welt or sharply bevelled waist.

It’s not the style of Savoia and not something they’re trying to achieve.

But at the same time, I do think these points are a reflection of a general lack of style, both in these shoes and the rest of the Savoia range.

The shape of a shoe, particularly its toe, is defined by infinitesimal changes to line and curve.

Tiny alterations in the length of the toe, how quickly it narrows, and the angle of the very tip (not just in width but in height) combine to create a look that is often as subtle as it is distinctive.

It’s not an easy thing to get right, and perhaps the most instinctive part of the shoemaker’s art.

Good lasts can last generations, and ride out many swings in fashion. But they do also need to be updated occasionally, with a fresh eye.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that I like my Savoia shoes in many ways, but they feel rather dated.

It is possible to do a classic, round-toed oxford in a very modern and elegant way. Saint Crispin’s are particularly good on this.

It is also possible to do a sharply squared toe that is not too extreme (Gaziano & Gaziano, for me), or an elongated shoe that also doesn’t feel extreme (I’d highlight Corthay).

None of these, I feel, are present at Savoia. They also lack the alternative attractions of patinas or subtle burnishing.

Bespoke Stivaleria Savoia shoes are very good value: €2000 for a hand-sewn shoe made on a personal hand-carved last, all in the centre of Milan.

If a reader visits and likes the styles, they might make a really interesting option for a first foray into bespoke.

But I feel that's the only point on which I can recommend them.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson (shoes being worn) and Permanent Style

Introducing: The Suit-Carrier Holdall

Posted on 09/11/201705/05/2018 by Simon Crompton

Although many of our collaborations have taken a while, this has been the hardest and most time-consuming ever.

Perhaps because it is so different, and functionality so important.

It is a bag and garment carrier in one - and it is called the Suit-Carrier Holdall (or SC Holdall for short).

A suit carrier wraps around a central, cylindrical bag, attaching to it with magnets and straps.

Because both are made from canvas, and have minimal structure, they can be carried as one bag without being too heavy.

But they can also be carried and used separately, particularly at a destination - when you no longer need the suit carrier, for example.

It was developed with the wonderful people at Bennett Winch, is made in the UK, and is available to buy now on their site (in either black or olive).

Hard, tight folds are what cause creases in tailoring. It’s why folding a jacket around something, such as shirts or knitwear, is a good idea when packing a suitcase.

But even better is not folding the jacket or suit at all - and as with the SC Holdall, wrapping it around the case instead.

A few brands, including Vitale Barberis Canonico at one stage, have sold garment carriers with a similar idea.

They generally roll up into a cylinder, leaving a space in the middle for shoes and clothes.

Unfortunately this means the inside has no structure, making it soft and unable to hold much weight. The internal contents also flop out when you unzip everything.

I came to the guys at Bennett Winch with the idea of making something similar, but with more structure and in their waterproof canvas.

That’s where we started.

But over the next 18 months - and more than a dozen iterations - they changed, improved and refined the idea into something a lot more original and versatile.

We looked at a simple, rolled-up suit carrier, but found it hard to give real room and structure to the contents inside.

That design also requires two odd circles of material attached at either end, which mean the carrier can’t be hung up or otherwise used.

Much better, it was decided, to have a separate, internal bag, and wrap the suit carrier around it.

The problem then is weight. How do you make two bags that are not much heavier than one?

Bennett Winch stripped back their normal bag structure to achieve this - the central bag is simpler and softer than their normal Commuter model, for example.

But when the two bags are together, the multiple layers of canvas mean that not much structure is actually needed. The only bits that have to be firm are the two ends of the bag.

(Those ends, again unlike other designs, are also teardrop-shaped rather than round, which means the bag sits upright and doesn’t roll over. A nice touch.)

We also realised it was important to make the bag(s) simple to use.

If the means of joining them together was too complicated, I can see people not bothering when they’re in a hurry.

Magnets were therefore used on the bottom of the central bag, rather than poppers.

And on the top, the straps that slide through and fasten back on themselves were refined several times to make them easier to use.

Helpfully, Bennett Winch have also shot a video where you can see the whole process, below.

Everyone in the team has been trying the holdall over the past few months, with great success. (Ru, pictured with me trying the bags here, is the brand's designer.)

Jackets don’t crease; the fastenings all work well; and the weight is no more than most other weekenders.

It’s such a lovely sense of accomplishment to make something so functional.

And I can hardly take any of the credit - rather like an interested consumer, I have merely said at every stage what I would like and what I would use.

The Bennett Winch team have done everything else.

Manufacturing points on the Holdall:

It is made in the Bennett Winch 24oz cotton canvas, which as I have written previously, has a lovely handle and is waterproof (being actually two layers of canvas bonded together).
The leather sections, such as the panels on the bottom of the bag, are all veg-tanned full-grain leather.
The hardware is solid brass.
It is made in the UK.

Functional points:

The suit carrier comes with its own slimline, wooden hanger but can take any regular, flat hanger.
It is designed to accommodate one jacket and one pair of trousers.
The suit carrier has one, zipped external pocket. The holdall has no internal or external pockets.
It also comes with a shoulder strap, and a removable waterproof section that fastens inside the central bag.

The Suit-Carrier Holdall is available to buy now on the Bennett Winch website - not the Permanent Style shop.

(This is what I tend to prefer with items I am not buying and stocking myself, such as my colour of Baudoin & Lange Sagans.)

There will also be a few bags in the pop-up shop, which opens on November 15th. So you can see and try it out there.

Thanks everyone, I really hope you like it.

In the shoot I am deliberately wearing an outfit I might put on for travel, with a suit in the carrier, as well as a second pair of shoes. That outfit is:

Seraphin waterproof brown-suede bomber jacket
Anderson & Sheppard grey-flannel trousers
Edward Green unlined desert boots
Luca Avitabile button-down shirt
Anderson & Sheppard cream-cotton knitwear

Photography: Joshua K. Jackson

Pop-Up: The Opening Party

Posted on 08/11/201708/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

Cromford Leather: Update, workshop, and vintage jackets

Posted on 07/11/201707/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

Since I first wrote about Cromford Leather nine months ago, I’ve been using them consistently for leather alterations.

I thought it was worth a catch-up piece, therefore.

It's also a nice opportunity to show their workshop in the basement, including some of the vintage pieces they’re repairing for customers.

If you care about how clothes fit, leather and suede outerwear can be a pain.

There aren’t many variations in sizing, so if you don’t fall into the standard S-XL grading, you’ll end up with something that doesn’t fit in one way or another.

Being tall and slim, I often find myself choosing between something that fits my shoulders but is too big in the waist (usually a Medium) or that fits the waist but is too tight in the shoulder (usually Small).

Now that I know and like Cromford Leather (Chiltern Street, Marylebone), I buy the right size for my shoulders and have the waist altered.

I’ve done this so far on two pieces: one an old Loro Piana nubuck sports jacket, and the other a Seraphin suede bomber. (Look out for the latter in tomorrow’s post on our bag collaboration.)

In both cases, the alterations with Pauline at Cromford have worked well.

However, be aware that unlike a wool jacket, there are some limitations on what can be changed. It’s worth speaking to Pauline (above) at length to understand what these are.

Also bear in mind that altering leather is laborious and therefore expensive (my alterations ranged between £120 and £300). The few issues I've seen with customers of Cromford have been because they don't take the time to appreciate both these points.

You can see the complexity involved in leather alterations and repairs in some of the vintage pieces going through the workshop at the moment.

Above, for example, is an old Buco horsehide jacket that is having its zips and pockets repaired.

Replacing zips and pocket bags, without changing the look of what is beautifully aged leather, is a delicate process.

Harder, though, is working with sheepskin jackets, like the one below.

Shearling dries out as it ages and vintage pieces will rip easily.

Sewing into something that fragile is hard - you often rip the very thing you are trying to secure.

My latest alteration project was the suede zip-up blouson you can see below.

This is an old jacket from Carlo Brandelli’s first stint at Kilgour.

As with all his things, it was simply and beautifully done: lovely thin suede, unlined, with a covered zip in front and nothing on the cuffs.

The only thing I never liked about it was the collar.

I’ve always been partial to a collar that pops: that stays up when it’s put up. It’s probably related to having a relatively long neck.

This collar stayed up at the back but collapsed at the sides. Which had its own appeal, but I disliked.

Pauline put some fusing on the inside of the collar, covered it with a matching piece of suede, and finished it all invisibly. The collar now stays up perfectly.

It's the quality of work like this, as well as the rarity of leather-alterations specialists in London, that has me continuously recommending Cromford.

www.cromfordleather.co.uk

Alterations details here

Photography: James Munro

Come to The Shirtmakers Symposium

Posted on 06/11/201704/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

After the summer hiatus, the Symposium series is back in January - with a look at some of the finest shirtmakers in the world.

With the help of Albini, we will be staging a display of shirts and shirting in a central-Florence palazzo, followed by the usual debate on stage.

The shirtmakers, from different parts of the world, will be announced later.

We will also detail the items on display, the location and the RSVP details. As ever, we start early and finish relatively early, so there's plenty of time for everyone to get to dinners or other events.

For the moment, if you're going to be in Florence and are interested in stimulating debate about the menswear we know and love, put the date in your diary.

Simon

Pommella bespoke trousers – Review

Posted on 03/11/201706/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

Lino Pommella recently became the latest entrant into a group of travelling, Neapolitan trouser makers - a path forged, of course, by Salvatore Ambrosi.

The other notable one is Cerrato, whom we have covered elsewhere but who only currently travels to London.

Ambrosi travels the world, and Pommella currently visits London, New York, Tokyo and Osaka.

There isn’t that much to separate these trouser makers in terms of finished product.

All use extensive hand finishing, with scatterings of bar tacks, pick stitching up the outside seams and so on.

Indeed, this finishing is the thing that largely separates them from the Neapolitan tailors that they also often make for.

The tailors don’t tend to offer such finishing, believing (perhaps rightly) that the jacket is more important.

Those tailors can, however, often offer such finishing if requested - and it’s one way to access trousers such as these if a maker doesn’t currently travel to your city.

It’s something I did with my Pirozzi cord suit, which had trousers made by Cerrato.

Lino Pommella worked as a trouser cutter at Rubinacci for 10 years, and his father was also a trouser maker. He does not come from an independent house like Ambrosi or Cerrato, therefore, but it is still a family business.

He also has one significant asset in Gianluca Migliarotti (above).

The lovely and talented Gianluca is best known as the filmmaker behind O’Mast and I Colori di Antonio, documentaries about Neapolitan tailoring and Antonio Liverano respectively.

But he is also an investor in, and marketing force behind, Pommella.

His rich style has led to a lot of developments with Pommella so far - in particular the designs that myself, Mark Cho and Antonio Ciongoli made for a display at Pitti in the summer (pictures below).

Mark's design is even planned to become a ready-to-wear style for The Armoury.

As I have often said when describing artisans such as Lino, they have a tendency to underestimate the importance of style - and it was always a part of the attraction with Ambrosi.

Gianluca’s involvement is a big plus, therefore, whether present at customer appointments or simply guiding behind the scenes.

Lino made two pairs of trousers for me earlier in the year - one in green linen, the other in vintage Fox Brothers wool.

The latter material was one we featured in our pop-up shop in the Spring, part of a series of vintage bolts that Fox brought up and sold in the shop. It is therefore not currently available (although they are looking at reweaving it).

The trousers were, overall, very good.

The fit was spot on, after just one fitting in London. Perfect in the waist and through the seat, with a nice line down to the cuffed hem.

As ever, I warn against concluding anything as regards fit from the photography. I could spend 20 minutes arranging them so they look perfect, but that seems disingenuous. Fit is something readers largely have to take my word on.

What you can see, and is interesting to me, is that there is a subtle difference in the leg line that Pommella naturally cuts, as opposed to Cerrato or Ambrosi.

These trousers actively narrow from the middle of the thigh down to the knee, before running straight to the bottom.

This creates the impression of a rather narrow leg, with even a slight kick in the ankle.

When we profiled Marco Cerrato in his Naples atelier in the summer, he said that he tends to prefer a roomier leg, so narrowing less sharply at the knee, but tapering consistently from the seat to the bottom. To an extent you can see this on my review of his trousers here.

Ambrosi’s styles vary far more, but on balance I’d say he sits in between these two.

I should also emphasise that this is merely how Lino would cut the trouser if not directed at all by the customer.

Any line is possible, and most would request taking in or out, tapering more or less, at the fitting stage. I deliberately made no requirements there.

Readers have also noted that these trousers have pleats, which I usually avoid.

This was the result of a direct challenge to Lino.

I described to him and Gianluca the issues I normally have with pleats, with them largely opening and staying open in any cloth, due to the size of my thighs and seat, and a low rise.

Lino said he was sure he could make pleats that didn’t have this problem (several others have said the same, and failed) by deepening the pleat, putting in more material underneath.

The result is very good. Better than any other tailor has achieved. I still don’t generally like pleats except on high-waisted trousers, but as a technical point this was impressive.

It’s also worth emphasising that the Pommella trousers were exactly what I ordered - right cloth, right design - and the quality is good, with no buttons or anything else coming loose.

Given the issues previously with Ambrosi and some other Neapolitans, this is more important than it should be.

The only issue we had with the trousers was that a 4cm canvas was used in the 5cm waistband.

This means that the top of the waistband collapses slightly, as you can see in the images.

It’s an issue we’ve covered before. Canvas for waistbands comes in standard 4cm-width strips, so the only options for a tailor on a wider waistband are to still use this, or to find an uncut roll of canvas and cut it to 5cm.

Cerrato does this as standard, and I’m pleased to say Pommella has now changed his practice and does it too. I’ll get him to change these trousers at some point.

Overall, I can certainly recommend Pommella as a solid option for hand-finished Neapolitan-style trousers.

The product was solid, hecares about his work, and if I didn’t have Cerrato visiting London frequently, I would probably start using him.

In terms of price he is more expensive than Cerrato, and a little cheaper than Ambrosi. When Pommella visits The Armoury in New York, bespoke trousers cost $1100 through the shop. In the UK, in trunk shows, they cost €850.

He is now travelling frequently to New York (every two months) and is looking to expand to other US cities. The next trunk show there is November 16-18.

London and Japan are less frequent. The next is Tokyo and Osaka through Strasburgo, December 2-4.

Contact and appointments should be made through [email protected]

Photography: James Munro and Pommella

In the images I am also wearing:

Edward Green Oundle monk-strap shoes
Anderson & Sheppard navy shawl-collar cardigan
Grey Simone Abbarchi brushed-cotton shirt
Sartoria Melina bespoke leather jacket

The Pop-Up Shop is back!

Posted on 01/11/201720/11/2017 by Simon Crompton

I'm very excited to say that the Permanent Style Presents pop-up shop will be back this winter, opening in two weeks on November 15th.

We've switched approach slightly, using a slightly smaller space but staying open much longer (5 weeks) - so hopefully no one will miss out, even those coming from abroad.

The location is 37 Savile Row, next door to where we were last time, and the old home of Kathryn Sargent on the Row.

In here there will be space for three or four brands on rotation at any time - alongside products from Permanent Style and J Girdwood.

We will open with three of our favourites from the Spring: Luca Faloni, Baudoin & Lange, and Fox Brothers.

Luca was such a big draw, and is particularly suited to the winter with his big range of cashmere; Allan and Bo from B&L will have their beautiful slip-ons on display; and Fox will be bringing back its archive cloth and Merchant Fox pieces.

These three will be available for the first two weeks, November 15th to November 26th (Wednesday to Sunday).

Then, for weeks three and four, we bring in The Rake, The Armoury, Drop 93, Begg & Co and Edward Sexton.

The Rake will be showing off the exclusive collaborations from their online shop
The Armoury will have a stand that will feature their vintage and pre-owned collection, Drop93 in the first week and Armoury products in the second week
and those weeks will see Begg & Co first, swapping to Edward Sexton's ready-to-wear after.

A final, fifth week will change again, bringing in Shibumi ties and accessories from Florence, casual brand The Workers Club, and British cufflink specialists Codis Maya.

We will also be featuring furniture from the wonderful Honorific London, and Mantas will be helping in the shop the last two weeks.

The full timetable is below. It feels like we've squeezed so much great stuff in this time - as before, all of which you cannot buy retail in London at the moment.

I know readers will find it hard to come and see everyone - every week - but do try!

We will also be holding a small opening party, as last time, on Wednesday November 15th. Put it in your diary.

The Spring pop-up was such a success - for us, for the brands, for readers that came in and told us. And it was so much fun.

The soundtrack will be James's rock steady selection. I'm bopping already.

Brand schedule

Week	Dates	Brand 1	Brand 2	Brand 3
1	Nov. 15-19	Fox Brothers	Baudoin & Lange	Luca Faloni
2	Nov. 22-26	Fox Brothers	Baudoin & Lange	Luca Faloni
3	Nov. 29- Dec. 3	The Armoury	The Rake	Begg & Co
4	Dec. 6-10	Drop 93	The Rake	Edward Sexton
5	Dec. 13-17	Shibumi	Codis Maya	The Workers Club

Opening times

Day	Open	Close
Wednesday to Friday	11am	7pm
Saturday	10am	6pm
Sunday	11am	5pm

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Umbria Verde knitwear: Factory visit

Posted on 30/10/201730/10/2017 by Simon Crompton

Bang in the centre of the country, Umbria is often referred to as the ‘green heart’ of Italy.

A fertile, forested region, it is known for its truffles and wines - and is where several of the best Italian knitwear factories are located.

Umbria Verde, which has been there since 1959, is named to reflect this tradition. And it does its best to reflect the name in its practice too - electricity from solar panels, reused water and so on.

This is not a glamorous atelier, however. Unlike the slightly unreal-feeling factories of Cucinelli, or even Zegna and Santoni, it is an obviously industrial space.

Noisy looms run the length of the hangar-like structure, with offices in the floor above.

Although the countryside is lovely (and they produce their own olive oil - as many in the area do), inside is all busy practicality.

Simone Mattioli runs Umbria Verde today, having taken over from his father, the founder (below).

Mattioli senior was the first in Italy to import an English cotton loom in the 1950s.

As with much between the industrial revolution and then, England dominated the production of such machinery - though no more.

That loom became the foundation of the business, and he gradually added more over the years, importing and (importantly) often modifying them.

In the factory today, the oldest loom dates to 1964, and the youngest to 1974.

A particularly unusual one is from Protti (now closed), with a long 2.5-metre bed. The team found it in Bulgaria.

Needles and some other parts are replaced every four years - with the last such manufacturer in England, based in Leicester, under contract to carry on supplying them for the next 20 years.

As with other factories we have covered, it is easy to assume that a factory has access to any technique it wants, and merely has to decide which is the most efficient.

But actually there is great inertia at a manufacturer - as investing in new machinery is hugely expensive.

Often hand techniques (eg hand linking for socks) are kept only because the process of transitioning away from them takes hundreds of thousands in investment, and therefore many years.

And the best machinery might even be the older stuff, not the new (eg. with benchmade shoes).

There, you can’t even buy the best, but have to wait until it becomes available.

Umbria Verde’s modification of its machinery is important both because it has led to its trademark production - 37-gauge knitting - and because it reflects the general attitude of innovation.

“Somehow it has meant that we are always pushing at what is possible,” says Simone (above, in the red sweater). “Always asking how we can make things finer but stronger.”

Examples are the production points on our Finest Knitwear: flattening of knots, hand-sewn points, widened fashioning seams.

You can read more details on our original post on the knitwear here.

In another comparison to factories we have visited, it is interesting that as with mills such as Pennine in Huddersfield, Begg in Ayr or Vitale Barberis in Biella, the finest craft at Umbria Verde is the repairs.

At a mill, which is weaving rather than knitting, any imperfections in the cloth have to be repaired by knotting in a new piece of yarn and weaving it through the cloth.

It is done under a microscope, and in stark contrast to the fast, noisy, large-scale production of cloth in the next room.

Although the contrast is not as great at Umbria Verde, the process of repairs is similarly precise. For knitwear it involves darning as well - so fine that it is invisible on the finished piece.

Simone is both passionate about his work and a real professional. Over the past couple of years we have built up a good working relationship, and the Finest Knitwear is something we are both very proud of.

Of course, he also works for many of the big fashion labels (we can’t say who, but it hardly matters).

Here, his innovation and Umbria Verde’s relatively small production help a lot with the labels’ new designs and ideas.

“It’s great to be able to work with everyone and anyone,” he says.

“I know we’re growing, but I’d like that always to be the case - it keeps your eyes open to the whole world.”

The Finest Knitwear was released in its second batch last week, with a green colour added to the navy from the first iteration.

Around two-thirds have sold so far, but only one combination is sold out (green medium crewneck).

In the pictures I am wearing my tobacco-linen suit from Langa in Madrid, with a white shirt and navy grenadine tie.

Photography: Umbria Verde

Bespoke brass jewellery: Diana Maynard

Posted on 27/10/201721/03/2019 by Simon Crompton

This probably won’t surprise readers, but when I started looking to buy a significant piece of jewellery last year, I wanted something personal, bespoke and handmade.

I don't have anything particular against friendship bracelets; when I was a backpacking teenager I wore them, and my daughters occasionally make me one too.

But wearing 10 of them, when everyone else is too is a little sad.

Jewellery, in my opinion, should be personal.

It’s something you wear next to your skin; that is warmed by it; that you will likely wear more often than any piece of clothing.

It’s no coincidence that jewellery is often an heirloom, passed down through the family and therefore a real piece of who you are.

Or that there are traditions around jewellery that has to be given as a gift, rather than something you buy yourself.

Looking for something unique and personal, I turned to my friend Diana Maynard (above), who makes our Permanent Style cufflinks but spends most of her time on bespoke jewellery commissions.

The bespoke process is perhaps harder with jewellery than anything else. The possibilities are endless, and the ideas highly emotional and often very abstract.

My rather abstract brief was that I wanted something finely made, but that would age well. That would look practical and natural, but still involve great craftsmanship.

This was not an easy concept, and we went through several sketches before we settled on a jointed, brass cuff.

The cuff would be made to the shape of my wrist, so it was personal and echoed the shaping of bespoke shoes and tailoring.

It would be made out of brass, as this would tarnish over time (though could always be polished up again if required).

Inlaid into that brass would be slivers of wood - irregularly spaced and in varying numbers on each of the four ends.

The shape and arrangement of these pieces of wood was drawn from old Art Deco designs - my favourite period for decorative art. (And fitting with the crenellated shape of the hinge.)

And the wood would also darken and age over the years.

The cuff was beaten by hand, creating a texture around the outside that was beautiful and unique, but also redolent of natural wear and tear.

And as final, guilty touch of luxury, there would be tiny diamonds set into the hinge.

The design worked well from the start. Once Diana understood what I was aiming for, the texture of the wood we chose and the beaten pattern came naturally.

The wood had to be soaked, set in and held to gain the shape of the cuff (see image with black pins above), but that only took a couple of iterations.

The hardest part was getting the shape right.

Your wrist is flatter on the top than it is on the bottom, but it also changes every time it rotates.

You wouldn't think it to feel your wrist in motion, but the changes are significant.

It therefore took rather longer to get the shape right, with several try-on sessions.

Thankfully, the result is perfect. On the hottest of hot summer days, my wrist swells and is too big, but the vast majority of the time it fits perfectly - clearly flush with the wrist, but with enough room to move comfortably.

I've had the cuff for a few months now, and it's also interesting to see how the materials have aged.

The wood has darkened slowly and with subtle variations. The brass as a whole tarnishes quickly and has a particularly nice pattern on the inside.

But interestingly, it doesn't darken more within the beaten pattern, which we both expected.

The cuff cost £2900. A lot of money, but still relatively cheap in the world of bespoke jewellery.

The whole process took just under a year, with several trials and prototypes. And it was this design time, consultations and particularly the handwork that were the biggest aspects of the cost, rather than the materials.

I completely understand if others don't like the result. They may well consider it silly, pretentious or overwrought.

But I love it. It achieved all my aims, and is a unique, highly personal piece of art that I wear every day. It feels part of me.

Diana's work can be seen at www.dianamaynard.com

Photography: Lifestyle shots, Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man; Studio shots, Diana Maynard

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