By Manish Puri In 1957, Irving Penn arrived at Villa La Californie, the Cannes residence of Pablo Picasso, for an appointment to shoot portraiture - only to be told that the man of the house wasn't in. Undeterred, Penn instructed his assistant, Robe...

By Manish Puri. During a recent trip to Madrid, I paid a visit to Casa Seseña, run by Marcos Seseña (the fourth generation of the family), and one of the few shops in the world still dedicated to making capes. In part one, I covered their 123 year-...

By Manish Puri Even when scarred with multiple, dubious stains that were immune to the efforts of the finest dry cleaners, I soldiered on with my first ever pair of cream linen trousers - commissioned eight years ago at Graham Browne. However, eventu...

By Manish Puri As the seasons change, it’s become something of a Sunday ritual for me to be paid a visit at home by Michael Norman (below).  Long-time readers may recall that Michael runs a dry cleaning business specialising in bespoke and high-en...

By Manish Puri In 1973, Ranjit Shah left his hometown of Madras (now Chennai) carrying a suitcase full of cloth swatches and emigrated to New York City. Within a few years, he’d established Original Madras Trading Company (OMTC) on West 38th Street...

By Manish Puri. I’m in a car with Nathan Hellard - the founder of French linen merchant Maison Hellard - and we’re kindly being chauffeured by Nathan’s father, Philippe, from Pau to the commune of Assat, where the company is based.  It’s a h...

By Manish Puri I’ve been commissioning made-to-measure and bespoke garments for six years.  In any other sphere, that amount of experience might qualify me as an expert. So, it’s telling about the nature of bespoke - the slow production times, ...

By Manish Puri. This article is the second in a series dealing with my personal experiences of having bespoke/MTM clothes made over the last six years. The first covered some of my tips for working with tailors, while this piece focuses on the lesson...

By Manish Puri A few months ago I had the privilege of speaking with Alan Flusser about the history of New York bespoke tailoring. From the opening beats of our conversation it was clear that Alan wasn’t about to be constrained by the narrow parame...

By Manish Puri If my years of reading Permanent Style have taught me anything, it’s that few things make a man look better than a tailored jacket. If my years of having eyes have taught me anything, it’s that few things make a man look worse than...

By Manish Puri Not all chores are made equal. Some take longer, some require more exertion, and some involve going out into the cold. On a typical weekend you’ll find me frantically searching for loopholes in the chivalric code so I can cherry pick...

By Manish Puri In between short walks to the kitchen to restock on mince pies and watching Home Alone for the 83rd time (this genuinely may be an understatement), the festive period offers a singular opportunity to contemplate weighty matters concern...

By Manish Puri “That was the day I learned how dangerous a color can be. That a boy could be knocked off that shade and made to reckon his trespass. Even if color is nothing but what the light reveals, that nothing has laws, and a boy on a pink bik...

*This article is part of a series that looks at the history of New York’s bespoke tailoring. You can see the first, introductory article here and a subsequent piece on Bill Fioravanti here* By Manish Puri It’s 1966 and you’re Truman Capote. Yo...

* This article is the first in a series that will look at New York bespoke over the years* By Manish Puri. In the 1956 version of the song New York’s My Home, Sammy Davis Jr. is eager to address the crazy rumour that some foolhardy New Yorkers are ...

*This article is part of a series that looks at the history of New York’s bespoke tailoring. You can see the first, introductory article, here* By Manish Puri “Ready-made men’s wear was never more varied. Nevertheless, an increasing number of ...

By Manish Puri with André Larnyoh. Luke Walker is the creative director of the brand LEJ. I still remember the first time I saw him. He was strolling across my local green, wearing faded jeans and a loose shirt that appeared to be somewhat reluctant...

By Manish Puri Whenever an article related to Rome is published on Permanent Style I’ve noticed there’s usually a reader comment or two about Sartoria Ripense – either asking about their style or praising their work. With this in mind, I decide...

By Manish Puri The attention of Permanent Style has always been - and will continue to remain - trained upon the highest quality garments in the world. However, there are barriers to accessing the very best – especially with suits. You might live h...

By Manish Puri Bel y Cia opened in 1842 as a camiseria (shirt maker) on Passatge de Bacardí – a narrow walkway that connects Barcelona’s Las Rambla to Plaça Reial. Following the demolition of the city walls (1854-1866) and the end of the Spanis...

By Manish Puri If you leave Belfast city centre and head east, past Nuala with the Hula, across the Lagan, and along the Newtonards Road, eventually, in the shadows of Samson and Goliath (the monumental gantry cranes that loom over the shipyards wher...

By Manish Puri Some years back, I was having a drink with my partner, Gemma, and a friend, Nathan, who shared my interest in clothes. Over a few pints and packets of bacon fries we delved deep into matters political and philosophical, before turning...

By Manish Puri Powering up one’s menswear game isn’t merely about honing the perfect silhouette or mastering colour combinations. It also means becoming fluent in a whole new language.  That will, of course, initially mean becoming familiar with...

By Manish Puri There’s not exactly a shortage of quality secondhand and vintage stores in Stockholm. Take a stroll along Hornsgatan for example - a busy road running through the Södermalm neighbourhood - and within just a few hundred metres you’...

By Manish Puri Forgive me for starting with such a blunt question.  I know that, in common parlance, ‘snob’ is a pejorative term. However, when it comes to matters of dressing, it’s worth recalling the words of Yves Saint Laurent who said, “...