The article ‘Which office are you?’ in 2016 was one of the most popular we have ever done on PS. I think largely because it showed clearly how outfits could be adjusted to different levels of formality, at a time when office attire was already ch...

   Dressing well is as much about propriety as it is about style, quality or personality.  This is particularly true at work, where there are often prescriptions, or at least expectations, about professionalism and clothing. I have often talke...

One of the most popular posts we’ve ever written on Permanent Style was ‘Which office are you?’, back in February 2016. It showed a spectrum of outfits from T-shirt and jeans, through knitwear and flannels, up to a jacket and tie - with just on...

Linen : Linen We haven’t done one of these in a while, but a reader requested one in a comment on the ‘How to pick shirt fabric’ article, and it reminded me how useful people find the sliding scales.  The idea is we break down two categories o...

By Manish Puri Last week’s article by Simon, ‘Which office are you? A cold current 2024 update’, focused on cold, wintry colours. I’m here to provide a similar step through using warmer, summery tones. The colours I’ve chosen are those that...

One of the things that first attracted me to Rubato as a brand was their style: that particular mix of laid-back Ivy and tonal Scandinavian (ref. our five casual paradigms). It managed to feel refreshing yet familiar.  Style is more important to the...

At Pitti Uomo back in January I took the opportunity to wear mostly tailoring and ties - the two outfits shown above and below. And it felt great.  I know there are traditionalists who see me as the antithesis of this, as I’m rarely pictured weari...

The colour combinations that we discuss every week in regards to formal wear, can be applied just as readily to casual wear.  Although there will always be elements that don't crossover (such as the immense versatility of denim) a lot of the themes...

As Permanent Style is now 11 years old (that past year went quickly…) I thought it would be nice to consider what my favourite 11 posts from that little-more-than-a-decade. And I’d be really interested to hear what your favourite is too. It??...

Last week I explained why I find the knit polo shirt to be such a fundamental part of my summer wardrobe.  This week, I’m using that polo and a pair of cream linen trousers as the basis for three different looks - three different ways of doing ...

Eight months ago I quit my day job as a financial journalist in order to dedicate myself to Permanent Style. (Many heartfelt thanks for all the messages I’ve received since then.) This prompted an interesting question from readers: How would I dre...

This outfit, which was shot for the recent cover story of Plaza Uomo magazine, is probably one of the most casual ever featured on Permanent Style. Much like the first image of our popular ‘Which office are you?’ post, it is the informal end of a...

The hatch-grain loafers I commissioned with Gaziano & Girling back in 2012 have consistently been among my favourite shoes - both for me and for readers. The mid-brown colour is tremendously versatile (everything from cream to mid-grey trousers...

Being able to judge the relative formality of an outfit is a key component of dressing well in modern, variable working environments. Many things contribute to this formality:Most obviously, formal items of clothing such as a suit, tie, or handkerch...

One of the things I enjoy most about Permanent Style is the comments from readers.  It’s like each article is a new thread in a forum, with subject raised and then comments, experiences and questions all following, vastly enriching the article?...

Broadly speaking, I dress in one of three ways during the week. They are defined quite clearly (to simplify the process, as much as anything else) and represent three general levels of smartness. I know readers will be interested in having these set ...

This is the first in an occasional series on shirtings, following a similar model to our Guide to Cloth on tailoring fabrics. As with that, we start with the basics here and will then burrow ever deeper in the coming months... ...

Layering knitwear can be both stylish and practical. Practical, because it gives particular warmth on a cold day - more, usually, than a shirt under knitwear. The multiple layers are also easy to add and remove as the temperature varies. And stylish,...

This latest article in our Wardrobe Building series is on sports jackets, odd jackets, or just jackets. Whatever you want to call them.  It’s an area with little understanding. I loved the exchange in The Times that a reader highlighted recentl...

I am a 39-year-old father of three wonderful daughters. My family is without question the most joyful and important thing in my life.  Why is this relevant to Permanent Style? Two reasons.  First, this demographic is not well-represented in the ima...

Although casual clothing is far more susceptible to fashions than tailored clothing, it is possible to organize it into certain groups, or paradigms.These groups, such as preppy clothing or workwear, often have their roots in particular parts of the ...

I like wearing suits. Not only do I have a lot that I like wearing, but I continue to commission them – not as much as sports jackets, certainly, but consistently. It can be an issue knowing how to wear them without a tie though. I know I have a bi...

This coat from Liverano & Liverano in Florence has had a bit of an after life, being imitated in this tweed a fair bit, as well as spurring some to have the same coat from Liverano (despite the high cost).  It remains one of my absolute favou...

I didn't buy any clothes this month. That wouldn't be a hardship for most people and it wasn't much of a hardship for me, but I was surprised how much it changed my perspective.   On the day after publishing our article announcing our Dry January p...

What PS content do you like best? The single most powerful thing about Permanent Style has always been its closeness to its audience. I have over 100 mini-conversations with readers every day in the comments; Lucas has half that again on the shop sid...