The various parts of the front of a bespoke jacket are normally sewn together by hand. This hand 'padding’ attaches the canvas that give the chest its structure, and hand sewing shapes the lapel too.  It's often used as a sign of ‘real’ bespok...

Maison Bonnet was one of the few world-renowned menswear makers I hadn’t tried until recently. So it has been great to get to know Franck and the team, since they opened a shop in Mayfair last year. Having been short-sighted from a young age, I’...

*Note: Joshua and Kimberley are now running their own, separate operations. Kimberly, at 'Lawton', can be found here* Dobrik & Lawton is two young tailors, Joshua Dobrik and Kimberley Lawton, that have set up on their own in their house in Waltha...

Foster & Son is one of the great names of British bespoke shoemaking. In recent years, that reputation was largely founded on master lastmaker Terry Moore. I only got to know Foster’s relatively recently, after Terry retired. Changes of owners...

 The Lasa service from Kiton is being offered as part of the Made-to-Measure service at Harrod’s (the last event was this past weekend), but may actually be closer to bespoke. Indeed, the question highlights the few points of ambiguity in that dis...

  This finished suede jacket from Cifonelli shows the beautiful breadth of what bespoke tailoring can do. Bespoke is not just for business suits; it is not just for casual jackets; it is for anything that benefits from hand-cut line and structure...

  One area that fascinates me – perhaps more than any other – in my writing is the overlap between formal tailoring and more casual dress.If it is possible to retain the beautiful craft aspects of bespoke tailoring in casual clothing, as well a...

 This is Jon Spencer, last maker at Foster & Son, making up the last for my first pair of bespoke shoes from the team. The black, Oxford whole-cuts will have the classic ‘West End’ Foster’s toe shape, slightly elongated and chiseled at th...

The next young tailor I wanted to highlight on Permanent Style is Ayres Goncalo, a Portuguese who worked at Gieves & Hawkes in London for four years, before returning to Porto to set up his own shop in 2011. I met Ayres over the summer while in ...

*Since this article was written, Maison Bourgeat closed and Guillaume left the business. It has now re-opened under new management*  A few weeks ago I received my finished bespoke glasses from Maison Bourgeat in Paris. The results are superb - thoug...

Benson & Clegg is not a button shop.  I didn’t realise until I went in, earlier this year, quite how much it has gained that reputation. It's partly a result of their own good promotion over the years, but perhaps more significantly because o...

Buttons are a subtle way to add personality to a suit, odd jacket or even overcoat. But it pays to keep them subtle. It’s easy enough to sew on a suit button, though I recommend experimenting with something inexpensive first. Just make sure you sec...

Read my one-day guide to bespoke operators in Paris in the latest article for Essence Lifestyle. Pictured, Pierre Corthay in typically playful mood.

Anda and Savile Row Bespoke outdid themselves yesterday, at the second The English Gentleman event. Held in the pavilion of Lord’s, there were dozens of suits on display from 19 different Savile Row houses. Most importantly, many of them had spent ...

Richard Anderson can write. This quickly becomes apparent as the reader embarks on the story of his time on Savile Row – from dishevelled apprentice to Huntsman’s youngest-ever head cutter. The realisation that a book is to be chronological, and ...

I now have three pairs of Saint Crispin’s shoes: the alligator/calf wing-tips pictured here; brown-suede chukka boots; and most recently a pair of very-dark-brown suede cap-toes. I have ordered steadily and regularly, each time gaining in confide...

Pitti is a beautifully set-out trade fair full of brands I love, exhibiting on often lovely stands. But it is still a trade fair.This is a place for sales and negotiation. Friends such as Mats at Trunk Clothiers, Will at A Suitable Wardrobe or Kirby ...

Note: General Eyewear now has a store in Soho as well as the Camden HQ - details here. Choosing a block of acetate is not something I’d bet most people have done in their lives. And it’s tricky. Looking at a slab of coloured plastic, and imagin...

  Cleverley's sale of sample bespoke shoes was my first introduction to them - way back in 2009.There have been precious few such sales since, but there will be another on Thursday November 19th, for one day only - 9am to 7pm.It's two years since...

Milan can easily be underrated by men who love classic style. Given the choice of Italian cities to visit, they would always pick Naples – the home of soft tailoring, that very distinctive shoulder and companies like E Marinella and Kiton (not to m...

Nicholas Templeman is a bespoke shoemaker, an ex-John Lobb lastmaker who now works out of his home in North London. We've been working on a pair of derby shoes for the past year, and they're near completion. So I thought it would be good time to writ...

 I do like it when readers suggest posts. You feel you’re fulfilling a need. Two weeks ago, on Five Tips on Bespoke Suits, a reader requested a similar post on bespoke shoes, so here it is.1 Be conservativeI know it’s the same as the first suits...

At the end of last year I got to know the new owners of the General Leather Company on Chiltern Street - now renamed Cromford Leather. This was exciting because they not only make leather and suede jackets on the premises, but undertake alterations f...

I have visited LeatherFoot in Toronto, Canada twice in the past year, and each time the aspect I have liked most is the on-site tailoring workshop. So few shops have crafts on-site, even though it gives them a direct connection to the artisan. Indeed...

At the end of last year I had my first bespoke shirt made in this country, by Turnbull & Asser. You can see the various stages of the process, including a factory visit, in one of the new categories created on the right-hand side of this site. Th...