Shirts are often underrated. Lying beneath tailored jacket and silken tie, they can seem less important than both. But in an age when men usually take off their jacket during the day, indeed often don’t even wear a jacket to the office, the shirt h...

This post was originally written in 2012: a breakdown of all the tailors I have tried personally (rather than just written about), split into different countries. It was updated in 2016, and I have updated it again now in 2020, adding a further 1...

This bespoke shirt was made for me at the end of last year by Burgos in Madrid. Burgos is one of the oldest and most famous shirtmakers in Spain, and one of very few still making by hand and using old-fashioned techniques. For more background on Burg...

This past weekend I had two articles published that readers might appreciate. In How to Spend It, the latest installment of my 'Inside Track' column looked at the cloth development process at Charvet, with an interview with the lovely Jean-Claude Col...

 My last 'reflections on bespoke' post back in January was very popular. Readers seemed to respond to the assessment of bespoke commissions with the wisdom of hindsight, and I have to say I sympathise.Here, then, are five more, with the items selec...

 This year Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner are 150 years old - pretty impressive for any business, but particularly one that is still family owned. In fact, the house has done rather well in the last couple because of that heritage, benefiti...

"Edward, Edward," said Antonio Panico, in a conspiratorial whisper. "What was it like to fit Mick Jagger?"Just like the Shoemakers Symposium we ran in January, the biggest pleasure of our Tailors Symposium at Pitti this week was bringing together won...

   My final jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni in Milan is superb in many ways, including fit, make and finish. The style, however, is interesting and not necessarily what I expected. I started this project last year with Nicoletta Caraceni, the dau...

**Available to buy here**Over the past few months I've been working with shirtmarker Luca Avitabile and Caccioppoli on a range of ready-to-wear long-sleeved polo shirts. We've now completed work on them and they will go into full production in Septem...

  Four things contribute most to the formality of an outfit: shine, darkness, contrast and desaturation.We see all four of them in formal outfits such as black tie. Dark black or midnight blue is contrasted against stark white. There is virtually n...

   I've had quite a few requests by readers over the past year for city guides, so this is the first in a series.  In London, there are so many options that it makes sense to group some together. Also, if I leave too many out I'll get in trouble...

   Milan is the centre of the men’s fashion industry, yet as far as style is concerned, there are surprisingly few shops worth visiting. Via Montenapoleone, Via Della Spiga and the roads that run between them are all pleasant places to stroll....

  Over the years I've had a few casual waistcoats made. What makes them casual? Well primarily cloth, ideally something with a pronounced texture and perhaps a chunky pattern - in this case, a tan/black herringbone woven from a wool/linen mix. I ...

  I began the process of having trousers made by Salva (-tore Ambrosi) just over a year ago. Since then I’ve had two pairs made - in fresco and flannel - and while the quality of the product has been good, the process hasn’t. Salva had problems...

 *Stock is now very limited. For the current position please check the Shop page*   I’m pleased to say that the next batch of our Friday Polos - handmade in Naples and designed by us here in London - is now ready.Thank you to everyone that pre-o...

We covered the appeal of cotton as a tailoring material generally last week, but didn't talk about the different types of cottons. There are corduroys and moleskins of course, gabardines and seersucker. But a difference I find particularly interesti...

*The following size/colour combinations are now sold out:*- All brown - White S and L - Navy M and XL - Grey S and M - Green M With excitement and not a little relief, given how many people have been asking, I'm glad to say the Friday Polos are now b...

A style post today, after several product and profile pieces in recent weeks. To break it down into bullets:I love grey shirts, primarily with navy suits or jackets as an alternative to white and blue. It feels urban and modernThe problem is, with a...

Although as we discussed last week, the fit of a jacket is probably the most important - and flattering - part of tailoring, a waistcoat is in some ways the most satisfying. Of all the tailored garments, it is the one that sits closest to the body, ...

Although some of our collaborations have been rather esoteric (purple slippers, cashmere ascots), the most satisfying Permanent Style products have always been wardrobe staples. Our next - available exclusively in the Savile Row pop-up shop from to...

The attraction of denim for the modern, sartorial man is easy to understand.  In an age when clothing is increasingly casual, making tailoring less formal by using a casual cloth is attractive.  It retains the benefits of tailoring - the elegant...

When I was in Japan at the end of last year, I was keen to see not just menswear crafts, but traditional crafts in other areas as well.Previous articles on swordmaker Sasuke and kimono maker Motoji attest to some of that, but there were also three ma...

Understanding formality is a cornerstone of dressing well.  Only when you understand that flannel is more casual than worsted, and a derby more casual than an oxford, can you begin to understand the impression clothes create - and how to put appropr...

As I return from two summer trips - one for a week in Florence, the other a week in Naples - it seems a fitting time to run through what I pack for trips such as these. I know readers have asked about it in the past. Of course, any travelling wardro...

One of the more unusual bespoke commissions I made over the past six months was these linen trousers, made by Edward Sexton. Known as a Hollywood waistband, or Hollywood top, the design was fairly popular in the 1940s and into the 1950s in the US. ...