Our ‘complete capsule’ article last month went down particularly well with readers. Setting out a concentrated, versatile wardrobe, I think it provided both a good starting point for new readers and a way for older ones to realise gaps in their...

This article was spurred by two things. First, by a reader specifically asking for it, on another capsule post in this series (always a good sign). And second, by some consultancy work I’ve been doing, where the client had assembled an impressiv...

I've had a few requests over the years to do one of these, our wardrobe-building guides, about knitwear.  One of the challenges of doing so is that very little is right or wrong, and a lot is personal. Still, there are some helpful things that ca...

When we published our second capsule guide to trousers recently, there was a discussion in the comments as to their smartness - and a request for an article setting it out.  Now, trousers vary in more than just their material, so this will always be...

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...

I found it very interesting in our recent capsule suit collection article how many readers mentioned wearing suits casually.  It’s natural to assume that suits are for business. It is how they have been most commonly used in recent decades, aft...

A few readers asked in our recent Complete Capsule posts about the kind of navy jacket I mentioned, that would work with jeans as well as flannels.  So I thought I’d shoot this example from Solito, which Luigi made me last year but which I've neve...

In recent weeks two friends inadvertently coined similar phrases, in relation to what they saw as wrong with clothing today.  One referred to the buying of large volumes of cheap clothes - often plastic, often made in poor labour conditions - as ‘...

 This Caliendo hopsack blazer was completed earlier in the year and is now fast becoming the most useful item in my wardrobe.Just like the Solito cashmere blazer I had made for Autumn/Winter last year, it is thrown on with everything: with a shirt a...

Alessandro Squarzi has a reputation as a good dresser, and usually looks appealingly stylish yet relaxed.  Yet the way he currently dresses is actually very straightforward, and I think can be a lesson to guys everywhere - in how to keep things s...

I thought it would be interesting to do a post on what clothing I packed for my recent Japan trip. People always seem to like these capsule pieces, although this trip was particularly challenging for a couple of reasons.  First, I needed a full rang...

About a month ago, proper Summer started in the UK.  Now I don’t define Summer by the solstice, the calendar, or even the moon. Summer, for me, is when it's so hot that it severely affects the clothes you can wear.  Anything consistently above 25...

I realised recently that an increasing number of my casual clothes fall into a narrow colour range.  A good proportion of my favourite things - and certainly combinations - are a mix of brown, cream, black and grey. With some secondary colours at th...

These 'Building a Wardrobe' pieces have now been collected into a Guide, which will expand over time. You can see the list at the right (on desktop), at the bottom of this post (on mobile) or simply on its own page here.  When you first sta...

Over the next few weeks, will be doing a few posts on creating a core wardrobe of clothes - often called a 'capsule collection' - to add to those already published on ties, shirts and handkerchiefs. In my opinion this is more important than ever. He...

   Readers often ask for 'capsule collections' of types of clothes - shoes, suits, ties etc. There are many reasons such a list is useful. It can point to the 'essentials': those things that provide the foundation of a wardrobe. It can suggest in...

Readers have asked for a while for this post: something recommending a core, versatile shirt collection. The idea of suggesting such ‘capsule’ collections is that they help a newcomer build a wardrobe, prioritising the things that will give them...

A weekend wardrobe can be a particular challenge for guys that care about their clothes. It should be relaxed and easy – not requiring much thought, and a nice change from the working week – yet cover a wide array of activities. At one end of...

   A capsule collection has many uses. When you travel for long periods, for example, you want a small but versatile collection of clothes that has a large number of permutations, and suits different occasions. And if you commute by bike (as I d...

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...

The blouson in general, but particularly in brown and especially in brown suede, has to be one of the most versatile pieces in a man's wardrobe.The shape is short and neat enough to work well with smarter clothing; suede suggests a more dressy look;...

This series of posts on building a core wardrobe has proved incredibly popular - and now has its own dedicated Guide page here.  I’m sure it’s useful to guys that are just starting out, trying to decide whether to get that versatile pair of b...

Dear Simon, You have written eloquently before on building a wardrobe aimed, I suspect, at the young city-based professional wanting to start to explore the world of good quality RTW or bespoke tailoring. My question is slightly different. Over the...

The 'travel capsule' posts we've done are always popular - I think because they are useful for actual travel, but also for anyone looking to build a versatile wardrobe in general. In that way they're one more addition to the 'wardrobe building' serie...

As with our previous article in this series - on bags - five coats might seem like a lot, but actually chances are many readers already have that in their wardrobe, if they account for smart and casual coats, for warmth and for rain.  And given t...