“It was really eerie, Simon, with all the tourists gone." “I know that was the same everywhere," says Simone Abbarchi (above), "but seeing the Piazza della Signoria empty made it feel like we’d gone back in time. Like the Medici could just step...

I’ve been playing around with black so much in recent years (note, this is classic menswear - it’s years/decades, not weeks/months) that I thought I’d try out wearing nothing but black.  This was during Pitti at Florence, on a relatively infor...

How do I feel about orange? This linen looked more like a terracotta red when it was a swatch, but let’s face it, it’s orange. Fortunately I rather like it. Strong colour isn’t normally my thing, but when I do wear it, I prefer the colour to be...

Today’s article - a debut for someone I’ve long admired, Jason Jules - is an excellent example of why I like having these contributions on PS.  I rarely wear contrast-coloured socks these days, particularly purple. But it’s still a look I admi...

I buy watches in much the same way as I suggest other people buy tailoring.  I have a small number, of high quality, which meet a range of needs - formalities, colours, and a little extra to keep things interesting.  I went through a period of abou...

Bocache & Salvucci was a bit of a surprise when I visited last month.  I’d come across the shoemaker at Jean-Manuel Moreau, in Paris, and had assumed that in Rome I would find a small (because relatively unknown) bespoke craftsman.  What I ac...

In our recent articles on menswear destinations in Rome, a couple of readers asked about the outfit I was wearing for beating around the hot city.  The individual pieces should be pretty familiar:  cotton double-breasted jacket from Ferdinando Car...

In the continuing vein of exploring sports shirts - casual, vintage-styled, often rayon or silk - I chatted a couple of months ago to my friend Jack Sepetjian, who runs Anto shirts in LA.  I first got to know Jack when he spoke at our Shirtmakers Sy...

Can subcultures ever exist in this century the way they did in the last? Why are logos better on some clothes than others? Why do French men dress like happy Englishmen?  When I introduced this talk with Tony Sylvester I promised a wide ranging mens...

The string of pop-ups we announced a couple of weeks ago opens in 10 days time, on Wednesday November 16th, at number 20 Savile Row. That evening we will have our usual, casual but always fun drinks in the shop. Please come by from 5pm, get a beer or...

Fifteen years ago today, I was sitting in my office in Playhouse Yard, next to Blackfriars station, writing an article about structured finance transactions.  I remember it was very cold, much like today, though there had been no snow. My seat was a...

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...

I’m often asked by readers whether a particular piece of clothing is ‘worth it’. Yet the older I get - the further along my clothing journey - the more I realise how subjective this can be.  Also, I’m finding my particular subjectivity is ch...

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...

Long-term readers will be familiar with my passion for Hermes silk scarves, which I’ve often bought over the years as a treat, and of which I now have a small collection (nine of them, since you ask).  I’ve found particular enjoyment this winter...

By Tony Sylvester It’s been three long years since I last shuffled along the cobbled streets of Florence, winding my way to the Fortezza Da Basso, the medieval castle that hosts Pitti Uomo, the international menswear trade fair. Without stating the...

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...

By Andreas Weinas This headline might be one of the more confusing ones to have appeared on Permanent Style, but bear with me. Simon reached out to me at the beginning of the year, asking if I wanted to do a piece on PS about something I found partic...

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...

By Tony Sylvester. I am sure you too have a full and eclectic ‘Saved Searches’ section on your eBay app. Mine includes everything from rare Barbour jackets to Finnish glassware; old Polo coats to Georgian jewellery. Some are comedic reminders of ...

By Lucas Nicholson. With the closure this year of the Oi Polloi shop in Manchester by its owners, JD Sports, it felt like it was an appropriate time to talk about the state of independent menswear stores in the UK.  This is something of a passion 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...

OK, so at the end of last year Permanent Style turned 15. We’ve been trying to think of ways to celebrate with as many people as possible, and this is the idea.  On Tuesday, June 27th, we will have an ‘open day’ at the pop-up shop, number 20 S...

This is intended to be a partner to the ‘If you only had five shoes’ article in our Wardrobe Building guide, which was all smart footwear. Today’s piece is shoes that aren’t smart enough for a traditional office or - perhaps a better defini...

On Permanent Style we’ve always talked about dressing with subtle elegance - clothing that makes the wearer appear simply well dressed. This is still the style I get most pleasure from. It's a matter of good fit, quality materials, and tasteful com...