The beauty of a vintage alligator cigar case: How great things age
I'm a big fan of vintage leather goods. There's nothing like a real, century-old patina on alligator or bridle leather; plus silver or brass hardware that you can let tarnish or keep polished and shiny. Over the years I have bought a Louis V...
The beauty of a vintage alligator cigar case: How great things age
I'm a big fan of vintage leather goods. There's nothing like a real, century-old patina on alligator or bridle leather; plus silver or brass hardware that you can let tarnish or keep polished and shiny. Over the years I have bought a Louis V...
How great things age: Globe-Trotter 2
Usually it’s pretty hard waiting for your favourite things to come back from being repaired. But unlike the Edward Greens I reported on last in this series, my Globe-Trotter suitcase hasn’t really been missed. There were two weekends away in that...
How great things age: Globe-Trotter 2
Usually it’s pretty hard waiting for your favourite things to come back from being repaired. But unlike the Edward Greens I reported on last in this series, my Globe-Trotter suitcase hasn’t really been missed. There were two weekends away in that...
My vintage leather folio: How great things age
I bought this vintage folio from Bentleys Antiques in London last year, and it has proved fantastically useful. We can all count ourselves lucky that laptops (well, MacBooks anyway) are only a touch bigger than European writing paper in the...
My vintage leather folio: How great things age
I bought this vintage folio from Bentleys Antiques in London last year, and it has proved fantastically useful. We can all count ourselves lucky that laptops (well, MacBooks anyway) are only a touch bigger than European writing paper in the...
How great things have aged: Bentleys antiques
It’s easy to think that people have always appreciated vintage items like leather luggage, bags and accessories. But back in the early eighties, that wasn’t the case. It was only in the middle of that decade that taste in the UK started to turn a...
How great things have aged: Bentleys antiques
It’s easy to think that people have always appreciated vintage items like leather luggage, bags and accessories. But back in the early eighties, that wasn’t the case. It was only in the middle of that decade that taste in the UK started to turn a...
How great things age: Edward Green 3
Well, my favourite pair of shoes, the Oundles from Edward Green, are back from refurbishment and looking pretty darn good. As requested, here are a few pictures of them in their new, refreshed state. The upper is unchanged, save for a few layers of ...
How great things age: Edward Green 3
Well, my favourite pair of shoes, the Oundles from Edward Green, are back from refurbishment and looking pretty darn good. As requested, here are a few pictures of them in their new, refreshed state. The upper is unchanged, save for a few layers of ...
How to buy vintage clothing: Three experts give their tips
Vintage clothing has become more and more popular over the past decade. Underneath obvious markers like the launch of brands RRL, or artificially aged sneakers, men have been gradually buying into vintage because it’s authentic, because it’s a ...
How to buy vintage clothing: Three experts give their tips
Vintage clothing has become more and more popular over the past decade. Underneath obvious markers like the launch of brands RRL, or artificially aged sneakers, men have been gradually buying into vintage because it’s authentic, because it’s a ...
Shoes in wet weather: How to deal with rain and salt damage
In the past week, perhaps as it has been particularly wet here, I’ve had three comments from readers on old posts about dealing with soaking-wet shoes. Those old posts were never very comprehensive, so here is something fuller - dealing with all ...
Shoes in wet weather: How to deal with rain and salt damage
In the past week, perhaps as it has been particularly wet here, I’ve had three comments from readers on old posts about dealing with soaking-wet shoes. Those old posts were never very comprehensive, so here is something fuller - dealing with all ...
Collectable cards show the ages of British Costume
Near where I grew up in Mortlake, south-west London, there is an incredible antiques shop. ‘Memories of Mortlake’ is the life’s work of collector Elke Crowther, who sadly passed away last year, after decades of selling anything and everything...
Collectable cards show the ages of British Costume
Near where I grew up in Mortlake, south-west London, there is an incredible antiques shop. ‘Memories of Mortlake’ is the life’s work of collector Elke Crowther, who sadly passed away last year, after decades of selling anything and everything...
Denim and tweed: My Scotland travel capsule
I usually find packing for work trips quite straightforward. I know what I’ll be doing, in what kinds of places, and therefore what clothing will be appropriate. The challenge is smaller things like a summer jacket that will go with both tailoring ...
Denim and tweed: My Scotland travel capsule
I usually find packing for work trips quite straightforward. I know what I’ll be doing, in what kinds of places, and therefore what clothing will be appropriate. The challenge is smaller things like a summer jacket that will go with both tailoring ...
Métier: A fashion bag brand, but with quality and functionality
There are a few reasons why I think the bag brand Métier might appeal to PS readers. Let me set them out in typically geeky PS-style. First, they don’t have any branding. The prices might be fashion-brand prices, but there’s no big name stampe...
Métier: A fashion bag brand, but with quality and functionality
There are a few reasons why I think the bag brand Métier might appeal to PS readers. Let me set them out in typically geeky PS-style. First, they don’t have any branding. The prices might be fashion-brand prices, but there’s no big name stampe...
Paul’s Permanent Style watches
By Paul Croughton Not so long ago, Simon and I were discussing watches – specifically what would make a ‘Permanent Style watch’. As both a PS reader of well over a decade and a watch enthusiast and collector, I saw this as a welcome, if dangero...
Paul’s Permanent Style watches
By Paul Croughton Not so long ago, Simon and I were discussing watches – specifically what would make a ‘Permanent Style watch’. As both a PS reader of well over a decade and a watch enthusiast and collector, I saw this as a welcome, if dangero...
Assisi double-breasted navy blazer: Review
I’ve settled into a bit of a rhythm with Korean tailors Assisi now. I love their soft-but-elegant style, I trust their fit and execution, and I know their double-breasted in particular is something I wear the hell out of. So my next commission wa...
Assisi double-breasted navy blazer: Review
I’ve settled into a bit of a rhythm with Korean tailors Assisi now. I love their soft-but-elegant style, I trust their fit and execution, and I know their double-breasted in particular is something I wear the hell out of. So my next commission wa...
The Permanent Style awards 2025: Results
Three weeks ago, we ran our annual Permanent Style awards where you, lovely readers, voted for your favourite brands and favourite things. There were over 400 responses - on the article and on social - and I’ve produced some of the results below. ...
The Permanent Style awards 2025: Results
Three weeks ago, we ran our annual Permanent Style awards where you, lovely readers, voted for your favourite brands and favourite things. There were over 400 responses - on the article and on social - and I’ve produced some of the results below. ...
Be a patron
A friend of mine has been into menswear since he was a teenager. He obsessed over three-piece suits with collared waistcoats, dreamt of visiting Savile Row, and for years sought out second-hand bespoke online. He briefly worked in menswear, and b...
Be a patron
A friend of mine has been into menswear since he was a teenager. He obsessed over three-piece suits with collared waistcoats, dreamt of visiting Savile Row, and for years sought out second-hand bespoke online. He briefly worked in menswear, and b...
Removing the white stitch on a new coat
I am not, by nature, a confrontational person. But there is something clothing-related that forces me to confront strangers, and in fact in some ways to criticise them. It hasn’t always gone well. Some brands use white basting thread to sew a small...
Removing the white stitch on a new coat
I am not, by nature, a confrontational person. But there is something clothing-related that forces me to confront strangers, and in fact in some ways to criticise them. It hasn’t always gone well. Some brands use white basting thread to sew a small...
Reader profile: Pedro
Pedro is a reader in New York - one I’ve known to say hello to, but never really had a long conversation with. It was lovely doing so a couple of weeks ago. He’s thoughtful about clothes and his relationship to them, self-aware yet also a real me...
Reader profile: Pedro
Pedro is a reader in New York - one I’ve known to say hello to, but never really had a long conversation with. It was lovely doing so a couple of weeks ago. He’s thoughtful about clothes and his relationship to them, self-aware yet also a real me...
Ralph Fitzgerald: The Chrysler Tailor
By Manish Puri. For my money it’s the most beautiful building in New York. And yet, despite being lucky enough to have been to the Big Apple on more than a dozen occasions, I’ve never actually been inside the Chrysler. But today, after leaving Gr...
Ralph Fitzgerald: The Chrysler Tailor
By Manish Puri. For my money it’s the most beautiful building in New York. And yet, despite being lucky enough to have been to the Big Apple on more than a dozen occasions, I’ve never actually been inside the Chrysler. But today, after leaving Gr...
Campbell's of Beauly: Keeping Scottish tradition alive
If someone were to tell you that there was an old tweed shop in the Scottish Highlands, Campbell’s of Beauly is exactly what you’d picture. An old stone building, worn wooden shelves, stacked with dozens of bolts. There are similar piles of twe...
Campbell's of Beauly: Keeping Scottish tradition alive
If someone were to tell you that there was an old tweed shop in the Scottish Highlands, Campbell’s of Beauly is exactly what you’d picture. An old stone building, worn wooden shelves, stacked with dozens of bolts. There are similar piles of twe...
Bespoke mohair suit from J Mueser: Review
I commissioned this suit from J Mueser in New York last year - in black mohair, using the bespoke service they offer alongside the normal (and more commonly used) made-to-measure. The idea was to explore different ways of using mohair, given all it...
Bespoke mohair suit from J Mueser: Review
I commissioned this suit from J Mueser in New York last year - in black mohair, using the bespoke service they offer alongside the normal (and more commonly used) made-to-measure. The idea was to explore different ways of using mohair, given all it...
Simon's sizing advice (winter)
Every six months, I forget what it’s like to run the pop-up shops. They’re only four days each (London and New York) but they’re so intense, just talking to people non-stop for eight hours, giving advice and fetching sizes. I don’t know how s...
Simon's sizing advice (winter)
Every six months, I forget what it’s like to run the pop-up shops. They’re only four days each (London and New York) but they’re so intense, just talking to people non-stop for eight hours, giving advice and fetching sizes. I don’t know how s...
Christmas Gift Guide 2024
This is always fun. Each year the gift guide is an opportunity for me to mention non-menswear, or at least menswear-adjacent, products and brands. And given PS readers are fussy (perhaps we should we say discerning?), it also necessitates unusual or ...
Christmas Gift Guide 2024
This is always fun. Each year the gift guide is an opportunity for me to mention non-menswear, or at least menswear-adjacent, products and brands. And given PS readers are fussy (perhaps we should we say discerning?), it also necessitates unusual or ...
A Neapolitan ‘caban’ coat, from Luca Museo
What is a ‘caban’ coat? Well, it's meant different things at different points in time, but it has a particular meaning as a sartorial version of a pea coat in Naples. The caban was originally something European sailors called a coat they saw be...
A Neapolitan ‘caban’ coat, from Luca Museo
What is a ‘caban’ coat? Well, it's meant different things at different points in time, but it has a particular meaning as a sartorial version of a pea coat in Naples. The caban was originally something European sailors called a coat they saw be...
Black corduroy suit from Zizolfi/Pommella: Learning how to wear it
In my continued exploration of all things the colour of mourning, I commissioned this black-corduroy suit from Pommella (trousers) and Zizolfi (jacket) last year. The logic seemed sound: if black is going to work in tailoring, I’d consistently fo...
Black corduroy suit from Zizolfi/Pommella: Learning how to wear it
In my continued exploration of all things the colour of mourning, I commissioned this black-corduroy suit from Pommella (trousers) and Zizolfi (jacket) last year. The logic seemed sound: if black is going to work in tailoring, I’d consistently fo...
A vintage shopping day in New York
Recently myself, photographer Alex Natt and Carl and Oliver from Rubato (above) spent a day vintage shopping in New York. It was a lot of fun, and also I think interesting for those that are fairly new to vintage, or can find the process frustrating....
A vintage shopping day in New York
Recently myself, photographer Alex Natt and Carl and Oliver from Rubato (above) spent a day vintage shopping in New York. It was a lot of fun, and also I think interesting for those that are fairly new to vintage, or can find the process frustrating....