Brand round-up: R. Culturi, Mes Chaussettes Rouge...

March 20th 2017

1 R. Culturi There are many brands launching ties or handkerchiefs online these days, given it’s an easy area to try and express something new - and the lack of sizing makes it relatively easy to sell online. One that was shown to me recently ...

Brand round-up: R. Culturi, Mes Chaussettes Rouge...

Match in comments:
I owe MCR an apology - they replied very quickly to my complaint and reassured me that although my password was shown in the email, the email itself was encrypted. So all-in-all a good response....

Hanks and scarves - Socks and underwearMarch 20th 2017

Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, Hanger Project...

March 8th 2017

Over the past 10 days I have generally prioritised writing about new brands in our Savile Row pop-up shop. But there are also new developments at makers you will be familiar with - Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, Begg and the Hanger Project -...

Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, Hanger Project...

Match in comments:
Hi Simon, I had wanted to buy one of your long-sleeved polos in navy, but alas, I am too late. Do you have familiarity on the long-sleeve polos from Luca Faloni? Thank you kindly....

Hanks and scarves - ShirtsMarch 8th 2017

Double-breasted flannel suit – with pink an...

December 26th 2016

I know I've written about green and pink a few times before. I could find one old post with a little flower illustration, but there must be more. Perhaps it's the fog of Christmas food and wine clouding my mind. In any case, it bears repeating that...

Double-breasted flannel suit – with pink an...

Match in comments:
May I ask the cloth used in this commission?...

Hanks and scarves - StyleDecember 26th 2016

The PS square scarf is back! (With new colours an...

December 7th 2016

The Permanent Style scarves that we introduced last winter are in stock again in two new colours, and available to buy from the Begg & Co site now. The two colours are grey and green - the grey is pictured above, available to buy here; and...

The PS square scarf is back! (With new colours an...

Match in comments:
We're not planning to restock them, sorry....

Hanks and scarvesDecember 7th 2016

Brand round-up: Alexander Kraft, Loic et Gil, Chr...

November 25th 2016

The next in our regular installment of small brands doing interesting things looks at some ties, handkerchiefs and knitwear. Viola Milano x Alexander Kraft First up is a collaboration between Alexander Kraft and online accessories company Viola Mila...

Brand round-up: Alexander Kraft, Loic et Gil, Chr...

Match in comments:
Despite the marketing spiel, the mark-up is ridiculous. The proliferation of online-only tie brands such as Viola Milano is a testament to the very healthy, attainable margins. A fawning i-gentry does help too. Also, and...

Hanks and scarves - TiesNovember 25th 2016

Brussels craft event

October 30th 2016

At the beginning of December, there will be an event in Brussels bringing together some of the craftsmen that featured in the Permanent Style trunk show last month - Lavabre Cadet and Michel Heurtault - as well as several others. Those others are: ...

Brussels craft event

Match in comments:
Dear Simon, I am moving to Brussels and wanted to know if there is local bespoke tailors or if foreign ones are doing trunk shows in Brussels or other cities in Belgium. Thanks for your help KS...

Glasses and jewellery - Hanks and scarvesOctober 30th 2016

The Permanent Style trunk show

October 14th 2016

Thank you. Thank you so much on my behalf, and more importantly on behalf of the four artisans - who trusted me, and by extension you, to come over to London and do something they'd never done before, in a location they'd never seen before. Because...

The Permanent Style trunk show

Match in comments:
The trunk show was great...

Bags - Hanks and scarvesOctober 14th 2016

Permanent Style trunk show: Heurtault, Amoruso, C...

September 7th 2016

I am very proud to say that we have a Permanent Style trunk show organised for October 5th, co-hosted with Gaziano & Girling at their Savile Row store. This has been a good while in the making, particularly as I was keen to bring together: ...

Permanent Style trunk show: Heurtault, Amoruso, C...

Match in comments:
Yes, there will be a few things...

Bags - Belts and walletsSeptember 7th 2016

Simonnot-Godard handkerchiefs

May 23rd 2016

Simonnot-Godard is an interesting company. It dominates what is a (very) niche market of high-end woven cotton and linen handkerchiefs. That market that has grown substantially in recent years. When Benjamin Simonnot (pictured above) started travell...

Simonnot-Godard handkerchiefs

Match in comments:
Many thanks!...

Hanks and scarvesMay 23rd 2016

The Rake collaborations

April 21st 2016

I’ve had a few questions from readers as to my views on The Rake’s new collaborations – products that the magazine started selling on its site a couple of months ago. I’ve seen most of them first hand, inde...

The Rake collaborations

Match in comments:
The Husaren boots are the ones I had in mind to be worn in wintery blizzards with your new Sexton Great Coat....

Hanks and scarves - ShoesApril 21st 2016

Lavabre Cadet glove maker, Paris-Millau

March 16th 2016

It is rare these days that I cover someone for the first time who is genuinely a step above their peers. Yet such is the case with Lavabre Cadet. I had known of the French glove maker for several years, but never met and talked to them in person....

Lavabre Cadet glove maker, Paris-Millau

Match in comments:
gorgeous globes!...

Hanks and scarves - Umbrellas and glovesMarch 16th 2016

Video: How to tie a scarf

January 13th 2016

Another practical piece for everyone: my five favourite ways to wear a scarf – with a jacket, with an overcoat or with knitwear. Begg & Co and I collaborated on the video, which is also available on their website alongside a w...

Video: How to tie a scarf

Match in comments:
Sorry, no Aaron...

Hanks and scarves - VideoJanuary 13th 2016

If you only had five handkerchiefs – a caps...

January 7th 2016

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 do) yo...

If you only had five handkerchiefs – a caps...

Match in comments:
I like old bandanas, they're very cheap in any second-hand shop...

Hanks and scarvesJanuary 7th 2016

How to wear the PS square scarf

November 17th 2015

As promised last week – when we introduced our latest collaboration, the PS square scarf – here are some step-by-step guides to wearing it. All images can be enlarged by clicking on them. The scarves are available to buy, in ...

How to wear the PS square scarf

Match in comments:
That appears to be a slightly different colour. Perhaps they don't do the same one anymore...

Hanks and scarvesNovember 17th 2015

Introducing: the PS square scarf

November 11th 2015

Men have historically always worn something at the neck – if it wasn’t a tie, it was an ascot or a workman’s neckerchief. Such things are practical, for work and for warmth. Over the past six months we have been working with w...

Introducing: the PS square scarf

Match in comments:
Yes it is, the only difference being that a square scarf is usually bigger. This cashmere is OK in warmer weather, but the scarves aren't offered any more I'm afraid...

Hanks and scarvesNovember 11th 2015

How to wear a casual linen hank: less contrast, l...

August 26th 2015

Handkerchiefs are not easy for a modern man. Few things are as conspicuous and unusual. Enough people wear ties and waistcoats to make them anonymous – even hats, which change the silhouette more than anything else, are more likely to be ...

How to wear a casual linen hank: less contrast, l...

Match in comments:
I ignore them mostly. If you're going out to something particularly smart, maybe give them a quick iron, but the wrinkles will be back within a couple of hours....

Hanks and scarves - StyleAugust 26th 2015

Zampa di Gallina: Neapolitan retail

June 4th 2015

Zampa di Gallina (‘chicken feet’) is a menswear site set up recently specialising in Neapolitan makers. At least one of them has a connection to Naples, so it’s nice to have slightly more local retail, particularly for...

Zampa di Gallina: Neapolitan retail

Match in comments:
They are big, yes, but digital printing has been around for a long time and the quality makers don't use it mostly...

Hanks and scarvesJune 4th 2015

Begg and Barbour in HTSI

March 17th 2015

For those that follow my column for How to Spend It magazine (part of the Financial Times), there have been two articles in the past month – on Barbour and on Begg. We’ve stuck with this format for almost 18 months now, as resp...

Begg and Barbour in HTSI

Match in comments:
Many thanks Simon, I will try that combination!...

Hanks and scarves - Umbrellas and glovesMarch 17th 2015

Wear a flower in your buttonhole

March 13th 2015

It’s been beautiful weather this week – in London, anyway. Spring has sprung and the sun encourages some reflection in our dress. Which means more than just a pair of sunglasses. The wonderful thing about this time of year is t...

Wear a flower in your buttonhole

Match in comments:
Do you have any silk boutonniere/ buttonhole decorative sites to recommend? I have not been able to locate any of the examples shown in your blog posts for purchase... Thanks...

Hanks and scarves - StyleMarch 13th 2015

In front of the Barbour beacon

March 2nd 2015

Last week three of us visited the Barbour factory in South Shields, in the name of a new book on British heritage brands. Given we were researching the stories behind the companies, it was natural to stay next to the lighthouse that was the early ...

In front of the Barbour beacon

Match in comments:
It's a vintage model Will, profiled here....

Casual clothing - DenimMarch 2nd 2015

Quality, embroidery and mechanisation – at ...

February 13th 2015

The video above shows the key aspect of quality control at most weaving houses. Workers quickly scan the cloth for faults, then either snip off the stray end or – much more laboriously – manually reweave the thread back in. The...

Quality, embroidery and mechanisation – at ...

Match in comments:
It's true, though a huge amount of it is the inertia of labour force...

Factory visits - Hanks and scarvesFebruary 13th 2015

Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...

January 7th 2015

Last year a reader commented – quite rightly – that there is a tendency here to cover freshly received suits/shirts/shoes, but not follow up on them later, when they have bedded in. He was right also to say that this is a defic...

Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...

Match in comments:
I usually take my jeans in at the waist when I get them, because my hips are much wider than my waist, and again take them in after they're worn in and stretched. I've never heard a denimhead voice an opinion on this and...

Denim - Hanks and scarvesJanuary 7th 2015

Begg & Co: luxury scarves, Ayr

December 24th 2014

Begg & Co is not in the most prepossessing location. Ayr is far from a glamorous location anyway, but the factory itself is down a side street, opposite several blocks of council flats. Still, that’s often the way with British fac...

Begg & Co: luxury scarves, Ayr

Match in comments:
Ah, ok thanks...

Factory visits - Hanks and scarvesDecember 24th 2014

Begg’s milling machine

December 19th 2014

This is a milling machine. An old one. Part of the finishing process for woven cloth, milling involves pummelling the material in order to break up the fibres and pull them together. The cloth shrinks slightly, becoming denser and acquiring a spon...

Begg’s milling machine

Match in comments:
That's sick....

Hanks and scarvesDecember 19th 2014

How to dress for winter

November 12th 2014

I’m so excited the weather in London has finally turned cold. Summer clothing is great, but there’s just so much more of it in winter: hats, scarves, gloves, overcoats, plus heavy-gauge knitwear and serious boots. The key to dressing we...

How to dress for winter

Match in comments:
Have a look at our article on the importance of necklines on knitwear - that demonstrates the dangers of it...

Coats - Hanks and scarvesNovember 12th 2014