A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

November 9th 2022

I’ve been buying and wearing more corduroy in recent years - including the new dark-brown jacket above, from Sartoria Ciardi . I think the reason is that if you’re not dressing for a formal office, worsted is likely to feel out of place...

A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

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True. English tailors tend to favour that way, the Italians the other way (shinier)...

ClothNovember 9th 2022

Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...

June 22nd 2022

This brown wool/silk/linen jacket was made in a lightweight model that Savile Row tailor Dege & Skinner introduced last year. It has a thin shoulder pad and no chest canvas, unlike their normal tailoring. I can directly compare the differen...

Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...

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It's mostly good with neutrals - so also grey, charcoal, black. But I have also worn it with a darker brown and a pale beige. With those latter too it all depends on the particular shade...

Jackets - TrousersJune 22nd 2022

Benson & Clegg flannel suit: Review

November 18th 2020

This is the kind of suit that makes you glad you're wearing a suit. The kind you look forward to wearing, as a change to the floppy casual home stuff you've been in too much recently. Why? Because of the structure, the shoulder and to a lesser exte...

Benson & Clegg flannel suit: Review

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Hi Lindsay, he is based out of the Oxo Tower Barge House St, visited him over the summer and he is one of the cheeriest people I have ever met. Also the suit he cut for me is stunning which just adds to the whole experie...

SuitsNovember 18th 2020

Benson & Clegg bespoke – and George VI...

April 27th 2020

Benson & Clegg is not a button shop. I didn’t realise until I went in, earlier this year, quite how much it has gained that reputation. It's partly a result of their own good promotion over the years, but perhaps more significantly be...

Benson & Clegg bespoke – and George VI...

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Interesting to see non-flapped pockets on these old DB overcoats...

Coats - SuitsApril 27th 2020

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2020 – fea...

March 16th 2020

The headline news in this season’s round-up is the launch of Anglo-Italian cloth . That’s right, the shop that does MTM tailoring is also selling cloth that customers can take elsewhere to have made. The move was spurred, according to ...

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2020 – fea...

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Probably not Dennis to be honest, the reception of them generally wasn't that great, and 90% of the questions I get are about classic cloths rather than seasonal ones, or new unusual bunches. There's probably a better ar...

ClothMarch 16th 2020

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2019

March 22nd 2019

This is the latest instalment in our series highlighting my favourite new seasonal cloths - providing a heads-up to readers on those that will mostly only be around for six months. It’s interesting to see how the ranges develop. While Cacciopp...

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2019

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Yes, Zegna isn't as popular as Loro Piana generally, and in my view with good reason - the Zegna ranges have never appealed to me as much. I can't think of one that does have them off the top of my head, but I'm sure som...

ClothMarch 22nd 2019

The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2018

October 19th 2018

This is the second post we've done highlighting our favourite cloths from new seasonal bunches. The first, on Spring/Summer 2018, is here. Unfortunately the bunches come in late in the season, but there's still probably time to use these recommendat...

The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2018

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Thanks!...

Cloth - October 19th 2018

A guide to linen bunches – 2018

June 15th 2018

This is the second in our series presenting all the cloth bunches currently available for bespoke, summarising what they contain and picking out our favourites. The summaries should help determine which bunches readers need to see, or request. And t...

A guide to linen bunches – 2018

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Even if it's 4 years old, very helpful, this and the "Guide to Cloth" I mean. Thank you, Simon & James, especially for mentioning Dugdale. On their website I saw linen cloth with beautiful colors and patterns, it giv...

ClothJune 15th 2018

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2018

April 16th 2018

Great as our Guide to Cloth series is, it deliberately doesn’t recommend specific cloths in specific bunches. This is largely because bunches change regularly (sometimes every six months) and if we did, the Guide would quickly be out of date. ...

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2018

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It depends a lot on the trouser. With high-twist wools, no. With flannel or tailoring cottons, yes quite a lot...

ClothApril 16th 2018

Caccioppoli, cloth merchant of Naples

September 11th 2017

Caccioppoli, the Italian cloth merchant, was Jamie’s favourite place to photograph when we visited Naples over the summer. The aesthetic appeal is not immediately obvious. The Caccioppoli building is big, taking up most of the city block and c...

Caccioppoli, cloth merchant of Naples

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Hey, I don't and it's unlikely it would be available anymore, but I think it's very similar to this one?...

ClothSeptember 11th 2017

Naples: A sartorial shopping guide

July 12th 2017

Naples has the biggest concentration of high-end handmade menswear in the world. Although not so much for shoes, for tailoring and shirtmaking this is the motherlode, with hundreds of tailors in the city and surrounding region, and thousands working ...

Naples: A sartorial shopping guide

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I'm afraid I don't know any Terence, sorry. I really only know Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples well...

July 12th 2017

Wearing black (in a sports jacket)

June 26th 2017

I recently remembered these shots we took last year in Japan - it was September, but Tokyo was hot and humid, as Europe has been in recent weeks. Although wool, the checked jacket is 9 ounces and half lined, wearing pretty cool. It was a useful piec...

Wearing black (in a sports jacket)

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It was about black in the pattern, rather than being completely black. To be honest I'd avoid a black jacket. It will make bold colours and patterns look stronger if anything. Grey is best at neutralising those. And navy...

Jackets - StyleJune 26th 2017

Italy’s mills and merchants explained

July 29th 2013

  This is a follow-up to my popular post on English mills and cloth merchants: how to tell them apart, how they are related and how to select between them (basically, don’t; there is little difference). Italian mills are a lot simple...

Italy’s mills and merchants explained

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I'm afraid I don't know currently - and it depends whether you're talking about retail or wholesale. Best to check with them....

ClothJuly 29th 2013

Sartoria Vergallo, final suit

March 21st 2012

I received the final suit from Vergallo a couple of weeks ago, and am pleased with the results. I think the most pertinent thing to say by why of analysis is that the cut is very soft – perhaps softer than I expected from a northern Italian tai...

Sartoria Vergallo, final suit

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Sorry. So in terms purely of canvas: - The heaviest are the structured English tailors (Huntsman, Sexton etc) - Drape houses tend to be a little lighter (eg A&S), but there is some variation - And today houses are often ...

Suits - March 21st 2012

Thom Sweeney jacket and trousers

March 12th 2012

With most bespoke tailors worthy of the name, the quality of construction is pretty consistent. Everything worth the effort is done by hand: chest padding, inserting sleeves, sewing buttonholes. The French may double-sew their buttonholes; the Neapol...

Thom Sweeney jacket and trousers

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Your favourite item of clothing you bought in 2021: Midnight blue pleated tuxedo shirt with convertible cuffs from Thom Sweeney. Your favourite item of (ready-made) clothing ever: Black wool belted trench coat with epaul...

JacketsMarch 12th 2012