My bespoke bow tie, from La Bowtique
Back in December we covered the various styles of bow tie , from batwing to butterfly. Learning about the traditions and conventions helped me clarify which style I prefer for myself, and today I’ll be covering which one I had made, and why. ...
My bespoke bow tie, from La Bowtique
Match in comments:
I think it's more harmonious if they're the same, but it's not the end of the world if they're different. I can even see an argument that the contrast is nice. I'd have the cummerbund the same as the bow tie probably....
The styles of bow tie – and why they matter
I rarely wear a bow tie. Certainly never casually, and the number of black tie excuses has dwindled since I left my job in legal journalism. Back then there were several award ceremonies a year - we even threw four ourselves - but those have gone a...
The styles of bow tie – and why they matter
Match in comments:
I think the key to wearing a bowtie successfully comes from the style of the tie, and the manner it is tied. A bit of rakish, un-fussed manner of tying can help one from looking too constrained and thus uncomfortable....
If you had five coats: A versatile selection
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...
If you had five coats: A versatile selection
Match in comments:
Have you seen this post on overcoat fit?...
My favourite outfits
In our recent article ' Outfits that I got wrong', a reader commented that he would be interested in the opposite post. Not outfits I got right - hopefully there are lots of those - but ones I got the most right, or I like the most. Perhaps, those t...
My favourite outfits
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I see. In that case I would seek variety in things like colours and textures in the shirt/knit, but also enjoy the outerwear, the shoes, the accessories that go with it. And also don't feel like you have to change too mu...
Outfits I got wrong
Everyone gets stuff wrong. We all have outfits we look back on years later, and cringe. Fortunately, I believe this is something where you learn and progress. It is not a cycle of fashions, where every few years you wear something different, and di...
Outfits I got wrong
Match in comments:
yes I would Jack...
Tengri: Sustainable, luxurious yak fibre
Anyone that has been on or around Savile Row in the past year would have likely come across the force of nature that is Nancy Johnston (above), founder of Tengri, and her yak fibre. Nancy is a social worker, traveller and campaigner, who founded Te...
Tengri: Sustainable, luxurious yak fibre
Match in comments:
Hi Simon, hope your coat is holding up and keeping you warm this winter. Phong, Khangai yak fabrics is relatively new to the world, so it hasn't been wear-tested for years but I can say all our fabrics are heavily tested...
Grey and lilac: Ralph Lauren style, in Cifonelli
I’ve been looking at a lot of old Ralph Lauren imagery in recent months. Because of the 50th anniversary, but also because of the Ivy Style talk we did in New York , where everyone admitted some kind of debt to Ralph, and reading In His Own Fa...
Grey and lilac: Ralph Lauren style, in Cifonelli
Match in comments:
I'm afraid I don't know Dan, sorry...
The velvet jacket and modern evening wear, in Cif...
This article concerns two things. First, the pluses and minuses of the Cifonelli 6x1 style, as this is the first jacket I’ve had from them in their well-known cut. And second, the benefits of a velvet jacket without silk facings - and how it...
The velvet jacket and modern evening wear, in Cif...
Match in comments:
Yes, that could be nice...
Asking the next question: An interview with Kirby...
I recently did this interview with Kirby Allison of The Hanger Project, as part of his Shoe Shine Sunday series. It's a little bit meandering (and my shirt seems determined to reveal more chest than anyone would want) but I think there are some inte...
Asking the next question: An interview with Kirby...
Match in comments:
"...if you are buying an expensive pair of shoes, why not ask the salesman to observe if they fit you well or not?" A good suggestion, but unfortunately there are a lot of people working at shoe stores - even expensive o...
Cifonelli navy suit: Style breakdown
Cifonelli is one of the three best-known tailors in Paris – the others being Camps de Luca and Smalto. (Though Smalto’s influence has rather waned in recent years, as the others’ has waxed.) It is best known for the style of its...
Cifonelli navy suit: Style breakdown
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That would be fine Rupesh, it's not a big difference between the two weaves, and both can be great...
Paris: A sartorial shopping guide – 2019 up...
There are some interesting things going on in French menswear. Although France has generally been the poor cousin to Britain and Italy here, in the last 30 years it seemed to get worse. Most of the good shops closed (Old England, Arnys) and accordin...
Paris: A sartorial shopping guide – 2019 up...
Match in comments:
Hey Mo, I would be suspicious about bespoke at that price point, yes. To be honest, I think you're better off going for really good MTM at that price, rather than risking bespoke and it not turning out as you expected. I...
Optimo bespoke felt hat: Review
I'm not sure whether it came across, but I was almost surprised by how much I liked the Optimo hats I saw in New York last October. It was the first time I had seen them first hand, and the felt was noticeably different from what I had seen at other...
Optimo bespoke felt hat: Review
Match in comments:
Just let it dry naturally - felt like this is very robust. When you see some police wearing plastic covers over their hats, you can tell they must be pretty poor quality! Let it dry, then brush the nap of the felt back u...
Introducing: Everyday Lighter Denim
It's that time of year, and new things are all arriving at once. Today it's a new, lighter shade of the Everyday Denim. Everyday Denim shirting went down really well with readers, both as fabric and finished shirts, and several asked for other varia...
Introducing: Everyday Lighter Denim
Match in comments:
After ca. 18 months. The fading is more pronounced than I expected. Especially on my heat points, neck and chest. I still prefer it to a standard denim that fades less....
Video: In conversation with Lorenzo
As promised a while back, here is some video coverage of the talk Lorenzo Cifonelli and I gave at Attire House in Hong Kong last month. We cover a pretty broad range of topics, from how annoyed Lorenzo looks when he's doing fittings, to the various ...
Video: In conversation with Lorenzo
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Yes, it's easier to get good fit in RTW shoes than in RTW tailoring...
Unexpected texture and colour – Denim and l...
I think it’s telling that the thing that makes me happiest about this outfit is the oatmeal-linen shirt, a piece made bespoke by D’Avino. I’ve been doing this for a while - trying to combine pieces of classic menswear in ways that ...
Unexpected texture and colour – Denim and l...
Match in comments:
Thank Mike, but please refrain from talking to other commenters like that. Cheers...
The duffle coat
It was freezing in London last week. Temperatures below zero consistently; more snow than we’ve had in a decade. Of course, it’s nothing compared to the US east coast - or Scandinavia - but it was rather a shock. I had an odd feeling on ...
The duffle coat
Match in comments:
I found the Gloverall a little short, which I think is partly a height issue and partly a personal style one. It looks perfect on someone like Bruce Boyer, but Bruce is a lot shorter than me and only one size down. I lov...
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
Although I love rich, natural colours (particularly in Autumn) I've always been fascinated by the subtleties of monochrome dressing. It has such strong style, and yet there is so little too it. It's striking and unusual, and yet quiet. These photo...
Monochrome and concrete: Styling grey, charcoal a...
Match in comments:
No worries Daniel. Dark-brown suede could be fine - rather like black jeans, when they're faded and have enough of that casual vibe as your charcoal linen sounds like it has, they work well. Also, I'd encourage you to co...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
Thank you everyone that responded to my ‘You are the interviewer’ post a couple of weeks ago. The number of variety of questions was staggering, and I will try to answer as many as I can over the coming weeks. It may take time, but I wou...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
Match in comments:
I don't know the exact history, but I think it came from English tweed jackets which themselves were derived from those made for riding...
Bespoke double-breasted denim jacket – from...
The attraction of denim for the modern, sartorial man is easy to understand. In an age when clothing is increasingly casual, making tailoring less formal through the use of casual cloths is attractive. It retains the benefits of tailoring - the el...
Bespoke double-breasted denim jacket – from...
Match in comments:
Thanks Chris. It has aged well, and I do wear it quite often. The only restriction is the weight, which makes it really just an Autumn/Winter piece. It's also the kind of jacket that leads everything else in the outfit, ...
The cap
If styled right, a cap is a wonderfully useful accessory. Not as formal as a fedora, yet not as casual as a beanie, it can bridge a greater range of outfits than any other hat. When the temperature is in single figures, and your lack of hair makes a...
The cap
Match in comments:
I am a 60cm, Jan, with what's called an 'extra long oval' shape. Detail on that here. With this cap, it happened come up a little large, so I was better with a 59. But no, there's nothing wrong with sizing up on a hat - ...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
This outfit was used in a piece written recently for Drake's regarding corduroy. The piece mentions some of the associations that corduroy often carries, and ways to avoid them; basically, keeping the colours dark and the fit contemporary. But you...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
Match in comments:
Yes, it probably would, and wouldn't wear them together today - see article here on outfits I'd wear differently...
Japanese retail and the growth of bespoke
Our trip to Japan this week was meant to be roughly split into three parts: retail (for a shopping guide), bespoke makers (for a range of posts and freelance articles) and Japanese crafts (around Osaka and Kyoto). But strangely enough, it was the be...
Japanese retail and the growth of bespoke
Match in comments:
Good question Hugh - no idea though I'm afraid! One thing I do know is that tariffs are only one of the things that make such pieces expensive, or harder to import, so there's no guarantee there. And often stockists try ...
Five double-breasted styles compared
Last month we talked about how small changes in the proportions of a double-breasted jacket can have a radical effect on its style - and therefore on the people or situations it suits. This week I've used five of my own jackets to demonstrate these...
Five double-breasted styles compared
Match in comments:
I wouldn’t say there is anything specific about a cloth that makes it good for a DB SJ rather than an SB. There’s an argument a DB is more formal, but actually it looks just as good in linen, cotton or cord. Perhaps ...
I work in an office
A reader commented to me recently that one of the things he likes about Permanent Style is the fact I work in an office, just like him. It hadn’t really occurred to me before, but the fact that I work in a modern, professional office every d...
I work in an office
Match in comments:
Ah, Pitti... this is exactly the reason why I prefer British fashion over Italian. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate their style and creativity, but if your source of inspiration is let's say James Bond instead of Pit...
How wide should my jacket lapels be?
A reader asked this a few weeks ago now, and I thought I’d illustrate my answer by showing the widths that five tailors have cut for my body and proportions. As you can see from the images below, some lapels are wider than others, but t...
How wide should my jacket lapels be?
Match in comments:
Great, thank you really much! :) Have a lovely Day Simon! :)...
