The (17) made-to-measure tailors I have known
Although I haven’t covered the same number of MTM tailors as bespoke ones, Permanent Style has steadily accumulated a good range - from Kiton to Gieves, P Johnson to the Armoury. And really good made-to-measure is increasingly what younger re...
The (17) made-to-measure tailors I have known
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Oh no, sorry, I mean a washing machine, no need even for a delicate setting. Hand washing is really only needed for knitwear and materials like silks...
Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits
As mentioned in my original post about this reader competition, our aim was to explore the different forms formalwear can take today. Men will always have a need to dress up, in order to appear appropriately for a smarter, more important and more f...
Huntsman dinner: The reader outfits
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I wore my Cleverley imitation brogues. I don't think there's anything wrong with Oliver's trousers - they are just breaking a bit more at the front as a result of how he is standing. I also wouldn't go with turn-ups, bot...
Suit style 1: The difference between bespoke, mad...
This is the first article in our Guide to Suit Style. You can see the full contents so far, and browse between them, on the right-hand side of this post. Bespoke suit, Anderson & Sheppard What’s the difference between bespoke, MT...
Suit style 1: The difference between bespoke, mad...
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Great, I will look forward to it!...
The Finest Menswear in the World
Finally, wonderfully, the book on luxury craft I began writing three years ago is coming out: The Finest Menswear in the World. – You can buy your own personalised copy of The Finest Menswear in the World in the Permanent Style shop &...
The Finest Menswear in the World
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Thank you, Simon. Yes, I think makers, especially with own brand, like Zilli and Seraphin schould be in prioritet position. That's why I would add Hettabretz to your selection. I read what Hattabretz small maker with own...
Thank you (in Cifonelli and Begg)
Everything seems to be happening at once at the moment. Next week the Permanent Style magazines should be here, which is probably the most exciting thing. On Monday we held our first Gathering dinner, which everyone seemed to really enjoy. And we&a...
Thank you (in Cifonelli and Begg)
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I think it can look very nice. Bear in mind that linen and cotton will usually look more casual, though, and perhaps therefore better suited to casual jackets rather than suiting. Lightweight wools are often better with ...
Final Kiton Lasa jacket
Decent made to measure. That’s how I would describe this final jacket from Kiton – made for me as part of the Harrod’s MTM events and described in previous posts on the commissioning and fitting. The basics are all t...
Final Kiton Lasa jacket
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I’m not normally a fan of light grey but tha jacket is an excellent choice. The fabric is amazing....
Kiton’s Lasa – bespoke or made-to-mea...
The Lasa service from Kiton is being offered as part of the Made-to-Measure service at Harrod’s (the last event was this past weekend), but may actually be closer to bespoke. Indeed, the question highlights the few points of ambiguity in that...
Kiton’s Lasa – bespoke or made-to-mea...
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I find that Isaia are excellent MTM and also Bespoke .... quality of fittings better than Kition...
Clothes for a wedding
The simplicity of classic wedding attire – in colour, in pattern, in tone – is a reflection of respect for the importance of the event. Business attire, once-upon-a-time, was similarly restrained; but while I can see the argume...
Clothes for a wedding
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Oh good...
Kiton ‘Lasa’ jacket
Regular readers will remember the video I did for Harrod’s last year, to help them promote their quarterly made-to-measure events. At the same event this quarter, I took Kiton up on a longstanding invitation to try their MTM offering. The produ...
Kiton ‘Lasa’ jacket
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Read the review.... There are different posts on this around the site, as well as on Kiton generally...
Caruso made to measure, at Trunk
Last week Caruso held its first made-to-measure suit event in the UK – at Trunk Clothiers. It was an interesting experiment for both sides. Caruso has never done MTM in the UK before, just in Italy and one or two other European countries; a...
Caruso made to measure, at Trunk
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Hi Zi, To be honest, no, I think that is more likely to be misleading than useful. Too many factories produce different quality levels, or do particular aspects for particular clients. Today there's a little too much foc...
Cifonelli jacket, D’Avino shirt and others
A reader asked what I was wearing at the dinner of Parisian Gentlemen last week. Fortunately, a profile photo was taken that day at the intellectual property conference I was speaking at – the reason I was in Paris in the first place. In t...
Cifonelli jacket, D’Avino shirt and others
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Here are some more pics of Simon's DB: http://dirnelli.tumblr.com/post/69709009635/simon-crompton-shows-you-how-the-cifonelli-bespoke...
D’Avino shirts, Naples
One of the new makers I met in Naples last month was D’Avino, a small shirtmaker run by Fiorenzo Auricchio (above). Fiorenzo trained as a boy under his father, who worked for Gino Borelli – so a pretty decent education – and then se...
D’Avino shirts, Naples
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There is no shop, just a workshop, and it's a good 40 minute drive outsode Naples I'm afraid...
First Harrod’s video on suits and style
The film was made to coincide with the made-to-measure events coming up at Harrod’s. You can see the other video with Richard James here.
First Harrod’s video on suits and style
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Oh dear...
Should I change from Turnbull & Asser to Kiton?
Hi Mr Crompton, I’m a fan of yours (Permanent Style, The Rake) from Singapore. I’ve been agonising over my shirts for some time and would like to ask your advice. I’ve been wearing bespoke T&A for about 10 years...
Should I change from Turnbull & Asser to Kiton?
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Thanks for the tip...
Simone Righi, Frasi
It was nice to meet Simone Righi in Florence. I’ve been into Frasi, and Tie Your Tie as it was before, but not when he has been in the shop. Simone rebranded his shop three years ago, leaving the Japanese group Tie Your Tie. The stock and servi...
Simone Righi, Frasi
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Thanks Ruben, that's very kind...
The odd waistcoat for formal occasions
I recently wrote about my favourite evening combination – blue shirt and grey/silver tie with a navy or charcoal suit. This is a rather more dressy combination for formal events and dinners, making use of a waistcoat more usually worn with a mo...
The odd waistcoat for formal occasions
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Look at the 'fishy and polo' post and also th choppin and lodge suit. Same cutter...
My favourite formal combination
The most formal suit combination for a modern man is a navy suit, white shirt and silver tie. When that tie is a woven like a Macclesfield, it is a classic wedding combination and much more suitable to being married in than the tuxedos so favoured in...
My favourite formal combination
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No that could look elegant too. And perhaps a white linen handkerchief...
Kiton master shirtmaker: Sebastiano Borelli
This is Seb. Sebastiano really, but Seb to us. Because we’re just that fond of him. Sebastiano is head of shirtmaking at Kiton, overseeing the 40+ team of cutters and sewers that makes all of Kiton’s shirts in Arzano, just outside Naples....
Kiton master shirtmaker: Sebastiano Borelli
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Yes, that is how discussions normally start. But that's just because it's by far the easiest thing to market. I'm not saying fineness and ply are not important - they are - but fineness will mean that the shirt is more d...
PEN magazine: Permanent Style big in Japan
You could never refer to yourself as a style icon. But if someone else gives you the title, it’s alright to pass it on, right? Seriously, I was highly flattered to be asked to appear in the latest issue of PEN magazine, which I am told by...
PEN magazine: Permanent Style big in Japan
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Thanks, I certainly will. It will hopefully also be the topic of my third book, which I'm talking to publishers abou at the moment...
Naples, Kiton: ties
There is one essential to a quality tie: the slip stitch. This is a loose, hand-sewn stitch along the length of the tie, usually finishing in a loop of excess thread at its smaller end. It enables the tie to move along its length, and recover after b...
Naples, Kiton: ties
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To clarify Mitch, there is a lining in these ties, as well as the three-fold construction. So a decent amount of structure. In terms of texture, though, I think better with worsteds. Simon...
The modern man needs a good blazer
Men wear fewer suits today, as we all know. But they retain the need for a jacket, if only to appear smart or professional. Two of my friends, a doctor and a teacher, are particular examples. Their jobs do not require them to wear a suit, yet a jacke...
The modern man needs a good blazer
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They could certainly work with trousers like that, and a full range of them, just as versatile as a normal navy. The question really is about the boldness of the buttons and the various associations. Personally, I think ...
Naples, Kiton: shoes
In the UK, good shoes split into two very clean categories: benchmade and bespoke. With the former, workers use a series of hulking Victorian machines to make the shoes. Each applies force in a different way, whether stretching the upper over the las...
Naples, Kiton: shoes
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That's very kind Tim, thanks. I'm really pleased you get value from it Simon...
Naples, Kiton: shirts
I mentioned in my previous post on the Kiton factory outside Naples that the shirt manufacturing impressed me post. In fact, it wasn’t so much the manufacturing operation as the handwork that resulted – something you can see on any Kiton ...
Naples, Kiton: shirts
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Just plastic ones I have from other shirts - they're thicker than the Kiton ones though, I remember those from back when I used to have shirts made there. They were pretty flimsy. I used to use silver or mother of pearl ...
Naples, Kiton: suit pictures
Not for the first time, the inimitable Andy Barnham has ridden to my rescue. Below, the pictures of the suit making process at Kiton in Naples that I discussed in my previous post, but lacked images for. These are taken from a previous trip Andy did....
Naples, Kiton: suit pictures
Not for the first time, the inimitable Andy Barnham has ridden to my rescue. Below, the pictures of the suit making process at Kiton in Naples that I discussed in my previous post, but lacked images for. These are taken ...
Naples, Kiton: suits
My most extensive visit while in Naples this week was around Kiton’s factory, which is just outside the city. It is a big, well-aired facility that serves a frankly cracking lunch. I’ve never had mozzarella like it. All of the hundreds of...
Naples, Kiton: suits
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No, I'd strongly disagree with that. Huntsman and all proper Savile Row tailors still have more handwork and attention to detail than Kiton, as well as bespoke cutting and fitting....
