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 weavers Begg & ...

The small, fine cashmere scarf I designed three years ago with Begg & Co - intended to be worn on cold days tucked into knitwear - is available again. It's on the PS Shop now, in grey, navy and green. I've reproduced some of the description from ...

Every man thinks hats don't suit him. Yet every man, of every shape and size, used to wear a hat - and they looked good. Conclusion: men don't know how to pick a hat. I know I've run through that before, but it bears repeating in the name of re-po...

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 th...

Long-term readers will be familiar with my passion for Hermes silk scarves, which I’ve often bought over the years as a treat, and of which I now have a small collection (nine of them, since you ask).  I’ve found particular enjoyment this winter...

I’ve wanted a Liverano ulster coat for a long time. Ever since I first saw one on Ethan Newton I think, and subsequently reinforced by seeing versions on Jeff Hilliard (now at Mr Porter) and others. Liverano is very expensive, however, and it w...

  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 day ...

 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 ear...

 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 factories. Mackint...

My favourite ever scarf is the Arran model from Begg.  Over the years you will have seen me wear it with everything, from a Western hat to a baseball cap, a polo coat to a tweed jacket (examples at those links). Outside of some lightweight ones and ...

It’s that time of the year again. Brands have been receiving all the spring clothing they ordered last year, even though they weren’t quite sure whether it would arrive, or be swallowed by an unexpected lockdown.  So rejoice, there are new ideas...

This is a new installment in the series ‘The rules and how to break them’, which has been a little neglected in recent years.  It’s a great little guide, exposing myths of menswear and calmly explaining the rationale behind advice that is n...

      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 women's...

**Please note, this was a one-off collaboration and is no longer available** French storied manufacturer Lavabre Cadet makes the finest gloves I’ve ever worn - but they don’t have many outlets, particularly not in their full range of skins and fi...

How smart can you be without a suit or tie?  Formality in tailoring is often discussed in terms of these two things. And it is true that wearing a suit rather than a jacket, and a tie rather than an open-necked shirt, will usually be smarter.  But ...

One of the things I enjoy most about Permanent Style is the comments from readers.  It’s like each article is a new thread in a forum, with subject raised and then comments, experiences and questions all following, vastly enriching the article?...

A reader commented on the last instalment of this list that it shaped his whole season’s shopping. No pressure then. Many of the ranges will feature in other coverage later in the year - particularly the ones I’ve already bought myself. So th...

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

The Rake’s online shop has grown so much in the past year that it’s been hard to squeeze things into their pop-up space. Even though they’re focusing on exclusives. The nice thing about this range is there’s something for everyone. So even ...

  There are many ways in which you can make a sartorial outfit look younger or more modern. Extremes are always wrong: very short jackets, big puffy shoulders. They just look trendy, for a bit. But aside from the extremes, I would argue proportion...

 It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Frederic Malle is the godfather of modern perfume. He was responsible for the first collections to champion the perfumer, back when designer brands were just starting to conquer the world.Frederic is als...