*Stock is now very limited. For the current position please check the Shop page*
I’m pleased to say that the next batch of our Friday Polos – handmade in Naples and designed by us here in London – is now ready.
Thank you to everyone that pre-ordered. We have doubled production again this time, so it’s unlikely we’ll sell out in a couple of weeks, but certain sizes and colours will go, so worth getting in early.
You can now buy through Permanent Style, on our purchase page here. Just select how many polos you want, and state in the Notes what size and colours.
As background, these polo shirts were a project I started last year with Neapolitan bespoke shirtmaker Luca Avitabile, who has been making my shirts for a few years now.
The idea was the use the best materials (a soft Caccioppoli fabric) and as much as possible make them in the same way as Luca’s bespoke shirts. So everything is hand cut, and there are five points of handwork: hand-inserted sleeves, buttonholes, buttons, gussets, and ends of the cuff placket.
We also sell them at below the normal retail price. We’ve added in a couple of extra production points this time, increasing the price slightly to £155, but with a standard retail mark-up these would normally be around £220.
I’ll revisit these points in detail over the next few weeks, but this is an introductory post to announce the stock availability, and give everyone the details they need to order.
I will also write more later about the photoshoot we did this time, which was fantastic fun.
Featured here are the chiselled looks and razor-sharp style of photographer and artist Adam Rogers, and cutter and tailor Michael Browne of Chittleborough & Morgan. Plus me.
I think we all show the key strengths of the colours. Adam’s white polo is very summery, particularly with his green linen. Michael shows how sharp and smart the navy can be. While I demonstrate why we like this precise shade of green – for how well it goes with navy.
The grey colour, for which you can see detail shots here, is also great under a navy jacket – in much the same way as my favourite grey shirt (see it worn at that link…)
If you’d like to see more photos on the fit and style of the Friday Polo, have a look at my first post here. You can see the navy there, worn with my double-breasted hopsack jacket from Elia Caliendo.
The Friday Polo
Basics
- Four colours available: Navy, Green, White and Grey
- Four sizes: Small, Medium, Large and Extra-large (see table below for dimensions)
- Available solely through Permanent Style, purchase page here
- Shipping by FedEx, from Naples
- Buy from the shop page here
Product details
- Mid-weight Caccioppoli pique-cotton fabric, good for three months of the year (in England!)
- Hand cut and party hand sewn, all in an atelier in Naples that makes for several big designer brands
- Cutting and work overseen by Luca Avitabile, bespoke shirtmaker
- Mother of pearl buttons
- Stand collar, like a shirt, to help it sit under tailored jackets
- Slots in the collar for shirt-stays
- Half buttoning (previous button-through style no longer available)
- Long tail and front, like a shirt, as the polo is designed to be worn tucked in
- The shirts will not shrink when washed, but should expand slightly in the waist. Do wash cool and line dry
Sizing
- The shirts have a moderately slim fit
- In the images we are all wearing mediums
- If you are unsure about fit, we recommend comparing the measurements below to a polo shirt you currently own. They are in centimetres.
Chest Waist Yoke Sleeve Body
S 102 92 40 61 75
M 106 96 44 65 76
L 116 106 47 69 81
XL 124 114 48 69 81
Shipping
- Postage is £9 in the UK, £11 in Europe and £14 anywhere else in the world
- Packages sent by FedEx from Naples (tracking number available on request)
- Returns and refunds available if the product is in a resellable condition, although we do not cover the cost of return postage
Photos: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man
That green linen DB is absolutely heavenly! Would you happen to know where it was made? Great news on the new polos by the way.
It’s an old W Bill cloth (same as my cream one from Kent Haste & Lachter), not in the current bunches unfortunately. And made by a private tailor Adam uses – not one of the big houses.
Nice. Does the “private tailor” need any new customers?
Theres a topic worth investigating Simon… The private tailor. Does he still exist? How private is private? How does one find such a man?
You can’t I guess… otherwise he wouldn’t be private.
I know a few people who have ‘private’ tailors. It usually means an old guy that used to work for a house, but now just does a little for friends – or, a tailor that everyone uses, but they do private work as well as their regular work.
At a guess it looks similar to the style that davies and son on savile row do, or certainly used to, before the chap from huntsman went (back?) there…
Pat Murphy.
It’s not as structured as that (Adam has pretty square shoulders) but similar
Simon,
Not sure if I should contact you directly or here in the comments but I would take the grey and navy in mediums.
Thanks, Jeff
Amazing – all that planning and I forgot to include where to buy them!
The links are now in the post. The page is at: http://www.permanentstyle.com/shop
Where’s the link to the purchase page?
Now there – http://www.permanentstyle.com/shop
Dear Mr. Crompton:
My name is Abdul Aspiazu, I live in La Paz, Bolivia. I’ve been following your blog for the last four and a half years and I’ve been learning a lot from you and your work.
There is a certain look of a business man from London, what I’ve seen and basically is: a black coat and waistcoat, white shirt, regimental tie, chain pocket watch, bowler hat, dark grey pinstripe trousers and black Oxford shoes. Like Captain Peacock, from Are You Being Served?, or John Cleese at The Ministry of Silly Walks scketch, David Tomlinson at Mary Poppins, etc.
What I’d love to know is if there is a name for this particular type of style. It appears to me that this look it’s rather classic, given that I’ve even seen photos of Winston Churchill wearing that way. Is it a costume rather than a proper style nowadays? I haven’t ever seen anybody dressing like this, when I visited London.
To be honest, I’d love to get an outfit made by my tailor, looking exactly that way to go to the bank.
All the best and kind regards.
A.
Hi Abdul – what you’re referring to is a ‘stroller’. Essentially it’s morning dress, with the coat replaced with a lounge suit jacket. So black or grey normally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroller_(style)
Afternoon Simon
Just ordered one Large Blue shirt as I am a bit between sizes (large in Sunspel Extra in Smedley That kind of thing. Anyway I digress, when would I receive it? If its fits ok I would like some other colours just wary of them all going
Great website by the way
Thanks
Liam
Thanks Liam.
They should be sent early next week, so you’ll receive it a few days after that (depending on where you are).
We’ll have stock for the next couple of weeks at least, so don’t worry about running out for the moment
Simon
I know these are designed to wear with tailoring but what about using as a holiday polo. I am obviously not talking about round the pool with some swim shorts but with light chinos, maybe tailored shorts, or even jeans for the cooler evenings? it seems with the proper cuffs it could be a substitute for a shirt sleeves with rolled sleeves
Absolutely, it would work very well. I wore mine last summer regularly with linen trousers or shorts, as well as chinos.
As you can see in the shots of Adam with his jacket off here, it looks particularly nice with high-waisted trousers.
Hi Simon. I like your favourite grey shirt. could you tell me where you had that made and the type of material please?
You mean at the link I gave? It says in the post – it’s Simone Abbarchi, a grey brushed cotton
Is Michael’s jacket a Chittleborough & Morgan creation?
Yep
Dear Simon,
regarding the sizing: it says everybody is wearing a medium. With the given measurements it would have expected you to wear a small. I am a medium in John Smedley’s classic fit (with the shoulders and breast a little narrow but the waist pretty loose). Normally I would order a small. Now (with you sporting a medium) I am a bit confused.
Cheers,
Steven
Hi Steven,
It’s best to compare the measurements to a polo of yours at home – that’s the only way to get a true idea.
Cheers
Dear Simon,
thank you for your answer. I did so on a well fitting bespoke polo (which happens to have a rather poor fabric). The waist is 86 while for the remaining measurements it is between small and medium. Would darts be an option to improve fit?
Best regards,
Steven
They’d be hard on this cloth I’m afraid
Will it stretch with wear?
As mentioned in the post, it might stretch a little in the waist with washing, but not by much. Otherwise no, if washed cool and line dried
Dear Simon,
I ordered on 3/3 – any idea as to when deliveries will be made?
Regards,
David
Hey. Deliveries have been going out since Tuesday around 50 a day, so yours should be in the post now
I notice that Luca’s online site is now showing The Friday Polo in some new colours and has now also added a summer weight polo. Do you know if these are cut to fit in the same way and have the same sizing as the excellent Friday Polos I purchased from your online shop?
Yes, they are Graham. He is offering the same polo in a lighter weight pique cotton. I prefer our weight, which is why I’m not offering it.
Hi Simon,
Regarding sizing: if S suits me fine as for everyday denim shirts, is that a good indication for the polo size? Chest is pretty similar but the rest differs if comparing the two. Thanks
Probably, yes, but I would compare the measurements to other knitwear if you can to get the best idea