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St Crispin’s sole
A picture post for Thursday afternoon. I love the shape that Phillip at St Crispin’s has got into the waist of this Dainite sole. Phillip has been taking orders at Drake’s for his St Crispin’s shoes...
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Bespoke is the future
During a sunny, late lunch in Madrid last month, Norman Vilalta and I spent some time talking about his experiments with new materials, and ideas on working with high-technology companies like Nike....
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Ferdinando Caraceni: jacket fitting
When I was in Milan two weeks ago I had a first and second fitting with Ferdinando Caraceni in a day. This isn’t something that all tailors are happy doing, but for some such as Caraceni – which has...
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Green, shantung, club (tie)
Dark green is a subtle and versatile tie colour. You’re not surprised I think that, right? After all I sing the praises of green at every opportunity. But broad truths bear repeating. With an outfit...
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Pierre with his Fender
Pierre Corthay takes around an hour every day to play guitar. Impressive dedication, given the pressures on a growing company. But then there’s something about shoemakers – as I’ve mentioned before –...
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Orazio Luciano: expanding Neapolitan tailoring
Orazio Luciano has an opportunity. It is expanding into the North American market at a time when Neapolitan tailoring is becoming increasingly popular, and other brands (most notably Kiton) are a...
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Savile Row, parties and branding
Last month there were three parties on Savile Row on the same night. Huntsman, Kilgour and Anderson & Sheppard all held events on the Monday of London Collections:Men, with very different...
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Edward Green and Begg pop-up sale
Every year Edward Green does some kind of last-minute sale. In fact, just two weeks ago a reader asked when and where the next one would be. Well, it starts today – at the Old Truman Brewery just off...
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The bespoke pea coat – Part 3
The bespoke pea coat had many inspirations. Among its foremost influences were the personal creations of Davide (Taub, Gieves & Hawkes head cutter); the Gieves military and naval archive; and the...
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Antonio Pio Mele – bespoke shoemaker, Milan
Antonio Pio Mele is a young Milanese shoemaker with an interesting background. His family owned a shoemaking factory in the south of Italy, but rather than go into the family business when he grew up...
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The Button Queen
Last week I discovered The Button Queen, on Marylebone Lane in London. It’s hard to believe I’ve never been in before; I don’t think I will ever select buttons for tailoring from anywhere else.The...
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Stefano Bemer: final bespoke shoes
After two and a half years I finally received my first Stefano Bemer bespoke shoes last month. And what beauties they are. I was initially measured by Stefano, who also oversaw the creation of my...
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Classics that never get used: Reader question
Beautiful, but will you wear it? Dear Simon,I have been quite busy in the last seven years building a wardrobe that will seem modest by your standards, but is still quite substantial for me. And...
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Budd bespoke safari jacket
My latest column for How to Spent It is on a safari jacket made recently with Budd. An interesting project, there will be more about it on Permanent Style next month. In the meantime you can read...
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Happy holidays
Permanent Style is on holiday this week. We’ll be back on Monday with a fresh collaboration with John Smedley that, frankly, I’m pretty excited about. See you then
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The perfect cardigan – Permanent Style x Smedley
Last year I began working with John Smedley on our next project – the perfect cardigan. The requirements were:It had to be thin enough to wear year-round (and under a jacket). It had to be slim enough...
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The perfect cardigan: Updates and details
Following Monday’s post on the cardigan we have developed with John Smedley – the Finagon – here is an update and answers to questions.Almost three-quarters of orders so far have been for Racing Green,...
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Savile Row, parties and branding
Last month there were three parties on Savile Row on the same night. Huntsman, Kilgour and Anderson & Sheppard all held events on the Monday of London Collections:Men, with very different...
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The staples of a good wardrobe
In response to requests in the recent post ‘Classics that never get used’ here are five essentials of a modern wardrobe. Obviously a man’s actual requirements will vary hugely by lifestyle and...
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Bespoke safari jacket – part 1
This safari jacket, made by London shirtmakers Budd, was born out of a desire for a soft, unstructured layer I could wear over a shirt or T-shirt in the summer. Often such things are referred to as...
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