Begg, J. Girdwood and The Rake (Chapal, Sciamat, ...
December 1st 2017First off, I need to mention that the J.Girdwood website is finally up and active. Anyone that has been into the first or second pop-ups will have seen James (above) and his J.Girdwood range of products. They include some Permanent Style favourites...
Begg, J. Girdwood and The Rake (Chapal, Sciamat, ...
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Perhaps a mid or pale brown? Also stronger colours like oranges and reds, if that's your style...
Christmas gift list 2017
November 29th 2017I finally got around to putting together a Christmas gift guide for this year, which I know many readers have asked about (and like forwarding directly to their wives). I have deliberately not included either Permanent Style products here, or those ...
Christmas gift list 2017
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Thanks for that. Always good to hear practical use feedback....
My desk
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Hey Bolaji, Yes, I've written comprehensively about moths here. This desk also opens up into a flat surface - you couldn't work on that angle...
Style Guide – the partners shoot
April 24th 2017The Style Guide has been wonderfully received so far - at the launch events in London and New York, but also online and through personal messages. Thank you all. There are a few things I realise I haven't emphasised so far. One is that we proudly d...
Style Guide – the partners shoot
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Lots of things I think. Grey and navy as shown here, plus cream or white, and black. More tonally similar colours, like dark brown, might be Ok if there's some other contrast, such as a white shirt underneath...
Brand round-up: R. Culturi, Mes Chaussettes Rouge...
March 20th 20171 R. Culturi There are many brands launching ties or handkerchiefs online these days, given it’s an easy area to try and express something new - and the lack of sizing makes it relatively easy to sell online. One that was shown to me recently ...
Brand round-up: R. Culturi, Mes Chaussettes Rouge...
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I owe MCR an apology - they replied very quickly to my complaint and reassured me that although my password was shown in the email, the email itself was encrypted. So all-in-all a good response....
Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, Hanger Project...
March 8th 2017Over the past 10 days I have generally prioritised writing about new brands in our Savile Row pop-up shop. But there are also new developments at makers you will be familiar with - Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, Begg and the Hanger Project -...
Baudoin & Lange, Luca Faloni, Hanger Project...
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I don't hang my knits, and in general it's safest to fold them (heavier ones can lose shape if hung for long periods). I've also never really invested in hangers (see piece here). However, I would recommend Nakata hanger...
Double-breasted flannel suit – with pink an...
December 26th 2016I know I've written about green and pink a few times before. I could find one old post with a little flower illustration, but there must be more. Perhaps it's the fog of Christmas food and wine clouding my mind. In any case, it bears repeating that...
Double-breasted flannel suit – with pink an...
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May I ask the cloth used in this commission?...
The PS square scarf is back! (With new colours an...
December 7th 2016The 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...
The PS square scarf is back! (With new colours an...
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We're not planning to restock them, sorry....
Brand round-up: Alexander Kraft, Loic et Gil, Chr...
November 25th 2016The next in our regular installment of small brands doing interesting things looks at some ties, handkerchiefs and knitwear. Viola Milano x Alexander Kraft First up is a collaboration between Alexander Kraft and online accessories company Viola Mila...
Brand round-up: Alexander Kraft, Loic et Gil, Chr...
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Despite the marketing spiel, the mark-up is ridiculous. The proliferation of online-only tie brands such as Viola Milano is a testament to the very healthy, attainable margins. A fawning i-gentry does help too. Also, and...
Brussels craft event
October 30th 2016At the beginning of December, there will be an event in Brussels bringing together some of the craftsmen that featured in the Permanent Style trunk show last month - Lavabre Cadet and Michel Heurtault - as well as several others. Those others are: ...
Brussels craft event
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Dear Simon, I am moving to Brussels and wanted to know if there is local bespoke tailors or if foreign ones are doing trunk shows in Brussels or other cities in Belgium. Thanks for your help KS...
The Permanent Style trunk show
October 14th 2016Thank you. Thank you so much on my behalf, and more importantly on behalf of the four artisans - who trusted me, and by extension you, to come over to London and do something they'd never done before, in a location they'd never seen before. Because...
The Permanent Style trunk show
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The trunk show was great...
Permanent Style trunk show: Heurtault, Amoruso, C...
September 7th 2016I am very proud to say that we have a Permanent Style trunk show organised for October 5th, co-hosted with Gaziano & Girling at their Savile Row store. This has been a good while in the making, particularly as I was keen to bring together: ...
Permanent Style trunk show: Heurtault, Amoruso, C...
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Yes, there will be a few things...
Simonnot-Godard handkerchiefs
May 23rd 2016Simonnot-Godard is an interesting company. It dominates what is a (very) niche market of high-end woven cotton and linen handkerchiefs. That market that has grown substantially in recent years. When Benjamin Simonnot (pictured above) started travell...
The Rake collaborations
April 21st 2016I’ve had a few questions from readers as to my views on The Rake’s new collaborations – products that the magazine started selling on its site a couple of months ago. I’ve seen most of them first hand, inde...
The Rake collaborations
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The Husaren boots are the ones I had in mind to be worn in wintery blizzards with your new Sexton Great Coat....
Lavabre Cadet glove maker, Paris-Millau
March 16th 2016It is rare these days that I cover someone for the first time who is genuinely a step above their peers. Yet such is the case with Lavabre Cadet. I had known of the French glove maker for several years, but never met and talked to them in person....
Lavabre Cadet glove maker, Paris-Millau
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gorgeous globes!...
Video: How to tie a scarf
January 13th 2016Another 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 w...
Video: How to tie a scarf
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Sorry, no Aaron...
If you only had five handkerchiefs – a caps...
January 7th 2016A capsule collection has many uses. When you travel for long periods, for example, you want a small but versatile collection of clothes that has a large number of permutations, and suits different occasions. And if you commute by bike (as I do) yo...
If you only had five handkerchiefs – a caps...
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Agreed, I intend to have 5 linen ones in different colours and patterns that I can wear with either linen or fresco suits/jackets. I don't really wear ties since I wear suits/blazers because I want to, not because I have...
How to wear the PS square scarf
November 17th 2015As promised last week – when we introduced our latest collaboration, the PS square scarf – here are some step-by-step guides to wearing it. All images can be enlarged by clicking on them. The scarves are available to buy, in ...
How to wear the PS square scarf
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That appears to be a slightly different colour. Perhaps they don't do the same one anymore...
Introducing: the PS square scarf
November 11th 2015Men 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 w...
Introducing: the PS square scarf
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No, sorry David no plans. The Anderson & Sheppard haberdashery does some nice versions...
How to wear a casual linen hank: less contrast, l...
August 26th 2015Handkerchiefs are not easy for a modern man. Few things are as conspicuous and unusual. Enough people wear ties and waistcoats to make them anonymous – even hats, which change the silhouette more than anything else, are more likely to be ...
How to wear a casual linen hank: less contrast, l...
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I ignore them mostly. If you're going out to something particularly smart, maybe give them a quick iron, but the wrinkles will be back within a couple of hours....
Zampa di Gallina: Neapolitan retail
June 4th 2015Zampa di Gallina (‘chicken feet’) is a menswear site set up recently specialising in Neapolitan makers. At least one of them has a connection to Naples, so it’s nice to have slightly more local retail, particularly for...
Zampa di Gallina: Neapolitan retail
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They are big, yes, but digital printing has been around for a long time and the quality makers don't use it mostly...
Begg and Barbour in HTSI
March 17th 2015For those that follow my column for How to Spend It magazine (part of the Financial Times), there have been two articles in the past month – on Barbour and on Begg. We’ve stuck with this format for almost 18 months now, as resp...
Begg and Barbour in HTSI
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Many thanks Simon, I will try that combination!...
Wear a flower in your buttonhole
March 13th 2015It’s been beautiful weather this week – in London, anyway. Spring has sprung and the sun encourages some reflection in our dress. Which means more than just a pair of sunglasses. The wonderful thing about this time of year is t...
Wear a flower in your buttonhole
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Do you have any silk boutonniere/ buttonhole decorative sites to recommend? I have not been able to locate any of the examples shown in your blog posts for purchase... Thanks...
In front of the Barbour beacon
March 2nd 2015Last 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 early ...
In front of the Barbour beacon
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It's a vintage model Will, profiled here....
Quality, embroidery and mechanisation – at ...
February 13th 2015The video above shows the key aspect of quality control at most weaving houses. Workers quickly scan the cloth for faults, then either snip off the stray end or – much more laboriously – manually reweave the thread back in. The...
Quality, embroidery and mechanisation – at ...
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It's true, though a huge amount of it is the inertia of labour force...
