Optimo hats, Chicago
December 12th 2018Optimo is everything you might want from a craft manufacturer. There was a passionate beginning; a long gestation; success and popularity; and now a beautiful new factory that supports transmission of the craft. Plus a product that is superlative ...
Optimo hats, Chicago
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I don't think it's a problem Nellie, and perhaps Optimo just changed their mind on whether they included size tags at some point. After all if you're buying from their shop, with someone giving good advice, you don't rea...
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2018
October 10th 2018A 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 alr...
Our Autumn/Winter Top 10, 2018
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Yes good point, I think that was more a case of how I came to feel about the PWVC cut over time, rather than changing my tastes. But yes shetlands I definitely wear less. Apart from those two I wear Colhay's, Bryceland's...
Sartoria Pasinato cavalry-twill suit: Review
August 29th 2018This suit from Vicenza-based Sartoria Pasinato has turned out very smartly, with a clean fit and very sharp line. Part of this is a result of the cloth, which is a cavalry twill from Vitale Barberis Canonico (584, 440g). Twills like this (covert is ...
Sartoria Pasinato cavalry-twill suit: Review
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Sorry to chime in here but as a 'Brompton' commuter (I hope that translates to an international audience), I'd love an article on decent clothes that can be cycled in. It's all too easy to default to jeans which is a sha...
Where and why I shop: Wei Koh, The Rake
July 30th 2018Next year I will publish a travel guide to the best men's stores around the world, with Thames & Hudson. Alongside the city chapters there will be interviews with well-travelled people in the menswear industry, highlighting their tips and in...
Where and why I shop: Wei Koh, The Rake
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Tatton Baird is a fantastic hat shop and we're very lucky to have them in my home state of Utah. What isn't widely known however is that their master hatter was trained by a gentleman named James Whittington who ran his ...
How a hat should fit (with Stephen Temkin fedora)
February 7th 2018Every 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-pop...
How a hat should fit (with Stephen Temkin fedora)
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Thank you, both!...
Introducing: The Permanent Style watch cap
January 10th 2018As promised last year, the Permanent Style watch cap is finally available - it’s on the PS store, price £69 plus VAT, in navy or grey. It’s a collaboration I’ve been building to for a long time. As far back as 2014, I bought ...
High/low dressing
December 6th 2017The biggest potential pitfall with tailored dressing is looking fussy. Fussy is not sexy; it is not attractive. It is closely related to appearing ‘affected’ or ‘mannered’. Looking relaxed in clothing, on the other hand, is v...
Pale summer colours (in vintage linen)
July 17th 2017This is a nice exercise in combining summery, pale colours. The challenge is being light and pale overall, while retaining enough contrast between shirt, jacket and trousers - both in colour and texture. The starting point is the jacket, made for m...
Pale summer colours (in vintage linen)
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thank you, much appreciated!...
Stòffa: Beautiful, refined, made-to-measure (and ...
March 15th 2017Last week, Agyesh Madan of Stòffa visited London for the first time, in a trunk show alongside Marcus Malmborg (Swedish agent for Eidos made-to-measure, among other things). Eidos is more of a known entity, and we will cover the service more ...
Stòffa: Beautiful, refined, made-to-measure (and ...
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I can't remember seeing that shade in person. If it is any lighter than that, it wouldn't look great with grey trousers, which is a bit of a limitation. In the image it does just about, but also with particular things el...
The Armoury: Do you know about the trousers?
March 1st 2017For many reasons - personal, business, product, sheer beauty of execution - I’ve long been a fan of The Armoury. They were therefore one brand I was particularly excited to get into our Savile Row pop-up shop. However, the things I wanted to f...
The Armoury: Do you know about the trousers?
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Yes, should be fine. No worries - any relevant post is good. Basically, it's nice to post questions somewhere wear another reader might have the same question in their mind...
How sartorial principles can apply to casual clot...
December 19th 2016This outfit, which was shot for the recent cover story of Plaza Uomo magazine, is probably one of the most casual ever featured on Permanent Style. Much like the first image of our popular ‘ Which office are you?’ post, it is the informa...
How sartorial principles can apply to casual clot...
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No, I have that milk colour and it's rather different - no melange and paler...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
December 16th 2016These things always seem to come in bunches. First Esquire named me in a top 10 and now Plaza Uomo have published their latest edition, with a profile of me as the cover story. Plaza is a Swedish fashion magazine, and Plaza Uomo has an English ver...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
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Hi Neil, Has your copy come through yet?...
The cap
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No worries Jay, no post is ever too old! It depends a bit on what else you wear, but I guess a dark-grey or mid-grey herringbone perhaps? Something with a little pattern but not too much, in a conservative colour, and pr...
Stephen Temkin of Leon Drexler custom hats, Toronto
November 16th 2016For a home studio and workshop, Stephen Temkin's set up is pretty cool. He lives in a large house in downtown Toronto, Canada. The work is largely done in the basement (where the ironing and larger equipment is) and the third floor (trimmings, sewi...
Stephen Temkin of Leon Drexler custom hats, Toronto
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Stephen.has retired and the fellow that bought his equipment is also off the radar. I am the lone classic fedora maker in Canada at this time....
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
November 14th 2016This outfit was used in a piece written recently for Drake's regarding corduroy. The piece mentions some of the associations that corduroy often carries, and ways to avoid them; basically, keeping the colours dark and the fit contemporary. But you...
A pale-grey jacket with green corduroy
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Yes, it probably would, and wouldn't wear them together today - see article here on outfits I'd wear differently...
How to dress pale colours for summer
July 27th 2016A reader recently commented that the site could do with some more practical pieces about putting clothes together – rather than commissioning them. I am deeply appreciative of such feedback. I do try to keep a balance between the...
How to dress pale colours for summer
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If durability is a concern at all then maybe go with half lined on the front, yes. It's not that hard to take out later, as well...
The stories of Lock & Co hatters
February 12th 2016Horatio Nelson first walked into Lock & Co hatters in November 1800. He had just returned from the Mediterranean, and came into the St James’s Street store to order a cocked hat and cockade. The two-cornered style – the same...
The stories of Lock & Co hatters
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And so there you have it. That's hilarious. There are some real gems hidden in the archived comments....
Eggert – Icelandic fur
January 6th 2014I have never been a big fan of fur. Not for any ethical reason, but simply because I have rarely found pieces that are subtle enough to appeal to me. The lambskin coat above, before you raise a quizzical eyebrow, does not count as subtle either. But ...
Eggert – Icelandic fur
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Can you recommend anywhere good now for fur accessories Simon?...
Men’s hats for winter
January 3rd 2014A reader recently asked me what hat I wear during the winter. It breaks down into three options: The trilby A ‘proper hat’, as many people seem to refer to it, a trilby or fedora is the default option with tailoring. I have worn Christy&r...
Men’s hats for winter
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I wouldn't really, no, but I can't say I've seen any that look stylish. Also I need something for the top of my head!...
How to buy a quality panama
July 12th 2013A well-made panama hat is an exquisite creation. Crafted from fine, closely woven straw, it is soft, cool and breathable, yet structured enough to hold an elegant shape. It is simple and supple – the result of one of the most delicate skills in...
Final panama hat from Brent Black
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Final panama hat from Brent Black
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I think that would be nice, yes. No need to match the ribbon that closely. If you did want something smarter, then a navy band would be nicer than a black one....
Christys’ hat video
December 28th 2012Following yesterday’s post on my visit to Christys, to see the making of a fedora, here is a video made last year by Christys showing the same process with a little more movement (and a thumping beat).
How a felt hat is made: Christys’ factory visitc
December 27th 2012Normal.dotm 0 0 1 438 2501 EMII 20 5 3071 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-styl...
How a felt hat is made: Christys’ factory visitc
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I ordered a hat from Christys recently , checked the label only to find that the item was.... You've guessed it.... Made in China. Some people may have no problem with that but I'm afraid I'm not one of them. To outsourc...
Christys’ hats, Witney
December 21st 2012Christys is one of a handful of hat makers left in the UK. It supplies Lock & Co and Bates (neither of whom make their own hats) as well as having its own label. For much of its history Christys was the largest hat maker in the UK, with over...
Christys’ hats, Witney
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Hi, i have a Christys Bowler which seems to have a commemorative interior relating to the The Great Exhibition 1851 to 1910. i would love to know its history as its unusual....
How panama hats are made
August 24th 2012Normal.dotm 0 0 1 628 3581 Euromoney PLC 29 7 4397 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Following on from my post last week on having a hat made by Brent Black, here is a little background on the craft involved in making them. Next week we&...
How panama hats are made
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 628 3581 Euromoney PLC 29 7 4397 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Following on from my post last week on having a hat made by Brent Black, here is a little background on the craft involved...
