I’ve been reading Permanent Style for many years now, but recently went scurrying back through older posts for advice. Having decided I should go straight to the source, I write to you today.
In the last few months I’ve found a new job and graduated from a 32” to a 36” waist: two pressing reasons to overhaul my entire wardrobe.
I don’t write to ask how I should build a basic wardrobe – you and other bloggers have written a great deal on that subject. I like to think I understand the basics and I’ve kept myself in style these past few years despite living on the minimum wage by rifling the charity and vintage stores.
My problem is a pleasant one: I now have money to spend – though not enough that I can afford to waste it, maybe around £250 a month for a while if I prioritise clothing above life savings – and I don’t really know how.
For example, I recently purchased a navy suit from A Suit that Fits, with whom you were not unimpressed back in 2009. I’m fairly pleased with it, but for around £400, wonder if I would have been better off buying off the peg and having the lovely Vietnamese lady on my road do basic alterations at £10 a pop.
In summary, I’m seeking your opinion on where I can acquire the basics of a new wardrobe at value-for-money given my budget, which I think may be similar to many of your other readers. Any and all advice is appreciated.
Yours,
Richard
–
Photo: Luke Carby
Simon
could you give more details on the shirt dart point? I find shirts in my collar size too large in the body so am very keen to learn more on this. Would your average alterations tailor understand how to do darts? Is it cheaper/easier than having the shirt taken in at the side seams? Any idea on a fair cost for having a shirt darted?
Best
Marcus
Sure Marcus. Any good alterations tailor should be able to do it, but to be on the safe side I would take it to a proper tailor. I use Graham Browne for all my alterations. It should cost around £20 I think.
The point about darts on shirts is that, like the side seam on a jacket, you can alter almost the whole shape of the body – you might want it slimmer all the way down, or just in the waist if you have a big chest, for example. There’s a lot of potential there.
Simon
Hi Simon.
I am looking to buy 2 Cashmere sweaters a v neck and a crew neck, I am having some difficulty deciding whether to go with Loro Piana, Brunello Cuccinelli or Turnbull and Asser I believe all 3 of those have and make beautiful cashmere Turnbull and Asser is a long way cheaper though, would you reccomend their cashmere.
I would avoid the first two, certainly. You’re paying a decent whack there for advertising and branding – though the Loro Piana cashmere will certainly be the best of the lot.
Have you looked at the Johnston’s knitwear in Trunk, or indeed elsewhere? Or the Lockie and other knitwear carried by Anderson & Sheppard? Both are probably better value.
Simon
As regards this question I would do this , firstly for suits there are a couple of options, you could buy material for instance contact Huddersfield fabrics and but their stuff which is excellent then get someone like Freddie Needles in the Elephant and castle to make it up, hes excellent and costs 500/600 pounds to make a bespoke suit. OR if money is a priority check out the Saville Row inspired suits at Marks and Spencer plus their saville row ties, do this at sale time, youll get something very good for around 132 pounds in their sale, dont worry about their other suits though, bland. For shirts Id try and find a shirt maker and get your idea done if not Charles Tywhitt is good and has good material, check out their web site. Im not a fan of their suits though. For shoes check out Herring, they have some good stuff. Also have a few pairs of cheap shoes for when its raining, check out asos for this. You can look fantastic for very little money, youll certainly look much better than most people. I just bought two saville row inspired marks suits for 135 pounds each in the sale, they look brilliant. Lots of the stuff is rubbish , for instance dont buy their shirts. Visit the shoie snob online and get advice and products from him. Go see Freddie Needles , hes on facebook, he will do you a great bespoke suit, do one a year. For casual stuff if you are going to the usa buy unwashed denims from wrangler such as a shop like sheplars, get them to send stuff to your hotel, they do great jeans at 25 dollars. Also check out GET THE LABEL for polos . The saville Row ties at Marl
and spencer
cost 29 pounds and are as good as any
A question on shoe maintenance Simon; should the cream and polish be applied only when the appearance becomes dull (i.e. after several wears) or should it be done on a time basis? i.e., every 4 weeks or so even if they have only been worn three/ four times? Does the leather ‘dry’ on its own/ in between wears?
regards
Omar.
It’s mostly due to wear. Apply cream every 10-15 wears, and polish as often as you want. Remember to brush in the evening and wipe in the morning though – saves polishing just to cover scuffs etc
Like your practical and common-sense advices! Very British-likr which is normal in this case..I’ll try to adapt the essentials to my small piece of the world: Pedro del Hierro/Rushmore/Massimo Dutti shirts, Estellés/Meermin/John Spencer/Carmina shoes and other brands.
And, of course, one day some C&J will join my Herrings or Lotus
where should one look for RTW that is decent quality and below the graham browne price point?
George
That’s a very big question, and I’m afraid I don’t know enough of the high-street brands well enough to be able to compare their quality. However, start by reading my article on How to Spend It magazine called ‘How to buy… a suit’
Simon,
Another question on shoes, perhaps more so with taste in mind, as opposed to quality. Where does your opinion fall on alligator/crocodile for a man’s feet? I keep seeing images of the G&G Cooper in alligator and don’t know whether or not I should bow in awe or run away screaming.
It’s hard to make an argument that alligator is value for money, but they can work ok as far as taste is concerned. Not for a lawyer or any conservative profession, but in a dark colour and with little else in the outfit going on, they can be a nice change of texture.
Bizarre as it may sound, if I am staying in a hotel, when getting ready for bed I take my shoes off, then take off my socks which, as they are warm and slightly humid, are very handy for wiping down the shoes, getting rid of any dust, light scuffs etc………..
Regarding your suggestion for TM Lewin shirts, does this apply to Charles Tyrwhitt shirts, as some people equate them? Or do you feel Lewin is better?
I don’t have any experience with Tyrwhitt, but I wouldn’t imagine they are that dissimilar, no
I’m a big fan of Charles Tyrwhitt – more so than TM Lewin simply because of greater range of sleeve lengths. I live abroad, and now I know exactly what size and fit I like*, I simply order online and they arrive within 3-4 working days. This year I bought a MTM shirt in Munich, and while the quality of workmanship was fine, the shirt was much too tight for my taste. Obviously, a bit of tweaking will rectify that (and I may go back to continue the experiment), however, it’s difficult to justify the four-times-higher price in terms of fit and quality. A few more pairs of decent shoes have higher priority…
* In fairness, it took me a couple of goes with Charles Tyrwhitt before I got the size and fit just as I like.
“Regarding your suggestion for TM Lewin shirts, does this apply to Charles Tyrwhitt shirts, as some people equate them? Or do you feel Lewin is better?”
I know this is a very old post, but you never know who might find it in the archives or Google.
I used to shop for my casual shirts almost exclusively at Lewin and Tyrwhitt when I lived in the UK, and when I departed for Asia in 2009 I took a handful of each along for the ride.
It’s now been at least six years since I bought my last Tyrwhitt shirt, and just yesterday – with a heavy heart – I laid the final one to rest when I noticed fraying at the collar fold. These things have been through hell, from the humidity of Bangkok to the arid climate of the Mongolian steppe. They lived hard lives – much harder than anything they’d go through in the wardrobe of a UK office worker – and they held up admirably for six years.
As for my TM Lewin shirts I don’t remember when I threw out my last one, but it was at least a couple of years ago.
Now that’s not to say Tyrwhitt makes shirts of astounding quality, nor that Lewin’s shirts are poorly made. Both are better than anything you’ll find at a similar price in high street chains such as Next or H&M (those things fall apart faster than you can blink), but the Tyrwhitt shirts were the ones that went through hell and came out the other side with their buttons and stitching intact. Considering the low price I’d say they represent excellent value.
Thanks, always helpful
Hi all,
I really like the advice of buying TM Lewin shirts and having them altered (although I find there is too much garment). That said I will feel awkward going to a good taylor to have them altered being perceived as someone buying ‘cheap’ RTW.
Btw would you take a shirt you’ve just bought to the taylor or will you wash it few times before ?
Chris
I’d wash them a couple of times, yes
If you don’t want to take them to a tailor the the TM Lewin fully fitted John Francombe range of shirts. Very slim in the waist, no billowing. I buy 16″ collar and it suits my 40″ chest/ 34″ waist perfectly. There’s also a new range of super fitted which I’ve yet to try but will be doing before too long.
Simon
I really enjoy reading about your forays into the luxury end of the tailoring market, but wandered if you had ever thought about doing a piece (or pieces), on the provincial tailors? There are a couple that I am aware of such as GD Golding in St Albans and Colin de’ Ath in Tunbridge Wells that have excellent reputations, but charge a fraction of the prices found on the Row. They (and others around the country) are also more accessible for those of us outside the smoke and from my experience, a lot less intimidating to approach if you are not gifted with the chutzpah required to front up to establishments with legendary status. Please keep this excellent blog running.
Jim
Thanks Jim, and I’d love to. It’s hard to write much that is substantial without visiting them all and have something made though. I will try to at some point
Hello Simon,
firstly thank you for the wonderful website and your advice.
I’m currently saving up money for a new pair of shoes and want to make the right decision. Most shoes I own are handgrade by Cheaney or basic C&J. I find the hand great last f Cheaney the better fitting. Although I like the new C&L 363 last.
Sadly neither of them have Monks -which I love- in that last.
Shoemakers I consider for my next purchase are: John Lobb, Edward Green or Alfred Sargent.
I would appreciate your opinion on the above makers and your advice, where to best invest in a nice pair of shoes.
Thank you very much, Rene
Hey Rene,
It’s a big question, but quickly – EG and Lobb are around the same standard, though personally I prefer EG; Sargent are a step lower in quality. I would recommend trying the EG Oundle monk (my personal favourite)
Dear Simon,
I would like to thank you for the time and effort you put into running permanentsytle.co.uk blog. I was wondering if you could help me out, I think this may help others on the blog out too. My main concern is regarding neck sizes and chest size mismatch, I have a rather slim build. I have noticed that a 14.5 inch neck shirt fits well on my chest but its too uncomfortable to put on a tie due to the very small neck size. Meanwhile, shirts with adequate neck size look rather large on me. I see that in terms of value, you recommended buying several TM Lewin or Charles Tyrwhitt (CT) shirts and getting them darted at a tailor. However, slim fit, extra slim fit shirts are already darted when purchasing them from CT, would it be wise to get a regular fit shirt if its not darted and then get it darted or just get the extra slim fit shirt and get additional retarded. I am not sure if tailors undo the darted stitch on these shirts.
Also, would you recommend non-iron shirts or the regular 100% cotton shirts for work?
Thanks,
Volkan
Hi Volkan, nice to hear from you.
Tailors can unpick darts – they will leave a mark, but as they will be redarted even more, that’s not a problem. So just get the best fit you can and go for the adjustments.
100% cotton. Breathes better and feels better.
Simon
Hi Simon. Are Ted Baker shoes any good? They look good but looking at the reviews they seem to fall apart after a few days use?
Here is an example of one with mixed reviews?
Can’t see a link?
I have no personal experience, but no I’m pretty confident they’re poor quality
This is the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ted-Baker-Martt-Mens-Derby/dp/B00EQ2EEAA
Otherwise what is the alternative is terms of good looking and durable shoes? Is H Hudson a good brand?
Clarks are good quality but in terms of looks they are not great.
I’m afraid these are all pretty poorly made shoes with glued soles. At the least you should look at English-made lines from Loake and Barker
Thanks Simon.
Dear Simon,
I habe been following your thread religiously. The advice you give is invaluable. With regards to the Ted Baker shoe that was posted here by the other member of this forum, does it look good on a navy and charcoal suit when worn without a tie? Also is this version of the shoe http://www.dunelondon.com/mobile/hann-2-leather-gibson-brogue-0408506530014484/ more versatile in looks for suits?
Hi
Wearing a tie or not won’t make much difference to the shoe.
A dark brown would be more versatile as a colour.
But please don’t buy these pointy, glued shoes. They look very cheap. Get a nice solid Oxford from Loake or Barker
LOL. I wont I promise 🙂 but are pointy shoes not trendy? I have seen a lot of people wearing pointy shoes with their suits. If i find pointy shoe from Loake should I go for it or are pointy shoes a definite no no
Not that pointy… Think a smooth, subtle elongated line. Not clown’s feet with the tips chopped off. Look at someone like Corthay for an elegant point. Or Gaziano & Girling for an elongated square toe
It is rather sad to see TM Lewin go from our city high streets as of late but apparently continuing online.