A shawl (or stole) can be a really practical thing to wear. Simply hung round the neck, it’s a lovely layer of warmth down the front of the body and on the back of the neck. And when looped or tied, it’s also effective protection against the cold wind. 

I often wear them with my PS Donegal coats (above), as their length suits the long lines of that balmacaan style. But they can work with any type of coat, and are particularly useful when travelling, as we detailed in our recent article on Paris. 

Men sometimes find them difficult to wear, though, especially when they are required to wrap the thing. A shawl is quite bulky, and it can feel messy and difficult to control. 

(There’s an interesting side topic here actually, about the link between men that are into classic clothing are those that are naturally fussy, even obsessive. Waistcoats and ties and oxfords feel neat and controllable; shawls do not. A subject for another day perhaps.)  

In today’s piece, I’m going to quickly set out quickly how I wear a shawl, and suggest how it can be done with control and even nonchalance.

Most shawls are long enough to wrap around the neck and leave a good amount hanging either end. This old one from Begg & Co of mine does that, measuring 183x73cm. 

So start with the shawl hanging shorter on one side, as in the image above. What that length should be becomes quickly instinctive, but as with everything here, precision doesn’t matter that much. In fact it should be actively avoided. 

Then take the long end (that’s the end I’m holding - the photo is a little unclear) and wrap it loosely around the neck. 

Don’t do it too tightly - not as tight as you might wrap a regular scarf - as the thickness can make it uncomfortable, and again it could stop looking nice and loose and easy.

A good tip here is to hold the corner of the shawl as you wrap it, rather than the whole end. I’m demonstrating, or trying to demonstrate, this in the image above. It’s not helped by the fact that Lucas is laughing off camera, and I’m trying not to smile. 

Anyway, the point of this is that it makes the width of the shawl spread out across your back and the shoulders. The shawl is also not as thick, it covers more of the upper body, and it looks less considered. 

The biggest problem with shawls comes at this point, when you have two ends hanging down on the chest. They feel messy, out of control, and can easily get blown around. There is an urge to tie or otherwise secure them. 

The best solution with a coat is to push one of the ends inside the front, as I’m doing above. This keeps it under control and stops if flapping about. Note the fringe is showing because I’m holding only the corner. 

Then, I like to tuck the other end inside the front edge of the coat too, as shown above. Not pushing it, just lying it inside that front edge. It gives a modicum more control. 

You can try this once or twice in the mirror if you want but, when you’re out and about, resist the urge to play or adjust or even look in a car window. Just let it be. The danger of looking too neat is greater than looking too messy. Have a play, have fun, but do not fiddle. 

When I’m on the Tube, my shawl is normally hanging loose around my neck, coat open. Then when I emerge into the biting cold (or am going to emerge), one end is pulled longer, a corner held, the thing wrapped around and tucked. 

Easy, simple and (literally) without a second thought. I know you care (you're a PS reader after all), but try very much not to. 

I’ve included a few other images here of shawls other than the toffee-coloured Begg one. Begg does still sell that style, but not in the same colour unfortunately. 

My other favourites are from Loro Piana (back in the days when there were big discounts at Bicester Village) and from Anderson & Sheppard. They have a big range of larger scarves though again, unfortunately, not my bright orange one I’ve shown at the top and bottom of this post. They do have the cream above though, which is amazing, although being hand-woven is also proportionately expensive. 

I also wear larger silk/cashmere Hermes shawls in the same way too, like the one below. 

What’s the difference between a shawl, a scarf and a stole I hear you say? Well, shawls are usually heavier and often square (as those Hermes ones are). Stoles are large and rectangular, but also lighter in weight. Scarves are rectangular but can be many sizes. 

As with many things in clothing, there is no clean definition for my Begg one. It’s the weight of a scarf but the shape of a stole, and perhaps looks most like a shawl. It doesn’t matter as long as we all know what we mean. 

For details on the other clothes shown in the main images, see Paris article here. 

The top image is taken from this outfit shoot on the herringbone Donegal coat.

The Hermes scarf outfit is taken from this post on the brown Donegal coat. 

The bright orange scarf outfit is in this post on strong colours. 

The cream shawl outfit is featured in that article too, but morex details can be seen in this post on navy odd trousers.

It was effing freezing in Paris two weeks ago: officially minus five, felt like minus ten. I know that’s not extreme if you live in Sweden or North Dakota, but it’s not the kind of weather you’re used to in London, I can tell you. It was bitter. 

I was there for a couple of days, and didn’t really want to take multiple outfits. One coat, one pair of boots. But layering was key for the weather - the ability to shed layers between the streets and the metro and the shop, or at least unbutton them. 

The outfit shown here was my solution: 

• PS Donegal coat on the outside, but with the fur liner I had made at Yves Salomon a couple of years ago, which of course was removable
• Shawl cardigan underneath that, of the kind of thickness that fits under a coat 
  • Brown tweed jacket as a more formal alternative
• PS white T-shirt under the shawl, very comfortable and a good thickness
  • White PS Oxford as a more formal alternative  
• A white vest under the T-shirt, as an optional layer for warmth
• A big cashmere shawl over the top, which could be wrapped closely around the face and neck, left to hang, or folded and slip into a bag. Three options

So there were six layers on the upper body at most (shawl/coat/fur/cardigan/tee/vest), three at the least (coat/cardigan/tee). On the second day it was warmer than expected, so the shawl and the vest went in the bag.

The nice thing about these layers is that they could be unbuttoned as well as taken off. So when you get on public transport you can unwind the shawl, undo the coat, unbutton the cardigan, and just be left with the T-shirt layer. It avoids that situation of being too hot inside but too cold outside.

Of course I also had a black PS Watch Cap with me, as being a baldy I’d freeze with nothing on the head. And the black jeans were backed up with some over-the-calf wool socks.

It worked pretty well (which of course is why I’m writing about it) and the style combination was satisfying too. 

There’s nothing I like better at the moment than dark, muted colours that still have personality, and the neutral set of black boots, grey jeans and white T-shirt was given that by the taupe cardigan, speckly brown donegal, and toffee colour of the shawl. 

It makes me happy. 

Changing the cardigan for a tweed jacket and the tee for a shirt changed the formality quite a bit, which was helpful. And if I wanted to I could have brought a pair of charcoal flannels to smarten up the lower half. 

Of course, it also feels wonderful having that fur under the coat, wrapping that massive piece of cashmere around your neck. We talk a lot on PS about premium materials and it’s often the thing that cheaper brands sacrifice, prioritising design. So it’s nice to really appreciate them, and you do when they’re practical as well as pleasurable.  

I can do something separately on shawls and wearing them if people are interested - it’s not the easiest for a neatness-obsessed menswear guy, but it can be satisfying. 

It’s also something I’ve been wearing for a while. If I look back at old images like this one at Pitti eleven years ago, I wouldn’t wear the hat, the glasses or probably the suit (in that setting), but I’d still wear the shawl. 

Some people get to delete the pictures of how they used to dress. Mine remain frighteningly public. I guess at least it shows there’s a positive journey you can go on. 

Clothes shown, with links where still available:

• PS Brown Donegal coat (no longer available in brown)
• Fur lining from Yves Salomon (only using old fur scraps)
• Taupe merino shawl-collar cardigan from Anderson & Sheppard
• Shawl scarf from Begg & Co (about eight years old, not currently available)
• PS white Tapered T-shirt
• PS black Watch Cap
• Rubato crocodile belt (not currently available in crocodile)
• Nineties black Levi’s
• Edward Green Galway boots (currently available in cordovan rather than calf)
• Clan sunglasses from Connolly (available only in store)

Not shown:

• Sunspel white vest
• WW Chan brown-tweed jacket
• PS white oxford

Permanent Style reader, this is not for you. This is intended for your wife/husband/partner/child/dog, in an attempt to help source a Christmas present for someone who, let’s face it, is very fussy in general but particularly about clothing. 

So print it out, hand it over, share to their relevant social account, and do not read on. After all, you want it to be a surprise don’t you?

-

Hello, loved one of a PS reader. I know, I know, what are they like? Nothing is ever good enough. Or some things are, but they’re so expensive!

Hopefully this list will help find something that satisfies and perhaps even surprises them. With luck it might manage to be relatively inexpensive too, although I use the word ‘relatively’ very advisedly. 

If you have any questions, please do ask in the comments below. Good luck. (Oh, and remember that while we never include Permanent Style products, there are some great hats and scarves and books in there too.)

1 Rubato belt

£185

So, I’d say the easiest way to get your guy a present they’ll definitely like is to find something they already own, and get the next colour. You know that belt they always wear? Look on the inside, find the brand and size, and get one in black rather than brown. 

It doesn’t have to be a Rubato belt - it might be any brand - but I mention it here as an example of how finicky they can be. The belt has to be one-inch wide; it has to have a solid brass buckle; the suede/leather has to be a certain quality - which let’s face it, you’re never going to pick out (along with the rest of humanity). So as a safe bet go with the same one, just different.

2 New watch strap

Various prices

A watch strap falls into the same category. There will usually be a brand on the inside too, and the nice thing about a watch strap is that most men never buy a different colour. This means it will be more of a surprise than the belt, and it will almost look like a new watch, for a fraction of the price. 

If you need to find a seller, I use Jean Rousseau in London’s Piccadilly Arcade, but readers mentioned a few others in this article: GLC straps, Hirsch, Strap Tailor. Doubtless they will now leave suggestions in the comments below too. 

3 Black silk socks

€38

OK, let’s change tack now. Another way to get him an impressive present is to buy something that seems so indulgent, he’d never buy it for himself. This sounds very expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Black silk socks, for example, are something you only ever wear with black tie. If he does wear black tie, chances are it’s not that often, so this will be a very indulgent thing to own. Have a check whether he has some, and if he doesn’t, get a nice pair from somewhere like Mes Chaussettes Rouges. I bet he’s never worn skin-tight silk either. 

4 Ideas from Massimo Osti

£58

A book can be a good option because it’s something you can easily check on the bookshelf for, and there are lots of options out there. There’s no way he’ll have all of them. There are classics he’ll always enjoy, from the likes of Alan Flusser and Bruce Boyer, and. I’d put something like The Rebel’s Wardrobe in the same category for casual clothing. 

But something like this on the designer Massimo Osti (image below) will probably have him looking at menswear in a whole new way. The background, the fabric innovation, the discussion of style, it’s a really stimulating read. 

5 Miles, Chet, Ralph, & Charlie

£24

I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy this book, which is a history of The Andover Shop presented as a series of quotes from different people, in sort-of conversation. But actually the stories are so good that it works - it might be George Frazier getting obsessed with the idea of ‘duende’ and who had it or not (musicians or clothes horses) or which Andover Shop trousers are in different museums, but it all hangs together. 

Permanent Style readers (I know you’re still reading) this is a fun one to get if it doesn’t end up under the Christmas tree.

6 Connolly ‘Grain 1001’ candle

£55

While I’ve got you, this is a beautiful candle and smells very menswear, if that can be a thing. It smells of old leather and the nice type of cigar, but in a subtle way. It’s the kind of thing you might even be able to get away with giving to your loved one, and enjoying the smell around the house. 

There's also the option of a carry case, which sounds insane but I took my little one on holiday recently and it does make any hotel room immediately feel like home. 

7 Choosing Keeping notebook

£65

Perfumer H is, of course, my favourite perfume house (they’ve just opened a shop on Clifford Street, which is wonderfully convenient). And if anyone’s looking for stationery gifts, I’d recommend the collaboration they did this year with Choosing Keeping - the notebook in particular, with its Italian marbling and linen binding. 

Choosing Keeping itself is also recommended, particularly now they’ve moved more centrally, to a lovely corner shop in Covent Garden.

8 Blackwing pencils

$30

Combining the subject of stationery with the theme of small, beautiful things, how about a set of perfect pencils? I was given this set from Blackwing last year and they’ve been sitting on my desk ever since, slowly being used, sharpened and worn down. It might seem like a lot for pencils, but I’ve gone through one-and-a-bit in a year, so there’s a long way to go. 

9 West African handloomed scarves

£85

Blackhorse Lane just started offering these - selecting the best from what can often be pretty cheap quality in African markets, and then also meticulously repairing and reinforcing them. I have a couple of vintage ones, but it’s nice to see a new option readily available, as the indigo is beautiful (pictured below). 

10 Trunk or Budd gloves

£135 or up to £650

And last of all, I realise gloves fall into the same category as the first two items we mentioned on this list, with the added bonus that they’re very seasonal. Chances are that after Christmas you’ll have the busiest time for actually wearing them. 

I’ll do a bigger piece on gloves soon, but in the meantime I’d recommend Trunk’s selection (probably my favourite thing from their expanding own-brand line) and the more luxurious range available at Budd. They represent the value and the top-end quite well. 

It may still be cold outside (in the UK), but it’s late April and time for a write-up of the Spring/Summer pieces I’ve liked from our favourite brands. 

If you have any questions about other releases from these brands (or indeed brands not featured) let me know - chances are I’ve tried them, even if they didn’t quite make the list. Sometimes it’s just because they’re more standard, or not something new to me. 

Here’s hoping the weather turns soon. 

Thom Sweeney crepe-cotton T-shirt

£295

As I noted in an article a couple of years ago, the Thom Sweeney casual collection often has some real gems in the summer: knitted polos and T-shirts, often made with tailoring in mind, always in classic colours. 

This summer the stand-out piece for me is the crepe-cotton T-shirt. The fabric is a little crispy and has nice body, it looks smart untucked but can tuck in as well. Slightly higher collar, slightly longer ribs, slightly longer sleeve too that can be worn as is or folded back for a kind of sportier look. Comes up large so you’ll probably want to size down (I’m a Small). 

Anthology knitted T-shirt

$105

On the subject of knitted T-shirts, The Anthology have just released their knitted tee in white. They did an 'ecru' version with the original launch, but it was always a little too creamy, and certainly wore more like a pale beige in terms of what else it looked good with. The new white is better.

Their latest collection more generally - for the fifth anniversary - has quite a lot of casual shirts, long but with square hems. The thick plackets and big, square chest pockets are pretty casual, and the collars are generous too. I'm not sure about the stripes, but the raspberry pink looks interesting. Those are being released next month. Also keen to try out the made-to-order shirt service later this year.

Patagonia Baggies

£60

Perhaps a little unexpected for PS, but there’s case to be made for Patagonia Baggies being a menswear icon. Lightweight, versatile and sustainable, they’re incredibly popular, largely because they’re easy to wear and cover activities from swimming to walking to yoga. A useful piece for holiday.

Made from recycled nylon, this isn’t a luxury short but few luxury ones could cover all that. There’s a five-inch and seven-inch inseam option; I prefer the five. 

Steve McQueen sweatshirt

£299

I’m surprised I haven’t included this piece from Toys McCoy before, as I’ve had it for three years and it’s such a personal favourite. The sweat is great quality, but the thing that sets it apart is that faded blue, which verges on purple. It’s such an unusual shade in menswear but very wearable, perhaps because it’s close enough to shades of denim. 

The three-quarters sleeve, equally, is unusual but I find sporty and flattering. It looks much more like a beaten-up sweat than the feminine associations I can imagine readers worrying about. It even convinced me to cut down an old sweat that had too-short sleeves. (But it does come in long-sleeve too if you prefer.)

Connolly cotton/linen popover

£350

A reader asked recently about the fit of a ready-made shirt I was wearing. I still wear MTM shirts most of the time but the fabrics are so limited, particularly with more casual styles, that I often wear RTW for less formal shirts. I’d been looking for a really dark navy summer shirt material, for example, and not found anything I liked, until I found this inky cotton/linen popover at Connolly. 

If I was having it made, I’d have that chest pocket a little smaller, and if it wasn’t a casual summer popover I’d have the body tapered. But otherwise it’s great, with a good collar height on me and the right sleeve length. There are also two shades of pink - one very subtle, one very bright - alongside this navy. 

Post O’Alls madras shirt

£210

I’m always surprised how few checked, or even just brightly patterned shirts I like. Browsing a long rail of vintage checked shirts in the Real McCoy’s archive recently, there wasn’t a single one I liked; they always seem too strong, too stark. 

This madras-style summer shirt from Post O’Alls is an exception - pretty much the only check I like among the current Clutch shirts as well. It’s probably because of the number of soft colours, plus the iKat-style stripes that soften it further. 

As above with the Connolly shirt this is a casual piece, not necessarily something I’d wear with tailoring, and I would perhaps have the body tapered if it proved too boxy. 

L.E.J silk 1-pocket officer’s shirt

£375

There’s a bit of a theme of ready-made shirts in this season’s Top 10. We read about L.E.J in Wednesday’s article, where Manish and André showed how they like to wear Luke’s sometimes slightly unusual designs. This is just my endorsement for one of those pieces, the 1-pocket officer’s shirt in cream silk, having bought one myself. 

The collar is lightly made but has enough support to sit well under a collar, and the silk is beautiful. I like the origin story for the chest pocket’s button, which is a different colour to the rest in reference to officer’s shirts that were often mismatched because of a shortage of supplies. But I’d probably prefer one the same colour and might change it. 

Perhaps the theme here is that for a RTW shirt to be anything like MTM, you’ll inevitably have to change something - but there's nothing wrong with that. 

Ralph Lauren summer rollneck

£780

I’ve been looking for a summer sweater with a little rolled neckline like this for a while. Done right, it can be more flattering than a crewneck and add a little touch to something quite plain, but most are too high or wide for me; this one from Purple Label is perfect. 

It’s also the perfect shade of cream and has a lovely hand (a good example of using synthetic to give body to a pretty open cotton knit), but is predictably expensive. One for a treat one day, or try to get in the sale. 

Bryceland’s rayon scarf

£135

The rayon scarves that Ethan and Kenji wear always seemed a little too quirky for me, but I recently tried a new black version with a subtle diamond pattern and found it much easier. It’s nice under a jacket, perhaps over a crewneck or T-shirt when you want something against the collar, and as a small, slightly dandyish touch in an evening outfit. 

The rayon will wrinkle if you tie it, but I rarely do that and it’s not too hard to press if you do. The UK website says it’s sold out of them, but actually there are some in the London store. And the non-UK site (shipping from Hong Kong to everywhere else in the world, linked to above) also has some. 

Canadian Sweater, at Beige

€590

This is last on the list because it’s not Spring/Summer, but I only got one recently and it’s the first longer cowichan-type knit I’ve really liked. I’ve also been wearing it a lot as outerwear, whenever it’s been cold. 

It’s a very traditional piece. Coarse, thick wool, chunky brass zip; very warm but only a luxury piece in the fact it’s hand-knitted. The length covers the bum, but there’s a two-way zip that I always use to leave it fastened just around the waist and perhaps the chest. 

It’s also a great example of how good Beige is at curating its range. There’s a very wearable cream, pictured, some more traditional styles for those that like that, and a very funky butterfly version that sold out quickly. 

Long-term readers will be familiar with my passion for Hermes silk scarves, which I’ve often bought over the years as a treat, and of which I now have a small collection (nine of them, since you ask). 

I’ve found particular enjoyment this winter wearing one as an accessory with an otherwise plain outfit, as here. I rarely wear a tie or handkerchief these days, and feel self-conscious with gloves sticking out of the breast pocket. 

Somehow a silk scarf doesn’t have that feeling. Perhaps because I’ve literally never seen a man wearing one outside of Paris (and even that was in the Hermes HQ) so it’s unusual and personal. And perhaps because those gloves or a Drake’s silk feel more common (within the echo chamber of #menswear).

The immense advantage of a scarf like this is that it is both decorative and protective. It can be simply draped, as above, or tied close around the neck, providing protection from the elements. 

Silk doesn’t seem that warm, being cold to the touch, but it’s a decent insulator and very good at blocking the wind, which is why they were originally worn by cyclists. A strip of folded silk can also be tucked into a crewneck, as below, for something warm but subtler. And if it gets too hot, it’s light enough to be tucked in a pocket. 

I’ve been saying for a while that I’d make a video demonstrating tying techniques, and I apologise to readers for not doing so. It’s so much more time-consuming than writing an article, at least if you want to produce it to a particular level. 

However, the way the scarf is worn in here is pretty simple. Have a look at the Hermes site for anything that begins by creating a strip, and then either let it drape or tie it, with a simple over-and-under once or twice.

The model is the classic 90x90cm women’s silk - or rather, a scarf from the women’s collection. I think we’re all broad-minded enough to accept that pieces can cross over, especially in something as understated as navy. 

The men’s designs are usually just as bold anyway, simply with fewer bright colours. They’re also nearly all in silk/cashmere, while I prefer silk. 

The one advantage of the men’s range is that they are 100cm squares, which create a strip long enough to tuck behind the waist button of a fastened jacket. The 90cm ones are just about OK, but as my preferred waist-button position has lowered over time, they have started working loose sometimes. 

The key with finding a good piece from the women’s Hermes range is to look out for designs in dark colours. There are rarely more than a couple a season, but they do change completely each time so there are always new options coming through.

I like the Hermes ones for their designs, but also for their quality. A surprising number of designer brands use digital printing rather than the dye-and-discharge method, which is more expensive but creates images that more precise and vibrant. 

The biggest reason for using digital printing is you can create more intricate designs, including shading. That’s why Hermes designs are often quite bold, like the Drake’s scarves that so many have become fond of over the years. 

If anyone would like to know more about those processes, you can see detailed reports on PS on the Adamley printing facility in England, where many of the Drake’s designs were created, and on the very different - enormous, modern - Hermes facility in Lyon. 

I’m sure visiting the latter is another reason I feel fond of the Hermes silks, and am always playing around with ways to wear them. 

The navy coat here is by Ettore de Cesare, but I’ll review that in a couple of weeks. 

For now, it’s the triple-navy combination that I find interesting. To be honest, I really like it but struggle to analyse why, in my usual fashion. 

The jacket was covered previously here, and is by Solito in a tweedy Fox cloth. The trousers have been shown here, and are the old Fox serge. The knit is our Finest Crewneck in superfine merino (making a long-overdue return to the Shop in a few weeks). 

They’re all different textures of wool, all slightly different shades of navy. 

Now I wouldn’t normally wear a jacket and trousers together in such similar colours, because they risk looking like a mismatched suit. Yet with this navy knit I like it. 

I also don’t normally wear a crewneck under a jacket, because a shirt seems more flattering. Despite a previous post here, it’s not a combination I’ve found I turn to, yet with all the other navy going on I quite like it. 

If anyone has any thoughts on why it works - or indeed, views that it doesn’t - please do write in. For the moment it pleases me, which is reason enough. 

The loafers are Edward Green, the black Piccadilly in Utah. I’m in two minds about Utah leather: it is more weather-resistant, being waxed, and the hatching is subtle. But it’s hard to shake the suspicion that black calf would be better in a loafer. Certainly the delapré (same with no hatching) is too matte and plain. 

As to the Finest Crewneck, if anyone wants to be on the waiting list please use the form on the product page here. For those who don’t know what the hell it is, see the original post from 2017. 

All other questions, shout as normal below.

 

The popular PS Watch Caps and exclusive Arran scarves from Begg & Co - introduced last year - have just been restocked on the PS Shop, with two additional colours.

It was a real struggle last year to get things in on time, with delays not just with the mills but the spinners and raw materials. Everything stacked up, amounting to weeks of delay. 

So this year we’ve tried to get ahead of ourselves, and some of these Autumn/Winter PS staples are arriving now, rather than say November. We’ve also ordered more, so hopefully they’ll be available through into the new year. 

First to arrive was the Bridge Coats a couple of weeks ago, now the scarves and hats, and the Wax Walkers will be arriving soon too. 

I’m really proud of how popular the watch caps have become, and now see them regularly around in London.

The simple pitch of a smaller size that sits neatly on the head, and therefore looks more put together, seems to appeal to guys that need to wear something, but aren’t going to wear a fedora or a baseball cap. It’s nice that it rolls up in a pocket easily too. 

This year we’ve added black to the mix, which probably won’t surprise readers given how much of that (non-)colour I’ve been showing recently. 

I see the black as a direct swap for navy - one which will be smart and dark, but actually suit some colours more, such as the colder and more muted ones we’ve spoken about in the past (dark olives, cold browns, greys, taupes). 

You can see that particularly in the images above and below, where the black watch cap is worn with the very dark-brown Wax Walker. It’s better there than navy would be, and that’d be the same with the brown Donegal Coat too. 

The scarves were an interesting one. I wasn’t sure how well they’d do, given they were just colours in the classic Begg & Co ‘Arran’ quality that the company didn’t offer, or had discontinued. 

But we ended up scrambling a second order in January as the first batch all sold out in a couple of weeks. 

I assume that was partly because I’ve talked about and worn the Arran so much over the years, and readers identified with the lack of a darker navy or olive green in the rest of the Begg collection - which, to be fair, has to straddle a range of customers from everyday to high fashion, male and female. 

Inspired by that success, this year I spent a while going through all the other yarns that weren’t being offered in Begg’s collection. 

There were a few I liked, and perhaps some of them will make an appearance in the future. But my favourite was the ‘clay’ grey you see above. 

One issue I have with wearing dark, muted colours, is that everything can become a little washed out - too black-and-white. It’s one reason a cream shirt might look better with black tailoring, for example - as here with black cords. 

In shoes, Alden’s Color 8 cordovan does the same job. It can be worn in pretty much every situation where you’d otherwise wear black shoes. But dark as Color 8 is, it’s not black. There is some pigmentation in there, some richness. 

This clay colour does the same with grey. It still works in any situation where you’d normally wear a grey scarf, but it also adds warmth to those very tonal combinations. You can see this particularly with white shirts (as pictured).

One more way to put it - it’s like the grey high-twist suitings I like from Drapers. There’s some brown in that grey. 

The scarves are available on the PS Shop now in clay, dark navy and olive (last two pictured above). 

The watch caps - also made in Scotland, by Johnston’s of Elgin - are now available in five colours. Historical shots of those also below.

We have had to put up prices very slightly this year, to reflect our increasing costs. But as always, this is the only reason we put them up and we are always up front about it. 

Any questions on that or the merits of a particular colour, just drop me a line in the comments below. For the rest of what’s coming up, when, see last week’s Autumn/Winter summary.

At the beginning of each season recently (spring/summer, autumn/winter) we've been sending out summaries of upcoming products to PS Shop customers. These go to anyone on a waiting list for a product, and anyone that has signed up to marketing emails when buying something.

They have proved very popular, with people asking in advance when the summary is coming, so they can plan their purchases.

The problem is, Lucas on the support team then receives scores of (very polite) questions asking for follow-up information. I am also aware of a few readers that weren’t aware that this email existed, and were interested. 

So. From now on this summary will also be here on PS. It means everyone can see it, and it means any questions can be asked and answered in the comments. 

Please keep in mind that the release dates are a little vague, and can change. Particularly given how backed-up every factory is at the moment, following the demand wave after Covid. 

Also, if I or Lucas are a little vague with details on any product, it’s not because we’re trying to create our own little hype-machine. 

It’s just that some things are decided late, or we’re not quite sure how they’re going to turn out until we see a final product. And we don’t want to say anything that’s inaccurate, or leave anyone disappointed. 

Finally, perennial products like the PS Oxfords and Friday Polos are not included because they are being restocked regularly. They will certainly be available again sometime in this period. 

Please do leave any questions at all in the comments below. 

AUGUST

Bridge Coat - This has just been recently restocked on the shop (above)

Linen Harrington - Just recently restocked too

PS Harris Tweed  - Restocked last week

New PS Shetland Tweed - Launched last week (top image)

• This is the oatmeal-coloured shetland tweed I made a jacket with previously with B&Tailor, but Holland & Sherry discontinued. I have brought it back as it was one of my favourites - so versatile

SEPTEMBER

Wax Walker - Restock

PS Trench Coat - Coming in olive green (above) once again. And restock in navy

Donegal Coat

• New navy colour
• Pre-ordered coats to be delivered
• Restock of some brown and grey herringbone coats (using cloth left over from pre-orders)

Watch Caps - Restock, with new black 

PS Scarves - Restock, with a new warm grey 

OCTOBER

Reversible suede jacket - New version launching

• I've worked with Private White to produce a new, improved version of the reversible suede jacket, taking some elements from the popular linen Harrington

Cashmere Rugby - Restock, and new navy colour (above)

Tapered T-Shirt - Restock of existing colours, and possible new colour, to be confirmed

Dartmoor - Restock and new colour to be confirmed 

NOVEMBER

Indulgent Shawl Cardigan - (Above) restock and new black

PS Oxfords - New stripes 

Shearling jacket - New version with Cromford Leather

• A cool new development, building on the existing shearling jacket, but a slightly more casual and affordable design. RTW and MTM through Cromford as before

By Tony Sylvester

Roughly three years ago I wrote a piece for the Drake’s in-house magazine Common Thread. Given a free rein on any subject I wanted to talk about, I’d started ruminating on the similarities between French and English style, one of the prompts for which had been the recent announcement that Drake’s would be launching ‘a store within a store’ at Beige Habilleur, in Paris’s 16th arrondissement.  

Beyond the obvious benefits to both brand and store, I started thinking about both the commonalities and differences in menswear either side of La Manche. For despite the historical focus on Italian, American and British style, relatively little time - in the English language at least - had been spent on the French approach to sartorial matters. 

Times have changed a lot since then. The French magazine l’Etiquette is available in English these days, and last year Reginald-Jerome De Mans published Swan Song: an entertaining collection of essays on French makers and clothing establishments. Witty, romantic and often pessimistic (with a suitably Proustian allusion in its title) De Mans, an American who spent time in Paris as a student, ruminates on the disappearing world of French craftsmanship and style.

As soon as the book landed, I cracked it open to the chapter on Left Bank institution Arnys (above). Keener readers will already know of the now defunct brand; Simon covered them in the early days of PS, and they cropped up in my article last year on artists’ clothing. 

The brand was swallowed up by LVMH-owned fancy-shoe providers Berluti back in 2013, a decision perhaps more motivated by their enviable retail position on Rue De Sèvres rather than their sartorial output, yet Arnys still holds a firm sway over menswear enthusiasts. 

The brand fascinates me greatly. I was a little late to the party, missing out on the store in its heyday, so trips to Paris often involve wild goose chases in pursuit of vintage pieces or nuggets of information to help me flesh out my knowledge (and collection). This past Spring, I was lucky enough to sit down with one of the men responsible for a great deal of the visual appeal of the Arnys, the head designer and director of style for 30 years, Dominique Lelys (below). 

I’m clearly not the only person besotted with the world of Arnys. One look at the stratospheric prices for their signature pieces on resale bears this out. So, how did they gain such a reputation? 

Farid Chanoune’s bible on French style, A History Of Men’s Fashion, makes just one fleeting mention of the brand, referring to them as “a purveyor of French-style English fashion since the early 50s” and no more. Considering how much space he devotes to others long forgotten and sunk into obscurity, this strikes me as odd. Does the veneration of Arnys not run as far back as I’d been led to believe?

The store was opened in 1933 by two sons of a Ukrainian tailor, Leon and Albert Grimbert. Their arrival in the heart of the Left Bank coincided with their neighourhood’s reputation as the outpost of the new class of intellectuals, writers and artists. This was thanks to cheap rents and a café-based salon des idées culture on the surrounding streets. 

The clothes sold at Arnys contributed to this new cultural force, helping in some part to give rise to the ‘BoBo’ (Bohemian Bourgoisie) look and mindset, in direct contrast to the more mainstream ‘BCBG’ (good style, good class) attitude on the other side of the Seine (below). 

Post war, one of the many cultural luminaries Arnys dressed was actor Philippe Noiret (above). His traditional yet eccentric dress caught the eye of a young student, Dominique Lelys, who ventured into Arnys hoping to emulate his sartorial hero on his meagre income. 

“I was working at Ralph Lauren doing their windows, as my background was interior design.’ Mr Lelys explains. “When I quit architecture school, I went to Hermes, but we didn’t really match. 

“I had met Jean Grimbert (son and nephew of the original founders) because I was already a customer at Arnys, and he said he wanted to see what I was doing. I showed him my designs and he said ‘please make me a tie collection’. So I started with them - it was 1983. After that he decided to hire me as a director of style.” 

“My style is very personal. When I was 10 years old my father, who was very keen on languages, decided to send me to England for a year. So I went to Barnstaple, in Devonshire, where I stayed with a family. I went to school, I learnt to play cricket, I learnt to play rugby, which I was very fond of. I understood very quickly the understatement, the English mentality and sensibility. I was very fond of this typical old England with its tweed and its kilts.

“I am French, and my father was very very French. So when I grew up he told me, you can keep what you’ve learnt but you have to adapt it to your nationality. So I made a mix: I know all the codes, sometimes I break them, sometimes I respect them. But I try to be what I am: A French man who went to school in England, who has two cultures. I have English friends and Scottish friends, but I’m too busy to travel these days. I think that England is gone.” 

It is easy to see what impressed the house boss in Lelys’ eye for design - he gave a distinctive Escher-like feel to his repeating patterns in autumnal palettes, with motifs resonant of the good life; hunting, drinking. The ties became one half of the story for the renewed, revamped energy of the brand. 

The final piece of the puzzle was an odd jacket in their archives: the so-called Forestière, originally made for the French-Swiss architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, aka Le Corbusier. 

“The first Forestière for Corbusier was quite different to the model that everybody knows,” Lelys says, upending all the wisdom I’d heard about the jacket’s history. “It had padding and was quite straight. I saw one prototype when I began to work at Arnys. We decided to take the padding out and to lower the shoulder, just to see how it worked. 

“It was an immediate success. Once we relaunched in the eighties, it became the best seller for Arnys, accounting for 50% of their sales. When we saw that this jacket was successful, we decided to make other offerings in the same vein and say “let’s go”. 

And go they did. By the late nineties Arnys catalogues (above) were full of wild and wonderful pieces inspired by vintage military and equestrian coats, and all sorts of aristocratic clobber recalling a pre-revolutionary ancien régime mentality (for a reference, consider the painting above of Baron de Thiers).

It was unique, wonderfully eccentric and often a little daft. 

I was speaking to Lelys in the home of his latest venture. We’re sitting on tweed sofas in the offices of Artumes & Co, a young French brand taking some of its cues from l’esprit d’Arnys but with a slightly greater focus on hunting. 

The founders Thomas and Nicholas Drach’s father ran the English shooting brand Holland & Holland for their French paymasters Chanel in the nineties, and that country-sports influence is front and centre in Artumes. It was almost inevitable that Lelys teamed up with them. 

“My silk maker said to me there is a company called Artumes & Co who do exactly the same thing as you do, and he showed me one design that looked a lot like one I had done for Arnys,” says Lelys. “So I called them up…now we are friends,” he laughs. 

“When Arnys sold to Berluti, many of the old makers just carried on making the same designs that I had made with them. But that legitimate heritage belongs to me, so I’m very lucky to have found this world of Artumes to continue. I have brought my know-how to them, but they also have their identity. So I manage both and it matches very easily. I am home.”

Lelys is more interested in continuity than simple repetition of old formulas, so the two developments he made at Arnys are updated here in new, adapted forms. 

His trademark patterns are present in the Tourdesoi (above), a series of lightweight scarves taking on the same role as his old tie range - brightening outfits and creating the visual interest between the lapels, albeit in a relaxed manner more reflective of the new brand’s ethos. 

In lieu of the Forestière, he has developed the arTeba. Based on the Spanish hunting jacket the Teba, it has been recut, nipped at the waist, cut higher at the armhole and longer in the skirt. In checked tweeds and bright corduroy, it’s a natural heir in look and mood to the Forestière’s considerable charms.
 

Unfortunately for me, its narrower, slimmer cut is not a good match, as part of the Forestière’s personal appeal was its oversized ‘anti’ fit.

I leave with a notebook full of acquired wisdom, but without a replacement model for my beloved Forestière - something I had hoped to find at Artumes. 

Hopefully another of Paris’s more interesting stores will be able can help a little in that regard. More on that next time. 

Photography: Alex Natt. Below, Thomas Drach (left) and Dominique Lelys

Anatomica is one of my favourite shops in Paris.

It’s unique, with a range of menswear that’s often exclusive to them - whether under their brand or others’ - and always centred around quality.

In fact it has such a reputation - often driven by Pierre Fournier’s history in menswear - that first-time visitors can initially be disappointed. There doesn’t seem to be that much to see: simply a large rack of Alden shoes, some knitwear and a few knives. 

But for anyone that loves classic menswear and craft, there is an immense amount here to burrow into. 

The obvious example is the range of Alden shoes, which are largely made on an unusual last you find almost nowhere else: the modified last. 

This has an almost orthopaedic shape, with a slim waist and bulging joints, and is made more unusual by Pierre and Charles’s insistence on fitting people in larger sizes than they would normally wear. 

I’ll go into more detail on that in a separate article, because there’s so much to explore. But it’s worth mentioning here because it's representative of Anatomica’s approach to clothing: classic menswear where comfort and function (being ‘anatomical’) are always insisted upon. 

It’s equally typical of Anatomica that they stock Alden in three widths - B, C and D - where most shoe shops only stock one. The entire basement is full of them. 

Outside the shop, there are two signs extending into Rue du Bourg Tibourg. One is the cut-out silhouette of an Alden lace-up. The other is a Birkenstock. 

Anatomica sold Birkenstocks long before they became popular (again) and they do so uniquely (again), offering the sandals in both a narrow and mostly regular fitting. Nearly all of those other Birkenstock stores and stockists just have the narrow.

The other major line of footwear on sale, vulcanised canvas shoes under the in-house brand name Wakouwa, is similar. These are now made in Taiwan - after years of being made in Japan - because it’s the only place that will make them to Anatomica’s specifications, which includes a similarly slim waist to the modified last. 

Those shoes also illustrate how much bigger Anatomica’s reputation is than the store might suggest: half of the shoes are in bright dyed colours, from a collaboration with Issey Miyake.

When it comes to style, what Pierre and Charles were wearing the day Alex and I visited (pictured top) shows the elegant yet practical aesthetic quite well.

It’s similar in some ways to a brand like Margaret Howell. But Anatomica is more refined, more rooted in tailoring. It’s much more a look I can get on board with. 

Pierre (above) established his reputation in the 70s and 80s with the shops Globe and Hemisphere. Globe in particular was a pioneer among multi-brand stores, and brought everyone from Rocky Mountain Featherbed to Levi’s to Paris. 

His policy since establishing Anatomica (in 1994) has been to buy brands that still deliver traditional quality (such as Jamieson’s, John Smedley and alpaca-specialist Lemmermayer) but when they don’t, to make clothes under the Anatomica label, mostly in France. 

So there are reversible raglan coats, for example, which follow a style Pierre used to get from Burberry, but which they haven’t made for years. Important for him is the canvas, which isn’t fused to the front but loose between the two sides. You can open the bottom of the coat and see it inside, attached only to the front edge. 

And there are shetland sweaters in a knit that is denser and finer than most I’ve seen, with a seamless construction and narrow saddle shoulder. 

Many of the Anatomica clothes are more unusual than these, though, and a little less contemporary in design. They include high-waisted heavyweight corduroy trousers with a fishtail back, and short jackets with band collars, as well as more classic workwear blazers. 

Most of these pieces can be seen on the Japanese Anatomica website, and that’s what I’ve linked to above. The French version is currently not running, although it’s fair to say ecommerce is not a priority for anyone.

The reason there is a Japanese site is that in 2008 Pierre started working with Kinji Teramoto, and there are now five Anatomica stores in Japan. 

The partnership led to an expansion of the Anatomica ethos to include more American styles (Teramoto’s passion) and more Japanese manufacturing. The jeans and canvas shoes are the most obvious results in Paris. 

I visited the first Japanese Anatomica store in Tokyo (below) back in 2019, and covered it here. It’s a little confusing as a customer, because the offering can be quite different. There is less Alden, more Anatomica product, and less of the European workwear. 

But that does also make the store more of a destination, which of course is a big part of the attraction of Paris. 

My favourite pieces in the Paris store are often the little accessories. 

There is a small range of knives, for example, which are all handmade and well-priced. My first berets, in a neat make and Basque style, were also bought here (seen in this shoot).

And they carry a range of Japanese cloths called Tenugui, which were traditionally used for washing, but can be used for everything from pouches to bandanas. They often buy large pieces of the fabric and then cut them to length themselves. 

The bandanas start quite raw, but soften up with a couple of washes, as well as fading nicely. You can see my brown one worn here. 

On this most recent trip, my discovery was the Lemmermayer cardigans, and I ended up buying a black, one-ply model (below). 

Rather like mohair, the alpaca is very warm, even as a fine knit, and I like the fact that the one-ply is rather unusual, being ever so slightly see-through. 

To be honest, Anatomica might be one of my favourite shops in the world. 

I think it’s because I feel quite keenly the lack of other, similar stores today. Ones that have a specific aesthetic, single level of quality, and which you can’t find in every major city - even often online. 

Somehow that focus and inaccessibility seems to go hand-in-hand with experienced staff, and products that are around season after season. And if that means you don’t get a salesman’s grin and greeting as you enter, or only get to see the products once every couple of years, that's a price I’m quite happy to pay. 

Many thanks to Charles and Pierre for their time, coffee and detailed sketches of foot shapes. 

www.anatomica.fr (currently closed) and @anatomica_paris_flagship_store are the online homes, with most actual information on anatomica.jp. Pierre himself is @Pierre.Anatomica 

Photography: Alex Natt @adnatt

My favourite ever scarf is the Arran model from Begg. 

Over the years you will have seen me wear it with everything, from a Western hat to a baseball cap, a polo coat to a tweed jacket (examples at those links).

Outside of some lightweight ones and my beloved Hermes squares, I have worn nothing else for a decade or more. 

But there were still a couple of frustrations I had with them. 

The key one was colour. Although Begg offer the scarf in 32 different shades, there isn't a real menswear navy - just a strong, almost royal blue. It doesn't look right with a navy blazer or coat. (I've tried.)

Then a few years ago, they discontinued one of my favourite colours: the mid-green they call 'army'. It's still available in other models, but not the Arran.

So earlier in the year I decided to try and order both of them myself, so they could be sold through the PS shop. 

The other niggle I had with the Arran was more minor, and actually Begg went some way towards fixing it a few years ago. 

I wear scarves with a jacket a lot. In a temperate climate like the UK, a scarf and varying weights of jacket can get you through many months of the year. 

The problem is that, unless you use a rather complicated knot, most scarves stick out some way below the bottom of a jacket. Even when tied, they protrude below the waist button like some kind of weird sporran. 

I tried various affected ways of dealing with this - like the aforementioned knots, and sweeping the fringes back with my hand when I put my hand in my pocket. But they all felt a bit silly. 

The truth is most scarves are just too long for a jacket. And actually, I don't think they necessarily need to be that long with anything. 

A shorter length is still enough to wrap twice around your neck when it's particularly cold, and easily tie. Is anyone doing more than that?

Begg, in their wisdom, are offering a smaller size, which is 160cm long rather than 183cm. But again, not in dark navy or Army.

The two scarves we're offering, therefore, are in this length. I think it looks much better with a jacket (as shown above) and you only lose some material that would be dangling around your hips otherwise.

Plus it's a bit cheaper, which is always welcome (£170, including VAT, rather than £260).

The reasons the Arran has always been my favourite are the quality of the cashmere, the density of the weave and the 'ripple' finish. 

This finish is created by brushing a rack of dried plants called teasels (above) carefully across the surface. You can do this with a textured metal plate, but that loses some of the natural variation of the plant heads. 

Other mills also use teasels (on jacket materials as well as scarves) but the effect never seems as nice. It would take more of a technician than me - and perhaps a covert visit to the Begg mill - to say why. 

I guess the reason doesn't really matter. The important point is these are the best I've found and it's fantastic to be able to have them in both my favourite colours and length. 

Apart from shades of grey, I think dark navy and green are probably the two most useful colours of scarf in a smart menswear context. 

Navy is the smartest colour of all, and goes both with all shades of grey and with itself, alongside many browns, greens and cream.

In the outfit above, I think it really brings the jacket-and-trouser combination together. This may be because it helps replace the necktie that an outfit like this might often have had. It adds textural interest, plus another colour, and creates a similar vertical line.

As fewer people wear handkerchiefs or ties, adding a scarf like that can make a big difference.

The jacket is my herringbone tweed from The Anthology, the trousers are a pale-beige cotton from Dalcuore, and the shirt is a blue shadow stripe from Simone Abbarchi.

The green, on the other hand, is my perfect autumn colour. 

It's great with greys and navy too of course, but this olive-y green is particularly beautiful with more casual colours like beige, brown and tan.

Best of all is a tobacco-coloured suede like the shirt jacket pictured above, from Connolly (covered in a separate article).  

Put that with a grey crewneck and brown-suede boots, and you can almost see the multicoloured leaves drifting down around you. (Sorry, getting a bit carried away.)

In order to show how it looks with other outfits, I've also included some old images at the bottom of this post of me wearing the same colour.

(Those were in a different type of scarf from Begg. The lack of them in my favourite cashmere, colours and quality has led to a good few compromises over the years, such as those other types in 'Army'. No more!)

The two PS Arran scarves are available on the Permanent Style shop here.

I shouldn't have to mention that they make great birthday and (if you're reading this in November) Christmas gifts. But there you are, I have. Thank you as ever for your support. 

Details: 

• 100% high-quality cashmere 
• Woven by Begg & Co in Ayr, Scotland
• Measures 30cm by 160cm
• Only available through the PS shop, not through Begg
• Ships from London
• Price same as Begg's in the same size, £170 (including VAT, £142 without)

Photography: Alex Natt @adnatt