A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

November 9th 2022

I’ve been buying and wearing more corduroy in recent years - including the new dark-brown jacket above, from Sartoria Ciardi . I think the reason is that if you’re not dressing for a formal office, worsted is likely to feel out of place...

A guide to corduroy: Colours, wales, fibres, bunches

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True. English tailors tend to favour that way, the Italians the other way (shinier)...

ClothNovember 9th 2022

Pirozzi dupioni-silk jacket: Review 

May 18th 2022

This jacket from Sartoria Pirozzi doesn’t really need a normal review. The point of it was to cover the tailor again because they are now coming to London frequently, having taken a share of a space in Shepherd Market. And it was to check th...

Pirozzi dupioni-silk jacket: Review 

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I assume you'll have that with either, as they don't go to Toronto. If New York is easier, you might need to go with Dalcuore or Solito perhaps...

JacketsMay 18th 2022

An investment dressing gown, made-to-order by Budd

February 4th 2022

Last winter, I spent a good few weeks looking for a dressing gown that would be worth investing in - something luxurious, to last many years but also enjoy at every stage. My existing gown was a towelling model from Anderson & Sheppard, whi...

An investment dressing gown, made-to-order by Budd

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Informative Article!!!!!!!!!!...

February 4th 2022

Introducing: PS Harris Tweed

April 23rd 2021

My favourite Harris Tweed has not been available for a few years now. Originally offered by Holland & Sherry, I was such a fan that I used it for one of my favourite tweed jackets (from Elia Caliendo, below ), a fantastic ulster coat from L...

Introducing: PS Harris Tweed

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Nice point Will...

ClothApril 23rd 2021

Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...

March 8th 2021

Best artisan 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftesbury   I decided to give my Artisan of the Year award this year to Whitcomb & Shaftesbury because, looking back on recent commissions, they have so consistently delivered on quality and v...

Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes...

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Very well fitted, just as well if not better (at least on me). They have fewer hand-sewn details as standard, and usually don't do extended waistbands etc, but they can do those too. I find I prefer a cleaner, well-made ...

TrousersMarch 8th 2021

Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...

October 23rd 2020

My love of bespoke overcoats continues unabated: the thing I was most excited about this Autumn was the prospect of wearing them again. It's annoying that, useful as they are (and arguably today, more useful than a bespoke suit) they are limited to...

Knitwear and necklines – with Ciardi overco...

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Yes that would be right Chris I think. Make sure you specify those finishing points in advance so they don't have to be undone later...

CoatsOctober 23rd 2020

Jean-Manuel Moreau made-to-measure suit: Review

June 10th 2020

Let’s move the conclusion up to the top of this review, just to get it out of the way. This is a great made-to-measure suit. It’s fitted well, styled well and made well, and for me illustrates the pinnacle of what made-to-measure should...

Jean-Manuel Moreau made-to-measure suit: Review

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Thanks, that puts things into perspective....

SuitsJune 10th 2020

The French style of Kenjiro Suzuki (and mute cutt...

May 8th 2020

How do you make sure your best cutter doesn’t leave, taking customers with him? Simple: never let him meet the customers. I’ve always been aware that Smalto, the Parisian tailor, had an unusual system in its cutting room. Unlike most t...

The French style of Kenjiro Suzuki (and mute cutt...

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Well, best to judge trousers on where they sit standing up I think. Have a look at my various suit reviews and you'll get a better sense of the trouser length I like - eg the review of Suzuki's suit is here I'm not sure ...

SuitsMay 8th 2020

The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2019

October 21st 2019

This series started as a way to highlight cloths from the hyper-seasonal collections - usually Italian - that came and went within a few months. The impulse was that readers often saw something I had had made, and asked what the cloth was - but by ...

The best cloths of Autumn/Winter 2019

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The suit or tailoring is whether we like it or not on a decline. Many corporate offices no longer require a suit or even a blazer / jacket unless you are meeting clients. On the street suits and blazer / jackets are rare...

ClothOctober 21st 2019

Blackhorse Lane, Holland and Sherry, Tusting and ...

September 11th 2019

Man, I love the pop-up shop. It's being going so long now that I know exactly what it will be like, and I look forward to the atmosphere, the chats, and the conversations with readers. It's exciting putting your products out carefully on display. It...

Blackhorse Lane, Holland and Sherry, Tusting and ...

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They did, yes. It certainly wouldn't be as long lasting as most suits - it would have to be part of a good-size wardrobe to make sense. Though of course it also depends how heavy the cloth is (fine wools don't have to be...

Bags - ClothSeptember 11th 2019

A guide to high-twist bunches – 2019

July 1st 2019

This is a summary and analysis of the high-twist wools available from different mills and merchants. As with the linen one we did last year, the aim is to set out most of the range so that bespoke customers know if their tailor is missing something...

A guide to high-twist bunches – 2019

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Well, the mills themselves won't vary much in quality, if you know that's what you're after. I haven't looked for mohair for a while though I'm afraid...

ClothJuly 1st 2019

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2019

March 22nd 2019

This is the latest instalment in our series highlighting my favourite new seasonal cloths - providing a heads-up to readers on those that will mostly only be around for six months. It’s interesting to see how the ranges develop. While Cacciopp...

The best cloths of Spring/Summer 2019

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Yes, Zegna isn't as popular as Loro Piana generally, and in my view with good reason - the Zegna ranges have never appealed to me as much. I can't think of one that does have them off the top of my head, but I'm sure som...

ClothMarch 22nd 2019

A guide to linen bunches – 2018

June 15th 2018

This is the second in our series presenting all the cloth bunches currently available for bespoke, summarising what they contain and picking out our favourites. The summaries should help determine which bunches readers need to see, or request. And t...

A guide to linen bunches – 2018

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Even if it's 4 years old, very helpful, this and the "Guide to Cloth" I mean. Thank you, Simon & James, especially for mentioning Dugdale. On their website I saw linen cloth with beautiful colors and patterns, it giv...

ClothJune 15th 2018

Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers

April 18th 2018

If shirts are the items in a man’s wardrobe where he wants most predictability and consistency, then trousers are undoubtedly second. In that spirit, over the past year I have regularly commissioned odd trousers (‘odd’ as in separa...

Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers

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Cheers Dani...

TrousersApril 18th 2018

B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review

February 9th 2018

I had this tweed jacket made by South Korean house B&Tailor over the past 18 months, using Robin Petterson - a Swede who does their fittings in London and at home in Stockholm. Unfortunately, although the end result isn’t too bad (just...

B&Tailor jacket via Robin Pettersson: Review

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Thank you Simon. I appreciate the clarification....

JacketsFebruary 9th 2018

Drape and extended shoulders: The Disguisery

June 21st 2017

Last year I got to know a group called The Disguisery , based in Fitzrovia. (‘Disguisery’ is a collective noun for tailors.) A trouser workshop for many houses on Savile Row, they have been branching out into jackets and suiting, and cre...

Drape and extended shoulders: The Disguisery

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OK... Strangely their Web page is still there.... Thanks anyway.... My heart says to try W&S one day... for a nice pair of FOX MID-GREY flannels or DRAPERS 12oz Ascot 4-PLY high twist for Summer!...

Jackets - TrousersJune 21st 2017

Cavalry twill for trousers

March 22nd 2017

Finding the right material for odd trousers - those worn with sports jackets rather than suits - is not easy. The kind of smooth, worsted cloths you're used to wearing as part of a suit are too sleek and formal. Many cottons, particularly garment-w...

Cavalry twill for trousers

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I have had a grey, but found it a little cold and dull. I'd go for an ecru or something with just a little brown/beige in it, like this...

TrousersMarch 22nd 2017

Harris Tweed waistcoat, Richard James

January 9th 2017

Although we discussed last week that the fit of a jacket is the most important - and flattering - part of tailoring, a waistcoat is in some ways the most satisfying. Of all the tailored garments, it is the one that sits closest to the body, and the...

Harris Tweed waistcoat, Richard James

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I accidentally bought too much of the PS Shetland Tweed. I'm having a jacket made, as planned, and with the excess I'm having a waistcoat made in a similar style to this one. I hope it will prove a nice standalone and la...

JacketsJanuary 9th 2017

The appeal of the cotton suit – bespoke fro...

July 20th 2016

I've always found cotton very appealing for summer suits, but historically haven't had much luck with them. I had a navy one made by Choppin & Lodge, but the make was really too English and structured for the material (my fault, not theirs)....

The appeal of the cotton suit – bespoke fro...

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If it's casual, then my top recommendation would be an olive, a mid-green. Navy is nice but a little smart. After that green I'd look to lighter browns, like this one here...

Cloth - SuitsJuly 20th 2016

Dalcuore bespoke brown Crispaire suit

June 23rd 2016

I was pleasantly surprised by the fit of this bespoke suit from Dalcuore in Naples, given I was a new customer and they were happy with just a single fitting. The jacket was a great fit straight off - clean through the chest, perfect on the shoulde...

Dalcuore bespoke brown Crispaire suit

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Yes I think it is - a really pale pink is nice, as is a sky blue. Also green stripes, yellows, black...

SuitsJune 23rd 2016

The Young Tailors Symposium – discussion

June 21st 2016

Our Young Tailors Symposium last week in Florence - in the beautiful Stefano Bemer atelier - threw up some really interesting areas of discussion. The six tailors all had rather different backgrounds: some trained in completely different fields befo...

The Young Tailors Symposium – discussion

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It varies, but largely yes...

June 21st 2016

The Holland & Sherry cloths I have known

June 3rd 2016

At the Young Tailors Symposium in a couple of weeks, we will have one floor of the Stefano Bemer atelier dedicated to my favourite Holland & Sherry cloths. Holland & Sherry have generously supported the event, and I thought the best...

The Holland & Sherry cloths I have known

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They look fantastic because they seem to have that casual air of chinos, but without the rumpling/creasing. It would be really great if Zegna or another mill could team up with PS to make something like this - like you d...

ClothJune 3rd 2016

Escorial jacket: The modernity of muted colours

April 4th 2016

There are many ways in which you can make a sartorial outfit look younger or more modern. Extremes are always wrong: very short jackets, big puffy shoulders. They just look trendy, for a bit. But aside from the extremes, I would argue proportions...

Escorial jacket: The modernity of muted colours

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I think it would look great in either, and no, I really don't think a cut always looks better in any particular fabric - just different. Eg a fine worsted is more formal and arguably suits a sharper cut. But there is som...

Jackets - StyleApril 4th 2016

Wearing sports jackets and texture: How to dress ...

June 17th 2015

I know that one of the style areas people find most difficult is wearing sports jackets, or separate waistcoats, with everything else: shirt, tie, hank, trousers. I’ve always loved the way Alan at The Armoury wears these things together, ...

Wearing sports jackets and texture: How to dress ...

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How true. Think what you want about the clothes — for me they are more an exercise in fashion rather than style — that said, all is ruined by the phenomena of 'the dodgy barnett '. All of us that are lucky enough to ...

Jackets - June 17th 2015

Pennine Weavers, Yorkshire

April 17th 2013

As I mentioned in my previous post on Yorkshire mills and merchants, Pennine is one of the best independent mills left in the area. It is also the largest worsted weaver in the UK, with 32 Dornier looms, and weaves 30,000-35,000 metres a week (most f...

Pennine Weavers, Yorkshire

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excellent well presented thank you...

ClothApril 17th 2013