A shopping guide to ready-made trousers

October 26th 2022

By Manish Puri If my years of reading Permanent Style have taught me anything, it’s that few things make a man look better than a tailored jacket. If my years of having eyes have taught me anything, it’s that few things make a man look w...

A shopping guide to ready-made trousers

Match in comments:
Ah, sorry Markus. Yes that is probably the more common way of understanding the term, though in some ways the shop is the supplier to you as well...

TrousersOctober 26th 2022

Trousers and what they go with: A sliding scale o...

September 26th 2022

When we published our second capsule guide to trousers recently, there was a discussion in the comments as to their smartness - and a request for an article setting it out. Now, trousers vary in more than just their material, so this will always be...

Trousers and what they go with: A sliding scale o...

Match in comments:
Potentially, yes, but you'd want the trousers to be more casual - so no tailored, not so fine. Maybe with something like a seam on the bottom, like a chino would have....

TrousersSeptember 26th 2022

Summer Top 10: Polos, more polos, and espadrilles

July 6th 2022

I wasn’t going to do a ‘high summer’ version of our seasonal Top 10. After all, the spring edition back in April included such things as panama hats and boat shoes. But everyone’s stock has been arriving so late that the int...

Summer Top 10: Polos, more polos, and espadrilles

Match in comments:
A late comment on this, but... When you're paying for a small, niche brand like Rubato, part of what you're paying for is the quality and design. Quality here doesn't always mean durability or hand finishing (though thos...

Casual clothing - ShoesJuly 6th 2022

If you only had five pairs of (casual) trousers

July 4th 2022

  I began the companion piece to this one – looking at smart trousers – by saying that it was the hardest chapter to write in our Wardrobe Building series . I was right. I thought this one would be harder, but it’s...

If you only had five pairs of (casual) trousers

Match in comments:
I think it's a little personal, but five-pocket trousers like that, to me, seem a little stuck between two worlds. They're neither smart nor casual, and I would always prefer either jeans or more tailored cords. They jus...

TrousersJuly 4th 2022

Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...

June 22nd 2022

This brown wool/silk/linen jacket was made in a lightweight model that Savile Row tailor Dege & Skinner introduced last year. It has a thin shoulder pad and no chest canvas, unlike their normal tailoring. I can directly compare the differen...

Dege & Skinner lightweight summer jacket: Re...

Match in comments:
It's mostly good with neutrals - so also grey, charcoal, black. But I have also worn it with a darker brown and a pale beige. With those latter too it all depends on the particular shade...

Jackets - TrousersJune 22nd 2022

Brut Archives, Paris: Evolving vintage

May 30th 2022

Brut is an interesting French brand, and store. Since it was founded by Paul Ben Chemhoun (below) in 2012, it has evolved from a vintage shop, into a home for rescued and reworked clothing, and now its own brand. When I visited earlier this year wi...

Brut Archives, Paris: Evolving vintage

Match in comments:
I don't think that many people have a local army dumpstore, and it certainly doesn't have an online presence. It takes a good amount of time and money to be able to provide that kind of access to those products. Plus, in...

Casual clothing - TrousersMay 30th 2022

Introducing: The olive overshirt (and Summer rest...

May 13th 2022

This is the new colour of the PS Linen Overshirt - a pale olive green. I love it, but it is a touch unusual so I thought it was worth shooting with different colours, just to illustrate how I think it can work particularly nicely. The overshirt is ...

Introducing: The olive overshirt (and Summer rest...

Match in comments:
Interesting, OK understood...

Shirts - TrousersMay 13th 2022

The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender

April 20th 2022

It’s that time of the year again. Brands have been receiving all the spring clothing they ordered last year, even though they weren’t quite sure whether it would arrive, or be swallowed by an unexpected lockdown. So rejoice, there are n...

The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender

Match in comments:
Thank you for pointing out carrier company. The jacket was not for me but I came across the fisherman’s jumper. A robust navy roll neck with raglan sleeves - I has been looking for one like this with raglan sleeves for...

Casual clothing - CoatsApril 20th 2022

Mohair cardigans and Rubato chinos

April 15th 2022

These chinos are the Rubato ones I’ve asked them to reissue, which will be available exclusively in the PS pop-up shop on Savile Row next week. They’re not exactly the same as the originals, which were a single pleat where this is a fla...

Mohair cardigans and Rubato chinos

Match in comments:
No problem. And sure, a wider last does make an aesthetic difference too...

Knitwear - TrousersApril 15th 2022

If you only had five (smart) trousers

March 28th 2022

  Of all the articles I’ve written in our Wardrobe Building series, this might be the hardest. Even if we’re just looking at smart trousers, the pairs that suit somebody will vary hugely with lifestyle and with taste. A pair of w...

If you only had five (smart) trousers

Match in comments:
I'd say most of the top end tailors have all cut very good trousers for me - whether that's Poole, Gieves or Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. There isn't much to separate them...

TrousersMarch 28th 2022

Anatomica, Paris: The clothes and the history

March 23rd 2022

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 - of...

Anatomica, Paris: The clothes and the history

Match in comments:
I realized that my shoe tree issue might be due to the Alden being my first pair in a B widths. I would be thankful for any idea on how to deal with it. I could not find special narrow shoe trees online. J...

Casual clothing - Hanks and scarvesMarch 23rd 2022

Shopping in person at Marrkt, York

March 11th 2022

I was in York last week. It’s where my wife grew up, and I’ve been dozens of times over the years, though not for the past three or four. The centre has a lot more closed shops since Covid; it’s quite sad. But I did notice one big ...

Shopping in person at Marrkt, York

Match in comments:
Thank you for your input!...

Casual clothing - ShirtsMarch 11th 2022

My favourite clothes ever: Awards 2022

January 31st 2022

I have to say, I was really pleased with the reaction to this year’s PS Awards, which were set out here two weeks ago. It’s always nerve-wracking changing the format of a popular series, but after almost 1000 product recommendations from...

My favourite clothes ever: Awards 2022

Match in comments:
Many thanks for that. I'm currently wearing in my new G&G Regent shoes MTO and I tell you, they are a pretty TIGHT fit but already mellowing. Leather stretches afrer all. Should be OK. Tony measured me after all....

Coats - JacketsJanuary 31st 2022

Perro: The collection tried and reviewed

January 10th 2022

I don’t think Per and Rock (below) will mind me saying that when I first saw the products and looks coming from their new brand, Perro , they didn’t have a big impact on me. The two of them - previously at menswear shops Linnegatan 2 an...

Perro: The collection tried and reviewed

Match in comments:
Nice idea, if they or anyone else is up for that kind of very transparent conversation, I'll certainly do something on it. As much as anything, I find human factors are as much a cause as anything. As in, someone's perso...

Casual clothing - KnitwearJanuary 10th 2022

Clutch chinos review: Soundman, Pherrows, Warehou...

November 29th 2021

  This is the latest in a series of articles we are doing on well-made chinos. You can see the previous articles on a contents page here , and listed on the right of this article (on a desktop). Rather than look at one pair that I own, to...

Clutch chinos review: Soundman, Pherrows, Warehou...

Match in comments:
I'd expect it's the different dyes used Martin, that often makes a difference...

Casual clothing - TrousersNovember 29th 2021

Brioni bespoke jacket and trousers: Review

October 13th 2021

This Brioni jacket was made for me under their bespoke programme, using the London store on Bruton Street. We also made a pair of cotton trousers, which I cover lower down, and a shirt. In our previous article , I made the case for Brioni as a besp...

Brioni bespoke jacket and trousers: Review

Match in comments:
Hey Andy, I think this could look really nice at a wedding, yes. Not too business-y. Do have a look at our articles on wedding attire here though. Unlike a lot of events, the dress code is really driven by the bride's fa...

Jackets - TrousersOctober 13th 2021

Autumn/Winter Top 10: Wax, Ivy and secateurs

October 11th 2021

This year’s A/W Top 10 list includes a sprinkling of new names, but a lot of familiar ones too. I don’t think this is unexpected or unwelcome. The world of classic, crafted menswear is not large, primarily because men still don’t ...

Autumn/Winter Top 10: Wax, Ivy and secateurs

Match in comments:
No, they're a 2-ply which is standard yarn for this kind of polo knit. You could wear over a shirt or instead of one. However, they are different to a Smedley or a PS polo, which use much finer merino yarn. This is expla...

Casual clothing - DenimOctober 11th 2021

Real bespoke chinos, in design, cloth and cut

September 29th 2021

  Chinos from tailors never feel like chinos. Why is this? I used to think I knew the answer: the fabrics they used were too fine – dress cottons, made with fine fibres, finished for a sleek look and good drape. Chinos, even lu...

Real bespoke chinos, in design, cloth and cut

Match in comments:
I'd go with typical tailored cotton trousers in that case, yes...

Casual clothing - TrousersSeptember 29th 2021

What would I buy from Massimo Dutti?

September 1st 2021

When is it worth buying the best possible quality, and when can you economise? This, of course, was part of the subject of my book The Finest Menswear in the World , which examined what constitutes ‘quality’ in various categories of clo...

What would I buy from Massimo Dutti?

Match in comments:
Good point, and no, not particularly I'm afraid. I find a similar issue, and often narrow the body but have the same issue with the collar....

Denim - KnitwearSeptember 1st 2021

Blackhorse Lane chinos: Review

July 19th 2021

This review of Blackhorse Lane Ateliers (BLA) chinos might serve two purposes. First, it covers the London maker as part of our ongoing series on chinos - which you can see all chapters of here. And second, it reviews Blackhorse Lane's made-to-mea...

Blackhorse Lane chinos: Review

Match in comments:
Yes, though you can see that from the measurements too...

TrousersJuly 19th 2021

The Real McCoy’s chinos: Review

June 16th 2021

If the last chinos we reviewed in this series were a little more unusual ( from Casatlantic ) then today we’re back with a very good, very everyday pair. Similar in that respect to the first brand we covered - Rubato - just more on the workw...

The Real McCoy’s chinos: Review

Match in comments:
I have tried the Michael many times! And seen it on friends of course as well. To be honest I just don't like the style - I agree, the chunkiness is best with workwear, but that big beef roll just isn't me....

Casual clothing - TrousersJune 16th 2021

PS (shorter) shorts are back

June 9th 2021

The PS Shorts go on sale again today, in the same colours as the past two years: khaki, olive and navy. Thank you to all readers for their patience waiting for the restock. There is only one major change, which is that the shorts are 1.5 inches sho...

PS (shorter) shorts are back

Match in comments:
Not necessarily something black, but something that goes well with black - a dark grey, a dark olive, brown etc...

Casual clothing - TrousersJune 9th 2021

Casatlantic ‘Mogador’ trousers: Review

May 24th 2021

These trousers from young brand Casatlantic deserve to be in our chino series ( previously Rubato ; upcoming Real McCoy’s) by virtue of being cotton twills, in a fairly clean style. But they aren’t your everyday, classic chinos. They&rs...

Casatlantic ‘Mogador’ trousers: Review

Match in comments:
Not really I’m afraid Carl. There are black polos, but not in a similar design...

TrousersMay 24th 2021

Rubato officer’s chinos: Review

May 14th 2021

I've come to really like these Rubato chinos, but it’s worth saying from the outset that they're not the originals. I had them narrowed after a few weeks, as I found the leg too wide. In the thigh it went from 33.5cm to 32cm, and in the hem f...

Rubato officer’s chinos: Review

Match in comments:
Not off the top of my head Shem, no...

Knitwear - TrousersMay 14th 2021

Spring/Summer Top 10: Chores, shirts and sweats

April 30th 2021

1. Drake’s bright-red suede chore jacket £1195 I’ve been asked a few times over the years about these suede chore jackets from Drake’s. Personally I tend to prefer blouson styles, and chore coats in cottons, particularly vint...

Spring/Summer Top 10: Chores, shirts and sweats

Match in comments:
Sure, it's here Henry...

Casual clothing - JacketsApril 30th 2021