Category Archives: Style

In days gone by Jermyn Street, the traditional heart of Britain’s shirt industry, was full of family-owned shirtmakers. Now just one, Harvie & Hudson, remains. We caught up with Richard Harvie, grandson of co-founder Thomas Harvie and current day-to-day manager of the 77 Jermyn Street store, to discuss all things shirt-related. 1) It always struck meContinue reading “An Interview with Richard Harvie of Harvie and Hudson”

If there’s one thing that makes men’s style purists recoil in horror it’s the combination of dark shirts with suits. It’s a look that’s all too frequently seen on TV dramas and in the most fashionable bars and clubs of major cities, but is rarely considered acceptable in traditional office environments. This might be becauseContinue reading “How and When to Wear Dark Shirts”

May is probably my favourite month in terms of weather. There may be the occasional day or two when it rains buckets, but generally the skies are clear, the days warm and the nights comfortably cool. It’s also the perfect time to bring those suede loafers out of winter hibernation. I don’t like wearing socksContinue reading “Loafers and the “Invisible” Sock Dilemma”

If you’re a young chap in your twenties you might very well be slowly working your way up the corporate ladder. If so, chances are you’re in the process of acquiring a decent, respectable work wardrobe. You’ve probably already got at least one navy and a couple of grey suits, and if you’ve followed theContinue reading “The Versatility of the Navy Blazer”

Spring is just around the corner (well, it is for me, at least: for many of you it might be more down the bottom of the road, past the Post Office and left at the traffic lights), and although the wool overcoat will soon be put away spring evenings can still be quite nippy. It’sContinue reading “The Lightweight Cardigan: Perfect Layering Sweater”

Black shoes are easy. You can wear them with grey or navy suits (though personally I find navy with black to be a bit too police-uniformly), and no one will bat an eyelid. It’s no wonder, then, that they remain the footwear of choice for the besuited masses. But black shoes can also be aContinue reading “The Right Shade of Brown Shoe”

As a long-standing fan of magazines, and the men’s magazine market in particular, it saddens me to see almost-monthly articles proclaiming their imminent demise. While it’s true that in recent years some titles, such as Maxim and Arena, suffered a swift and merciless end, others have performed comparatively well: between 2002 and 2009 Esquire UK’s circulation held steady atContinue reading “Japanese Men’s Magazines: Leon vs. Men’s Ex”

Most men have at least a couple of double-cuff – also known as French cuff – shirts in their wardrobe, and at least one set of cufflinks to go with them. For some, cufflinks project an air of stuffiness or formality that limits their use to special occasions like weddings, or to management types whoContinue reading “Silk Knot Cufflinks”

At this time of the year the weather often swings between mild and cool, making the task of choosing an outer layer a difficult one. For days when fine-gauge wool sweaters are too thin, and winter jackets too heavy, consider a shawl-collar cardigan. Unlike merino cardigans and sweaters, shawl-collar cardigans are usually knitted from fairlyContinue reading “Shawl-Collar Cardigans: Wear Them to the Office and on Weekends”

As I watched the chancellor of the exchequer explain the main points of the government’s long-awaited spending review on TV the other day, what struck me most was not the scale of the spending cuts, which I (and probably most people) had expected, but the state of some of the male politicians who booed andContinue reading “Politicians and Their Distinct (Lack of) Style”