Journal
What we've learned about suits
No jargon and nothing to sign up for. How a jacket should sit, what the numbers on a cloth mean, how to keep wool looking new, and what to wear when it matters.
Cloth2 min read
Canvas, half canvas, fused: what's inside a jacket
The layer you never see is what gives a jacket its shape, and what decides whether it still has that shape in five years.
Style2 min read
Flat front or pleats?
Pleats spent twenty years out of favour and are quietly back. Which you want depends on your build and how you sit.
Fit2 min read
How much break should your trousers have?
The fold where trousers meet your shoes. Too much looks sloppy, none at all is a statement — most people want a little.
Care2 min read
How often should you dry clean a suit? Less than you think
Dry cleaning is harsh on wool. Two or three times a year is plenty for a suit in regular rotation.
Care2 min read
How to look after a wool suit
Three habits — rest it, brush it, hang it properly — will double how long a suit looks new. None of them costs anything.
Fit2 min read
How to measure your chest, and the three mistakes people make
One tape, one deep breath out, and a level line. The mistakes are easy to make and easy to avoid.
Style2 min read
Is a waistcoat worth it?
A three-piece gives you two suits for not much more money, and one occasion where it is close to essential.
Style2 min read
Made to measure, bespoke, off the rack: the honest difference
Three words used loosely by almost everyone selling suits. Here is what separates them, and what each is worth paying for.
Fit2 min read
Measured by a tailor, or at home?
Both work. One takes twenty minutes in a shop, the other twenty minutes in your bedroom with a helper.
Style2 min read
Navy or charcoal for a first suit?
Both are right. Navy is the more useful of the two for most people, and here is the reasoning.
Style2 min read
Notch, peak or shawl: choosing a lapel
Three shapes, and each says something slightly different. Most people should pick notch, and here is why the other two exist.
Style2 min read
Single or double breasted?
A double-breasted jacket is not harder to wear than it used to be. It is just less forgiving about when you unbutton it.
Occasions2 min read
Suits for a wedding party: a timeline
Coordinating several people takes longer than anyone plans for. Work backwards from the day and build in slack.
Cloth2 min read
Super 110s, 120s, 130s: what the number actually means
The Super number describes how fine the wool fibre is — not how good the cloth is, and certainly not how long it will last.
Fit2 min read
The shoulders decide everything
Almost every other part of a jacket can be altered. The shoulders can't, which is why they are the first thing to get right.
Style2 min read
Vents: side, centre or none
The slits at the back of a jacket. They decide what happens when you put your hands in your pockets or sit down.
Fit2 min read
What does 40R actually mean?
A number, a letter, and a lot of assumptions bundled in behind them.
Style2 min read
What shirt and tie go with a navy suit?
A short list of combinations that always work, and the one rule that makes the rest obvious.
Occasions2 min read
What to wear to a summer wedding
The invitation rarely tells you enough. Here is how to read it, and what actually works when it is eighty-five degrees.
Occasions2 min read
What to wear to an interview
The aim is to be remembered for what you said. Everything below is in service of that.
Ready when you are
Everything here applies to any suit. If you'd like one cut to your own measurements, it takes about ten minutes to design.
Design your suit