The shoulder overhangs
The seam should stop at your shoulder bone. When it hangs past it, the sleeve dents below the shoulder and the whole jacket looks borrowed. Shoulders cannot be altered, so this decides the size.
An independent guide to menswear
Dress well, without the guesswork.
Practical help with fit, size and putting an outfit together, in the relaxed tailored manner of Milan and Naples. Smart casual for the weekend, tailoring for the week. No brands to sell you, only what to look for.
Style check · 4 questions · 1 minute
What should you be wearing?
Answer four quick questions about your build, your week, your weather and the colours you already own. You get a look built for you, the fit points to watch and the three pieces to buy first.
Nothing is stored or sent anywhere. It all stays on this page.
The fit check
Fit matters more than price or label. Check these points in the fitting room, in order from the top down. If the first one is wrong, the rest rarely matter: shoulders can't be altered, almost everything else can.
Fit is right? The next step is putting it together.
Build the look →Spot the difference
The three mistakes we see most. Each one makes a good garment look cheap, and each one is easy to avoid once you know where to look.
The sleeve swallows the hand
A jacket sleeve should end at the wrist bone and show 1 to 1.5 cm of shirt cuff. Too long reads as a size too big, even when the rest fits. Any tailor can fix it in a day.
The trousers pile up
Fabric collapsing onto the shoe adds weight to the leg and makes you look shorter. A slight break, or none with loafers, keeps the line clean.
Want the numbers behind a good fit?
Find your size →Size finder
Enter three measurements and get a starting size for polos, jackets and trousers in common UK sizing. Every maker cuts differently, so treat it as the size to try first, then check the fit points above.
Start with
Polo & knitwear—
Jacket—
Trousers—
Based on common UK labelling: polos by chest range, jackets by chest in inches with S, R or L for length, trousers by waist and inside leg. Example values are filled in; replace them with your own.
Use a soft tape
A tailor's tape, not a metal one. Measure over a thin T-shirt, never over a jumper.
Stand relaxed
Arms down, normal breath. Holding your breath or puffing the chest adds 2 to 3 cm.
Snug, not tight
You should be able to slide one finger under the tape. That is the measurement.
Measure a garment too
Lay your best-fitting polo flat and measure pit to pit. Compare it with the size chart.
How to wear it
Two dress codes cover nearly every week: the relaxed tailoring Italians call sportivo elegante, and proper business dress. Both rely on the same idea: fewer colours, good fabric, a clean fit.
Sport fino · smart casual
Weekend, dinners, the office on a Friday
Soft structure and texture. A knitted polo instead of a shirt, an unlined jacket instead of a suit, suede instead of polished leather.
Navy knitted polo, stone chinos, brown suede loafersThe safest smart casual outfit there is.
Camel overshirt, cream polo, charcoal trousersWarm tones on top, dark below. Works from October to March.
Olive unstructured jacket, white polo, navy trousersAdd white leather trainers and it still looks deliberate.
Social · business dress
Meetings, weddings, the first day
Clean lines and darker cloth. One pattern at most, a white or pale blue shirt, shoes darker than the trousers.
Navy suit, white shirt, dark brown shoesFits every occasion that asks for a suit.
Mid-grey suit, pale blue shirt, black oxfordsThe more formal of the two. Ideal for interviews.
Navy blazer, grey flannel trousers, brown broguesHalfway between the two codes. Drop the tie and it is smart casual.
The summer version
Three pieces, two colours, no logos
A pale blue shirt worn open at the collar, cream trousers with a slight crop and suede loafers without socks. Every piece is plain. The look comes from the fit, the light colours and the texture of the suede.
Keep the shirt slightly loose and the trousers clean through the leg. Roll the cuffs once, not to the elbow.
NavyBase of everything. Replaces black.
Mid greyTrousers and suits. Goes with all of it.
CreamSofter than white for polos and knits.
CamelCoats, overshirts, knitwear.
OliveThe casual accent. Jackets, chinos.
TobaccoSuede shoes, belts, a knitted tie.
Ten pieces, most of the year
A small wardrobe where everything goes with everything. Buy these first, in the colours shown, before anything with a pattern.
Navy knitted polo
Long or short sleeve, fine gauge
White piqué polo
Collar that stands up under a jacket
Unstructured jacket
No shoulder pads, patch pockets
Overshirt or shirt jacket
Wool or brushed cotton
Merino crew or quarter-zip
Thin enough to wear under a jacket
Oxford button-down shirt
Works with and without a tie
Chinos
Flat front, gently tapered
Wool trousers
Flannel in winter, fresco in summer
Suede loafers or desert boots
The shoe that makes it Italian
Overcoat
Single-breasted, to the knee
From the journal
Longer reads on the questions men ask most.
Tailor's glossary
The words you will see on labels and hear in a good shop.
- Unstructured
- A jacket with little or no padding and lining. Softer, lighter, more casual.
- Spalla camicia
- "Shirt shoulder". The Neapolitan sleeve set in with small gathers, so the shoulder follows your own.
- Drop
- The difference between jacket chest and trouser waist in a suit. A drop of 6 means a 40 jacket comes with 34 trousers.
- Break
- The fold where the trouser hem meets the shoe. No break or a slight break looks most current.
- Rise
- Distance from crotch seam to waistband. A mid rise sits at the hips and keeps a shirt tucked.
- Gauge
- How fine a knit is. Higher gauge is finer and smarter; low gauge is chunky and casual.
- Piqué
- The textured cotton weave of the classic polo. Breathes well and holds its shape.
- Barchetta
- "Little boat". The curved breast pocket on Neapolitan jackets.
- Half canvas
- A layer of canvas in the chest of a jacket, so it shapes to you over time. A sign of good construction.
How we work
A guide is only useful if you can trust it. These are the rules every page here follows.
UK sizing, both units
Sizes follow common UK labelling, with every measurement in centimetres and inches.
No sponsored content
Nobody pays to appear here and there are no affiliate links. Advice is not for sale.
No brand names
We judge the garment, not the label. A good fit looks the same whoever made it.
Advice you can check
Every fit point comes with a tell-tale sign you can see for yourself in a mirror.