In some ways this is the hardest of the shopping guides for me to write – I know so many places so well and have so much to say. Luckily, nearly every place here is also covered elsewhere on Permanent Style. So if you want to know more about any of the shops, have a quick search and you’ll find a lot more information. I’ve also linked every brand mentioned to the appropriate page on PS, to make that easier. 

I haven’t included addresses, but as an experiment I’ve created a Google Map with everything on instead. Let me know if you can see that and it works OK. I think all you need to do is save the link and you can use it anytime.

As per usual with our shopping guides, we have focused on places that are unique to London, and that sell high-end menswear. There are no chains here, though if a brand has a few locations and this is the headquarters (eg Drake’s) then it will be included. 

Do as ever chip in with your own recommendations. You can find the rest of our shopping guides here. 

Mayfair

The Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery

The nice thing about London is that nearly everywhere is walkable, with the vast majority in and around Mayfair. There are then a few in Marylebone, but not much outside that. 

Several of my personal favourites are even within a stone’s throw of each other. One of those is the Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery, the ready-to-wear outpost of the famous bespoke tailor. It is the most beautiful, welcoming shop, with lovely staff. The style is a little more towards the traditional, but there is a huge range and great quality throughout. 

Connolly

On the opposite side of the street is Connolly (above), which to my mind is everything a designer shop should be: truly luxurious in the clothing and environment, with knowledgeable staff and really interesting, original design. It puts all the big brands around the corner on Bond Street to shame. Keep an eye out for the shared-wardrobe collection at the back and then the more classic pieces downstairs. 

Adret

Also on Clifford Street is the achingly tasteful Adret, brainchild of Adam Rogers. The clothes are loose, drapey and soft, and all made at the atelier in Indonesia. Price are high, so be prepared, but if the style is for you then it might be hard to resist. Also, they don’t sell online anywhere, so it’s a true destination. 

Also on Clifford street, by the way, are the wonderful Perfumer H, whose headquarters are in Marylebone, and the London outpost of Parisian bespoke tailor Cifonneli. 

Thom Sweeney

Thom Sweeney started as a bespoke tailor but has expanded hugely into ready-to-wear. It’s not cheap, but the quality is consistent and the stripped-back palette of navy, white and grey makes it all very wearable and combinable (is that a word?). Expanding now into several locations in the US. 

Drake’s

Drake’s has gone through a few changes in the past decade, but remains one of the most interesting menswear brands out there – and the best for updating and reinterpreting classic menswear. My favourite pieces are the outerwear usually, including the suede products, and given the higher prices these days, anything that feels like a unique piece of design. 

Bennett Winch

We’re now on Savile Row, but before we get to the tailors, there are a couple of other shops worth mentioning. First is a great bag brand that we’ve covered on PS a fair bit – Bennett Winch. Made in the UK in great quality canvas, leather and brass hardware, they are great casual bags. 

Gaziano & Girling

On the same side of the road is Gaziano & Girling, the Northampton shoemaker that makes very high-level shoes with often a slightly sharper aesthetic than its English contemporaries. It also offers bespoke and has a wide range of widths in store to try for the made-to-order service, which in some ways offers the best of both worlds. 

Edward Sexton

On the same side of the street is the bespoke tailor Edward Sexton, though it is as known today for ready-to-wear as tailoring. Sadly Edward passed away last year, but Dominic and the team are continuing his distinct style, with its strong shoulders, silk shirts and generous trousers. 

Bespoke tailors: Huntsman, Henry Poole, Anderson & Sheppard

I won’t include much on the bespoke tailors here, because this is really a shopping guide for a visitor coming for a brief holiday – not the multiple trips required to have anything bespoke made. This is also not the place to go into the various styles of the different tailors – for that, see my article listing the 60-odd ones I have used, and the analytical guide to the major styles. 

Still, those that have bespoke made abroad by one of these tailors may want to visit the HQ and drink in the history, and others may want to simply see a little slice of Savile Row. For them, I would say the ones to visit are Henry Poole for its history, Huntsman for the very traditional look, and A&S round the corner for its beautiful shop (above). 

Some other places in Mayfair worth recommending are Maison Bonnet, which is a superb glasses maker with an HQ is in Paris; Saman Amel, which now has a showroom here but is based in Stockholm; and Cordings, whose style is too old-fashioned for most but remains great value if you can find pieces you like. 

The Burlington and Royal Arcades

London’s arcades are a charming aspect of shopping in the city, particularly as they often accommodate smaller menswear brands. Given they straddle Mayfair and St James’s, I’m giving them their own section in between the two. 

Baudoin & Lange

The Burlington Arcade is the biggest and has a great selection of menswear stores alongside jewellery, watches and drink. The first menswear destination would probably be Baudoin & Lange though, which gained its reputation for the refined version of a Belgian loafer, known as the Sagan. Lightweight and soft, it has become a sartorial staple. 

Swaine

On the opposite side is the recently relaunched Swaine – a shortened version of the old Swaine, Adeney & Brigg. They still do good hard English leather cases, as well as umbrellas under the Brigg name. The bags will be a bit smart for some, but the craft and heritage has been maintained. There’s a larger shop on Bond Street too, if you want to see everything. 

Globe-Trotter

The same goes for Globe-Trotter, which is next. These board suitcases with leather straps are among the most attractive pieces of luggage you can get, and they’ve become more practical in recent years, with the addition of wheels and inbuilt handles. Good repair service on site. 

E Marinella

On the other side is the Neapolitan tiemaker Marinella, which at this point probably has the biggest selection of handmade ties in London, certainly of the hand-rolled variety. If you wear and need a tie, it would be my first port of call. 

Begg & Co

The Scottish weaver and knitter (above), originally and enthusiastically covered on Permanent Style before they got into knitting, but now very good and successful at it. Look out for the cashmere shawl cardigans and the blanket range downstairs, which is less known but both diverse and the best quality out there.

Cleverley

Switching over to the Royal Arcade, there are two shops watching out for: Cleverley and Meyrowitz. Cleverley is best known as a bespoke shoemaker and that’s probably still its strength, even though there is a range of Northampton-made ready-made shoes. 

EB Meyrowitz

One of London’s finest makers of glasses, with its own workshop just outside London. Small and focused, but with great staff that are particularly good at giving advice compared to most eyewear companies out there. A small selection of tortoiseshell. 

The Piccadilly and Prince’s Arcades

When you cross over Piccadilly, somehow avoiding the distractions of The RA, Fortnum & Mason and Hatchards, you almost immediately line up with the Piccadilly Arcade. Which ends in Jermyn Street. It’s almost like London was made for a walking tour.

Budd

Santa Maria Novella on the corner of the Piccadilly Arcade is lovely, but it’s is a small outpost of the beautiful Florentine shop and twice the price. Instead go to the charming Budd (above), a shirtmaker and all round haberdasher that squeezes a big range of accessories like gloves and over-the-calf socks into a tiny space. Shirts are still cut upstairs. 

The Valet

Next to them is the Valet, which isn’t really a shop, more a cleaners and repairers. Still, given most people reading this will have travelled in, it’s good to know that this is the best place to take any high-end cleaning, pressing or polishing of shoes. There are many options, but this is the place that services most of Savile Row. 

Deakin & Francis

We’re not covering a full range of jewellery options here, but it’s worth mentioning Deakin & Francis as they are on the same route, still make in Birmingham, and lean more towards the menswear side of things – good cufflinks, rings and other little accessories. 

New & Lingwood

At the end of the Arcade, New & Lingwood has two shops – one smaller one specialising in gowns and a larger one opposite that is a fairly full haberdashery. The gowns are rightly famous, beautiful and largely made on site. The haberdashery has improved in recent years and become more interesting and more tasteful – perhaps occupying some of the space left by Drake’s, without being as straight as someone like Ede & Ravenscroft. 

In the Piccadilly Arcade there is also Jean Rousseau, which makes bespoke leather pieces including watch straps, and Favourbrook, known for its wedding attire and waistcoats. 

Arterton

One of the least-known of the Arcades is the Prince’s, on the same side of Piccadilly but further east. This hasn’t historically had that much interesting for menswear, but it does have the newly opened Arterton, which has a few interesting makers – Japanese hangers, Swedish shoecare products, Chinese-made shoes. 

Jermyn Street

Traditionally the home of London’s shirtmakers, Jermyn Street is now more interesting for other menswear stores primarily, particularly shoemakers. 

Turnbull & Asser

One shirtmaker that does remain is Turnbull & Asser, with a full haberdashery on Jermyn Street and a dedicated bespoke shop round the corner. Both are lovely buildings, and although the company has been through a few ups and downs in recent years, there is quite a range of product – the kind of thing it’s easy to take for granted in London, but you’d struggle to find elsewhere. 

Emma Willis

The only other shirtmaker worth noting today really. Emma runs a small operation but with a great taste level and slightly different aesthetic to the more traditional menswear shops. Lovely brushed cottons and linens as well as great dressing gowns. Ready to wear or bespoke. 

Edward Green

Given how well known Edward Green is, it’s surprising this is the only store apart from Paris, and even this isn’t big. Worth a visit for anyone that likes the brand, and indeed very high-end English shoes in general. Further down the street is John Lobb – the Hermes-owned ready-to-wear one rather than the English bespoke operation.

Crockett & Jones

Crocketts has several stores in London, including one in the Burlington Arcade and for some reason, two on Jermyn Street. The flagship is at 92 and is the biggest store there is. Great value, English-made shoes. 

John Smedley

Smedley makes good-value fine-merino knitwear in the UK, and this is its biggest store. Have a search on PS for coverage of their factory – the oldest in the UK effectively, from the start of the Industrial Revolution. They also have a smaller outlet on Brook Street. 

Elsewhere on Jermyn Street there is Tricker’s shoes, Barker and Loake. The latter two aren’t really at the quality level we cover on PS, but it demonstrates how many shoe options there are on this one street. There is also a branch of Sunspel at the other end of the road – a great brand for basics, and this is convenient. 

St James’s Street

Walk to the western end of Jermyn Street and you hit Davidoff on the corner – great if you’re into your cigars – and turn left down St James’s Street. Here you have a few famous clubs, and two famous men’s shops: Lobb and Lock. 

John Lobb Ltd

As mentioned, not the shoemaker that’s headquartered in Paris but makes in Northampton. No, this is the storied English bespoke maker, grinding lasts on site and with a fascinating archive of lasts and shoes. It feels like the epitome of English craft to a foreign visitor, with all its weathered furniture and quietly sceptical staff. Worth a mini tour if you can get one. 

Lock & Co

Close by, the most famous hatter in the country. Bate’s and Christy’s have faded somewhat, and the most famous Italian brand, Borsalino, has gone through more than one reincarnation, but Lock (above) continues on. Tourists love the experience of having a bowler hat made to their head shape with a conformateur. Indeed, I once showed this to someone on a tour, and they bought the hat “not to wear but to put on the wall – like a stuffed head”.

In the spirit of mentioning menswear-adjacent interests, it should also be said that the barbers on Jermyn Street and St James’s are worth a look – Taylor’s and DR Harris in particular. Lots of traditional accessories, scents and lotions. There is also Berry Bros at the end of the street – the wine equivalent of Lobb and Lock.

Marylebone

Trunk

Chiltern Street in Marylebone has become a real menswear destination in the past 10 years, with the attractions being both the lower prices and the more interesting range of shops. The shop that started it all was really Trunk, and they’re been quite consistent in their offering of soft tailoring and accessories for a long time. Always worth stopping into. 

John Simons

John Simons (above) hasn’t always been here, but it has a much longer tradition than Trunk, being one of the first pushing American Ivy clothing in the UK. Today it also mixes in some vintage and some of its own brand clothing (as Trunk does too) and the clothes are always good value. 

Bryceland’s

Next on this side of the street is Bryceland’s, the shop originally founded in Tokyo by Ethan Newton. Although this is not the HQ therefore, and there are other shops, it has such a menswear following that it’s really a destination in London. Great workwear but also great tailoring, and quite a few pieces that cross the two. 

Cromford Leather

Cromford were here on Chiltern Street before anyone else, but for a long time they were a leather manufacturer without their own brand. Most coats are still made downstairs, however, and they are great value if you find a style you like. The team are also helpful on repairs and alterations when it comes to leather or suede. 

Other shops on Chiltern Street worth mentioning are the running specialist Tracksmith, the gardening shop Niwaki, the cafe and shop of the magazine Monocle and the homewares specialist Labour & Wait just around the corner. 

William Crabtree

On the far western side of Marylebone – so closer to Oxford Street than anything else here – is William Crabtree, a lovely little shop that sells a lot of traditional British clothing: shetlands, cords, scarves and ties. They also do their own made-to-measure tailoring and jackets.

Anglo-Italian

On the other side of Marylebone is Anglo-Italian, tucked away on its own down a side street. Since they opened, Anglo have become the default for a lot of people when it comes to solid tailoring, whether it’s a navy coat or a pair of grey flannels. But they also have quite a distinctive look, soft and loose with rounder toed shoes – something you see most when you look at the always consistently dressed staff. 

Clutch Cafe

Now this isn’t Marylebone anymore, it’s Fitzrovia, but you were walking in that direction anyway. And Clutch Cafe (below) is definitely a destination. Clutch has the biggest range of Japanese workwear brands in London, with the likes of Real McCoys, Cushman, Full Count and Buzz Rickson, plus French brands like Anatomica and more refined Japanese ones like Coherence. There is a lot to see, but for that reason always worth a browse. 

Natalino

Tailoring again, but combining a taste level in common with many of the brands we feature, and a lower price. That price comes across in the more entry-level quality of some of the clothing, but for those starting out Natalino is a really good option. Grew online for a long time before opening this, their first shop. 

As we head from Fitzrovia down into Soho I’d also mention in passing the Margaret Howell sale shop, Rivet & Hide over in Bloomsbury for workwear, American Classics just off Carnaby Street for the same, on Newburgh Street, and the other menswear shops on the same street – Red Wing and RRL.

The East End

Shoreditch and surrounding areas have become a big destination for fashionable people and shops, but there isn’t that much menswear to speak of. Some of the exceptions are:

Son of a Stag – A definite exception, a great menswear store and one of the first that popularised a lot of selvedge denim and specialist Japanese makers. 

Scott Fraser Collection – A lovely little shop on the same street is the fairly recently acquired home of Scott Fraser Collection, known for its modernist knits and association tailoring.

Vintage – There is a surprising lack of good vintage shopping in London, but most of what there is is on Brick Lane or around it. The purist is Lewison’s and House of Vintage often has a good selection, but after that the quality slides pretty quickly. 

Taillour – We’re not mentioning tailors generally, but Fred Nieddu is one of our favourites and he has a lovely little workshop around the corner from here. Shoemaker Sebastian Tarek is downstairs. 

Everywhere else

There are a few other places around London worth highlighting, though most are fortunately concentrated in those areas already mentioned. These are:

Speciale – A Florentine bespoke tailor with a lovely, distinctive selection of shirts, knitwear and ties. Rather out of the way over on the Portobello Road, but if you are going then perhaps go on a Friday when there is also some menswear vintage in the rest of the Portobello market. A few nice other cloth and vintage shops in the area too.

Blackhorse Lane – The London jeans maker (above) is in the new shopping development around King’s Cross, ‘Coal Drops Yard’. BHL are superb, both for their own jeans and for the repairs and alterations they do. Great made-to-measure service as well. 

The rest of the development has some nice places to pop into – an MHL, a Universal Works, and perhaps the best outdoors shop in London, Outsiders.

Bentley’s – Apart from Mayfair, the biggest shopping area in London is probably Kensington, but there’s little to interest the craft-based menswear customer in that area. One exception is the antiques and vintage-luggage store Bentley’s, at the bottom of Sloane Street. 

Other places I’d recommend for antiques like that, by the way, are the Pullman Gallery in St James’s, and Grays Antiques Market near Bond Street station. 

Dunhill – Dunhill has been up and down many times in recent years, becoming slowly less distinctive and unsure where it sits between traditional menswear and modern fashion. Still, it seems odd not to mention it, given they are the biggest British luxury brand here and in such a lovely space – Bourdon House. Perhaps pop in on your way to Marylebone, if you find you have time.