In 1965 Saville Row tailor Hardy Amies published the “ABC of Mens Fashion” setting out the rules and advice for men to achieve sartorial perfection. Recently the book was republished, and the Guardian ran an article testing whether these classic rules still apply. You can read it here.

Amies is a pretty interesting character. He first opened his Saville Row boutique in 1946, regularly appeared in Vogue, earned a royal appointment to the Queen, designed the 1966 winning England football teams’ suits and (even more impressively to my mind) designed the costumes for Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The Hardy Amies brand is synonimous with top quality materials (as I mentioned in The Suit Jacket, wool, tweed and linen are generally more expensive than cotton or polyester mixes) and bespoke tailoring. It is closely associated with vintage clothes of the 1960s – ecchoing the slender frame and sharp shouldered look of the time.

One of these vintage 60s suits would quite frankly, probably cost more than a car. Today, a modern Amies suit would set you back at least £3000.

Hardy Amies remains an iconic and influencial British tailor. Next time you chaps have trouble deciding whether to wear socks with your sandles, I highly recommend you reach for Hardy Amies ABC.