Billy
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What Pilling Actually Tells You About a Jumper
A £8 cotton jumper, a £110 cashmere one and a stubbornly bobbling shirt make a poor quality-ranking system. Here’s what pilling can actually tell you — and what it can’t.
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The Shirt Collar Used to Need Its Own Box
Detachable shirt collars once had their own boxes, studs and laundry routine. The system is clever, surprisingly modular and absolutely more administration than I want before work.
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How to Buy Second-Hand Shoes — and When Not To
Second-hand shoes can be repaired surprisingly far, but repairable does not automatically mean worth buying. I went looking at worn soles, interiors and flex lines — and came home in the shoes I already owned.
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Supporting Clothes Don’t Have to Be Boring
A loud shirt does not automatically need quiet clothes around it. I tried one of my Edinburgh finds with different trousers, jackets, shoes and accessories to work out what actually makes the outfit cohere.
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When Is a Split Coat Lining Actually Worth Repairing?
A practical guide to repairing an open seam in a coat lining, including how to identify failed stitching, when the fabric is too damaged to stitch directly, and how to close the seam neatly by hand.
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The Eight Megabytes I Keep Refusing to Check
I nearly threw away an old PS2 memory card, then realised I had no idea what was on it. Years later, that uncertainty is still doing most of the work.
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How to Dress With Character for a Desk Job
Most of an office outfit disappears once you sit down. Here’s how I dress for the part the desk leaves visible — and use the half-past-two test to find out whether the rest can survive a working day.
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Something Has to Leave: How to Decide Which Clothes Go
A practical way to decide which clothes stay, which go and which deserve more time — without turning your wardrobe into a minimalist morality test.
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How to Buy a Second-Hand Wool Coat That Survives More Than One Winter
How to inspect a second-hand wool or tweed coat for fit, wear, repairability and the faults that matter before you buy.
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How to Look After Velvet, Silk and Other Fabrics That Ruin Easily.
Velvet, silk and cashmere are all delicate for different reasons. Here is how to recognise what can go wrong, deal with stains cautiously and know when to stop.