By Manish Puri

“Stay dignified, gown effectively, be good to different folks and also you’ll be tremendous,”

Manolo Blahnik, Spanish dressmaker

From rugged mountains to lush, dense forests, Spain’s panorama is one in all sharp contrasts: an outline that might apply equally to its sartorial analogue.

At one finish of the horizon you’ll discover Cristóbal Balenciaga – the celebrated designer and couturier –  whom Christian Dior referred to as “the grasp of us all”. And on the different finish is Inditex – the biggest fast-fashion group on the earth – who could not have mastered us all, however has actually had a very good crack at our wardrobes.

Within the terrain in between, in that nice central plateau, Spanish type (and naturally, I’m specializing in menswear right here) doesn’t appear to have a transparent, communicable identification. Or, maybe it’s extra correct to say that identification simply doesn’t have the identical prominence as British bespoke, Italian sprezzatura and American Ivy. As a result of each time I’ve visited Spain, I’ve at all times been struck by the class of its males and their adherence to a conservative, classical template of gown. 

What’s Spanish type?

However is my commentary a good reflection of the entire? Or is it only a assortment of anecdotes, given kind and narrative by the everlasting sunshine of the holidaymaker’s thoughts? And, simply as fascinating a query – is there some extent the place all this conservative dressing turns into a bit bland? 

To assist reply these questions, and get a greater understanding of Spanish type, I spoke with quite a few authorities – some Spanish-born, some Spanish-resident, some within the menswear trade and all unfailingly beneficiant with their time and views.

First, to set the scene and grapple with my considerably broad opening query, I turned to actor Diego Martín Gabriel – a Madrileño (the title given to these hailing from Madrid) and tailoring fanatic.

“I’m unsure if we will correctly converse of a Spanish type, as marked or at the very least as recognisable because the Italian or the English, and even French. In any case, it has been extra discreet and maybe hasn’t bought itself effectively. It is a sober type, with out eccentricities, eminently basic and with out many strident options, as a result of custom and possibly typically shyness.”

Diego then expands on a number of the regional variations: “In a rustic as numerous as Spain, the type you may discover in Seville, conventional and really basic, has little to do with what you’d discover in Barcelona, extra relaxed and Mediterranean, or Bilbao, with extra English influences, and Madrid, which as an awesome capital brings collectively all these types.”

It’s within the capital that I started my exploration.

Casa Sartorial

Probably the most passionate advocates for Madrid type that I’ve met is Christian R Webster. Born in Ecuador, Christian’s first foray into menswear was the opening of Cúpula – a small enterprise promoting basic Panama hats handwoven in his hometown of Cuenca (one in all two main centres of manufacturing alongside Montecristi).

In 2023, Christian moved to Madrid, a part of a dramatic rise within the metropolis’s Latin American inhabitants; census information exhibits the variety of Latinos within the metropolis grew from 81,552 to over a million between 1999 and 2024. There, he enrolled in tailoring programs at La Confianza, the Spanish affiliation of tailors (or sastres) based in 1897. In 2024, he opened bespoke tailoring home Casa Sartorial, enlisting one in all his lecturers, Ángel Ramírez Peralta, as grasp tailor.

Their atelier is situated in Salamanca – an upscale district that’s house to Madrid’s political and monetary elite and a hub for luxurious retail. On my final go to in Might 2025, a groom was getting ready for his summer time marriage ceremony and attempting the primary becoming of an exquisite ivory dinner jacket. A vigorous and pleasant debate broke out amongst us on whether or not the lapel ought to have a silk going through or not. The groom’s mom entertained our rambling politely, after which settled the matter by telling us the marriage was an enormous fiesta; the lapels can be silk.

As lunch approached, Christian invited me to take a stroll with him across the leafy boulevards of the barrio; armed along with his digital camera (it’s his street-style pictures that accompany this piece), Christian defined why he loves Madrid type. 

“It has a quiet class to it – not flashy, however refined. There’s an appreciation for custom, construction, and craftsmanship, but you’ll usually see a relaxed confidence in how males put on their garments. What I really like is how deeply rooted it’s in artisan tradition – there’s a powerful connection to the previous, but in addition a contemporary technology that’s bringing new vitality to it.”

The archetype

We’d barely walked 100 yards earlier than I noticed a gentleman carrying what I contemplate to be the archetype of basic Spanish males’s type: navy blazer, shirt and tie, darkish gray trouser and tassel loafers.

This similar outfit is captured within the first of two illustrations we’ve commissioned from Madrileño Rodrigo Saldaña, illustrator and founding father of Momos Tailors within the port metropolis of Alicante – a contemporary-leaning MTM providing that emphasises a relaxed, straightforward silhouette.

“Madrid is an oasis of fashion,” says Rodrigo. “Guys know the foundations and comply with them completely. Within the south of Spain, the colors are a bit extra attention-grabbing. However within the north, every little thing is calmer and extra sober. It’s a bit just like the distinction between Naples and Milan.”

As Christian and I continued our stroll, I noticed at the very least a dozen delicate variations on the theme – a mixture of blue and white shirts, some with and a few and not using a tie, and an equal break up between tassel loafers and pennies. It appears to be the office-uniform of everybody from the fresh-faced intern to Spain’s richest man, Amancio Ortega.

However does this clear look, freed from any elaborations or thrives, epitomise Balenciaga’s maxim: class is elimination? Or is it extra a conservative look stemming from a conservative mindset? One’s perspective on this may effectively rely on how a lot publicity you’ve needed to different sartorial customs, if my animated dialogue with Javier Valencia is something to go by.

Javier is a Madrileño who’s labored at Sastrería Prats (a revered tailors within the Chamartín district, the place the Santiago Bernabeu can also be situated), Turnbull & Asser, and at the moment heads up made-to-measure operations at Drake’s in London.

He agrees that the Spanish are effectively dressed, however feels that is borne much less out of a love of garments, and extra from a worry of standing out (“miedo a destacar,” as Rodrigo places it). “We’re very dangerous at being courageous,” explains Javier. “And we often choose the most secure possibility – a navy worsted jacket and the darkest shade of gray for a trouser. The one color is on the tie. It’s terribly boring.”

However, and this can be a stereotypical notion that I have to be dissuaded of, don’t the Spanish have a aptitude for the dramatic and flamboyant? It’s a cliché, and a really particular one at that, however that is the land of the matador in his elaborately ornate traje de luces (swimsuit of lights). How does that reconcile with the restrained, sober picture being painted?

“There’s a flamboyance,” explains Javier. “My dad, for instance, loves flowery and paisley shirts. That’s considered as okay in leisurewear for older males. However you’d by no means see a Spaniard carrying a vibrant Turnbull & Asser striped shirt for enterprise put on – that is approach an excessive amount of. We’re very context acutely aware in that regard.”

Javier additionally reckons any try at boldness is undermined by a Spanish relish for vocal criticism. That is, in fact, a generalisation, however one which Javier, along with his trenchant (and light-hearted) opinions, does his greatest to exemplify. He tells me, “I do know when Actual Madrid are enjoying in London, as a result of I’ll hear a Spanish voice commenting on the rise of my trousers.”

The approach to life

Over in Salamanca, Christian and I settle in for lunch at Restaurante La Giralda, which serves conventional Andalusian fare. As Christian, ever the attentive host, talks me by way of the menu, our waiter stealthily deposits a cool, creamy plate of Russian salad and a spherical of cañas (a small glass of draft beer) on the desk.

Our dialog begins with the quixotic: how the lads of Madrid deal with carrying fits and ties all through the summer time, the place temperatures often exceed 35C/95F. Christian attributes it to the Spanish life-style being “extra relaxed, with much less speeding round”. As he says this, he smiles, leans again and takes a gradual sip of his beer – simply to hammer the purpose house.

It’s one thing I’ve usually considered: how tailor-made clothes is unfairly maligned for being uncomfortable. After all fabric and minimize are paramount, however what we do in our garments issues too.

In London, even on milder days, not even essentially the most open of weaves will maintain you totally cool once you’re dashing from the varsity run to the workplace to lunchtime yoga to crew drinks to the final practice. And, blessed be thy dry cleaner, if any of these journeys includes using on one of many carriages of Hades that makes up London Underground’s rolling inventory.

However in Madrid, our leisurely lunch is a primary instance of how the day might be slowed down, and the physique’s temperature wrestled below management by a few hours within the shade (Madrid is among the most tree-lined cities on the earth) or in an air-conditioned eating room. 

The winter

There’s one other issue that makes the warmth (barely) extra bearable in Madrid than in New York or Hong Kong: its elevated location. At almost 650m above sea stage, Madrid is among the highest capitals in Europe, which suggests the air is drier than a fino sherry.

That additionally means winters are chilly and lengthy. In keeping with an area proverb, a 12 months consists of “9 months of winter, and three months of hell”. It’s a much less gushing take than Ernest Hemingway’s proclamation that Madrid has “month in and month out the best local weather”, however that neatly encapsulates the rose-tinted romanticism of a customer versus the hard-boiled realism of an area.

The chilly winters afford Madrid’s residents the chance to layer up, and essentially the most dramatic possibility is the capa española – a standard Spanish cape produced from densely woven merino, lined with velvet and completed with a silver charro clasp.

For almost 125 years, the place to purchase one has been Casa Seseña, a fourth-generation household enterprise whose capes have adorned the shoulders of Pablo Picasso, King Alfonso XIII, Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, Marcello Mastroiani, Placido Domingo and Catherine Deneuve. 

It’s not a garment for the faint-hearted, as present proprietor Marcos Seseña tells me: “The cape can not dominate you; you need to dominate it.” No imply feat when you think about the basic mannequin weighs 5-6kg.

Extra sometimes, you’ll see males carrying winter garments that British readers will discover acquainted: Barbours, tweed jackets, cavalry twill and corduroy trousers. “It’s ironic – regardless of the historic enmity, there’s an admiration of British the Aristocracy among the many Spanish higher courses,” says Javier. “However they by no means fairly reach wanting British, they’re simply not eccentric sufficient of their type selections.”

Nothing symbolises that affinity for British nation type greater than the success of Hackett, who opened their first worldwide retailer in Madrid in 1989, and at the moment nonetheless depend Spain as their largest market.

I mentioned the growth with founding father of the model, Jeremy Hackett. “We had two excellent Spanish clients after we opened in 1983 on the King’s Highway, and so they inspired us to maneuver into Spain. They occurred to be associated to the Spanish Royal household, in order that conferred a sure standing upon the model. It was very profitable and the Spanish buyer has at all times been so appreciative.”

On their type he provides, “They put on issues on their very own phrases, which I utterly perceive given the local weather. In London, we have been promoting corduroy trousers in pink, lilac and yellow. However in Spain it was extra conservative: navy blue, tan, darkish inexperienced. There’s extra of a uniform, however the buyer at all times appears to be like impeccable with their slicked again hair.”

The Teba

The cooler temperatures additionally herald the arrival of searching season in Spain, the place the pre-eminent modality is the montería – a driven-hunt that’s endemic to the nation and dates again to the Center Ages. From these traditions comes Spain’s best contribution to menswear: the Teba jacket.

Tales of the jacket’s origins range, however it’s extensively accepted that the primary Teba was created as a capturing cardigan for King Alfonso XIII. Many consider the garment was commissioned on Savile Row; we don’t know the home, however we do know the King wore fits from Henry Poole, Huntsman and Davies & Son.

After a day’s searching, the King gifted his jacket to his good pal the Depend of Teba, Carlos Alfonso de Mitjans – from whom it will definitely took its title. Some years later, in 1943, Carlos and two equally sartorially-minded pals – the Depend of Caralt and Enrique Maier (a Wimbledon mixed-doubles champion) – determined to fee new jackets. The three gents have been clients of Bel y Cia, a Barcelonian camisería (shirtmaker) based in 1842, and tasked them to make and refine the Teba mannequin that has endured as a basic to at the present time.

Unsurprisingly, given its origins, lots of the Teba’s traits are practical components that swimsuit a day spent roaming the finca. Bel’s Traditional Teba (my favorite) is long-established, on the premises, from a knitted wool or wool/cashmere combine – a light-weight, clean and forgiving cloth that follows the shooter’s kind as they increase their arms to take purpose. 

Holding the weather out can also be a key design consideration; the 4 buttons that run the size of the entrance of the jacket, the ventless again, and the cuff fastenings all work in unison to defend the wearer from wind and rain. Even the Teba’s signature notch-less lapel, which appears to be like like a scarf collar conceived by a Spanish Cubist, might be buttoned as much as maintain the neck coated.

Xavier Cañadas has been the supervisor of Bel y Cia for over a decade, and, having studied in Belfast, by no means ceases to please me along with his ardour for Britpop or his data of cult sitcom Father Ted.

In between rhapsodising concerning the Oasis reunion, we spoke concerning the type variations between Madrid and Barcelona. “Madrid is the capital, so that you’ll discover plenty of politicians, legal professionals and financiers who like to decorate extra basic. Whereas, Barcelona is by the ocean, which has meant it’s been simpler to get influences from overseas, and I feel that multi-culturalism impacts our type too.”

On how that impacts the notion of the Teba, he provides, “In Madrid, our clients just like the Teba’s sporty affiliation with the countryside and the historical past hooked up to it. In Barcelona, we’re a bit extra rebellious; we banned bullfighting, for instance. So, these heritage associations are much less interesting, and the jacket needs to be put into a special context.”

The market

After lunch, Christian and I resumed our stroll across the neighbourhood, stopping in to speak with native retailers alongside the way in which. 

Alongside Casa Sartorial, Salamanca is house to extra established sastrerías comparable to Calvo de Mora (whom our Editor reviewed in 2015) and Serna (who make a big quantity of Spain’s navy tailoring), in addition to manufacturers like Man 1924 and Scalpers. 

A typical theme that emerged from my conversations with these tailors and retailers was the Spanish client’s sensitivity to cost for something exterior the posh sphere: a common problem, however one which’s notably acute within the nation that invented quick vogue.

The notable exception, the place there’s a vibrant middle-market, is sneakers. Spain’s historical past with leather-based work and shoemaking dates way back to the Roman empire. Within the seventh century, within the southern metropolis of Cordoba, the Visigoths developed a course of to tan the “shell” of a horse (the cover on its rump), giving us shell cordovan.

Right this moment, Carmina, Meermin, TLB Mallorca and Berwick are just some of the Spanish footwear manufacturers that provide high quality sneakers at a aggressive worth. Madrid is an particularly good metropolis for shoe buying, and also you’ll discover retailers for many of those manufacturers in Salamanca.

Nonetheless, footwear apart, the ubiquity of manufacturers like Zara, Massimo Dutti and Alvaro Moreno – the place swimsuit costs might be as little as €100 – is  one of many explanation why bespoke tailoring in Spain stays comparatively low cost compared to the UK or Italy. Diego goes even additional and says “[Spanish tailors offer] an unbeatable high quality to cost ratio in comparison with different locations in Europe.”

The minimize

For those self same business causes, many homes in Madrid are accommodating in relation to the types they provide their purchasers. That flexibility is a part of the enchantment says Diego, as he expands on two of his favorite tailors – Joaquin Fernandez Prats and Agustin García of Sastrería Serna.

“Each draw from custom and the strictest artisanal coaching, with the benefit – which might typically be a drawback – of not having the influence and worldwide recognition of different tailors. This implies they do not have an uncompromising type, or a well-known ‘signature’, and so the consumer would not really feel like they’re in an untouchable temple the place they do not dare to debate something.”

Nonetheless, there’s a typical Madrid minimize which is located someplace between the British and Italian. With a balanced silhouette that’s neither overly slim nor too beneficiant, the Madrid coat has barely roped shoulders and a size that finishes someplace between the shorter Neapolitan and basic English cuts. Nonetheless, it’s the lapel that’s most distinctive – bellied, with a decrease, sloping gorge line and lapel factors which might be completed with subtly rounded ideas.

One man aware of each Spanish and English tastes is Juan Carlos Benito, the third technology of Madrid tailors, Monte Lys. Beneath the watchful eye of his father, Ramon, Juan Carlos started drafting patterns on the age of 16, earlier than working with famend tailor Jose Alonso Romero (“the perfect Spanish tailor of the final 30 years,” says Juan Carlos). 

Desperate to study extra (“Spanish tailors don’t share their expertise, which is why there aren’t many left”) and comply with in his grandfather’s footsteps (who educated at Kilgore French Stanbury within the Thirties), Juan Carlos headed to London, the place he finally spearheaded the launch of Hackett’s bespoke division on Savile Row. 

“I needed to develop and was able to adapt my tailoring in London. However, even within the nice Savile Row homes, I discovered folks have been shifting in the direction of jackets that have been lighter and extra snug. So clients truly most popular this hybrid Spanish type which is snug but in addition has an athletic look. I didn’t must adapt my type as a lot as I believed I might.”

In 2025, the 2 threads of Juan Carlos’ profession have been intertwined as soon as once more as he opened the London department of the Benito household enterprise, Monte Lys. Lots of the hallmarks of the Madrid minimize have survived the transition. “The Spanish are very meticulous about particulars,” Juan Carlos explains. “So, our lapel factors are gently rounded, however so are the sleeve ends and even the corners of the vents. I’m unsure why this grew to become the type years in the past, however I feel it’s as a result of it’s one thing you don’t see on ready-to-wear. It was some extent of distinction to tug the shopper in.”

The connoisseurs 

Pablo Picasso as soon as stated, “I who’ve been concerned with all types of portray can guarantee you that the one issues that fluctuate are the waves of vogue which carry the snobs and speculators; the variety of true connoisseurs stays roughly the identical.”

To my thoughts, that assertion appears as related to the enterprise of vogue because it does the artwork scene. Due to this fact, by referring to the connoisseur, Picasso could inadvertently be acknowledging his personal countrymen, who I’ve discovered to be dignified, educated and steadfast of their method to basic type. 

It’s clear to me that dressing effectively is taken severely in Spain. And, every now and then, maybe even a tad too severely. In 2011, as a part of the Gürtel case – a significant corruption scandal that rocked the nation’s politics for almost a decade – Valencia’s former regional premier, Francisco Camps, was dropped at trial on prices of awarding distributors a collection of multi-million-euro authorities contracts in trade for bribes. The pay-off in query: €14,000 value of fits.

Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram

This text was a function in our Autumn/Winter ‘25 challenge of PS journal. A giant thanks to Christian Webster of Casa Sartorial for sharing his road type pictures with us.