The duffel coat

The duffel coat is a garment that deserves a whole file with different shapes and colours. It shall have its glory in due time. For now, I’ll just be taking samples. This was number 1.

A German in Lisbon

I went to see my friend’s masters degree presentation. During the debate I had enough time to look at every single person in the room with me. I thought this gentleman had something special. When I approached him he just asked me to be careful about what I would write. I assured him I would just make one or two statements about the same reasons why I took photos of people, which would always have to be a flattering comment. He nodded with this smile.

The cardigan

In The Gentlemen, Bernhard Roetzel states the three distinguished advantages of the cardigan compared to the sweater. “It can be opened, thus, regulating the temperature, it can be dressed and undressed without damaging the hairdressing or taking off the glasses, and usually there’s a small pocket for cigarettes, keys and change.” When I was a child I thought this garment was destined only for old people. Today, with less hair to comb, I can understand its versatility. H&M and PG seem to agree. It’s easy to find them in wool or cotton, one colour, stripes or diamonds.

Blue turtleneck

I never wore a turtleneck. But you don’t always hate what you don’t wear. This sweater is a good example.

At the Camarim da Tóbis

There are plenty of berets. Yet the plastron* is not an easy accessory to find. For those who would like to have one but don’t know where to start looking (in Lisbon).
*from French

Atalaia vintage

Blue cloche

1920’s
The hat, an indispensable accessory by those days, was used only at daytime. The most popular model was the “cloche”*, stuffed almost all the way down to the eyes.
*bell, in French

Stripes, chequer, stripes

Vest+handkerchief+tie-pin

Three elements that have gone out of fashion. The same three elements that make this gentlemen so special. For those who think that dressing well is just following trends.

Mr. Stripes

I took this photo even before I wrote the introduction text (of the blog). But when I wrote it, it was this Mr. Stripes that inspired me.

San Giorgio

There are people who work in London and buy their suits here, and there are people who call from Istanbul just to know if the store is open.
At Largo da Graça.

Mr. Charming

The boots were bought in New York, but the rabbit… that’s Portuguese.

Basic streetwear

New year, new shorts

Why should the use of shorts only be a privilege of children and boy scouts?

Biography

José Cabral was born in Lisbon in 1980. He studied Sociology and worked several years in the financial sector. In 2009 he created the blog O Alfaiate Lisboeta (The Lisbon Tailor) where he started writing and publishing portraits he was making in the streets of Lisbon.

Since then he started shooting in other countries and in 2010 he debuted a column in the international newspaper Metro, in 2011 in Vogue online magazine and during 2012 he signed a page in the weekly Expresso. He has also many pictures published in New York Mag. Besides Portuguese, he also has versions of his blog in English, Spanish and Chinese.

His work has reached several countries such as Spain, Germany, Russia, Brazil, the United Stares, South Korea, Australia and China where you can find articles, interventions or even exhibitions of his work.

In 2012 he fully authored and conceived the campaign Lisboa somos nós (we are Lisbon) for Lisbon´s City Hall where, for the first time worldwide, images of a blog were the face of an institutional campaign. In 2013 he created another campaign to the City Hall of Lisbon titled o meu futuro é Lisboa (my future is Lisbon).

He was also the chosen photographer for the Portuguese Blood Donors and Transplantation Institute campaign (Ministry of Health) and for several campaigns of Multinational companies like H&M, Nike and Sonae Sierra.

In 2011 he was distinguished with the Fashion TV Award for Best Digital Communication and in 2012 it published the homonymous book of the blog O Alfaiate Lisboeta (The Lisbon Tailor). He was the ambassador for the Route of Fashion in the first edition of the Lisbon Week and, since 2013, he has been a member of the Advisory Board of ESNE (University School of Design and Innovation) in Madrid.

In 2014 he created and released J.LISBON, an innovative online store dedicated exclusively to men's clothing and, in 2016, he launched CAIÁGUA.
In 2018 he started writing in the Portuguese press once again. He writes the page You talking to me'? at GQ Portugal.