Technology & Dressing Well, Has it Helped or Hurt?

[Cufflink79]

With All Over the World's post on mobile phones posted recently. I've decided to post a subject that's been on my mind for a while now.

Do the members of the LL feel that the Internet and other forms of technology has helped the world of tailored clothing or hurt it?

I'd have to say it's done both. What I mean by that is, sites like our very own LL Forum, blogs, and YouTube have given way to many opinions, new information, and more importantly visual aspects of not only the art of shoe making and tailoring, but also given us a visual sense of where these products are made and come from.

As far as the hurt part with the Dot Com bubble of the 1990s the world came into a place of easy access to information and well..... more casual relaxed attire. Also, the very way we chat with others has become well.... words instead of voices. The only way I can get a hold of most people nowadays is to text. I sometimes forget what my friends sound like.

Another aspect of technology, is that it has literally changed the way jackets are tailored. What I mean by that is we now have pockets with holes for Ipod cords, and an even a bigger pocket for the Ipad.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[All over the world]

With All Over the World's post on mobile phones posted recently. I've decided to post a subject that's been on my mind for a while now.

Do the members of the LL feel that the Internet and other forms of technology has helped the world of tailored clothing or hurt it?

I'd have to say it's done both. What I mean by that is, sites like our very own LL Forum, blogs, and YouTube have given way to many opinions, new information, and more importantly visual aspects of not only the art of shoe making and tailoring, but also given us a visual sense of where these products are made and come from.

As far as the hurt part with the Dot Com bubble of the 1990s the world came into a place of easy access to information and well..... more casual relaxed attire. Also, the very way we chat with others has become well.... words instead of voices. The only way I can get a hold of most people nowadays is to text. I sometimes forget what my friends sound like.

Another aspect of technology, is that it has literally changed the way jackets are tailored. What I mean by that is we now have pockets with holes for Ipod cords, and an even a bigger pocket for the Ipad.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

Hello Cufflink79,
I think that while the internet allows us to communicate better than ever before and can aid us in our tailoring choices (I am sure many people on here were recommended a tailor or shirtmaker, or maybe a boot maker by someone on the forum. Without the internet this might not have happened and without their custom the said craftsman might have been forced to close shop, who after all in our modern times can answer the "Is there a good tailor in town?" question? Very few people can and when you ask a Policeman at the street corner it is likely that they won't know. It's not like in the old days where, I suppose, everyone knew about the presence of a tailor.)... On the other hand the internet has allowed ready to wear brands to advertise themselves like never before and sell their products directly to customers from all over the world, as a result production increased, quality decreased and salesmen in the actual shop actually forgot how to treat customers with respect. The proliferation of 'fashion blogs' mainly advertises ready to wear clothes or Fashion Brands which we can find on any High Street and so tailoring is slowly being forgotten. Many people won't even know that tailoring still exists, I remember a woman that I met at lunch with a relative who was wearing a dress and she was complaining about how expensive clothes are. I asked her how much she had paid for her dress and when she answered £2500 my jaw dropped. I told her she could have had this done by a tailor and the fit, quality and materials would have been a lot better and she could probably have saved £500. She was quite surprised, she didn't know that tailors still existed, thinking that the only tailors there were were designers that make "Haute Couture" (Think £50000 dresses that fall apart if you wear them frequently.)

Did the internet kill tailoring? No, it did not but it helped most people forget that existed and as a result the cost for tailoring has increased over the years, many tailors decided to retire, their apprentices joined "Fashion Houses" and the existing tailors are a dying breed.

[Mark Seitelman]

The interest in technology has pushed aside the interest in clothing.

Men and women are captivated by the computer, wireless communication, and "the next big thing." At a social gathering people are talking about technology and the latest toy that they picked-up. People are spending their few discretionary dollars on Android phones, i-Pads, and wireless service and not on tailored clothes.

I recall in 1995 a local mens suit factory owner told me that his sales were down because men were buying updating their computers to Windows 95. At that time (seems like ancient history!), Windows 95 was the big thing. He also remarked that he used to sell to various local mens stores, such as the ones that dotted Kings Highway in Brooklyn. They no longer existed. Soon thereafter he ceased production in Brooklyn and moved off-shore.