Don't fall into neo-luddism. Tailoring is getting better than ever.

[Jimmy9lives]

Many people seem to exhibit a neo-Luddite pessimism by claiming that nobody appreciates 'old world craft' and that when the old 'masters' die everything will fall apart and we will be walking around in pillow sheets.

This is a load of crap.

The reality is that the old world, absolutely SUCKED. If you went back even 70-80 years ago, most parts of Europe still had immense traces of feudalism operating. 'Old world craftsmen' did not go into a trade because of some love of it, it was because they were forced into to survive and feed their families. Apprenticeships were completely unpaid and your clients were mainly aristocrats who viewed you as nothing more than human cattle. If you talk to any living old time craftsmen that is still alive they will all testify to the harshness. Did it build character? More like bitter resentment to the world. In the 'old world tailors' were not respected and the profession was viewed as an embarrassing way to make a living because you had to be hunched over all day. How many tailors wanted their children to follow in their foot steps? Very few.

It is only in the last 20 years that tailoring has been seen as something respectful. It was the advent of the internet and the new generations who had a bit better view of people than the previous ones that enabled this. There is some superficiality as people think that if someone is old that must also mean wise which acts as a potent marketting tool but other than that the new generations are more interested in the creativity.


There was nothing great about the 1930's either. It was the seeds of hiterlism, communism and mass human misery even in developed countries. The suits of the time were all about exagerated sizing in order to cover up ones physical impoverishment. A suit had to last a lifetime because you couldn't afford anything else.

Tailoring is going to get better than ever for 2 reasons. One is technology. The knowledge of the old masters will be preserved in their specific CUTS, or the 'style'. This will be programmed into a computer. A 3d scan of your body will ensure a perfect laser cut pattern is produced, where you will be able to have a perfect suit on the first try without having to constantly bug the tailor for improvements. Hand work in construction may still exist but it will not be entirely necessary because the machines are really getting better.

The labor saving processes of technology will also allow tailoring to enter a wider audience as the price point will come way down without sacrificing quality.

The second reason is creativity. People will always want special garments made and the interest now along with the knowledge available is higher than any point in modern history. The sheer fact that many people from all over the planet can meet on a forum and share ideas is proof of that.

Fabrics are getting better than ever!

There are now shirt cottons that feel like silk and machines which can stitch at near invisible to the eye stitches. Mixing silks, linens, wools was unheard of even 15 years ago. Vintage fabric styles will also get replicated, maybe not exactly the same as 70 years ago but how many places are indoor heated with fireplaces these days? Or cold for the majority of winter? Or extremely hot in the summer? Technological progress has negated the need to dress up like the 19th century.

The selection of fabrics available today is superior. Despite what the permanent neoluddite pessimists claim the tailoring books offer a selection that is historically unmatched.

The past should be seen as a lesson but it should not be worshipped as some magical fairy tale time of perfect clothes and elegant people, it was the complete opposite. What is important is the future, making sure that principles not only get passed on but are further developed.

[davidhuh]

Dear Jimmyglives,

I'm not sure to whom you are referring to about such pessimism. We obviously live in a complex world, and perceptions do differ because we are human beings.

Looking at yesterday's world with the eyes of today is not very helpful in my opinion. Most people who went to see a tailor 70 years ago were not aristocrats, but people who required a suit. Having one made by a tailor was often the only way of getting one, and men went to see the next tailor in town. Tailors and seamstresses were simply everywhere in Europe. Respectful people have always respected other human beings, and disrespectful people did not. I see no evidence for that having changed a lot over times.

For my case, I will not count on tailoring made by a computer or whatever fancy technology. I do trust the tailors who worked for me in the past, because they will continue to do so until they give up their craft or I come to a state where I no longer need new suits.

What the quality of cloth is concerned - many here on this forum have witnessed an evolution over the last twenty, thirty years that we would love to reverse. This is why many of us are here and subscribe to cloth made to our requirements. For my case, I had given up seeing tailors because I could not find the good old cloth anymore.

Cheers, David

[Noble Savage]

My birthday suit is expected to last a lifetime in the State of Nature, and I'll have nothing less, thank you.