Economy and Bespoke

[Joe]

Gentle Members,

I have convinced myself that by purchasing bespoke products I am acting prudently and practicing thrift.

Carefully chosen items, styled in a timeless manner, therefor designed to last a lifetime, are a true investment and a better use of funds than chasing the latest fashion and the resulting closet full of kills.

I know some will assert a savy buyer could do better in bargin basements and shopping sales. I will counter with the fact that I personally feel infinitely better clothed, shod, or shooting with an item made to my specifications. Additionally, because my funds are limited, I am forced to be truely selective when comissioning items.

This is counter intuitive, runs contrary to the consumptive nature of our society, and would not please the marketing department of any of the ready to wear manufacturers, but I believe, over the course of my lifetime, this premise will be valid.

I look forward to your comments.

Joe

[BenedictSpinola]

Joe,

Your argument is rational, provided of course that one's tastes & waist do not alter too significantly over the years. The most difficult part is finding an artisan who can make (and perhaps improve upon) what one envisages. If one is not fortunate in the latter endeavour, then he will potentially have wasted a significant sum of money on a garment that may be worse than ready to wear. Bespoke is a double-edged sword: it can offer both the best, and worst, value.

Spinola

[Joe]

Dear Mr. Spinola,

Your input is very well received. The warning you provide is most usefull. Understanding the craft, learning how to work with, and locate artisans is the main reason I am here.

I have been both unfortunate and most fortunate in terms of artisan relationships. Luckilly, the first relationship was not a disaster - just a fleecing. The second, and then additional relationships by way of an introduction through a friend have turned out much better.

I will modify my postulate to include your wisdom.

Joe

[alden]

Gentlemen,

Together you have touched on elements of bespoke dressing that concern us all. What adds particular dimension to your statements is the certitude that your judgments and advice emanate from your own real, personal experiences. I mean you are members of a club of individuals who have experience in the matter they treat and we can safely assume you are not teenagers playing on your parent’s computer, vendors manipulating a forum into an infomercial or tough luck, bottom fishing tailors skimming the net looking for business. The same cannot be said for other net resources.

It is certainly true that finding competent and professional tailoring is not that easy these days and mistakes are costly. That is why some of us here are so keen on constructing a true Certified Artisans Program, a Zagat’s guide , a Michelin guide to the best tailors and artisans available in the world.

Once we have located the talent we require, then the bespoke value proposition, as Joe has so aptly defined it, must be consecrated in real cloth and for this we need to think clearly about the uses we will have for any garment and the most satisfactory cloth to render such usage as comfortable and long lasting as possible, in that order.

Then the real fun begins, the fun that goes beyond the practical and sensible, the art of creating our own look and identity. Here the choice of design, pattern of cloth and cut permit us a level of creativity and individuality and hence satisfaction that mere RTW can never provide. So the value proposition is increased tenfold or more through the intimate process of creation necessary to some of us. What price tag or ROI can be assigned to the beautiful? None and all.

Best regards,

M Alden

[Leonard Logsdail]

I love finger-wagging at my old clients. Some have been with me since the late 1960's when a two piece suit would cost the princely sum of 69 pounds. Now, of course, it's somewhat higher!! But the old suits keep going and this leads to my finger-wagging when I say, part as a joke but also to get the point across of the value of well-made things be they cars, clothes, homes or whatever, that they should look at their purchase as an investment and not a cost. This is not said in a pompous tone, of course.

This is part of what makes Savile Row, Savile Row. Most of the tailors there will create for you a suit that, as long as you look after it, and bearing in mind fabric were a lot sturdier back then, will become a loved investment rather than a expense.

[whyescalar]

Mr. Logsdail:

You mentioned fabrics used by Savile Row tailors was sturdier in the past. Can you comment why? Any reasonable facsimiles? Thank you.

[Leonard Logsdail]

If you take a look at Lessers "lightweight fine worsetd suiting" bunch, number 304, you will see that it is 11/12oz. Not exactly lightweight by todays standards. But when the bunch was first introduced it was considered lightweight. At that time the mills were not necessarily geared up for lighterweight production and, most importantly, the English homes had no central heating and were really cold in the winter months.
My first job after tailoring school was with Thresher & Glenny just of the Haymatket. It was a beautiful town house with one operating fireplace in the showroom downstairs. As the cutting room was on the next floor, this did not do us much good.

So, in answer to your question, the sturdier fabric were mainly for practical reasons, meaning warmth.

Hope this helps.

Leonard