Made-to-Measure or Bespoke

Can you afford custom made clothing?  I can't, but I wish that I could.  Although I can't afford them, I know the importance of understanding different categories of clothing.  So, let's take a few moment to learn the difference between the term "made-to-measure" and "bespoke".  They are often referred to as being the same thing, but technically they are NOT the same.  Well, actually that depends on who you ask.

The British Advertising Standards Authority has made a ruling regarding the difference or lack of difference between the word bespoke and made-to-measure.  The ruling established that a "made-to-measure suit would be cut, usually by machine, from an existing pattern, and adjusted according to the customer's measurements," while "a bespoke suit would be fully hand-made and the pattern cut from scratch, with an intermediary baste stage which involved a first fitting so that adjustments could be made to a half-made suit." The ruling concluded, however, that a "majority of people... would not expect that bespoke suit to be fully hand-made with the pattern cut from scratch," effectively equalizing the terms bespoke and made-to-measure.  Some people may say that the ASA had made a rather silly decision to declare that there is no difference between bespoke and made-to-measure.  In the opinion of Apparel Search, their is a difference between the two terms.  Bespoke is 100% custom made for a specific individual.  Made-to-measure uses existing standard patterns and then tailoring is done to make the garment fit better to an specific individual.  

You may also want to learn about suiting fabrics if you are planing to buy either a made-to-measure suit or a bespoke suit.  It would actually be a good idea to learn about suit fabrics even if you are planning to buy ready to wear suits off the rack.

Nudie Suits, Shirts, and other Westernwear Embellishments

Time to learn a bit more about the legendary Nudie's Rodeo Tailors.

Nudie suits take embellishments to the next level.

Nudie's offers custom one-of-a-kind suits and jackets that are hand tailored in Los Angeles, California.  Nudie Suits are made to measure and are completely customized based on your needs.  They offer custom embroidery, rhinestoning, handpainting, beading, leather inlay, and much more.

Nuta Kotlyarenko, known professionally as Nudie Cohn (December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984), was a Ukrainian-born American tailor who designed decorative rhinestone-covered suits, known popularly as "Nudie Suits", and other elaborate outfits for some of the most famous celebrities of his era.  He also became famous for his outrageous customized automobiles.

Nudie Cohn and his wife Bobbie moved to New York  New York City and opened their first store, "Nudie's for the Ladies", specializing in custom-made undergarments for showgirls.  They moved to California in the early 1940s, and began designing and manufacturing clothing in their garage. In 1947 Cohn persuaded a young, struggling country singer named Tex Williams to buy him a sewing machine with the proceeds of an auctioned horse. In exchange, Cohn made clothing for Williams.   As their creations gained a following, the Cohns opened "Nudie's of Hollywood" on the corner of Victory and Vineland in North Hollywood, dealing exclusively in western wear, a style very much in fashion at the time.

Cohn's designs brought the already-flamboyant western style to a new level of ostentation with the liberal use of rhinestones and themed images in chain stitch embroidery. One of his early designs, in 1962, for singer Porter Wagoner, was a peach-colored suit featuring rhinestones, a covered wagon on the back, and wagon wheels on the legs. He offered the suit to Wagoner for free, confident that the popular performer (like Tex Williams) would serve as a billboard for his clothing line. His confidence proved justified and the business grew rapidly. In 1963 the Cohns relocated their business to a larger facility on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood and renamed it "Nudie's Rodeo Tailors".  And the legend of this westernwear clothing store blossomed.

Jamie Nudie is the granddaughter of Nudie Cohn and his wife Bobbie.  She grew up in the Nudie's iconic North Hollywood store where she learned the business inside and out.  Her grandparents transitioned out of retail in 1994 and Jamie now oversees Nudie's Rodeo Tailors.

Many famous celebrities wore Nudie suits including Elvis.

Learn more about Nudie shirts and other clothing.

Learn about embellishments for clothing.

Appalatch Custom Fit Sweaters

Appalatch is an outdoor apparel company located in Asheville NC, with a plan to make the world’s first custom fit sweater program for the masses. They are striving to make gorgeous, high quality, custom fit sweaters using totally domestic fibers and labor. Already, with an offering of domestically made and mountain inspired goods on appalatch.com, they are ready to spread their wings.

Recently, Appalatch was featured in NY Magazine and exhibited at SXSW Eco, as well as at the exclusive men's American pop-up market, NorthernGrade.  

We think Appalatch's story is interesting for the following reasons:

1. Appalatch's products have a timeless appeal that is ultra classic and of very high quality. Their design for both women and men keep one eye on performance and the other on timeless design. The result has been a unique hybrid that attracts people who are simply obsessed with wool for its performance attributes, and others who simply love quality and style.

2. Ethics and sustainability are the back bone of all decisions they make when it comes to manufacturing. Their custom fit sweater program will help further this mission. For example, with the 3D like knitting machine they are looking to purchase, they can drastically reduce the 20-30% of fabric that is thrown away in typical manufacturing. 3D printing sweaters means virtually zero waste.

3.Appalatch's story is entirely domestic -- everything they offer is made entirely within the USA. With American made clothing increasingly being sought after, they offer a solution to the problem of 98% of clothing bought last year, coming from abroad.  Appalatch is working to rebuild the textile manufacturing industry at home, one sweater at a time!

Thank you for taking the time to read our fashion blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.