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Bespoken Word

IN THE BLUFFER'S guide to fashion, the shortcut to sartorial elegance is the custom-tailored suit. Saville Row, the bastion of bespoke, has been helping to clothe the wealthy but style-challenged for hundreds of years. Today bespoke has moved beyond tailoring.

The growing popularity of bespoke products is underpinned by the need to be different, and more pointedly different in the minutiae of what we wear.

'For many of the men that shop with us, the pastiche of being well dressed isn't enough,' says Ethan Newton, business development manager at men's boutique The Armoury. 'It won't do to simply have a big watch and a luxury tie to be well-dressed; the details need to be right.'

Those details include accessories which can make or break an outfit, and if that accessory is exclusive then so much the better. Where previously we have had to make do with limited-editions and special production runs, accessories now can be made-to-order even for products where the wait is long and the cost is high.

Eyewear instantly lends itself to bespoke tinkering to fit the wearer perfectly, and British luxury eyewear maker TD Tom Davies (tdtomdavies.com) is a favourite with their well-to-do clientele. Famous for their buffalo-horn glasses, bespoke frames from TD Tom Davies can cost more than HK$60,000, with a celebrity-packed waiting list that stretches to upwards of a year.

Never one to miss a trick, Burberry recently launched its Burberry Bespoke (burberry.com) service for their iconic trenchcoat collection, which allows customers to create their own take on a design classic, all from the comfort and convenience of their computer. With prices starting at HK$15,000, the Burberry Bespoke gives the customer control over cut, pattern, lining, fabric and even colour, with the product made to order and delivered direct to your door.

Finding the perfect jeans is one of the most frustrating shopping experiences, but all that frantic scouring for the right denim is a thing of the past with the rise of bespoke jean makers. Manhattan-based denim boutique 3x1 (3x1.us) opened for business this year, and has already proved a major hit despite basic made-to-measure jeans costing as much as HK$10,000.

To finish off the perfect bespoke outfit, there's nothing better than tailor-made shoes. English shoe-maker Edward Green (edwardgreen.com) has been creating bespoke shoes for more than 100 years. Recently there's been a surge of interest from a more discerning public, who see the prices ranging from HK$5,000 to HK$10,000 as the hallmark of quality. Euan Denholm, branding advisor at Edward Green says of the firm's customers: 'They want something different, maybe something made from a calf no-one else has.'

As consumers increasingly look to the one-of-a-kind individuality afforded by made-to-order services, the backlash against fast fashion means even the high costs of bespoke are a sound investment over the longer term.

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