Do E-Tailors Measure Up? Procuring Custom Suits Online Was Gaining Steam Before the Pandemic, but Now It’S Even More Popular
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P2JW165000-4-D00100-1--------XA Sea Change Go for the A quick tuna Green salad where the One-up your fish is in the neighbors’ lawns vinaigrette with these tools D12 and tips D9 FASHION | FOOD | DESIGN | TRAVEL | GEAR OFFTHE WALLDUSTREET JOURNAL. TY**** Saturday/Sunday, June 13 - 14, 2020 | D1 Do E-Tailors Measure Up? Procuring custom suits online was gaining steam before the pandemic, but now it’s even more popular BY JACOB GALLAGHER AST MONTH, Elliott Pen obtained a custom glen- plaid blazer from Yeossal, a tailor in Singapore. But Mr. Pen, a 35-year-old Lbusiness manager at a media company in Toronto, has never even been to Singapore. The entire transaction— from choosing his fabric to selecting his pocket shape—took place online. To nail the fit from across the globe, Mr. Pen tapped his “very patient” wife to measure and photograph “every possible angle” of his frame to mes- sage to Yeossal. The process took eight weeks and cost Mr. Pen just over $1,000—a good deal for custom tailor- ing. Mr. Pen worried until the last minute. “I opened the box with trepi- dation,” he said. But the results of his online experiment thoroughly pleased him and he busts it out for his more professional Zoom calls. We’reentering anew erawhen it comes to shopping forcustom clothes. Traditionally,buying amade-for-you suit wasveryhands-on: Aman visits his tailor,has adrink,chatsabout his daughter’s Little League career,pores over swatches and submitstoendless measurementsand fittings. But even beforeCovid-19 forbade such intimacy, that way of shopping felt outmoded. “That whole expectation that Ihad to literally go somewhereand shop wasa little daunting,” said AlexVillaseñor,35, the creativedirector foraChicagofilm company, who usually buyshis clothes online.Hecravedacustom suit forhis wedding so he virtually commissioned a handsome black one from Chicagotai- lor Nicholas Joseph. While the idea is nothing new, the pandemic has hastened the embraceof remoteeverything,including tailoring. No matterhow much youmight love your suit guy, the thought of spending hourstogether elbow-to-elbowscruti- nizing weightsofwool might seem off- putting.Prudent men arewarming to remotemethods,not only fortheir safety,but fortheir efficiency, the po- tential fordeals and the scope forcre- ativity. Mind you, custom digital tailoring is not yetafuturistic,Jetson-ian, instant process. Innovation has mainly focused on bringing adusty processonline, C MA from videoconferences with tailorsto TO nifty e-commerce ordering that letsyou W. customizeexisting patterns.Once, tra- JOHN PleaseturntopageD2 Inside The Grand Staircase National Monument in southern Utah. JOURNAL REET ST LL WA SINGULAR GINS OF JAPAN NARNIA REVISITED THE R Spirits with unique flavorprofiles that Aclassic tale takes on newmeaningin FO reflect their Asian origins D12 the summer of 2020 D6 UKILIS YO On the Road Again, Warily M SA As soon as his stay-at-home order lifted, arestlessNew Orleanian drove acrossthe Southwest in searchofluxurious solitude BY MARK CHILDRESS Ineeded aroad trip.Couldn’t talk anyone intoriding shotgun, but who cares? Alone on NATUESDAY in mid-May, af- the road is no lonelier than alone at home, terNew Orleans relaxed its and the sceneryisbetter. Coming from acity pandemic rules enough to let that wasanearly hot spot, I’dbeen totally dentistsresume practice, I isolating myself,soIwas pretty sureIwasn’t went in formycheckup.When aspreader.The mayorliftedher stay-at- Othe masked-and-gowned technician brushed home order just in time to keep me from go- against my arm Irealized she wasthe first ing purecrazy. human being to touch me in eight weeks.For IflewtoSan Franciscoonanairplane full THE HOUSEDRESSCALLS SMALL-TOWNSOPHISTICATION some reason, this gavemeaterrible urge to of people with masks trying not to breathe. Howthe curious WFH dresscode has She inherited her Illinois grandmother’s getout of town. PleaseturntopageD7 revived an anachronism D3 chairs—and found they’re design icons D4 P2JW165000-4-D00200-1--------XA D2 | Saturday/Sunday, June 13 - 14, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. STYLE & FASHION an online made-to-order program. While tai- Breezier Bespoke SMARTY PANTS lors who produce true—and expensive—be- Stephon Carson wears spoke suiting create a pattern reflecting a ContinuedfrompageD1 custom-made trousers client’s exact body shape, outfits like Spier & ditional Savile Row-style tailorsweredifficult tailored to his unique Mackay let customers tweak a standard-size to reach, some declining to establish anysort specifications—which suit pattern to more closely accommodate of webpresence; todaythey court remotecli- he scores for a song their forms. If you know you normally have ents. Most steps,including design consultation to get your jacket sleeves shortened an inch, and fabric selection, canhappen virtually,al- or have the pant length taken up a half-inch, though some traditionalistsstill insist on in- you can plug those modifications in. person measuring. Such online made-to-order programs also Video calls are definitely becoming many boast clickable style modifications,much like tailors’ trustiest tool. On the hunt for his the popular NikeByYou custom-sneaker cre- wedding suit, Mr. Villaseñor Zoomed with ator,but forbusinesswear.Jesse Burzminski, Jodi Leahy, a designer at Nicholas Joseph. 36,who works in sales foratelecommunica- For 40 minutes, Ms. Leahy presented suit tions companyinCalgary, recently ordered a styles and swatches, guiding Mr. Villaseñor’s refined blazer in astriking white-on-brown purchase. “I was able to see the actual tex- windowpane-patterned fabric via Spier &Mac- tures of the garments and how they would kay’sonline program forabout $483.Tweak- match,” he enthused. If you’re wondering ing aconventional design in simple ways, he who is ordering suits during a pandemic, the specified patch pockets, and requested extra answer in part is men like Mr. Villaseñor shirring wherethe sleevemeetsthe shoulder. with a big day on the horizon. Because Mr.Burzminski’ssizeisfairly stan- For him, the next step will be to go to the dard, he didn’t belabor the fit, focusing his en- Nicholas Joseph shop and get measured in ergy instead on getting creativewith the de- person. However, since Mr. Villaseñor’s tails. lengthy design consultation occurred over Custom tailoring via the internet doesn’t Zoom, everyone will be spared the need to stop at suits and sportcoats. Stephon Carson, spend a lot of time in a confined space. 29, the manager of a retail store in New York, While body-scanning technologythat lets buys personalized trousers from Yeossal’s tailorsmeasureaman even faster or remotely does exist, it’snot yetwidely adopted. Knot Standard, a10-year-old NewYork startup, swearsbyits sci-fi-ish system. Customers Video calls are definitely snap photos—from the front and from the becoming some tailors’ side—which the companyruns through an ar- trustiest tool. tificial intelligenceprogram to model aclient’s body shape.Over2000 people have used this technologyand the companysays that only around 16% of them have requested altera- website. “On off-the-rack pants, the fit at the tions.Alton Lane uses similar technology, al- current moment is very slim. I like some- though the scanning takesplaceinperson in thing that’s a little bit fuller in the leg,” he itsby-appointment showrooms in cities in- explained. He also takes advantage of Yeo- cluding Boston, Dallas and Nashville rather ssal’s many optional add-ons, tacking on an than via smartphone. exaggerated side-buttoned waistband and Some tailorsremain skeptical. “The tech- double pleats. The resulting trousers look nologyofdigital measuring has still not quite like something the members of the Rat Pack caught up to alot of clients’ expectations,” would have worn. And at just over $200, said BJ McCahill, vicepresident of Kashiyama, they’re a steal as custom pants go. Even if aJapanese suiting brand. Though Mr.McCa- the trousers had proven disappointing, the hill explored different scanning technologies, stakes are fairly low: Like most of these com- most developed by companies in Asia and Eu- panies, Yeossal will work with you to get a rope,hepassed on partnering with all of garment tailored in your hometown if it them, concluding they were insufficiently sen- doesn’t fit properly. sitivetoanindividual’sfit preferences.“One What makes thelow prices possible? Some person’sdefinition of aslim-fit suit might be of these brands use factoryproduction in lieu different from another person’sdefinition of of the moremeticulous—and costly—hand- that suit,” he explained. Though digital mea- work that goes intoatraditional bespokesuit. suring systems areable to take such prefer- That’sOKwith Mr.Burzminski. Spier &Mac- ences intoaccount, human tailorsstill do so kay, he said, “gavemeanopportunity to get morenimbly. intothe tailoring that wasn’t from the mall, CK YA Those rare shoppers with a strong grasp but wasabit morestylish in terms of classic TA of what it takes to make their clothing fit can menswear.” He plans to keep ordering virtual O take advantage of entirely digital options. custom well afterthe Covid era. And many ANDR Spier & Mackay, a Toronto company, offers moremen might start. ALEJ THE CASE FOR HANDS-ON MEASUREMENTS / THREE TRADITIONAL TAILORS ON WHY DIGI-TAILORING DOESN’T WORK “Having afirst fitting over “Gettingtoknowsomeone’s “Thereare so many variables the screenwouldn’t feel right style in person is important.I thatgointothe measurement without being able to make tell people to come to an ini- process, taking into account surethe product fits howI tial meeting wearing some- someone’s postureand shoul- want it to in person. We don’t thing thattheylike, and I’ll get der.Noalgorithm or method want to offerawatered- asense of the things that of taking your ownmeasure- down version of our actual theylike. Forexample,dothey ments will be as accurateas value proposition and the in- likealittle bit morefullnessin having atailor do it.Also,you teraction that people get in their chest, maybe theylike have fabric visuals online,but person is such an instrumen- their sleeves alittle shorter.I’ll youcan’t touch cloth.