Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Let me introduce myself, I fancy myself a sort of bespoken for gentleman. I think that being a gentleman is too often misunderstood, if not under appreciated these days. I tend to be a kind of overdressed character in the play of life. I believe that fashion can help to identify character. I believe that clothing, like language, communicates, and has the ability to transform us, so I wanted to create a site especially for gentleman concerned with celebrating the manner of dress, and state of being.
The etymology of the word “bespoke” is a derivative of the word “bespeak“, meaning to ask for something. It comes from a practice identified with tailors on Savile Row, where a customer would “bespeak” a measure of cloth. The “bespoke” bolt of cloth was then unavailable to any other client until the entire suit had been cut, assembled, and sewn. Bespoke is a commonly used British English term often referring to any tailored clothing made at a customer's behest, and exactly to the customer's specification. Bespoke clothing is created without use of a pre-existing pattern, differentiating it from made to measure, which alters a standard-sized pattern to fit the customer. Bespoke is almost a synonym for something unique, special, a “one of a kind”. In American English, it is a synonym for almost anything "custom made."
A more romantic derivation is when “bespoken for” is used to refer to someone engaged, or betrothed, also “set aside” or set apart. In that respect too, I am very much a “bespoken for gentleman”.
I will try to update my site several times a week. While I'm a voracious writer, even I periodically get distracted by the world. So I hope you will visit often, and in the interim delve into my prior posts. I encourage you to share your appreciation, feel free to contribute, share your comments; I encourage dialog, and healthy debate. I'd like to post your stories, ideas, photos, reminiscences and musings too. Great fashion is collaborative.
My site is divided into categories of interest like "Adventures in Retailing," which contains stories about the fascinating business side of retail. Then there is "Clothing Thoughts" which is all about fashion, mostly men's, and what men's clothing tells us about our culture, and ourselves. I like the section called "Cut on the Bias" which are opinion pieces, and little informal history lessons on fashion and retail. My favorite section is called "Man and Mannequin" which is about my passion for archiving the relationship between us and them, (mannequins) and what makes us human. There are exquisite photos by the talented Sindi Schorr, and even a few of mine. In my "The Catalog" are the archives of all my prior posts, listed simply by date. I try to give credit where credit is due, so I do my earnest best to keep a current list of sites that I draw stories from in the section called, "Made to Measure." I invite you to visit those links, all of which have lots to offer anyone crossing their portals. If you haven't had enough of me, in the "All About Me" section, you can review my professional resume, read my bio, "My Unorthodox Life" and contact me, there's even a listing of Internet sites where I am credited or profiled.
Truly, A Bespoken For Gentleman
PS: I do have a strange quirk, I write only about things I find interesting, and seldom tell the whole truth.
