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A Tailors CutBespoke Tailoring in the Age of Fast Fashion

By Christopher Palazzo Photography by Ana Vujcuf, Isaac Ely, & Christopher Palazzo

Yes, label addict, no term has come to define a generation of fashion patrons quite like this. Today, the fashion industrys biggest players know the importance of branding: every bag, every pair of sunglasses, every coat, and yes, every pair of underwear are emblazoned with a companys logo. The mantra today is simple - why spend thousands of dollars on a bag if no one will know what brand it is? Flaunt it or do not even bother.

But above the label-addicted crowd and the companies that cater to them, one genre of fashion has remained unshaken by the brand-ing juggernaut: bespoke tailoring. Catering to a select clientele of discerning men who choose to put style and fit above brands and showman-ship, they trust their fashion desires in the age-old craft.

Suits and shirts custom tailored to a mans exact measurements and tastes. Hundreds of fabric that truly customized look.

Drinking an espresso street side in Yorkville Torontos epicentre of fine fashion and dining while people watching is not so much a past-time as it is a sport. Murmurs from Torontos well-to-do quietly yet unapologetically judge and size

up every man, woman, and child that walk by.

I love those shoes. That bag is fake. Her husband cheated on her. Label addict.

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Yet a one of kind look comes with a one of a kind price tag. On average, suits can sell for a few thousand dollars, some even eclipsing the price of a low end Volkswagen depending on the fabric chosen.

Couture, like bespoke, provides their well-to-do the-rack, mass-produced styles of clothes that t-ture show is nothing short of a treat for ones dtransport the audience to an era of glamour and indulgence - a place of pure dreams and an es-t-ern society.

But couture has been on the decline for the last dW > z ^ > W -However, unlike couture, the business of bespoke has been on the rise.

I have never been busier, says Isaac Ely, owner and tailor of Isaac Ely Bespoke in Toronto. In busi-ness for over 25 years, I sat down with Isaac to dis-cuss his business and how bespoke has changed since opening his shop.

Men care about how they look more so than ever before, Isaac remarks. For many fashion watch- aspect of the global fashion industry has been dof retailers and designers producing and selling clothes and accessories geared towards men has

The drab and dreary blue and black staple suits every boy was told to own by their father have ,a navy blue suit with pink pinstripes instead. Or suit every teenage boy and unadventurous ac- t Mens fashion is no longer a status quo, but rather -vertent virtues and vices of their owner.

W ,,hdW^,,

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t/ / at the process of bespoke. For many, bespoke is unat-tainable, a luxury available only to those of us who can , - less than what one would expect to pay for a garment of similar quality from a high-end designer. Shirts start at roughly $350 (CAD), pants at $650 and suits at &product far outweighs a clichd brand logo.

I am a man of colour. Colour for me is life. It is repre-/my life with, so naturally I disdain anything black. For my customized shirt, I chose a yellow and white ging-

ham fabric from Italy. For my pants, I went conserva-

d&-For even the most seasoned style mavens, the process > side to guide even the wariest of fashion seekers.

&-spoke and made to measure, because they are not the same - not even in the slightest regard, Isaac tells me as he begins to take my measurements. Made bespoke is a completely new garment designed to the

Isaac takes my measurements. The length of my arm, my waist, my chest, my wrist and my neck - the standards. He then begins to discuss with me the shape of my torso and why a made to measure shirt cannot address the issues that plague me. See, your shoulders begin to slope inward. They arent perfectly straight, so on a standard shirt the fabric folds on the shoulder blades, and secondly your neck bends slightly forward which, on a standard shirt, creates a gap from the shirt collar to the back of your neck which can choke you if you //

So much for my claim to knowing what looks good on me.

t

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/ workshop Isaac has on site; all garments are manufactured in-house under the quality as-surance of its owner. Every worker is personally trained by /me. Here in Toronto, there are of manufacturing clothes, passed on from skilled tailors /

Ask Isaac why he is a tailor and theres a simple response, Its / t /-ing in Toronto via Turkey and Holland, his life is the quint- t/feel the energy. The workers all believe in Isaacs mission to create the best clothes possible. As the expression goes, It takes a village to raise a child, so it certainly takes more than one hand to make a shirt.

> W/D-WWsto Charvet, a high-end mens retail shop selling bespoke and ready-to-wear & d/&/ Toronto.

hKK//,all the lines simply match up. There is the stately presence of mother-of-pearl d

If I was inclined to buy a new shirt, all shirt sizing sheets are kept in shop so ddo not do.

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^t/-maining. If one feels that a Tom Ford suit or a Versace shirt represents their own style then by all means walk , superior to you than labels, the choice is clear. Bespoke caters to the man whose presence is enough to make a ,>-brands do not represent his status.

Fashion and style, once complimentary, are now two &are told to wear and style is how we wear it. Fashion disdains individuality whereas style hates conformity. These two groups may never reach a compromise but for &the style conscious shopper and guaranteed exclusivity to please the fashion crowd.

During one of my visits to Isaacs shop, I asked him to says, You know Mother Teresa said I am a pen, and God /' /clothes to make people happy, and when they are happy, Im happy.

Visit Isaac in Shop at: 85 Champagne Drive Toronto, Ontario M3J 2C6, Canada

www.isaacely.com

You know Mother Teresa said, I am a pen, and God does the writing, so in a way, Im Gods scissors