Don't be fooled by imitations.

I was pretty infuriated at the ASA's decision regarding the term "bespoke," especially after reading a few threads on Ask Andy About Clothes about a certain wife-to-be and her husband who got poor service and were even lied to by that very company that figured in the decision, Sartoriani. Here are the threads in question: 1 2 The lesson here is to do as much research as possible on someone or something before you invest that much money. I've certainly learned that the hard way in the past, but with a lot less money! Even with the companies I've mentioned such as Thick as Thieves and Kingston '66, do your homework. Don't just go on that the gents who run them are friends of mine, or anyone else's on fashion/style forums. That said, I've read favourable reviews about TaT and seen a result that was less than ideal because the customer insisted on something Jason recommended against. Again, do your homework, as I've finally learned to before taking big plunges, one of which I have done as recently as early this year. That was the last time. Fortunately, there is hope. Savile Row is banding together and has a small campaign promoting true bespoke. I applaud these gents, being a huge fan of Thomas Mahon's "English Cut" blog. I hope they advertise widely. The Row could certainly use it. The page is also one of the first results when Googling "Savile Row" and "Savile Row Bespoke." It should, frankly, be one of the first results when Googling "bespoke" as well in my opinion. I wonder if Italian bespoke tailors are working on a similar campaign -- they should, as there are bound to be similar hucksters residing with our cousins over there. I have never experienced true bespoke. I hope to someday. It is an art that is slowly dying a very unrightful death. It is not too late to bring it back to good health with good campaigning and education of consumers. That's really all us clothing enthusiasts can do at this point. With that, I leave you with this lovely picture of Sean Connery being fitted for one of his Bond suits by Anthony Sinclair.