Stretch Leather Mens Jeans

Another recent project, this time men's custom made jeans in stretch leather:

The stretch leather is popular with guys, its great if you are active and also if you need to sit for long periods since the waistband allows for stretch as well.  The leather is from the same tannery that creates the leathers Jitrois uses. Beautiful, supple and comfortably backed with cotton stretch fabric. The leather is available in a constantly changing array of colors weights and finishes, Black of course is a pure classic....

Stretch Leather Mens Jeans

Traveling Leather

This is a recent project for a client who travels a lot.  It needed to be light enough to be worn in many climates, and packable without adding too much weight.  The client brought to me a jacket he'd  purchased several years ago, from a well know European designer.  It was incredibly light weight and also very worn out.  In fact, it was actually pleather! (for lack of a better term)

He'd believed it to be leather at the time he purchased it and it did have an amazing hand to it.  It could have easily pass as leather when it was new, except for the weight.  Really, it was so good  only someone who really versed  in leather would be able to tell.  Plus the workmanship in it was very high, quite odd to put that work into a synthetic...

But, what had happened over 4 years of wear was inevitable with a petrol product.  The jacket's finish had virtually disintegrated everywhere there was friction, contact with the skin or the even the slightest perspiration!  The edges, the cuffs, full across the back, the collar, and the underarm area- to the elbow!

He wanted the jacket re-created as closely as possible, in real leather.  keeping it as light as possible and seamless along the length like the original. (This is often impossible since the very light skins tend to be very small and just don't allow for the length required in a men's jacket.)  It worked out perfectly that the one skin that usually runs larger suited this project to a T).  There were also fit adjustments needed, to have a really well fitting jacket.

This is the finished jacket:

The new jacket - just a little heavier than the original,  has minimal inner construction, to keep the weight down.  And,  it can comfortably go from Lima to London without adding too much extra to the carry on.

Traveling Leather

Happy Summer

I hope your 4th of July was wonderful, relaxing and and thought provoking.... to me it is the big kick off to summer.  The weather is nicer, the BBQ tastes better,  and you get a bit more time to spend with friends and loved ones this time of year....thought provoking because of all the things it means on so many levels, which can get lost in all the hoopla.   So, I am going to post a bit thematically here, since I recently got to work on several fun projects in that most wonderful color scheme...

“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” Albert Einstein

“As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” 

George Washington

“I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking” Woodrow Wilson

“So, Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism” EM Forster

Happy Summer

I am honored to have such amazing clients & working with them is a truly fulfilling & collaborative process.  This is what makes what I do so enjoyable.

I have no testimonial letters on my site anymore, since some tweeking removed them from my main page.  So for the time being I am going to start putting them here.  

So here is the first one:

I own dozens of pieces from every great leather designer there is--Gucci, Versace, Jitrois, Burberry Prorsum  etc.  Carla Behrle is better than all of them and at least half the cost and ten times more attentive and keeps working until the piece is perfect.  She is also remarkably quick. She has made three custom-made pieces for me and is working on a fourth.

I came in with nothing but a conception in my head for a pair of one-piece leather boot pants. The difficulty of designing that for look, feel and comfort was monumental. Let's put it this way--rather than wearing them I think I should frame them.  At any fashion house they would have cost three or four five times as much because of the design and labor. And you won't find them at any fashion house because they don't make them.

When it comes to leather design and make she is the best there is. I know.

Buzz Bissinger,
contributing editor for Vanity Fair

I am speechless...all I can say is:  Thank You, Buzz!!!!

Blood on the Snow

It is falling solidly right now - from where I am sitting you can hardly see across the way.  It may go on like this for days.   Looking at the photos of this jacket I recently finished  got me thinking of the Grimm's Brothers version of Snow White and the blood drop in the snow...

This color is probably my favorite color, especially in leather, a true, true oxblood. The combo of red and black against white has always struck me.  Perhaps it goes back to when I was about 3 or 4 and cut my foot and bled all over the black and white checkerboard floor.  It stopped me in my tracks, I have such a vivid memory of the colors and the contrast.

This is my fantasy Motorcycle Jacket.  It was inspired by and created for a great client and very cool guy. Buzz Bissinger. I hope he gets to wear it in the snow.

Blood on the Snow

Custom Made Leather Jeans; the Process

Custom-Made is different from Made-to-Order.  Made-to-Order is where an existing pattern is cut with small modifications to the original fit.  Or it can be a standard pattern cut in a non-standard fabrication.

Custom made is specifically cut & tailored to fit one individual  body.
Bespoke is specifically men's wear (English).  Haute couture is  specifically women's wear (French).  Both are individually cut and fit custom- made garments. 

At Behrle NYC,  This is how we make all our men's jeans.  (We do made-to-order in women's styles only).  I am always asked if we do Custom-Made via mail order.  The answer is YES.

The Process:  for Mail Order.

Please contact us via the contact form and include your email address.

You may provide a brief description of what you are looking for - color/style, etc. 

We will contact you for additional information & then send you a measurement chart with instructions and a diagram showing you how to measure. You can take this to a tailor or fill it out yourself- (it's best to have help). The more info you can provide - the better.  We are here & happy to answer any questions.

Send back the completed chart back along with 3 clear photos taken in a well fitting pair of pants- stand straight and relaxed. We need to see front, side and back (full length or torso to floor- it doesn't matter)

We send an invoice for deposit via Paypal (payable within credit card)   Once the measurements & photos are is received, along with your deposit, we start on your muslin, (aka a "toile") which is a cotton fitting garment.  

In approx a week to 10 days (depending on the season) you will receive your muslin/toile along with swatches of leather (based on your preferences),  pins & instructions on how to fit.  You will try it on and mark &/or pin any changes/adjustments and again provide clear photos as before. (front, side and back.)  This way we can see any additional adjustments that will allow us to perfect and customize the fit to you.  You return the marked pinned muslin with your choice of leather noted.
 
Pattern is corrected & finalized before anything is cut in leather. When pants are done we let you know and invoice the balance which is due before we to ship.

Working by mail order occasionally requires a second muslin, so rush projects will not be accepted by mail.   3-4 weeks is minimal time frame for mail order, depending on the season.  The final shipping charges will vary according to method and location.

We have a standard price range for classic men's jeans that is based on a limited range of currently popular leathers.  However, since Leather prices and availability are subject to change we do not list prices here. You must contact us for current information. 

Stretch leather, exotics, specialty finishes & details like cordovan lacing, contrast top stitching, appliqué and inlay work are not part of this basic range. These are estimated on a per project basis and the time frame on specialty projects vary accordingly.  For More information please see our FAQS page.

 More Examples of Our Custom Made and Specialty Leather Work.

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Custom Made Leather Jeans; the Process

Follow the Bespoke

 

How Saville row has evolved (or not) can be a good lesson for US specialty makers & this is a 

great read from WWD Men.

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Follow the Bespoke

Size Lies & Why it's called Custom Made

I do custom made, via mail order,  all the time.   I get requests for this service from all over the world.  It is not a simple process and requires work on the clients part as well.  It entails a pretty detailed list of measurements needed from the client (supplied with an equally detailed set of instructions). 

It can be filled out by the client, with help of a friend or tailor, and I make myself available to help via e-mail or phone.  I make mostly pants this way.  I have done much more complicated pieces like Catsuits and Jackets via the mail,  but I want at very least one in-person fitting on these types of projects! 

When clients see the chart,  many US clients,  in their initial panic upon seeing it  (Pl-eeze, it is 2 pages including instructions!) is:  "But my my jeans size is______"

The answer to that one is HERE.  Courtesy of  Esquire's Excellent Style Blog. 

It should be required reading.   It is true for both Men's & Women's jeans.

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Size Lies & Why it's called Custom Made

Can't Buy Me Love...or Taste.

I don't know why (wait -yes I do!),  it always dismays me when I read something that yet again equates "Luxury" purely with the amount of money something costs.  Real luxury is something much, much more than that.  It's getting to sit down and enjoy a wonderfully hand-prepared meal with people you love, leisurely.  ( Happy 4th! Enjoy the day!)   It's getting time to sit in the sun and relax- listen to the waves or the calming white noise from the bakery across the street.  It's having a cat purring contentedly on your chest.  

It's incredibly wonderful to be able to have the luxury of a beautifully made and perfectly fitted garment on your body.  Here, even the most unlikely fit - even very corseted or tight- is actually comfortable over long periods of time.   And yes, many Luxuries cost money,  (and so they should) from custom-made-anything to having a private jet, or driving that Cobra...

What I don't really get is that somewhere along the line someone also has to then  encrust it with diamonds,  & say they are a "designer" so they can put an insane price tag on it and sell it to someone who I can only think has too much $$$ and very, very low self-esteem.....(Along with nothing to do with their money- which is inconceivable in this day and age -  help solve the BP leak problem - contribute to an an award.  Put some kids through school - establish a scholarship or part of one- Jeeze, adopt a kid, build a school....there are a gazillion things.  Help fund a small business for crying out loud- but not like this!)
  

 600 hours to make?  They are including the cutting of the diamonds I presume...

This is not "Luxury".  This is just pure silliness.  

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Can't Buy Me Love...or Taste.

Sharp Dressed Men

After seeing "Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills" I feel inspired…Custom-made Menswear has surreptitiously become my concentration and it's kind of funny.

Many years ago when I was studying costume design, my teacher Jose Varona was looking over my shoulder while I was sketching in class (was it for Eugene Onegin?) and commented on how good I was at designing for men.  He said  he found it unusual,  he felt most of his students preferred designing for women and thought it was much harder to design well for men.

I felt hugely complemented & I liked designing mens costumes, at 14 I wasn't much into ruffles - unless they were Roberto Cappucci type ruffles ("ruffles-on-acid" was how I thought of them- here's a taste!). Do an image search - you will see what I mean- mind altering!!

So I guess I've come full circle.

And with that in mind…Here's the 2nd of a pair of jackets I did recently….

Can you tell I've become bored with the Wedding Dress? :) will get back to it soon!

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Sharp Dressed Men

Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills

Last night I caught a wonderful documentary on an amazing LA based,  bespoke suit maker. 

The documentary, by Cecile Leroy Beauleiu, follows the 60+ year history of the indomitable title character Jack Taylor,  whose beautifully cut and impeccably styled,  custom made suits have graced the bodies of everyone from The Duke of Windsor, Cary Grant, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon and Elvis Presley continuing right up to Jason Schwartzman today.

The man, from what I can tell, is still going strong today at 94... He is truly an inspiration. The love he puts into his work and the pure joy he gets back from it just takes my breath away!

(& here is a wonderful interview from 2002)

Thank You,  Jack Taylor and Cecile Leroy Beauleiu

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Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills

Summer Special on Custom Made Leather Pants

Custom-made leather pant orders placed for Fall 2010 & confirmed with a deposit between now and Monday,  July 12th, (or until we are booked solid, whichever comes first!) will be discounted 20% from the regular custom-made price.  This applies to any regular custom-made men's pants, in a selection of our very best selling black and brown cowhides.

  Limited Specialty treatments will also be offered during this special,  prices vary accordingly.

(Details on the Summer Special Here)

 

 

& Ladies, womens custom-made Italian Lambskin pants (in our classic clean cuts only) will also be 20% off any orders confirmed with a deposit by July 12th.  A range of colors is available in our Italian Lambskin.

So, avoid the Fall crunch and plan ahead. 

Please call for an appointment or email us for more information.

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Summer Special on Custom Made Leather Pants

SPECTRE Style

Somehow the villains always look the coolest.  The best tailoring, the sharpest style.
It's why we've all emulated them all for years.  Besides, edgeless gets very, very boring, very quickly.

I was so very glad when frilly girlie-girl dresses went out of favor in NYC - my eyes were burning from the saccharine!   Things are so much better when they bite!   But, I was a bit ahead of the game with my womenswear & now I'm doing mostly menswear.   It's great really 'cause guys get it!

Case in point,   Jackets (Leather here, of course) fitted,  sharp tailoring,  edgy,  tough,  straddling fashion, fetish,  militaristic and of course my favorite,  Bond Villains! (Hey, the Bad Bond Girls were ALWAYS the best Bond Girls! I need to find more of them!)

Here I present, The dangerous Nehru Jacket.  Finely tailored, in a foreboding  ( yet deceptively fine & very light weight )  matte black lambskin.  Incredible, if I do say so myself!  Very Dr. No,  no?

Many Thanks to my customer,  John,  for posing for pix, one day I hope to get getter ones,  I have an

on-the-fly-studio set up now...perfect for those mastermind villains!

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SPECTRE Style