White Hot Leather

White leather has always been a very popular request,  especially for editorial purposes- however, no white leather ever goes out of here unless it is purchased... I never stocked it in my shop for the same reason,  it simply does not get taken care of properly by people unless they have some skin in the game!

Recently I've had more & more customers asking about it & ordering it.  One white project I am working right now on is for an HBO Special right now - when it is closer to air time I will update.  When I work in white the whole studio is given over to it and I dress in white!  (No kidding,  my husband did not recognize me the other day when we met downtown for dinner since I was not in my usual head to toe black!)

I've done white leather stagewear:

here's a white leather wedding dress:

White leather baby bibs (they wipe clean in most cases)

White leather jackets:

& God know what else...

Good white leather when it is tanned must be finished in a dust free environment, it is harder and harder to find white leather that is finished properly - many times you will see,  on smooth white leather, little tiny spots in the finish because of dust...it's not in the lot I just got!  It's been ages since I have not had to painstakingly check every skin for these.  Makes me happy.

On the subject of white leather,  I just got photos from a client, (one of my few ladies) of an outfit I made her last year.  She's got star style and confidence and effortlessly carries off  looks much stronger than most people here in NYC would ever attempt! (...my pet peeve about NYC- sometimes it feels like everybody wants to fit in - often to the point of blandness... it gets boring.)   Randa's use of accessories is flawless to boot!  I think these photos only give a hint of that.  This is one amazingly turned out woman,  & on an everyday basis!

 "You certainly have my permission to use the photo on whatever you need it for.  Thank you sooooo much!"

I love to see the finished work the way it is worn by the people it's designed for!

Thank you so much to Randa S.  for the photos & permission to post.

Here is the front view:

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us

Digg

White Hot Leather

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!

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us

Digg

SPECTRE Style

Men's Pinstripe Leather "Clint" Jeans

A masculine version of my stitched pinstripe "Clint" jeans ( Yes, really a men's style...but I knew that.)

Heavyweight, full grain black cowhide.  Freehand stitching.  Hand-laced details.  Convertible zipped leg vents.

The Good and the Bad... (sorry Ugly)

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us

Digg

Men's Pinstripe Leather "Clint" Jeans

More Custom Made Leather Boot Pants

Continuing on with the new projects...The boot pants:

A gentleman with amazing taste and a ton of style, commissioned these.  The original concept was simple, but once I got started with the materials,  the bootmaker and the fittings,  the project took its proper form and the real construction and technical specifications took shape.

For these pants to be truly wearable and functional (and still look freaking amazing) a lot of articulation had to be built in to allow for sitting,  bending & movement. The leather is not stretch leather and I wanted a fashionable and masculine look.

I want these pants to elicit unconscious (and appreciative) double takes.  My client can carry them off.  As streetwear,  As fashion.  As a statement.  Not too many people can do that these days.  Confidence & real personal style,  is a powerful combination...

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us
Digg

More Custom Made Leather Boot Pants

BehrleNYC Leather in Hollywood

I will  be in the Los Angeles area from November 25th through the afternoon of December 1st.  Except for the day of Thanksgiving proper. (as far as I know at this point)

I am taking this opportunity to set up appointments for Custom-Made Leather as well as made to order leather pieces.  I will be staying in Hollywood, nearby the Walk of Fame and Grauman's.

I will meet with you to discuss your project & take measurements.  Once design is finalized, most projects can be completed through the mail via muslin fittings and photos that I go over step by step with you to so the finished garment  is absolutely the perfect piece, with the perfect fit.

I am looking forward to meeting both new and prospective customers, stylists, etc. during this time and will be setting aside as much time as possible to do so.  From unique jeans and jackets, to luxuriously detailed outerwear to extravagant Evening and Stage wear.  Unique and couture treatments, from finely detailed and beautifully finished traditional leather handwork  to exclusive and unique fabrics created with leathers and textiles. These are my specialties.

Please contact me at behrlenyc (at) gmail (dot) com.  Before November 23rd,  If you would like to arrange a meeting. 

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us

Digg

BehrleNYC Leather in Hollywood

Perfect Skins

People always ask what I make in leather, and my answer is... everything! I think "leather" is still oddly stuck on either "outerwear" or "fetish" wear in most people's minds when it comes up as a specific fabrication. And, I decided to focus on leather because I like the restraint :) it gives me. Like many artists I work best with a tightly defined goal or project, so I chose leather as my medium. I do work in other fabrics, but not here.   After all why would I need to? Look at just some of the things that can be done with skins... Please Turn The Sound DOWN - Or OFF!  My Apologies.

This video is of my last production collection, showing examples of work done in hand painted leather, laser cut leathers, distressed leathers, leather with hand-cut work and lacing, woven leather, reversible leather and fur, and stretch leather. As well as the leather & textile fabrications that are exclusive to BehrleNYC. Variations of many of these items can be custom-made.

Perfect Skins

Custom Made Men's Leather Pants, Part 3

I very recently finished these, but have not gotten to post till now, been swamped - (between doing some re-location, taking 3 different classes and work- whew!) Plus , since the final design was surprise I wanted to wait till he got them. These were done via the mail.

I did a combination of inlay work in a grainy black elk-skin and contrast stitching on these.
I am really happy with how they came out and so is my client!

He wrote me the nicest note:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

I've picked up the pants and in a word they are "Magnificent" The
pocket detailing is incredible and exactly what what I was looking for.
The brown colour is beautiful and is perfect. The craftsmanship
exemplary.

Tried getting some pictures but they haven't turned out well. Will try
to get others to you shortly.

I'm just a average guy who is on the downward side of middle age,
looking to "dress it up" Your sense of style, execeptional craftmanship
and dedication will allow me to do that in spades.

When can I a get a black pair!

Thanks again and I can't wait to wear them out.

(Glenn B, Calgary)

It makes me so happy when my clients are thrilled, especially when the whole pant was more of less a surprise. The choice of leather, design, details, all but the primary color, brown. I sent a bunch of swatches, but the choice was left to me. Based on e-mail discussions, this is what I did.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us

Digg

Now playing: Fun Lovin' Criminals - Back On the Block
via FoxyTunes

Custom Made Men's Leather Pants, Part 3

Custom Made Men's Leather Pants Two

Wishing everybody the best this day and I wish you all love in your hearts, be it for your family, friends, pets and please don't forget yourself.

I have been quite remiss with posting, I have been doing quite a few things at once lately, not the least of which is trying to learn Spanish!

I am dreaming of one day moving to Argentina or Uruguay. I would love to be able to work from there, I completely fell in love with Buenos Aires and the other parts of Argentina I visited and I cannot wait to go back and spend more time there. I saw leather work out of Uruguay that rivaled anything out of Italy and plan on looking into that next trip. They could definitely handle what I do...

I have been doing more custom-made men’s leather pants via the mail.
Working out the process and perfecting the system, as properly taken measurements are key. Often each tailor/fitter has a specific way of taking measurements that works best for their fit and styling. So you need to be clear on your system.

In a costume shop, it is either the pattern maker themselves or their trained assistant who will take the actors measurements. Years ago when I worked at the NYC Shakespeare Festival Costume Shop, each pattern maker had an assistant, and they were not interchangeable. If an assistant was not available only a comparable level pattern maker or the head of the shop could take the measurements. It sounds anal, but
there was good reason for this.

The pants shown here were done with e-mailed measurements. There was very little on the muslin that had to be adjusted. & So my system gets tweeked & improved each time, to make it clearer and simpler for both my customer and myself.

Here is a pair of custom pants made for a long time customer, who is quite a dashing gentleman with a fabulous sense of style. His style is a modern, elegant cross between Leone’s “the man with no name” & “the man in black”, since over the years I've made him 5 or 6 pairs of black pants!

One day I gotta get him into some nice deep expresso brown pants!!! Just a shade off Black...





I did take photos of the pants on him- they were all way too out of focus to put up- new camera, I forgot to change the settings on…I am kicking myself!

 Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us

Digg

Custom Made Men's Leather Pants Two

Custom Made Men's Leather Pants

I am admittedly very, very bad at asking my customers to pose for photos of their finished pieces on, so I have hardly any photos of most the custom work that I've done, and absolutely none of it on the people it was created for!

On top of that, I have made so many pairs of men's pants, but have no photos of any of them on! So I am making a concerted effort to change that.

I recently made a pair of buffalo skin pants for a new client who was visiting from overseas and who was very generous to allow me to take photos of the finished product on him.

So with his very kind permission (Thank You, J!) here are some photos of custom made men's pants.






This is a start, and I'd love to see photos of any and all of my amazing clients in their custom made leather. So, if any of you are reading this...!

(& I would only ever post photos here with your specific permission and OK.)

Add to Technorati Favorites

Del.icio.us
Digg

----------------
Now playing: Fun Lovin' Criminals - Swashbucklin' in Brooklyn
via FoxyTunes

Custom Made Men's Leather Pants

Iconic Punk Elvis Presley

I have been very lax in posting lately- and I have to go through my comments, but I had to post this today. I got in this afternoon and got some questions on something I'm selling on ebay- I have way too much stuff and way too little space- like everybody else in NYC and I periodically clean out my closets this way... So I listed this Iconic '70's punk t-shirt that I reworked:




Well, today when I got in I'd received this "Question" from an E-Bay member:

Q: This shirt should be burned! People who don't know anything about the king of rock n' roll design shirts like this! It is very rude to put a negative design over such an important picture from our history! Elvis was and is the only civilian to ever walk into the White house with guns! (my italics) Elvis did and is still giving to so many people! He has touched so many people with his huge giving heart! From giving money, charity, cars, houses,free tickets,jewelry, food, animals, clothing, medical care and trans. to & from, & the shirt off his back etc! There is Presley Place foundations that help people in need and also are providing help to the huricane victims so they can rebuild New Orleans. What other celebrity can you name that has done all this alive and dead? Before you sell such degrading shirts you should watch documentries on the "USS Arizona memorial in memory of Pearl Harbor" and also "Elvis meets Nixon" just to mention a few so you can get a glimps of what an amazing man Elvis was!!!

- cheyka123

It's pretty much common knowledge that Elvis was wacked out of his gourd during the time he accepted the DEA badge from Nixon, and who on earth thought it was a good idea to let anybody into the White House with a GUN? That's Special???

(Although, nowadays... I am being completely facetious here, or can't you tell?)

I must say, I was warned. You see this t-shirt has a back story. My brother wore the original to Graceland- I don't know when, I guess pretty soon after it was opened to the public. From the way he describes it he was physically hauled out of the place due to the uproar the shirt caused among the hardcore Elvis fans, who unfortunately lack any sense of humor or irony, and apparently don't get the concept of freedom of speech- or live and let live. It's not a personal attack, It's a FREEKIN t-shirt!!!

cheyka123 - please keep your child away from the loaded gun you keep in your bureau and remember your spell-check....

Add to Technorati Favorites
Del.icio.us
Digg

----------------
Now playing: Tunng - Bullets
via FoxyTunes

Iconic Punk Elvis Presley