Why ‘bespoke casual’ makes perfect sense

Yes, you can take an informal approach to made-to-measure

It’s a long way from Savile Row but it’s an aesthetic that, in its way, is every bit as stylish, elegant and handcrafted. It is exemplified by Emily Adams Bode, the New York designer known for her one-off, handmade clothes using antique fabrics, Victorian quilts, grain sacks and more besides, crafted in her workshop/store in Chinatown. Send an email and she’ll make you a pair of cord trousers, hand-painted or embroidered (or both!) with whatever you wish. Or a matching jacket, or just the jacket, or just a T-shirt. P Johnson, is an Australian tailor with a neo-Neopolitan aesthetic who’s big in London, Sydney and New York. He’ll make you a fishing vest out of whatever material tickles your fancy. And Small Talk Studio, the one-man operation (label and workshop) run by Nicholas Williams, who remakes vintage work shirts, jackets and overalls with unique patches, prints, paint and sewing. One of his white shirts might come embroidered with a graphic mishmash of food products, old brand logos, cars and fruit. “I started Small Talk a couple of years ago after my grandma, who lives in Las Vegas, taught me hand-embroidery,” Williams says. “I had a bunch of old white T-shirts I was sewing on and when friends started buying them, I thought I should make it official. People recognise a certain degree of care and artistry in the pieces. And, of course, there’s the perpetually attractive notion of owning and rocking a completely singular piece of clothing.”