Everything2
Near Matches
Ignore Exact
Full Text
Everything2

Bespoke

created by Webster 1913

(idea) by Kesper North (8 hr) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Tue Nov 14 2000 at 13:33:13

An adjective describing an item which has been custom-made, most often referring to clothing that has specifically designed for the person who will be wearing it. This term is unfortunately archaic, as bespoke clothing is not nearly as economically viable in the days of mass-production and sweatshop labor as it was during its height in 19th century Europe. However, most fashion designers can be contracted to design and create bespoke items, for a suitably astronomic fee.

Smilin Zack has also pointed out that the term still exists in modern usage, describing software. It serves as an antonym to "shrink-wrap".


(thing) by Ed Halley (2.2 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Tue Nov 21 2000 at 5:28:40

In Neal Stephenson's novel, The Diamond Age, Bespoke is the name of the Engineering department of Machine-Phase Systems, one of many corporate entities making up Apthorp, headed by Lord Alexander Chung-Sik Finkle-McGraw. It is the employer of a main character, an artifex named John Percival Hackworth, who designed a very special nanotechnological book: A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer.

(definition) by Webster 1913 (print) Tue Dec 21 1999 at 22:06:56

Be*spoke" (?),

imp. & p. p. of Bespeak.

 

© Webster 1913.


printable version
chaos

To which side does sir dress? Bespeak Don't tell her she's beautiful Savile Row
The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer We've Replaced Your Freedom with the Illusion of Freedom Ipecac Gieves and Hawkes
disintermediation Neal Stephenson steampunk sh'ma
Aquascutum Cigarettes and Classical music Besmoke The whole nine yards
Acid Wash acid Make your own jeans The Weathered Man
Buying lingerie for your girlfriend - the definitive guide suit Favrile glass DOD
Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.
  Epicenter
Login
Password

password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Cool Staff Picks
Look at this mess the Death Borg made!
Willow pattern
November 15, 2004
time signature
The International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women
Ball lightning
Mad Magazine
Manfred von Richthofen
whirl mehitabel whirl
a long commute
General Relativity
Islamic Calendar
trashendental
Federal Budget Surplus 2001-2010
New Writeups
DreamingOfGaia
boredom(event)
tentative
July 4, 2008(personal)
Whiskeydaemon
sewing machine(log)
waverider37
Forgotten things in space(poetry)
jessicaj
Days when art is too much to bear(idea)
You've Got Gold
I aborted my peace and tranquility(event)
Simulacron3
Sensing and Perceiving(essay)
StrawberryFrog
Bore(person)
Heitah
The Davy Crockett Weapon System(thing)
Timeshredder
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(review)
aneurin
Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk(person)
Bitriot
flashover(thing)
tejasa
Cranberry Cornbread(recipe)
Dreamvirus
Brighton Bombing(event)
Ariloulaleelay
'Appendices' to a 'Report' on THE HIVE×BODY MACHŸNE(log)
E2 is a by-product of the existence of The Everything Development Company