FiveThirtyEight: In a makeshift room no bigger than a phone booth, standing on a plush carpet that had hosted who knows how many naked men before me, I could see the vertical array of cameras surrounding me on six or eight sides. I stood where I was told, put my hands at my sides and pressed a button. The walls burst to life: three camera flashes in front, three to the side, three behind my exposed buttocks. The light spun around me, detecting how my shoulders sloped, how my hips popped, how my chest caved. After just a few seconds it was done.
24 comments:
This is an amazing idea. A system that can create a suit that's that exact is really amazing--no margin of error with the tape measure, and measurements as exact as 15.07 inches is really quite amazing. While I'm sure it comes with a large price tag, it it works as well as the article describes, I think it's worth it. It would be cool to see tech like this become more ubiquitous and portable--something that could eventually replace common tape measurements in measuring people for clothes fittings. While this is quite a lofty idea, I could see how it is doable, especially with tech that is already in existence. In my opinion, that would be a huge game changer and would be a great technology to see in the near future.
Based on the title, I originally thought that this article was going to be about a company (possibly a financial or business one) that the writer worked for that forced the writer to strip down and get a body scan for a suit. After reading the article, I realize now that this was a more personal quest, one that turned out for the better. I really do wonder the mechanisms that the suit company uses to determine the ‘best-fit suit’ after using the body scanner, though. Human bodies are very unpredictable—they do not stay in one shape forever, and they are prone to weight gain and/or loss. Some people also bloat extremely heavily—how does a suit contour to all the intricacies of a human body when it only has one snapshot image of a person’s shape? I wish the author had mentioned the date on which he got his suit fitted since he does mention the fact that it currently still fits as he is going to wear it to his own wedding over the weekend. I also wonder what he may say about the suit after a few months or a year pass—would he still feel like it was worth the money? Additionally, he never mentions the cost of the suit, which is crucial for interested people to know. Overall, I found this article to be somewhat lacking—I have so many unanswered questions—but I also find the body-scanned suit idea (why not let the men wear briefs, at the very least) to be an interesting one with high future potential.
This is really cool! I had a 3D scan of my head taken last time I was in New York, I might have to go in for a suit fitting next time. As a very tall guy, I have a lot of trouble finding clothes that fit me properly. Even with alterations I have had problems in the past, as the person performing the measurements at the store sometimes is too short to comfortably measure the whole of my leg or up to the peak of my shoulder, and therefore they do it hastily and sometimes sloppily. A perfectly scanned 3D model of your body, that allows the tailor to custom fit the suit to you sounds wonderful. I can imagine sometime in the near future, when large scale 3D printing becomes economically viable and when the materials can be melted down and printed again, a time where tailors would use the 3D model to create a perfect physical model of your body, so they can perform lots of the fittings and alterations ahead of time.
As a clothing enthusiast and tech nerd, this is extremely exciting to me. I've always noted what a great suit does for a person, and how poorly an ill fitting suit portrays it's owner. Even if the subject is in impeccable shape, an ill fitting suit will smother all indication of the fact. It is extremely exciting to me, that people are putting so much care and attention into their formal wear. It's amazing that technology is developing so rapidly as well! I can't imagine how much labor is saved as well as money from measuring errors. Human instruments are more prone to error. I also think that measuring with clothes on increases the chance of error, so the notion that one can completely strip bare and not be seen is perfect! I'm extremely excited about this new advance in technology, and hope it will continue to evolve! It makes me want a custom tailored suit too now! Hopefully they will adapt this for wedding and formal gowns as well! Why should the guys have all the fun?
This is actually a really good idea. It might make some uncomfortable having cameras looking at your body, but this is a great way to get a perfectly tailored suit, and, as the article mentioned, there is new technology that allows you to keep on your clothes while getting measured. To have clothing that would fit your body perfectly would be worth it, naked or not. I think that it is interesting how upscale men's clothing companies attract customers by appealing to their sense of masculinity. The fact that Alton Lane’s main store has a bar that is showing ESPN seems a bit much and really plays into gender stereotypes. I would not be against this concept of body scanning moving into women's clothing lines, as I think that there would be a market for it, once people got used to the technology. But as the author mention, getting your body scanned takes less information about you than facebook and google already have.
I love this idea. Based off of my own experience and the experiences of those whom I've spoken with about the topic, sometimes small, medium, and large just aren't enough options. To me, this is a story about doing something uncomfortable to be rewarded with something that could make you very comfortable. There's something special about being comfortable and confident in what you're wearing, and something very distinct about feeling uncomfortable in the way you look. This kind of technology has such incredible potential. Beyond suits, there's opportunity for more supportive and comfortable bras, arch supportive footwear -- the possibilities are endless. I'm very excited to see where this technology is going.
This article is so cool! It feels like it is straight out of a spy film. Although it may make people feel uncomfortable, I think body scanning is the future of clothes technology. Nothing is more wonderful than having an outfit fit so perfectly. It is fantastic that suits are beginning to be made like this. The next industry I'd like to see turn over to body scanning/made-to-order would be bras. The styles and sizing in bra making is unfortunate considering many women are not one size. I'd love to see this move on to another industry, particularly for women, to get to experience the personalization that accompanies scanning. At first I don't think many people will like the idea since most people would cringe at the thought of strangers observing their naked body, but I truly think this could be the future of clothing design. The only unfortunate thing is that is technology is taking jobs away from mom and pop shops, and the traditional tailor experience. I don't see scanning becoming huge soon, but I think it is something that will become more popular in decades to come.
This could really help out a costume department, especially with molded "clothing" like armor. It eliminates labor costs of doing measurements and human error when reading the tape measure. These digital measurements could also be easily shared in a department to show all necessary information in a visual model. Its almost like owning a mannequin that is perfectly proportioned to the person you're dressing. I've seen technology similar tot his for shoe inserts etc so it's interesting to see this technology used on the larger scale. This advancement could also help women's fashion significantly. There's a new movement in women's fashion that is one-size-fits-all which is absolutely ridiculous. Maybe machinery like this could get us back to varied sizing.
First off, the hook into this article was great. I loved getting a glimpse into this world through a real life account of experiencing it! I think this technology is a great way to move beyond the discrepancies and judgements that come with clothing sizes. It is a well known fact that clothing sizes are generalities. Beyond generalities, they are often not consistent amongst brands and designers. Body scanners for measurements would be a great way to allow clothing to be personalized quickly. I cannot, however, see how this could find its place in the common shopper's life. I imagine that the suit that his man got was very, very expensive. I'm sure it was beautiful and fit well, but I'm positive it was extremely expensive. I wonder how far technology would have to come that a body scan would be normal for shoppers? Imagine being in the Gap and before picking out any clothes, you would get a body scan. How easy shopping for clothing could become.
With the advancements that we have seen in technology in the past decade there still seems to be some feilds were technology is sort of shunned. It is this fact that I find so interesting in regards to the article in that it called out the very creative usage of technology to help supplement the field of talioring which has tome always seemed to be a more old fashioned industry. The fact that different technologies are permeatating into these more classic techniques feilds is to me a hopeful look at the future possibilitiy of during technological tools other than basic computers to make us more efficient in our workplaces.
This sounds awesome! Like Joe said, I might have to go there the next time I’m in New York. Shopping for dress clothes when you’re tall is a pain and alterations can be hit or miss. What this company does sounds fantastic and if their quality is good enough that their stuff would last for a while then the higher price for custom work might be totally worth it. Beyond that I would love to see technology like this become way more common. It would make clothes shopping for people who don’t fall into the normal averages so much easier. Although I don’t know how common place fully custom fitted clothing will become maybe some kind of middle ground would be possible. Something that could replace the normal size selection process with scanning. Not as precisely as this company does, just something that would be roughly correct and remove the human error of having people measure themselves.
this is a really cool article, not only because of the dazzling futuristic seeming technology, but because of the many potential applications of the technology being used. this would be absolutely fantastic for a costume shop, because there goes the hours of measurements just to fit a small cast, instead they would be able to devote this time to making the costumes. as a fairly tall person, with unusual measurements, finding a good suit can be painfully hard. when i want to get anything nice like a suit, it is always really hard to find the right fit. whether my legs are too long, or my arms are too long or my shoulders are too broad, I can never find a suit that is pre-tailored to my size. this leads to extensive fittings for what i think should be really simple. naturally when reading this article, i was really excited because it could relieve me of much of the stress i undergo when shopping. I hope this technology becomes a big thing and could maybe one day be adapted for theater use.
This technology seems like something you would see in a science fiction movie, and that's what makes it so cool. The idea that a machine can take a few pictures of you and know all your measurements is amazing, and it's something that could be applied to other clothing items that just suits. Women's clothing sizes tend to be very inconsistent from store to store, so if this machine was available at these stores then it would be a lot easier to find your size equivalent. In terms of the theatre industry this tool could potentially be extremely helpful in the costumes department. An actor could get into one of these machines, and their exact detailed measurements could be instantly sent out to all of the people that have to make their clothes. This would almost eliminate human error, and would help the costumes to fit even better than they did before. My only concern about this would be if the actor's size changed before the show opened, as these precise measurements might not leave a lot of wiggle room.
Of course this was done with a men's suit. Why is it that men's wear consistency prizes fitting well and having long-lasting, high quality formal wear while women's are often extremely uncomfortable and made to be worn only a few times, and sometimes only once, before they are out of style? I love the fact that technology has been developed to measure people instantly and incredibly accurately. I love the fact that companies exist who are dedicated to the cause of making well-fitting, high quality clothing. I wish that this was the case for women's wear as well. Unfortunately, I cannot see this innovation crossing the gender gap. There is a severe difference in the way that clothing is thought about for men and women. Men's clothing is, on average, more comfortable, cheaper, and made with higher quality materials. I would love to see the women's fashion industry follow in Alton Lane's footsteps. I would love for this technology to be applied to everyday shopping, I would pay so incredibly well for a well-made and comfortable dress that was made with this technology (as long as I could guarantee that I would be able to wear it to multiple social events over a series of years, which I can't).
I’m usually pretty wary and suspicious about programs and services that track your data (as much as I can be, anyway, it’s nearly impossible now to live an untracked life,) but I think on a practical level, this is an excellent idea. I don’t know how this could transition from a bespoke, tailoring company to a wider market, but it would ultimately save a lot of time and energy for people like me who often have trouble finding clothes that fit my proportions. Imagine ordering clothes online from a company like Amazon and knowing that they will fit you before they even arrive because they have your sizing data. You essentially wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of trying clothes on anymore. There would be larger questions about data security because a larger company is more likely to get hacked, but I’m not sure if hackers would find any value in people’s proportions.
This article could be an amazing thing for costume designers/masters working on shows. There are times when there is an upwards of forty members in a company and it takes a toll just to make sure all of them have been measured correctly. This machine could help save time and errors. I have been in so many situations as a TD where the costumers simply didn’t measure correctly and had to make really hard alterations a week before the show opened. This machine is also very useful for people who simply want a good, form-fitting outfit. When shopping for suits, I have heard guys complaining about being too tall, too broad and a whole array of more issues. This machine seems like it would really cut down on the stress of finding that perfect suit. I am not sure how much it costs right now, but I have a feeling it could be rather expensive so most people would just skip it and rent a semi-decent fitting one. If these became more common in the industry though, I know many men who would become eternally grateful. I hope to start seeing these more and more throughout stores, and maybe even theatres who go through many actors in a season.
This looks like some pretty neat technology. Being able to do in a few seconds what would normally take five fittings is pretty revolutionary. And according to the author, it works. Once the technology is further-developed and becomes more affordable, this would be a great tool for costume shops to use. Although, the downside is that using these scanners would eliminate the jobs of many highly-skilled drapers and tailors. There's always a trade-off. However, this technology would be very helpful with costumes for chorus members. It would allow shops to quickly pump out similarly-looking costumes while not sacrificing on their individual fits. I can see 3D scanning becoming more and more helpful to our industry as it is developed. Imagine being able to scan an empty theater and generate a drafting of it. This would save a lot of time taking measurements. I look forward to the new, exciting developments in 3D scanning technology.
I have some mixed feelings about this article. First thing first, there will inevitably be errors in manually measuring. Where exactly should you start measuring the chest and where to end is actually up to individual's discretion, which indicated different standards and thus different measure results. In comparison, using a scanner and computer technology is an innovative and amazing way of procuring accurate data in a fast fashion. And the people who will be measured do not need to take off their clothes to have precise measurement! However, revealing your body to a scanner sounds weird and it also makes me wary. I wonder how much data will derive from one scan? Is it just gonna be the sizes of every nook and cranny of your body or is there something more? I think this type of technology may not stop at just measuring , maybe I'm being too suspicious. The security of customer's physical data is also of significance. Although I can't think of any possible kind of fraud happening on a stolen body measurement off the top of my head, these numbers are absolutely your privacy and should be secured by the company strictly.
This new technology is really fantastic, although slightly scary. I don't know how I feel about jumping into a body scanner to have each inch and crevice of my body measured by a machice. The alternative to that though is having another person measuring every inch of your body so I guess it's a decent trade off.
This technology could really influence so many different industries as well. From the description it seems like this scanner is actually quite compact. This could revolutionize the fashion and entertainment world. One quick scan and a designer can have all the measurements they need perfectly at their fingertips within seconds. This is a piece of technology we should really expand upon to make it more easily acceccible to basic consumers. Imagone walking into a clothing store, doing a quick scan, and instantly knowing what size in that store is perfect to you.
I do see some challenges though. The largest of which is the fact that Alton Lane probably wants to keep this technology completely proprietary. This is what makes their brand their brand. A good recommendation for them might be to license the technology but I highly doubt they'd do even that.
WOW! This application of technology to a field like tailoring is brilliant. It not only saves time and energy, I'm sure it can even be more accurate than a traditional fitting since it breaks the measurements down to more precise decimals. However, I am still wondering if the allure and prestige of having an entire suit "hand made" versus scanned would have an impact of how these suits would sell. I'm sure there are customers out there who believe that this technology is a bunch of malarkey and that there's nothing quite as skilled as having a master tailor create a suit for you. But I can certainly see why people would love a suit like this. Like Antonio's comment above, the only thing that this company has going for itself is its scanner and if it wants to preserve its brand, it has to find some sort of patent to set it apart in stone!
This was Michelle's comment
I think there is something special about the relationship between a tailor and the person being fitted. The task is old fashioned, personal, and obviously very hands-on. You can really feel and see the hard work going into crafting a custom suit just for you. As the world becomes more technology filled, we are obviously losing that one-on-one personal interaction. That is sad. But I must say that the technology being provided to the fashion industry is really producing some incredible results. Though in this case we lose some human interaction, we gain so much. We gain a perfectly fitted suit, and lose a lot of the cost. This technology is making formal fashion affordable for many more people. A suit says so much about a person, it is important that we provide the ability for people to obtain these special fashion items at a reasonable cost. I applaud this company in that regard. What I do not appreciate about this company is the generalizing of heteronormative masculinity. Though I am usually not offended by a company marketing to a specific demographic, suits should not be marketed to only one 'type' of man. I think that by decorating the walls with dead animals, and showing ESPN on TV when a customer walks in only limits the company's business opportunities. Trying to make the space a more neutral environment, decoratively, would broaden what type of customer is comfortable in their store. Thus, opening up their market, and improving their profits.
One of things most people dont realize about tailors is that they watch you they see how you stand and hold yourself this allows them to get more accurate measurement and create a suit that moves with you. using this knowedgle and technology together it marries beautiful. in a world where speed is key the use of these precise measurements to output very fast suits the fit perfectly i can definable see this being applied to more and more tailors. I would personally like to see this technology put together with 3d imaging so that you can see the suit "on you" i feel that would provide a wonderful experience. now the author also brings up how these companies put on a show to snag costumers and i feel that is a response to less and less people going to tailors and more so going to stores to get their suit off the rack. i can definitely see this kick starting a rebirth in bespoke.
So this summer while I was in Italy I bought my very first suit. It was actually quite a magically process. However, I do not really want this comment to be about the fitting or the suit selection process because that felt pretty standard. What I do want to talk about is wearing the suit. This coming Saturday (approximately three months after purchasing it) is excuse to wear it out. When I wear it I feel like a whole new man. There is something about it all fitting perfectly that just brings it out. All of this is thanks to the tailor who knew exactly what to do by just looking at how the clothes landed on my body. I think that this article brings up how incredible drapers and other costume makers are. They are able to take a simple rendering and fabric and turn it into an incredible look. Amazing.
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