Custom Suit Design
ROME—Custom-made clothes—which were popular in the '50s and '60s—are making a big comeback in Europe. "People have come to realize that the expensive designer suit they are used to buying is made to fit a thousand other people," says Rome-based tailor Luigi Gallo, who has been in the trade for more than 30 years. "In addition, they're paying a huge price for that logo sewed into the jacket." Amid the buzz of New York and Milan fashion weeks, designers have been saying they see a pick-up in luxury spending after the steep drop-off from the economic crisis. But many custom tailors say business held up even during the recession. Mr. Gallo says he has been swamped with orders for custom-made, or bespoke, suits, dresses, wedding gowns and raincoats. Predicting a boom in business, Mr. Gallo even opened a small tailoring school in 2007 to groom young artisans. Business is thriving as well on London's Savile Row, where an average of 10,000 hand-made g...