When Alan Flusser decided to create BeSpeak his goal was not a modest one.  He wanted to take his own exceptional ability to dress a man perfectly, for who he himself is, and put it in a handheld device.  He wanted to make himself into an app.

Though it may sound like one, this is not a vanity project.  Alan could, if he wished to, simply settle back and enjoy the spoils of an already accomplished career.  He is a Coty award winner, legendary shopkeeper and bespoke tailor, author of some of the most influential menswear books written, designer of the clothing for the movies ‘Wall Street’ and ‘Scent of a Woman,’ and a permanent member of the International Best-Dressed list.

But for Alan, who is at heart an educator and lifelong student of the human condition, being able to reach out and direct men around the world towards understanding the hows and whys of looking their individual best continues to drive and focus his energies.  As you may already know, OTC provides social media services to BeSpeak  To learn more about this relationship, please visit OTC’s BeSpeak page.

Alan wanted to create some kind of training tool or device that could help men understand what colors, patterns and fabrics looked best on them.  And even more important, he wanted to be able to demonstrate why – so that the information became a permanent gateway towards helping them form their own unique, yet permanent dressing style.  In essence, it’s the same thing Alan has been doing for much of the last twenty-five years with his custom clients; that is, when he’s not writing about the larger process for the benefit of those inclined to want to study it further.

The BeSpeak application took more than a year to create and, in addition to his day job, Alan was actively involved in every detail.  He insisted that the digital fabric swatches actually look like real fabric – a far more complicated and time-consuming task than initially realized– and used only Pantone colors which are what actual clothing manufactures use.  So if Cambridge Blue matches your profile, rest assured that it’s a real color used in real clothing.

Don’t worry though, BeSpeak is not a cage.  It does not restrict your ability to express a personal or unique style.  Quite the opposite; the app allows you to understand what works on you and in doing so give you the freedom to expand and finesse your wardrobe while always looking your best.

This is how BeSpeak came to be.

And so, as Luxist concisely put it, “after 31 years of men coming to him to find out how best to attire themselves, he has developed an iPhone app called BeSpeak which means that now Alan Flusser comes to you.”

BeSpeak launched several months ago and has been well received by thousands of men looking to better understand how to dress well.  As with anything so pioneering and multi-dimensional, it’s a work in progress. To that end, we just launched a major upgrade that now gives the user a whole new perspective on a selected outfit.

The basics remain the same: you build a personal profile includes your hair color, skin tone, eye color, face shape, body shape and size. The app’s recommendations are based first on that profile, and then on matching and complimenting all of the colors and patterns of the items you’ll be wearing – suit, dress shirt, tie, and pocket square.

A major feature of the upgrade is the remarkable new mannequin view, which allows the user to view a selected outfit on a mannequin form matching his contrast profile.  The suit, shirt tie and pocket square all appear as they would when worn giving the user a clear look at the potential outfit.

In the end, you are still in charge.  BeSpeak makes suggestions, it does not dictate personal taste or hinder personal expression.  What it can do is educate men to identify the colors, styles, proportions and materials that best match their personal profiles.

Once you have all that under your belt, you are free to break the rules…..because now you know them.