At a recent convention held in Atlanta by the Custom Tailors and Designers Association, I observed five significant trends:

• 1. The Italians are copying American styles from the past. The wide shouldered model popular during the early 90's is a carbon copy of the 1930's suits seen on Turner Classics. Now Italian designers have begun copying the sixties Ivy League look including the hook vent. It is in its infancy but that's what's hot and California cool with the trendsetters.

• 2. Shirtings are tending toward darker colors. Nothing will eliminate the white shirt but many of the pastel shades are being replaced by slightly darker variations. In the past, none of the manufactures wanted to make this type shirt because it could not be sewn in white thread. Recent technological advances now make it possible to dye thread as it is being used to match the color of the shirt. Hence, more shirt manufacturers are using this system and tie companies are responding with appropriate color matching. French blue is the most obvious example.

• 3. Fully custom shirts like the ones made for you in our shop are assuming the same high status reputation as bench made suits with functional buttonholes and hand picked edges. Less than 5% of the shirt makers in the country hand cut the sleeves and placket by hand so they will match. The benchmark by which all fine shirts are judged will be stripes that line up in these areas.

• 4. Cambridge University in England has recently completed development of a new computerized scanning booth that can take 3,000 measurements of the human body in less than 2 minutes. Sounds promising and many retailers are optimistic as they hope that more people will want to order their clothing eliminating the need for large inventories and the need to try-on clothes. Some companies will have this in their women's departments within 2 years.

• 5. The three-button suit is definitely here to stay and has become mainstream in all industrialized nations.