For some time I have been alluding to a big project of which OTC is part; well it’s now live and ready to go. I am working with legendary clothier and menswear authority Alan Flusser on an amazing new free iPhone application called BeSpeak.
I am BeSpeak’s online and social media brand ambassador. This means that I will be telling the BeSpeak story to anyone who will listen and helping our BeSpeak team look for new and innovative opportunities to show men how the app works, what it can do for their sartorial lives and help continue to grow the BeSpeak brand.
Does this mean that Off The Cuff will fall by the wayside? Quite the opposite, actually. OTC is about to receive a long overdue aesthetic and technical upgrade to help it be an even better resource for the 20,000 plus readers from more than 43 countries who look to OTC for help on making classic style work for today’s gentleman.
What is BeSpeak? It’s is nothing less than a virtual Alan Flusser sitting on your shoulder advising you about what clothing works for you and only you. In fact, it took the development team more than a year to translate Alan’s exceptional taste and knowledge into a mobile application.
In terms of the kinds of applications submitted to Apple for consideration, BeSpeak is up there as one heck of a complex app. And while this is a pretty amazing starting point, it’s only the beginning. You can learn more at BeSpeak.com.
Alan Flusser has sold more books on men’s fashion and style than anyone else and with BeSpeak, he now provides invaluable skill-improving, individual-specific, dressing advice directly to you.
What does it do? BeSpeak provides guidance for men’s business formal outfits (suit, dress shirt, tie, and pocket square). Dressing well is easier than you probably think; in fact, it’s a skill that can be taught and used every day. The difference between looking presentable and looking incredible lies in having a style personalized for you and you alone. And that’s exactly what the BeSpeak app does – it provides personal recommendations and fashion evaluations based on your unique physical characteristics. 
To ensure that every suggestion is right for you, BeSpeak lets you create a detailed personal profile based on your hair color, skin tone, eye color, face shape and body shape. Once your profile is active, you get specific profile-driven outfit recommendations, you can coordinate and evaluate clothes from your own wardrobe and instantly evaluate new clothes or potential outfits on-the-go.
BeSpeak is perfect for your friends, family and loved ones too, because you can simply input a profile and take the guesswork out of gift giving. In fact, you can build the ultimate closet by storing profile-perfect clothes. And BeSpeak is not only for men but also for women shopping for the men in their lives; it’s like having the ultimate personal stylist at your fingertips.
We are beginning with business formal dressing style and will soon add business casual and weekend casual style guides, as well as links to profile-perfect clothes sold online. All in all, I am thrilled that the app has launched and that I get to work with this amazing team as we move on to the next phase of BeSpeak.
Please take a moment to download the BeSpeak app and remember to comment on and rate it. We want your feedback, good and bad! Here is the link for the free download to your iPhone and iPodTouch: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bespeak/id372284641?mt=8
Who Is Alan Flusser?
Mr. Flusser attracted national attention for designing Michael Douglas’ wardrobe in the movie “Wall Street,” as well as acclaim for his work on the films “Barbarians at the Gate” and “Scent of a Woman” with Al Pacino.
Alan Flusser
Alan is the president of A.Flusser Designs founded in 1979. He received the Coty Award for Top Menswear Designer in 1985 and the Cutty Sark Award in 1987 for his first two books’ “unique contribution to the literature of menswear.”
The author of four books, his “Dressing The Man: Mastering The Art of Permanent Fashion,” published by Harper Collins in 2002, is considered the most definitive work on the subject of men’s style. Just released is an updated edition of his 1996 classic “Style and the Man.” In 1988, Alan was placed on the International Best-Dressed List as a permanent member.
I can't believe I'm the first to offer you congratulations on this opportunity and the development of the true killer app. This is fantastic, Chris. Can't wait to download my version of BeSpeak.
Android version?
Chris
Downloaded it yesterday and played with it some. Some initial comments.
Have settings were you it recommends from items only in your closet. Also a setting where you can select a closet item, say like a suit swatch and recommend another item like a shirt. Or another item for shopping, would be to build a shirt and see how it matches items in your closet.
I did get it to crash a few times but overall a good version 1 effort. Look forward to improvements.
BGX – Thanks so much for the kind words, it's a great team and BeSpeak is probably one of the coolest things I worked on. Let's get together soon and catch up.
KSG – Yes, an Android version is in the works. I'll get back to you on a time line.
Charles, thanks very much for the comments and for the thumb's up. It's a very complex app and I'm glad you feel that we did a good job with the first version.
I know that the initial update with have a couple of fixes, but I forwarded your comments to the team and I know they appreciate the feedback.
I saw a color choice for silver, but not gold (I have a gold tie).
What about a color wheel where you could (possibly) add in colors? I understand it's impossible to make something for everyone, but I think that versatility would add to your audience.
Lovely and useful application for Mens.
Nokia 5800 Applications
Ack!!! I can't believe how cool this sounds… I want to go download the app right now. (And I will)
I've actually been looking in the app store for something like this, and was surprised it didn't exist. Now that it does, I'm very pleased that your aesthetic will be a part of it.
P.S.- I just became a fan of the app on Facebook, and encourage you other Facebook-using Off-the-Cuffers to do the same…
Great to see you on Styleforum OTC! That must have been the big Flusser thing you were talking about lately. I am sure there are quite a few men out there who should use it while the average style forum member will probably not need it. After testing it more closely, I was a little disappointed to be honest. The suggestions for me in the beginning are rather unexciting and quite repetitive. A friend with a different complexion experienced the same. In addition, the color / pattern helper is a nice gimmick but everybody with a felling for colors and patterns won't need it.
Do you know what happens to the profile information you type in to bespeak? Will that be saved in a database on a server or on my iphone?
Thanks
Sheer brilliance. I’ve already forwarded the link to a couple of close friends who are iPhone people.
Keep fighting the good fight.
Alan Flusser has sold more books on men’s fashion and style than anyone else and with BeSpeak, he now provides invaluable skill-improving, individual-specific, dressing advice directly to you.
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