We at DressMonkey are taking part in a collective effort, led by a couple of Northwestern graduate students, of putting together a cool photo project where people submit personal photos that explore different degrees of connection - from isolation on up. The photo(s) you submit is then going to be added to the photo project's library. A slide show capturing the separation and interconnectedness of American strangers will be put on YOUTUBE on 7/14/07 and continuously updated after that. The point of the project is to explore connection both through the images and the process of creating the project itself.

We at DressMonkey love projects like this one, as it speaks to the core of our company's belief that you and your clothes (should) share a personal (or emotional) connectivity. How do we deliver on this...by putting YOU in control and making them the nexus of the entire blazer/suit-making process.

If you're at all interested in this idea, then please ,take a brief moment to do it. This could be a really great thing!

Keep in mind as you submit your photos:
- Be as literal or as figurative as you like.
- To make the first YOUTUBE video, they need your contributions by july 7th - from one photo to a series of them - all are welcome!
- And please, forward this on to all you know.
- Any and all contributions are welcome

Send photos to degreesofconnection@gmail.com

Like what you see at www.dressmonkey.com? Think we're just a couple of posers? Indifferent, but want to do us a huge service?

Please, tell us how you feel by taking a survey about our new retail website! Your feedback will really help me fine tune the changes we're proposing for the site in the coming weeks. Just click on the link below, it'll only take a couple of minutes I promise! And so will setting up your DressMonkey account and starting to customize your first jacket (wink wink)...

Click here to take the survey.

The boys at Degrees Of Connection posted their slide show...looks good! Read more >>>

To us, markups are like beautiful/unapproachable women dancing with Chester's at a club: they make you nervous at first, but after a while they do nothing but cause you great bewilderment and frustration. Our purpose therefore is no joke: to create a luxury brand that doesn’t cost a fortune because it cuts out all the hype. As we proudly say time and time again here at DressMonkey,

The main difference between our clothes and those of our closest competitors is simply our involvement in the manufacturing process and our willingness to share it with our customers.

So, in order to deliver this full-monty promise, we give you...

Transparent Manufacturing is something we offer our paid customers (one's who have visited our website and placed an order) as part of our no frills, anti-brand approach to clothing and fashion. It's also our way of saying "thanks again" to new, fellow DressMonkeys. Through Transparent Manufacturing, customers are given a rare glimpse into the unknown and often secretive world of global textile manufacturing.

Here's how it works:

A customer places an order with us on our website. After about a week, as part of our typical order status update email, we send a personal DressMonkey "insiders tip" which might include pictures, a short profile of the person making your clothes, a description of how we purchase your materials, an explanation of how custom measurements inputted in the website are transformed into patterns, or any other thing we believe you have an interest (and right) in knowing.

Now, why in the world would we lift up our pant legs and expose our little secrets to the world?

Well, because that's just the way we do things around here at DressMonkey HQ; knowing how things really work empowers us all to make choices that set us apart - we get ahead because of the clearer view of the options available to us.

Being a DressMonkey means being "in the know." However, to really be "in the know" first requires...yup, you got it!

PS - Kudos to Jeff - The whole Transparent Manufacturing process is still administered manually by him, but we're working on getting it automated!

A random picture of my life partner instigating a fight

We've been busy here at DM HQ, filling your orders, making upgrades to the site, and taking time to sit back and take it all in. Now that we're up, getting tons of great feedback from people, there is a sense of completion, but an overwhelming urge to do much more with the site and our products. We're now in the process of doing a number of expansions to the site and our product line, both of which will be evident sooner than you think (I mean, they won't take nearly as long as our site did, thankfully).

We're working on a few website improvements that will enable the user to send designs as well as post them. We're also upgrading our Back End to enable me to communicate more effectively with our factory (it's the Accenture in me, always trying to make a better ERP system).

Regarding product expansions, we think suits are just around the corner, and pants are just around the corner, that's whats going to keep me busy for the next few weeks.

Gotta go procrastinate...er... I mean get to work

We made this blazer for Patrick, and he immediately put it to the test for us. Operation "Groomspimpin" commenced, where he field tested this linen to make sure it could stand up against the stresses of a modern, chaotic wedding. It passed. A humorous report soon followed, with our personal favorite pictures and commentary:

"We field tested the blazer to make sure that one could wear it AND drink a beer at the same time. All tests came back positive. That didn't stop us from continuing to test."

"You cannot truly Groomspimp unless a cat loves you. It shows your softer side."

"I'll see YOU in Groomspimpsville. Population: Us"

Trinity College alums will soon be able to design custom blazers using lining with their school's colors and mascot.

I remember it well; the early days of DressMonkey when Coley couldn't shut up about one day offering Trinity College alums the ability to design a traditional, navy wool blazer with gold buttons and blue and gold Bantam lining. Needless to say therefore, we had had in the back of our minds forever the desire to create a custom linings service as part of our overall product offering. It ended up taking a former classmate of Coley’s (it helped too that his friend is also the head of the Alumni Relations Committee for the 2003 Class) approaching us in April about the possibility of producing a Trinity lining product for us to really devote the time and money necessary to carry out the plan.

One of the challenges in getting this type of specialty order off the ground was finding a fabric mill in China that was willing to work with our low-volume requirement and, dare I say it, wacky, college mascot-inspired design. What I quickly realized, however, is that it pays to have a guy like Coley on your team and on the ground in China where all the action is. Coley knew exactly where to go to find eager beaver factory owners looking for business. He was able to quickly locate a very capable fabric mill that worked well with our client's design and product specifications. The result? A soon-to-be coop of happy Bantams that The Monk can call his friends.

We are proud to bring such a great idea (and service) to market for the very first time. But perhaps I'm speaking a little too soon; we haven't delivered the finished lining to our client yet (yikes). However, the excitement of delivering on our first custom linings order is just too great for me to sit back and keep quiet!

Custom Linings For Your School, Fraternity, or Organization

Produced by DressMonkey. Designed and Inspired by You (or your class President).

*Available in Nylon or Silk
*Minimum quantity starting at around 200-300 meters

For further inquiries about ordering your very own custom lining designs, please contact Coley at coley@dressmonkey.com or toll free at 1-800-513-1675 Ext. 704.

Bantam Linings from Trinity College and DressMonkey become available August 30th.