Somewhere in New Jersey there is a woman sitting alone at an easel hand beading a gown for Bob Mackie. Craftsmanship is often a devalued commodity in our ready-to-wear culture but it still exists. Bessie Nelson still hand beads for big name shows and performers because there are no machines to do it and the outsourced labor is insufficient to withstand a pounding from a Broadway schedule. The New York Times says that Bessie charges about $5000 to $8000 per outfit which seems to me a truly reasonable fee for a high profile outfit that will withstand a pounding and probably take anywere from two weeks (a rush order) to two months to bead by hand, one tiny bead at a time. Check out the full New York Times article HERE.
