1 Chronicles 4:21 - "The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Marashah, and the families of the house of linen workers at Beth-ashbea;"

Tailors are never mentioned in the Old Testament, although they do appear in the Talmud. But, really, this isn’t so surprising, since we must remember that in early times clothing was usually homemade. The excellent wife of the Proverbs "busied herself with wool and thread," doing the family’s sewing. She herself made the "coverlet on her bed and the clothes of lawn and purple that she wore."

However, as the people settled into a new land, as villages arose, and as commerce was begun with other nations, craftsmen appeared who designed and made clothing for royalty, the priests, and the wealthy. Actually, these were the only people who could afford such luxury - these tailors were adept at making silken garments that only royalty and the wealthy people could afford. Oh, of course, they made some less expensive woolen garments, too, but the less expensive still wasn’t within the range of the common people.

No, the tailor was an exclusive employee of the wealthy, just as today the exclusive couturiers have an exclusive clientele. And, too, just as it is a sign that a woman has "really arrived" when she can afford clothing from one of these exclusive salons, so it was in biblical times.

There were other similarities: for one thing, these ancient tailors had a very high standard of living themselves. Of course, for the prices they charged, they could afford to live well! And that certainly follows through today. The world’s high priced designers are often known for the luxury in which they live.

Further: these tailors worked from their own homes, or went to the homes of their clients. No cheap shops for them! And that’s rather typical of couturiers too. Can you see the Queen of England going to a shop? Of course not! The designer comes to her. And this is true in many more cases. And for those who do visit the designer’s establishment, there is certainly no way that they can feel that they are entering a shop. These are salons in the most exclusive sense of the word.

And, another similarity: tailors worked for both private clients and and for clothes dealers. I’m sure there wasn’t a Seventh Avenue in Jerusalem, strung with clothes racks, but you get the idea. Today, there are many more designers working for mass production wholesalers than there are those who work for single clients.

Of course, in one way the ancient tailors had it all over their modern counterparts: men and women wore essentially the same clothing, except that women’s were somewhat longer, were made of better material, were more colorful, and more elaborate.

Come to think of it - where is the difference today?