Made to Measure vs Bespoke Tailoring

Go to any menswear store , GQ magazine or any place that sells suits, shirts etc, and this three terms always comes to view . Off the rack , Made to Measure and Bespoked . Today , I will debunk the confusion between Made to Measure and Bespoked.

Now, off the rack is easy... ... It basically means buying the garment, right off the rack. The production is essentially like cookie cutting. It is designed to fit the most amount of people, in the least amount of clothes. A distinctive feature is there is going to be some form of sizing involved. Its going to be either a standard sizing , ie: small , medium, large . Or something a bit more detailed , like a 34 short, 40 regular....etc. Either way, the garments made were never intended to fit the individual perfectly.

The real confusion comes with custom made clothing. Clothing specifically made for the individual . For that , you will see two terms. Made to Measure and Bespoke. The confusion is so bad that even some tailors confuse these terminologys themselves! So don't believe everything you heard from other tailors. Being in the menswear industry for so long , and now working in a Made to Measure tailoring shop , I am confident to be able to indentify the difference like seperating oil and water.

Made to Measure

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Made to Measure is the middle ground between off the rack, and Bespoke tailoring, It has similar cookie cutter style of manufacturing the garments from off the rack clothing, but it is added with a bit of personal touch from the bespoke tailoring. The client is measured up in the boutique , the measurements are then sent over to a factory , along with some fixed cutomizations that the client chooses and the factory makes up the garment by cutting the pieces that is the most similar to the client's order and constructing the garments from there. The garments can usually be produced within two weeks or so , including alterations. It is a fast and easy service . It also costs less than a bespoked garment. With the quick turnaround time , comes with a factor that should be considered . That is the F word of the tailoring world . Hold on , gentleman , it's not what you think . It is called Fusing. Essentially , it is glue attached from the canvas to the jacket . It is inexpensive and it is quick to produce. However, after a few washes in the dry cleaner, the glue has a high tendency to melt and the canvas will shift its position around the jacket , making it less comfortable to wear .

(Author's advice : When visiting a Made to Measure tailor, have a basic requirement for yourself. My advice, always ask for a canvassed jacket. or simply ask for a half lined / quarter lined jacket. It's worth the extra money you will be paying for. Trust me. )

Bespoke Tailoring

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Regarded as the creme de crop of all tailoring options , Bespoked Tailors are rare and far between . As mentioned on the website, alot of Made to Measure Tailors claim themselves as "Bespoke Tailors" and I highly disagree with that claim. To consider a garment "Bespoked " there are 2 very strict requirements that must be met.

1. The tailor must attend to the client personally , from selection of fabric to the construction of the garment to the fittings and completion of the garment. To put simply , the tailor must attend to the client's garment from personally start to finish. That is something that Made to Measure tailor simply cannot afford to do.

2. The tailor must make accomodations for the client's unique body shape , in all aspects. Got an arm shorter than the other ? The tailor must make accomodations for that. Got a hunched shoulder? The tailor must make accomodation for it too. That is something a Made to Measure tailor is unable to accomodate due to the cookie cutter manufacturing process . With that comes with a very long constructing and fitting time . So , if you see a tailor shop that promises " Bespoke Suit ready within xx hours " You can take it from me that that is not a Bespoke tailor and the suit is most likely going to be fused. A fully bespoked garment will need at least 48 hours of handiwork and at least a month to be completed.

A fully bespoked garment will be fully hand stiched and hand sown , so you don't need to worry about fusing. It will also come with the greatest amount of flexibility in terms of design options.

However, the major downside to Bespoked Tailoring is the price. Due to the handiwork , the attention to detail etc , the price range can range between the thousands and the ten thousands.

To sum it up , the upsides of Made to Measure Tailoring are

1. The price

2. The quick turnaround time

3. The convinience due to less options

The downsides are

1. You need to hold the tailor's feet to the fire about what you want

2. You need to be firm and make sure you get exactly what you want

3. The limited style options as compared to bespoked tailoring.

The upsides of Bespoked Tailoring

1. Unlimited style and fabric options

2. Quality assured

3. All your body's distinctive features will be accounted for.

The downsides are

1. The very expensive price

2. The experience can be quite overwhelming if you don't know what you want

3. The long turn around time

Ultimately, it all boils down to what are your needs and what you can afford. Both styles of custom garment making have their own strengths and weaknesses . It comes down to which style best suits you and your lifestyle.

Until next time,

Stay Dapper !

Cheong Gin Hao

Style Consultant, Newcastle Tailors Singapore