If you are thinking of investing in your wardrobe and personal appearance, a bespoke suit is definitely one of the first things that you should consider. It’s important to understand exactly how these suits are made, and why they are such an essential investment.
What is the Difference Between Tailored and Bespoke?
Bespoke and custom tailoring can appear similar at first, but there are some distinct differences. Bespoke fashion is more than just a custom-made suit. Custom-made suits are often started with a paper pattern, then altered to the customer’s taste and preferences. A bespoke suit doesn’t start with a template.
Bespoke Suits Have More Details
While made to order suits allow customers to choose some of the measurements and details, they’re usually based on a pre-made pattern. Typically, clients choose a basic suit out of a book of possibilities, then customize it with fabric and color choices. It’s often possible to change small details, but the customer will be limited to a list of options.
With bespoke tailoring, the options are endless. A customer can choose anything they want; if the tailor doesn’t have a fabric or notion in stock, they can have it ordered. There is virtually no detail that cannot be modified when it comes to bespoke tailoring.
Extra Measurements Will be Necessary
Because so many details are considered with bespoke tailoring, there are a lot more measurements that need to be taken. Remember that bespoke tailors tend not to use a pre-made pattern, they will actually build a unique pattern based on the client’s measurements for each suit. Clients should expect to come in for about three measurement sessions, as opposed to the single session typically required for custom tailoring.
The Cost and Time is Greater
Because there are so many more details to consider, bespoke tailored suits will typically cost more and take more time to create than custom tailored suits. Customers should expect a wait time of several weeks to several months before their suit is complete and ready to be picked up. Remember, though, that a bespoke suit is meant to be in your wardrobe for years to come. This is not clothing that will be worn for a season then thrown away.
What is Bespoke Fashion Design?
Bespoke fashion design is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of art in the fashion industry. In fact, the art of bespoke fashion design dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. This is the type of tailoring that kings and noblemen used to create their clothes. Designs were based on the individual who would be wearing the clothes.
Essentially, bespoke fashion is the ability to design a suit from the ground up. It is a completely new and custom design; the suit that is created will only belong to one person. Instead of using a pattern and cutting out each piece, exact measurements are taken of each customer so that every seam and measurement on the suit is made to exactly fit the customer.
Bespoke suits are the complete opposite of the mass-produced ready to wear suits found in department stores. They are an investment piece. While you can buy a ready to wear suit for a lot less, it won’t last, and odds are you’ll be donating it to the local thrift store by the end of the year when it goes out of style and becomes so worn you can’t wear it anymore.
Bespoke fashion is timeless. These suits last for decades, and many are handed down from father to son. While adjustments or alteration can be made periodically, they are meant to stay in your closet forever.
How Can You Tell if a Suit is Bespoke?
A bespoke suit will fit a customer perfectly. In addition to taking about three times the number of measurements in order to create, a large part of bespoke tailoring is making sure that everything fits right. That means a customer will come in for adjustment fittings several times while a bespoke suit is being made.
A bespoke tailor will also consider how a suit looks on a client as they move. Human bodies change throughout the day as people move and eat, and a bespoke tailor will take these changes into account as he or she creates a suit. A bespoke suit should move with a person.
On the other hand, ready to wear suits are often ill-fitting, with sleeves and pants that are too long or too short. As a person moves, the fabric catches and crinkles. This leaves the wearer with a suit that looks wrinkled and slightly askew. While making adjustments to a suit like this can help, it will never fully fix the problem because there are too many seams that need to be adjusted. To truly fix all the problems with a ready to wear suit, the entire suit has to be taken apart, cut, and resewn. It will actually take more labor than simply building a suit right from the start.
What is a Bespoke Example?
Politicians, business leaders, and celebrities often wear bespoke suits because they know that this level of tailoring practically guarantees that they’ll look good no matter what angle they’re being photographed from. For some men, the investment in a bespoke suit means always having a go to item of clothing for special events and parties where you know you’ll be seen.
Bespoke suits are made with the highest quality fabrics, typically imported from France or Italy. The fabric is cut and lined up so that you don’t the seams. Looking for a custom suit in San Francisco? Reach out to Peter Panos, today.
