What is the difference between bespoke and made to measure suits

With a bespoke suit remember, the pattern is unique to the client. It ensures a fit like a second skin. Made to measure suits are usually cut and made using a basic ready-made pattern. At Alexandra Wood Bespoke, made to measure differs to allow for more extensive adjustments. The tailor will always cut the cloth for your suit by hand.

This is important for fittings to ensure that the tailor makes the right adjustments. Also, the cloth and all the associated pieces are dampened with a sponge and allowed to dry. This protects against shrinkage when your suit is dry cleaned. The canvas is fused and uses man-made fibres, with the cloth usually cut by machine. Between these fittings, your tailor does the necessary alterations identified at previous fittings.

A bespoke suit will usually take from 2 to 4 months for a perfectly fitting item. Sounds like too long for just a suit? Well, the end result will be worth it. Made to measure suits will usually need only one fitting before making up. The finished suit is often completed in as little as days. So there you have it gentlemen. The guide to bespoke versus made to measure. The final question or consideration, is when to choose bespoke and when to choose made to measure.

I leave the final choice with you gentlemen. When going for an MTM custom suit, the range of fabric you can choose is limited because the number of mills from where materials are curated is also limited, but some shops can have more. Bespoke enjoys a broader selection of mills, between mills, and sometimes more. So more mills mean more fabrics to choose from, including the high-end ones. When you are looking for the difference between bespoke and made-to-measure suits, this is the one that will stand out the most to a lot of people.

Bespoke is more costly because of the number of fittings involved, labor hours, fabrics used, and most of the work is usually hand-made and manually sewn. The choice is personal. It is a balance between cost and the quality of work. Made-To-Measure is preferred by many because it is more affordable, and the finished product is the same or almost at par with bespoke. Advocates of Made-To-Measure will tell you to choose a good clothier brand Off-The-Rack and have it modified by a reputable tailor to get the best results.

Both of these options focus on the three aspects of the style pyramid. The higher price point is justified for those who love bespoke because it does not have the limitations of a Made-To-Measure, such as having more fabric and design options. Since tailors do most bespoke craftsmanship by hand, advocates believe that the finished product is superior and better than Made-To-Measure.

Skilled tailors will keep improving and arrive at a much higher degree of precision. Made-to-measure — You will typically be able to choose selected fabrics from one or two mills; so essentially, there are two different sources of that element. Using just one or two suppliers impacts the options available, in terms of the fabrics, cost, and quality.

Bespoke — Generally, a customer of a bespoke shop will have access to the offerings of ten mills or more. Made-to-measure — There will be a defined list of design characteristics that you will be able to adjust.

These will generally include cuffs, number of buttons, pant pleats, pocket options, and vent style. You might see the ability to change other features, such as button-stance, gorge height, interior lining, or lapel width. Bespoke — There is no finite list of options. The suit can be modified, no matter how complex your request. Made-to-measure — A sales associate will take your measurements and pass their findings to the lead cutter, production manager, or master tailor.

The person who takes your measurements will not necessarily have a lot of training. These concepts and practices are taken very seriously by tailors and other suit professionals. Based on a ruling of the Advertising Standards Authority of the United Kingdom and using the definition of the term "bespoke", we can define bespoke as a " made to order " and clearly different from "off the rack".

These rules and definition blur the differences between made to measure and bespoke. This way, all made to order suits could be also considered bespoke suits. Before Hockerty was launched, back then in , it was easier to define the difference between mtm suits and bespoke suits.

This is why we want to compare the classic concept vs the new concept of bespoke tailoring:. As you see, the experience of classic bespoke is really different from what online tailors can offer you on their websites. Even though, Hockerty provides you a comfortable and affordable solution to have the best made to measure suits, providing you a online bespoke experience where you will be able to choose among hundreds of fabrics, personalizing all kind of details so we can tailor the perfect bespoke suit.