3 FASHION TERMS EVERY MAN MUST KNOW February 2, 2017 – Posted in: Blog
Ready-to-Wear, Made-to-Measure & Bespoke
When it comes to men’s clothing, some terms can really leave you confused. While most people know what Ready-to-Wear clothing means, they often use the terms Made-to-Measure and Bespoke interchangeably…which is like comparing a Maruti with a Rolls Royce.
In this blog, I’ll briefly explain what the terms mean – and how they differ from one another. Knowing the difference can help you to make the right choice – and also save a lot of money!
1) Ready-to-Wear (RTW) clothing is what you buy off the rack (OTR) of a store. It’s a pre-made, mass market garment that’s ready to wear immediately after you’ve bought it. It’s the easiest, most convenient and also most popular way of buying clothes.
- Easy to buy and extremely convenient.
- You can try it before you buy it, so there are no unpleasant surprises later.
- No waiting period – you can wear it immediately after buying it.
- It will never fit you “perfectly” because it’s designed to fit the manufacturer’s definition of an average customer – and not for you individually.
- You’re limited for choice and will have to make do with run-of-the-mill quality fabric, instead of enjoying superior fabrics from world-class brands that look, feel and drape better.
- Even the swankiest designer label cannot deliver the level of style and customization that bespoke clothing.
- If you don’t have a very symmetrical body, go for thicker and heavier fabrics because they drape better than thin fabric.
- Always try out your clothes before buying them, just in case they need minor alterations around the waist, length, shoulder, etc.
2) Made-to-Measure (MTM) clothing comes with customization options, such as those provided by a normal tailor. It starts with your selecting a design you like, getting yourself measured, and getting the design tweaked and tailored to your measurements. It’s great for people who want to customize their style, appearance and comfort a few notches above what ready-to-wear clothing can offer.
- Available in a range of fabrics, design and detailing, such as the number (and shape) of buttons on your jacket, pocket style, trouser pleats, cuffs; and in some cases inner lining, lapel width, gorge height, etc.
- Fits better than ready-to-wear clothes because it’s constructed to your specific measurements.
- Cheaper than bespoke clothes.
- Takes less time to make than bespoke clothes.
- Still doesn’t guarantee a perfect fit. Despite being customized, it involves (among other things) fewer measurements (compared to bespoke) – as well as the use of sewing machines. This makes it difficult to adjust for fine details such as curves and edges, and falls short of the perfect fit you may be seeking.
For example, a Made-to-Measure garment may look great on you when you’re standing, but it could limit your movement or crease awkwardly when you stretch, and so on. - Usually provides you with a curated selection from a few cloth mills – as opposed to the unique “library” of best-in-class fabric selections offered by bespoke.
- Almost never provides you with rare style options, especially those requiring complex or quality detailing.
- Go for styles you can wear frequently, and not just once in a blue moon style.
The end result is a work of art that will make you look and feel great…and most likely also get you hooked for a lifetime.
Bespoke clothing is the culmination of years of sartorial experience and understanding – of styles, designs, seasons and all the little things that go into the art of creating a masterpiece garment.
- Provides you with unlimited options with regard to fabric, material and detailing – such as the shape and pattern of your lapels, nature and type of interlining, shape and type of buttons, button-holes, pockets, shields, etc.
- Fits you so well you can immediately tell the difference, and so can those around you.
- Feels naturally comfortable.
- Lasts longer.
- Enhances your natural features and strengths, and makes you look your best.
- Can set you back by anywhere from INR 35K to 1 lakh+.
- Takes 4-6 weeks with at least 3 fitting sessions.
- May not fit as well as you expect – especially if it’s done by a Made-to-Measure tailor masquerading as a Bespoketailor.
- Bespoke clothing comes with limitless customization and detailing options – so getting a general idea of the basic elements you want is always a good idea.
- Patience pays.
Compare the benefits of our “Made by Hand at Vaish Bespoke” approach to the model most other Made-to-Measuretailors use (below).
Made by Hand at Vaish Bespoke | “Bespoke” Clothing By Others | |
Truly Bespoke | Bespoke clothes are built from scratch for you. From the first measurement to the finished piece, your clothing is handcrafted to your unique measurements.This means that even after many years, our clothing will still reflect your natural classic shape by enhancing your body’s outline to your advantage. | Most of them are made-to-measure tailors, tweak standard designs to your measurements – often ignoring the nuances of your bodily attributes. |
Construction | Bespoke clothing is handmade and not machine-made. At Vaish Bespoke, we stitch inner linings, sleeves and lightweight floating canvas by hand (for suits) by correcting and adjusting the pattern so that your clothing fits and drapes perfectly on you.The handmade clothes we make require at least 4-6 weeks to construct to perfection. | Most so-called bespoke clothiers use glues and adhesives in suits, jackets, shervanis, etc. As a result, their garments will neither fit nor drape perfectly on you. Moreover, their garments do not provide you with the movement or comfort of a bespoke handmade garment. |
Fabric | We use natural fabrics wherever possible (throughout the garment) to give it more strength and durability – and a longer lifespan.We offer the finest fabrics to you via exclusive tie-ups with the world’s best cloth mills, such as Zegna, Loro Piana, Dormeuil, Scabal, Holland & Sherry, Ariston, Cerruti, Marzoni, etc., and store our fabric in climate-controlled conditions to maintain their pristine quality.
You will find that our ultra-premium fabrics will not only drape better on you but are also more resistant to temperature, humidity and creasing. |
Many of our competitors rely on low quality imitations such as from China. If you’re not a discerning customer, you can easily fall into their trap – and end up paying a lot more for your so-called bespoke clothing. |
Craftsmanship | We work in strategic partnership with Franco Puppato, Italy’s top master tailor, and nurture the age old suit manufacturing techniques used by top end suit makers such as Kiton, Brioni, Zegna and the tailors at Savile Row.All our bespoke tailoring is done in-house by trained Master Craftsmen. | Bespoke tailoring is often outsourced to third-party tailors without your ever getting to know about it. |
Location | Regardless of where you’re located, we can serve you like we have been serving many of our long-distance clients over three generations.This ensures that you always get the reliable, consistent and customized care you’re looking for in the creation of your bespoke clothing.
The end result is 100% satisfaction on your part – and a great experience you may want to repeat yet again. |
Most so-called bespoke clothiers on the market make long-distance commitments they can’t honour, leading to miscommunication, errors, shipment delays and damages.The end result is a bad experience you may never want to repeat. |
Price | We offer great value by taking advantage of lower labour costs in India, while ensuring you get the highest level of quality – at par with any of the top end suit makers of the world today. | You could end up paying a lot more for what’s at best a made-to-measure garment. |
Clientele | We maintain a limited and exclusive clientele to ensure you get nothing short of personalized, world-class service at all times.Our clients range from royalty to business leaders, politicians and top professionals in sports, media and entertainment. | Many bespoke tailors work hard to attract new clients via special deals because they could not retain their existing clients on account of quality. |
Legacy | For 75+ years, we’ve been engaged in true bespoke tailoring for the crème-de-la-crème of Indian and international society.We bring to you the same age old manufacturing techniques used by top end suit makers of the world where we trained and worked, such as the tailors Savile Row and Brioni.
Some of our senior Master Craftsmen have been working with us for 40+ years. |
It’s hard to find genuine bespoke tailors using the same age old techniques used by the tailors at Savile Row, Brioni and Franco Puppato – all under one roof. |
[1] The word “bespoke” originated from Savile Row, a London street considered the “golden mile of tailoring”. It is derived from the verb “bespeak” which means to speak for something – which in case of men’s fashion clothing is reserved for individually crafted and patterned men’s clothing as opposed to made-to-measure clothing.