What is the difference between Bespoke and Made-to-Measure tailoring?

When people are talking about tailored suits or other men’s clothing, you might have heard them use the word “bespoke” or the phrase “made to measure”. Understanding the difference between these different kinds of custom tailoring is important, as one costs a lot more than the other, and takes a lot longer to produce.

What does bespoke mean?

The word “bespoke” is a historic term which in the context of tailoring means “asking for garments to be made” - in other words, a custom order made to the exact specifications of the customer, because the item was being made just for them. 

These days, bespoke tailoring is often misinterpreted - you may have seen high street stores and many other shops use it in connection with their service, but what they offer is not really bespoke. A true bespoke tailoring experience is a very long process which includes many fittings over a period of months. Often, the tailor that you meet is involved in the entire process from measurement and cloth selection right the way through to constructing and finishing the garment themselves. 

As you can imagine, this is a very expensive process and not particularly efficient if you require a garment quickly.

Our made-to-measure is sometimes called “semi-bespoke” and is much closer to the real bespoke experience than the one you’d receive on the high street.

What does ‘Made-to-Measure’ mean?

Made-to-measure clothing starts with an item from stock. We use this garment as a template to measure from, and make changes to fit your shape. These measurements are then sent to a chosen tailoring house where they will produce your item from scratch, using your custom specifications for the fabric, lining and other features.

This is a much quicker process than bespoke, which means your clothing will be ready much sooner than it would have been if you were going through the months-long fitting schedule that bespoke clothing requires. 

Here at Robert Old, we have specialised in what we call Made-to-Measure for decades, and we’re confident that our service can provide you with a superb fit in a much smaller timescale than a true bespoke garment.

Robert Old Made-to-Measure

Made to measure services

Find out more about our Made to Measure services, including our process, the garments we offer and how you can design your perfect shirt.

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