The epitome of luxury and style, a bespoke suit is made exclusively for its owner, and there is no better time than your wedding day for a perfectly tailored suit.
The term bespoke originated from England in the 1700s when men from all over the country would travel to Savile Row in Mayfair to select and reserve cloth from a tailor. It was then ‘bespoken’ or ‘spoken for’. Although the way modern men shop for suits has changed dramatically in the last 300 years, the traditions of bespoke tailoring have remained intact.
Today the term means to have a suit made to your personal specifications and measurements. That is, to have it created especially for you.
When buying a bespoke suit you need to take into consideration the fabric, cut, style, fit and more. Each suit is ‘made on the knee’, created entirely by master craftsmen, with very little machinery involved. When you visit a bespoke tailor, a personal consultant will sit down to discuss your requirements and give you options for cut, style and fabric.
At your first fitting your tailor, equipped only with a tape measure and a blank piece of cardboard, will hand-draft a pattern for your suit based on your measurements and cut it from scratch. A good bespoke tailor will work to your personal specifications as well as providing advice on design to highlight the positives of your figure and disguise the imperfections.
It can take up to four fittings to ensure your tailored suit is perfect. During your second fitting the tailor will check the balance of your formal suit, with particular attention given to the shoulder line and collar position. Your third and fourth fittings will ensure the fit is 100 per cent accurate.
When it comes to choosing a handmade suit, people often confuse bespoke tailoring with made-to-measure. The difference between a made-to-measure suit and a bespoke suit is the fit. A made-to-measure suit is cut from a generic pattern, which is then adjusted to suit your measurements, whereas a bespoke suit is made for you alone.
Another difference between the two is cost. Bespoke suits can cost $6000- $8000. And while that can seem expensive, you are guaranteed a high-quality product that will fit like a glove. A bespoke suit will last between 10 and 15 years if you look after it
properly.
Looking for the perfect groomsmen suits? Find them on the Bride Directory.