What is the significance of a bespoke suit?
Investing in a bespoke suit is perhaps one of the most significant apparel purchases one can make. Despite this, many individuals have no idea what goes into creating a bespoke suit! In today’s article, we’ll take a look at the anatomy of a bespoke suit, with a focus on aspects that can be tailored to your preferences. After all, the sum of its pieces makes a wonderful outfit. While the suit as a whole must be appealing, each component must also be appealing on its own.
Definition of bespoke suit
True bespoke suits are more of a work of art. Bespoke originated on London’s Savile Row and means “to be spoken for.”
You may have a say in every stage of the process, from fitting to fabric to finishing touches, with a bespoke suit. The bespoke method entails producing a one-of-a-kind, original pattern tailored to a client’s body type.
Unfortunately, the term “bespoke” has lost its luster in the industry, as numerous custom clothiers claim to deliver bespoke garments, but almost all of them employ the made-to-measure method.
Bespoke, like luxury, is a term that is frequently misused to give something that isn’t bespoke or luxurious a slick sheen of refinement or to justify a high price tag. The truth is that bespoke – something built specifically for you – is probably the ultimate luxury. Perhaps nowhere is truer than when it comes to a suit.
A true bespoke suit is like a second skin, a clothing that best portrays who you are because it was built particularly for you, in taste as well as size. Yes, it is expensive (in most circumstances), but if done correctly, it is an investment that will last a lifetime and eliminate the need to buy off-the-shelf items. As a result, here is a comprehensive guide to purchasing a bespoke suit.
The History of Bespoke Suits
All men wore bespoke until less than a century ago. Hand-made clothing was available to those who could afford it, while those who couldn’t wore bespoke cast-offs.
Robert Baker established the first tailoring shop in London’s Piccadilly district – named after the Elizabethan phrase for a shirt collar, “pickadill” – in the late 1500s, eventually becoming a suit-maker to King James I’s court. Like craftspeople gathered together, as was customary at the time, and the area, which stretched from Jermyn Street to Savile Row, soon became the epicentre of England’s menswear trade.
Although tailoring was never truly English – ‘tailor’ is thought to derive from ‘tailler,’ the Medieval French word for ‘to cut’ – Savile Row and its environs became synonymous with the best in the world, gaining such a global following that the Japanese word for a suit, ‘sabburu,’ is a misspelling of the famous street’s name.
The tables were only turned in the 1950s, when manufacturing technology enabled for the fabrication of more cheap ready-to-wear clothing. Because of off-the-peg pioneer Montague Burton, creator of the namesake high-street brand and purveyor of many a World War Two soldier’s ‘de-mob’ clothes, bespoke became the exception rather than the rule.
With the emergence of off-the-peg clothing, Savile Row became more of an establishment calling card, where the great and good, but not necessarily the most stylish, obtained their apparel, becoming ever more sophisticated by the season, free to follow this strange phenomenon called fashion. It would take a pioneer – Tommy Nutter, Hardy Amies, Douglas Hayward – to shake things up and remind the entire industry that a bespoke suit wasn’t simply for attorneys, bankers, and businessmen.
While much of ‘the Row’, as its inhabitants refer to it, still caters to those who have to wear suits, in the last two decades it has learned to also cater to those who may just want to. There’s always been the substance. Now there’s more style.
A BESPOKE SUIT’S ANATOMY
The majority of bespoke suits fall into one of three cut categories: slim, fitted, or classic. For a more streamlined look, a slim cut suit fits close to the body with a higher waist and armholes. This style will most likely favour those with very slim body types, and while it is now fashionable, it will not necessarily last as long as a traditional fitting suit.
The name denotes that this is a classic cut suit. It’s a classic, elegant style with enough of room for the body. This cut is perfect for folks who prefer more conservative attire or prefer their apparel to be more comfy and roomy. Surprisingly, the trends from London Men’s Fashion Week show that men’s tailoring is headed in this way!
A tailored suit is a good compromise between the two styles mentioned above. It isn’t excessively slim, but it has a modern shape that shapes your figure nicely. This is a style that will suit most body types and will remain fashionable for many years.