Haute Concept

Bespoke (pronounced bee-SPOHK) is a term all fashion-forward, stylish men should be familiar with. In fashion terms, it can be considered the male counterpart to haute couture, or high fashion, for women.

Bespoke is a term for tailored clothing made at a customer’s request and exactly to that person’s specification. Bespoke is custom made clothing at it’s finest, the ultimate in luxury. It pays the utmost attention to the all-important style aspects of:

• fit
• silhouette
• construction

Bespoke clothing is created without a pre-existing pattern, as opposed to made to measure, which alters a standard issue pattern to the customer, or ready-to-wear, which is off-the-rack.”Bespoke” comes from the word bespeak, meaning to order or request. The history of bespoke is rooted in Savile Row, where a customer would chose a length of material, that was then said to have “been spoken for”. The material chosen would be for that customer specifically. So when a tailor makes clothes from scratch according to an individuals personal requirements, it is called “bespoke”. “Couture” (pronounced koo-TOOR) simply refers to fashion or clothing.

The best that there is in menswear, bespoke is also the most expensive and most sought after. It represents service, craftsmanship, and fit using the finest fabrics available.

Tom Ford, former creative director at Gucci, has opened his own boutique in Manhattan. According to The New York Times, the boutique, “at 845 Madison Avenue at 70th Street, custom suits can be made in the tradition of Savile Row, albeit in a much sexier environment, beginning at $5,000″.

Tom Ford wanted the boutique to have a residential feel to relax customers. The townhouse boutique is, “staffed with uniformed butlers and maids and a receptionist at the front door”.

Money Does Buy Looks-NYT-[Free, reg. req]

The Wall Street Journal ran an article detailing the rift between Savile Row tailors and the high fashion designers over labels used to describe suits. At the heart of the issue is the differences between the labels used. The three labels for suits are:

• Off-the-rack
• Made-to-measure
• Bespoke, or custom

Off-the-rack, refers to suits made in standard sizes that can be slightly altered. They reflect the lowest price point. On the other hand, both made-to-measure and bespoke fall under the title made-to-order, since they are both made in accordance with particular instructions and requirements. The difference between made-to-measure and bespoke is that made-to-measure uses pre-existing patterns, whereas bespoke is completely original and unique to each customer.

The conflict becomes present because there are no set rules and regulations governing the industry.