WHAT IS A BESPOKE SUIT?
I get asked this a lot these days working in New York. What exactly is a Bespoke Suit? What goes into it? Well, here is the Oxford dictionary definition of Bespoke:
bespoke
Syllabification: (be·spoke)
Pronunciation:
Definition of
bespoke
past of bespeak.
adjective
[attributive] chiefly British
(of goods, especially clothing) made to order:a bespoke suit
(of a trader) creating made-to-order goods:bespoke tailors
It is a fairly broad term and in the strictest sense is the English equivalent to what would be called a custom suit in the U.S.A.
Its also a rather trendy word now that tailors in the U.S, Italy and even the U.K like to use more and more. Its a very old English word that I really learned, when I was 19 years of age, back when I started my first day of work at Savile Row tailor, Gieves and Hawkes. It was instilled in me that a Bespoke suit was a purely hand made garment (except for the long seams) with multiple fittings or "tryons" and an individual pattern made and stored for every client (the blueprint of the suit). Perhaps more than all that it was the pinnacle, the very best that the house could make or indeed could be made.
Nowadays, strictly speaking, any kind of "custom" or "made to measure suit", made in a factory from stock patterns with little handwork could be described as a Bespoke suit and it often is.
I feel with the term being so broad that it is really important to find out how the bespoke tailoring house itself defines what a bespoke suit is.
What does it mean to me? Well it isn't about marketing, for me its just a term I have been using all my working life. I still define the term as I did working on Savile Row. I hold myself and my company up to those standards of quality, service and authenticity.
I seek out the very best makers and work with them on a daily basis to produce my bespoke suits which are all made the old fashioned way, locally with a needle and thread. I don't do this because it is easy, I do it because it is hard, and this is the only way to make quite simply the very best mens clothes that Gentlemen can buy.
A David Reeves Bespoke suit will always be made locally. An individual pattern will be made stored and amended as need be for the client and the service will involve multiple fittings, including a try on to ensure the right finesse of fit. David Reeves Bespoke suits are always made from high end cloths such as H Lesser, Dormeuil, Loro Piana, Zegna and Scabal as standard.
