The Difference Between Ready to Wear, Made to Measure, and Bespoke

When it comes to suits, there are three main types of production: Ready to wear (RTW), made to measure (MTM), and bespoke. It’s important to know the difference between these three types of suits for price, quality and durability. Where do you even begin? We at Su Misura Bespoke have put together this guide to introduce you to the main difference between RTW, MTM and bespoke tailoring.

What is ready to wear?

A Ready to Wear (RTW) suit is bought off the rack in a retail store where the cut and the style has been determined by the brand or designer. A RTW suit does not have to be cheap. On the contrary, brands like Tom Ford and Prada have ready to wear lines now. A RTW suit is characterized by the following:

- You get your garment immediately, as RTW is characterized by a certain amount of garments in stock.

- RTW can be relatively affordable. Not including luxury designers, a lot of different brands and retailers now offer RTW suits that can range anywhere from $100 - $600.

- The fit of the garment is based on standard sizing and specifications. You buy a size 44 suit, and the measurements of the garment are determined by standard measurements for a male size 44. This also means that a RTW rarely will fit you right, and most of the time you will compromise quality and fit for the convenience and price.

What is made to measure?

Made to measure (MTM) suits have some of the same benefits a RTW such as relative affordability and immediate gratification, but with an improved fit. However, there are still some drawbacks to MTM:

- The fit can only be improved so much. The people selling you a MTM suit are often salespeople with no traditional tailoring background. So while the potential of MTM is quite large, the result often doesn’t fulfil it.

- MTM garments are made from the same basic pattern as RTW. Basically, what MTM does is offer minor tweaks and alterations to a RTW garment. MTM only really deals in simple, flat, two-dimensional measurements. It can make the length of sleeves correct, but it cannot account for the stoop of your back or shoulder slope.

- MTM often claims to be “bespoke” because of the alterations offered or based on the style choices customers can choose from. However, don't be fooled as MTM is NOT truly custom or bespoke. MTM is a better way of buying RTW, but that is about it. Unless you are a generic size 44 dead-on, MTM is going to offer little more than RTW does. A RTW suit altered by a good tailor will often fit as well as a MTM suit of the same price. The only remaining advantage of MTM is that you can pick your material, lining and style.

What is bespoke?

So how is bespoke better you ask? Bespoke is about creating a suit from the bottom up. Whereas both RTW and MTM have a pre-existing pattern that they try to fit the customer into, bespoke starts with the client and their measurements. Simply put, without the client there is no bespoke suit. The beginning of a bespoke suit is the measurements and body configurations of the client. The tailor then takes your measurements with detailed notes that take into account aspects of posture and body shape that only a trained eye could notice. After these have been accounted for, a pattern is drawn up solely for this particular client and over the course of several fittings the fit is refined to the final product. Bespoke is, therefore, when done properly, superior to RTW and MTM because:

- The fit will always be better.

- The longevity cannot be matched by fast fashion and subpar quality sewing and fabrics used by most RTW and MTM brands. Furthermore, when the fit is right, there is less of a need to replace suits every year.

- There is total creative control over the design process when making a bespoke suit. It is not all about the fit (even though, it really is ALL about the fit). You get complete control over every design aspect of your bespoke garment from cloth, to buttons, to stitching, to padding, to drape.

Bespoke is more of an investment of time and money, but it is well worth it when compared to the relatively few benefits of RTW and MTM. If you are a regular suit-wearer or you are looking for a special, once in a lifetime suit, then bespoke will most likely be the best value for money.