Men's Style

Everything to Know About Buying a Bespoke Suit

Our ultimate guide to bespoke suits will help you navigate menswear’s highest form of sartorial excellence.

By 

Todd Plummer

 |  April 23, 2025

Few sectors of menswear command the gravitas and respect of bespoke tailoring — it’s the holy grail. But adding a piece of custom-made tailoring to your closet is not as simple as waltzing into a store and throwing down your Black Card. It’s a process, an experience, and a communion with the menswear gods. And today — in a world where fast fashion continues to explode in popularity and where even designer fashion can feel chintzy — bespoke remains a rarefied craft reserved for true connoisseurs. 

In this guide, we break down everything about bespoke tailoring — including what it is, where it comes from, how tailors make it, and how much it costs. Whether you’re suiting up for a special occasion or just looking to add something truly special to your day-to-day rotation, you’ll certainly want to have all the facts about what bespoke tailoring entails before deciding whether or not to invest in it. 

What Does “Bespoke” Mean?

The term “bespoke” comes from the old English verb “bespeak,” which in the Early Modern Period meant “to order or arrange in advance.” The adjective form, “bespoke,” meant clothes ordered to be made in a specific way. 

It’s worth noting that the term bespoke does not enjoy the same legal protections as the term couture, at least in certain countries. In France, for instance, the ability to call a garment “haute couture” has protection under the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, whereas no country specifically regulates the use of the term bespoke. 

And while there are certainly downmarket fraudsters who like to describe their made-to-measure offerings as bespoke, there are plenty of perfectly legitimate designer and luxury houses that use the term beyond the scope of tailoring, as well. Consider the British luxury leather goods brand Ettinger; it offers a gorgeous bespoke program through which wallets, card cases, and several other items can be commissioned on a custom basis to a client’s specifications. 

What Is a Bespoke Suit, Exactly?

The term bespoke, or “bench made,” refers to a garment that a tailor hand-makes completely to a client’s specifications. Unlike off-the-rack and made-to-measure suits, a bespoke suit is constructed from scratch, usually following multiple fittings. The client usually selects fabric from an enormous range of options — from the finest Italian wools and linens to more modern blends. Every aspect of a bespoke suit is completely customizable, from the lapel shape to the buttons, linings, and style of the pockets. Everything.

For this reason, a bespoke suit requires a certain amount of face time with a tailor. It also costs significantly more than something one might buy “off the rack” (say, in a department store or online). A bespoke suit requires over 25 measurements, often captured and refined over two, three, or more fittings. A bespoke tailor will consider the wearer’s physique, posture, shoulder shape, torso length, and other physical nuances. Taking a nod from the traditional French haute couture process, bespoke tailors may even construct a first draft of a suit from a toile — using a less expensive material such as cotton muslin. 

Bespoke measurements are precise and scientific, but there is also an art to it as well — much of the knowledge of how these measurements interplay with each other and how they come to life through fabrication lives in oral history among the world’s finest tailors, passed down only through apprenticeships and years of experience. The amount of time and attention that goes into each bespoke creation makes for not only a luxurious garment but a luxurious experience, too. 

What Is the Difference Between Bespoke and Made-to-Measure?

While made-to-measure and bespoke garments are both commissioned by a single client to their specifications, they differ in one crucial way: Bespoke tailoring is fully customized and made from custom patterns. Made-to-measure, on the other hand, is modified from standardized patterns. These styles typically come in a limited range of fabric options, whereas the bespoke experience offers, by definition, whatever the client desires.

Made-to-measure garments are typically machine-made, and bespoke garments are handmade. In short, made-to-measure, while customizable and luxurious, is very often limited by the shapes and fabrics preselected by a designer or tailor. Bespoke, on the other hand, is completely to the customer’s specifications. 

What Is Savile Row?

Savile Row is a street in the Mayfair area of London. Originally built in 1735, it was developed as a residential street for military officers. In his novel Around the World in Eighty Days (1872), Jules Verne wrote that his protagonist, Phileas Fogg, lived at 7 Savile Row, a fashionable address at the time. Around 1803, tailors began to open shops on and around Savile Row. By the mid-19th century, Savile Row had a reputation as the hub of London’s best menswear tailors. In 1846, it is said, the tailor Henry Poole created the modern tuxedo jacket on Savile Row.  

The street’s history was not limited to just tailors, however — it was shaped by several echelons of prominent British men over the decades. The Royal Geographical Society’s headquarters stood at 1 Savile Row from 1870 to 1912, and it was here that many of the period’s grandest explorations to Africa, Asia, and Antarctica were planned. The Beatles also kept an office and performed their final live performance on its roof at 3 Savile Row. 

Today, Savile Row remains the global epicenter of tailoring. It’s home to heritage brands like Anderson & Sheppard, Davies & Son, Gieves & Hawkes, and Huntsman. Each house has its own distinctive style, and many have multiple locations around the world (Anderson & Sheppard, for instance, has a shop inside Bergdorf Goodman in New York City). So while a trip to London is a great idea if you’re looking for the authentic Savile Row bespoke experience, it’s by no means the only option. 

What Is the History of Bespoke Tailoring?

As mentioned, the custom tailoring scene in London really picked up in the first half of the nineteenth century. When Savile Row was first developed as a home for military officers, bespoke tailoring arose to meet the needs of the military. Over time, bespoke tailors helped craft signature looks for many prominent London men, from Winston Churchill to the Duke of Windsor. 

In 2004, a group of London’s most historic Savile Row tailors banded together to form the Savile Row Bespoke Association and create several safeguards of quality. For example, its member tailors must put at least 50 hours of hand labor into each two-piece suit. In 2016, London’s Westminster City Council introduced a “special policy area” to protect Savile Row from real-estate development, making it harder for developers and landlords to dilute the area’s character by forcing out independent businesses. As long as that law stands, to be a tenant on Savile Row requires that one must be in the business of selling bespoke, unique, or one-of-a-kind products.

What Is the Bespoke Tailoring Process?

Here, we break down the four primary steps of tailoring a bespoke suit.

Consultation

The journey begins with a consultation, which consists of three important parts: the conversation, selection of fabrics, and measurements. The tailor asks the client to communicate an initial vision of their creation, usually following up with questions about the client’s lifestyle and how they plan to wear the suit. This is also when the client chooses a fabric. The tailor will then record many measurements — not just the standard arm length and pants inseam, but more complicated ones, too, like shoulder slope. During this part of the process the tailor will note any of the client’s subtle quirks, such as uneven arm lengths or unique postures. 

Pattern Drafting

The second step of the process, pattern drafting, doesn’t require the client. This is when the tailor hand-drafts a blueprint that will serve as a foundation for the garment. Tailors often keep patterns on file for future commissions.

Basting

The third step is basting. This is when the tailor cuts the fabric and assembles a basted fitting, a rough version of the suit using easily removed white basting thread. Consider this a trial run. The suit does not yet have its lining, buttons, or final details. The tailor may ask the client to walk around in the suit in order to assess how the fabric drapes and moves with the body. This is an opportunity to fine-tune the suit before fully committing to a final cutting and stitching of fabric. The tailor may repeat this step one or two additional times in order to get the fit precisely right. 

Final Fitting

The last step is a final fitting. It is by this point that the tailor has complete confidence in their handiwork after completing all final tweaks. This is when the tailor adds customizable details that have little to do with fit, such as handsewn buttonholes, monogram embroidery, linings, and so forth. Once a client and tailor agree, the process is complete, and the suit is ready to bring home. 

Where to Buy a Bespoke Suit

While many consider Savile Row the origin and finest expression of bespoke tailoring, it is far from the only place to commission a bespoke suit.

In New York City, there are several tailors that offer a true, handmade, start-to-finish bespoke experience. These include Angel Ramos, Alan Flusser, The Armoury, Fitzgerald, J. Mueser, Leonard Logsdail, Manolo Costa, Michael Andrews Bespoke, New & Lingwood, Paolo Martorano Bespoke, and Tiefenbrun, as well as Martin Greenfield Clothiers and Alexander Black in Brooklyn, plus Genuardi Master Tailor in Hoboken. New York is also home to some American outposts of classic Savile Row tailors, sparing you a trip across the Atlantic. Cad & The Dandy and Huntsman both offer bespoke operations stateside, as well as royal warrant bearer, bespoke shirtmaker Turnbull & Asser.

Another popular city for bespoke tailoring is Hong Kong, where the quality of fabrics is still extremely high, but lower labor costs make bespoke tailoring possible at a less expensive price. What sets this city’s bespoke tailors apart is that they will often organize international tours so you can have an initial consultation closer to home, whether that’s in Paris or Charlotte, North Carolina, and receive your suit by mail several weeks later. L&K Bespoke Tailor often organizes such tours. 

How Much Does a Bespoke Suit Cost?

There are many variables at play that can cause the price of a bespoke suit to fluctuate significantly. There’s, of course, the cost of materials, including fabric and buttons. There are entry-level fabrics that are the most affordable, but the client can also order the most exquisite cashmeres and vicuñas. Then, there is the cost of labor. Some tailors will invest 50 to 70 hours (or more) per suit. Finally, there can be several intangible factors that affect cost, such as a brand’s reputation, an individual tailor’s experience, and any rush deliveries. 

Entry-level suits from some of the smaller tailoring houses or overseas shops — from, say, Hong Kong — will start around $2,000. A bespoke suit from many of the more well-known tailors in New York or London can run in the $4,000-$6,000 range. A Savile Row bespoke suit from a prestigious house such as Huntsman can easily cost $8,000, and that price can quickly climb to $15,000 or more if you choose premium fabrics and finishings. But when you buy bespoke, you’re investing in an experience and helping to preserve a storied craft — a luxury you can’t put a price on. 

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