CUSTOM CLOTHING EXPLAINED

Custom clothing is pretty much what it sounds like - a garment that’s designed by you, made to fit only you. The fabric, the detailing, the cut - all of it is unique to you and you can literally design the suit of your dreams. Now here’s where things can get confusing. A suit or sport coat can be bespoke, made-to-measure or off-the-rack/ready-to-wear. Let’s break it down a bit, shall we?

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Bespoke Suits — **BESPOKE**

This is much more than a suit or sport coat, it’s an experience. One that requires several fittings and the patience to watch your piece evolve from simple pieces of marked up fabric into your finished garment. We start by taking all of your measurements and from there a tailor will cut a custom pattern based exactly on your metrics. No fabric is cut until you’ve been measured, no piece is attached until you’ve tried it on, and most of the work is done by hand. Bespoke is more time intensive, more costly and requires a great deal of skill to execute properly.

Made to Measure Suits — **MADE TO MEASURE**

This is the more common form of custom suiting you’ll encounter because it offers pretty much all of the benefits of a bespoke garment. Still a luxury experience but less demanding of your time and a bit kinder to your wallet. With a MTM garment, your measurements are taken and then applied to a proprietary Onore Clothing pattern that is customized according to your preferences. Typically your tailor will only require 2-3 fittings total - one for initial measurements and a design consultation, another after the garment is completed, and a final fitting before you take that bad-boy home. Made to Measure garments are constructed by hand and by machine.

A Tailored Suit — **A TAILORED SUIT**

A tailored suit is not custom. It is an off the rack garment that a tailor marks, pins and alters according to your preferred fit. If you are an easy fit then ready to wear is likely the best option for you, as it’s most cost effective and can be turned around in anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks depending on the adjustments needed. If you’re looking for an unusual color, pattern or material then custom is best. If you’re in a larger body, vertically or horizontally, custom is also a better option.

WHAT SETS CUSTOM APART

If you’ve wondered what separates a quality suit from the not so quality suits, it comes down to the cut, make and trim. That’s a whole other bag of beans that you can read about here. Below is a snapshot of the two biggest differentiators - the guts and the skin.

QUESTIONS FOR THE TAILOR?

CANVAS

Is the interior layer between a suit jacket's outer shell and the lining. In a quality suit, canvas is generally made of horsehair, and is used primarily to keep the structure and shape of the chest intact over many, many years. A suit can have full canvas or a canvas chest piece, depending on how formal the piece is intended to be. In many lower cost suits, canvas is forgone entirely in favor of what’s referred to as fusing, a mesh like material that glues the outer shell to the lining. Fusing does not maintain the integrity of the garment and will wear down after a few dry cleanings.

SUPERS

Refer to the weight of the wool that’s used to make a suit or sportcoat. Certain sheep are bred to produce finer wool, and generally, the finer the fiber, the rarer the stock, the higher the super number. Hence, the higher the super number, the more expensive the suit. Now we know what you’re thinking - you want the finest, softest wool you can get your hands on so that your suit is comfortable like sweatpants. Let us stop you right there. We recommend that our custom customers stick to a Super 120 or 130. This is a sweet spot that offers up softness and comfort alongside durability. When you go above a Super 130, you’ll be sure to love the feel but your garment should then be limited to very special occasions so that it doesn’t wear out too soon.