There is much confusion and controversy over the difference between a bespoke suit and a made to measure suit, and what role bespoke tailors play in each suit type. Made to measure is the process of using a pattern that is already made up, and altering this pattern to fit the specific body of the customer. These clothing types fit much better than clothes that are considered ready to wear, also known as off the rack and bought by most Americans. Made to measure garments can be both machine and hand sewn, so the quality is not as high as you would expect from bespoke tailors, who stitch every stitch by hand and require a large number of fittings before being able to complete the suit. Bespoke tailors create bespoke suits, which are much more expensive and labor intensive than made to measure items. Part of the reason is all of the time and labor that bespoke tailors put into each individual bespoke suit. The pattern is drawn by hand, and is not made up ahead of time.

The first sitting allows bespoke tailors to take the needed measurements to draw up a pattern that is unique to that customer. With made to measure garments, the first sitting is usually the only one, unless you need some alterations done once the suit arrives. These alterations do not qualify the suit as a bespoke suit. Bespoke tailors are masters at the craft of hand creating suits, and every stitch must be perfect. These craftsman take years to learn their trade, even decades for many, and made to measure suits can not compare in either quality or workmanship.

The difference between a suit made by bespoke tailors and a suit that is made to measure is huge. Both suits may look similar from a distance, but up close the small details that signify the highest quality and the skill of bespoke tailors is evident. Made to measure suits will not last a fraction of the years that a bespoke suit will, an this is another factor that should be considered. There is a substantial cost difference, but this is due to the high number of hours that is required by bespoke tailors to complete one unique suit. Made to measure suits can be machine sewn, which takes much less time but also offers a much lower quality. Price may be a consideration, but it should not be the only one. Consider the cost to replace a lowest quality made to measure suit every two to three years, with a price that starts around nine hundred to one thousand dollars. Over a ten year period this can add up to around five thousand dollars. For this same five grand, bespoke tailors can create a high quality bespoke suit, with a much higher quality material and craftsmanship, for the same price over that same ten year period, and a bespoke suit usually lasts more than ten years.