This month is Made-to-Measure Month at Larrimor’s, and I thought it would help to clear things up about what exactly the term means and what you’re getting.

Made-to-measure is often confused with bespoke, so I’m going to give you a brief explanation of both to sort out the two:

Made-to-measure: A suit or piece of clothing already exists. You love it. Wonderful. That pattern is then tweaked to fit your frame. An experienced sales associate or store employee will take your measurements accurately to give to the tailor so that he/she can tweak the pattern. Adjustments are made after the factory makes the suit, the tailor adjusts it, and there’s one final fitting upon pick-up. You’ll have a range of fabrics to pick from and can most likely choose some style options, but you can’t pick any fabric you want.

Bespoke: Completely your vision. A pattern is cut exactly for you and your body. It’s handmade and requires many fittings. Anything goes there, fabrics and styles are not limited and everything will be made by the tailor, not in the factory.

There are pros and cons to both, honestly. Sure, it’s great to have something that is completely your own, but you run the risk of hating it since you’ve never actually seen it before. With made-to-measure you already know what you’re getting, you’re just getting it customized. Time is also a factor can’t make the time and don’t want to stand through a lot of fittings. Either way, having something tailored to you is a step up from off the rack and worth the splurge.