bespoke
adjective (Brit.)

- made to order (of goods)

Compact Oxford English Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

While the term is used to describe many different types of custom-made products and services, it has traditionally referred to clothing, in particular men’s suits.

No discussion of bespoke is complete without mentioning London’s Savile Row, known the world over as the home of men’s bespoke suits. Savile Row was created with the development of the Burlington Estate in 1695. As with other area roads like Cork Street, the name has connections to Lord Burlington himself, in this case, that of Lady Dorothy Savile, his wife.

Savile Row was initially occupied by military officers and their wives. During the 1800s, the gentry were engrossed with fashionable dress. Beau Brummell, who is credited with introducing the modern man’s suit with necktie, was a frequent patron of the tailors on the Burlington Estate, notably around Cork Street. By 1803, some were occupying premises in Savile Row. In 1846, Henry Poole, known as the founder of Savile Row, opened a second entrance to his late father's tailoring premises at Nr. 32 Savile Row.

In in the late 1960s Nutters of Savile Row dressed the entire social spectrum from the Duke of Bedford and Lord Montague, to Mick and Bianca Jagger, The Beatles, Elton John and Yoko Ono.

Nutters, the first shop on Savile Row to have open shop windows and bold displays, revolutionised the London fashion scene and paved the way for the arrival of other non-conventional clothes makers.

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SYNONYMS

custom-built, custom-fit, custom-made, designer, made-to-fit, made-to-measure, made-to-order, perfectly fitted, tailored, tailor-made

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ANTONYMS

off-the-shelf, off-the-peg, off-the-rack, ready-to-wear, standard

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Practice OWAD in a conversation:

"We don’t offer any standard solutions. All of our products are BESPOKE, which is why we charge more."