ASK GIEVE SAGE SARTORIAL ADVICE FOR THE MODERN GENTLEMAN
Dear Mr Gieve, I'm still a bit puzzled. If 'made to measure', 'personal tailoring' and 'tailor-made' are not true bespoke - then what are they?
Mr Russell, London SW1 You're right to be puzzled, Mr Russell - to those uninitiated in its deeper mysteries, gentlemen's tailoring can seem a baffling matter, and customers have every right to be confused about what it is they are paying for. There are, as you say, many terms for this 'quasi-bespoke' tailoring, and various companies now offer different levels of service under one name or another, the less scrupulous sometimes trying to present their suits as genuine bespoke.
There is a difference. As I explained last week, bespoke is the gold standard of gentleman's tailoring, where each suit is a true one-off, made for the customer alone, with lengthy consultations and repeat fittings. For over 200 years Gieves & Hawkes has been making unsurpassed bespoke suits whose fit, craftsmanship, luxury and style have become a byword for elegance in England and abroad.
There are, however, advantages to 'made to measure' suits, and Gieves & Hawkes is now pleased to offer this service too. When a customer orders a Gieves & Hawkes 'Personally Tailored' suit (for this is our term) he still has the opportunity to choose the style, the fabric, the lining. He can trust the tailors' understanding of the importance of traditional values and classic lines, yet also express his own personality with regard to all-important details of styling and cut. The result will be a handsome fitted suit whose every detail has been considered, discussed, approved. It will certainly fit the customer far better than anything bought 'off the peg'. Its wearer can have full confidence in its dignity and distinction.
It may not be quite as good as true Gieves & Hawkes bespoke - what is? - but it will have the stamp of authenticity. And, of course, at a fraction of the cost Exclusive to readers of The Spectator until 11 November 2007: Introductory 20% off a Personally Tailored suit from Gieves & Hawkes with a copy of this column. See website for your nearest store: www.gievesandhawkes.com.
GIEVES SLHAWKES Nol SAVILE ROW LONDON
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