You may have heard the word “bespoke” tossed around casually, perhaps in connection with suits and clothing, or maybe in reference to some kind of computer software or database. But what does the word actually mean, especially when it comes to custom wear?

Tailors like to make a distinction between “bespoke” and “made-to-measure” suits. Making a “made-to-measure” suit entails taking a preexisting suit — one that already has pre-determined patterns, colors, and design motifs — and re-fitting it to comply with individual measurement requirements. “Bespoke,” of course, is the simple past form of the word “Bespeak.” Story goes that 17th-century tailors used to keep all their tailoring material on the premises of their shops or of their homes; when customers would walk in and ask for a suit to be specially made to fit their proportions, they could literally point at the stretch of fabric they wanted used for their item of clothing. Thus, the stretch of fabric selected by the customer, as well as the suit it would soon be molded into, were now “spoken for.”

Alan David Custom Suits is proud of its role in authentically sustaining this tradition of the bespoke suit. We guarantee that each element of your Alan David Custom creation will be 100% spoken for.