Tailoring options: made-to-measure, bespoke and ready-to-wear

Tailored clothing offers the height of luxury and style. At New & Lingwood, staff are on hand to talk you through what is available and which tailoring option is best for you.

In this guide, we will look at the three popular types of tailoring:

• Made-to-measure?
• Bespoke
• Ready-to-wear

The page will also discuss the following themes:

• Made-to-measure, bespoke and ready to wear suits: a comparison table.
• How to care for your garments

Made-to-measure

A made-to-measure suit (sometimes known as custom-made) is created using an existing pattern. This pattern is then adjusted according to the wearer’s precise measurements—material can be ‘taken in’ or ‘let out’ according to the shape of the customer.

Made-to-measure process

• Choose the suit—at New & Lingwood you will see a wide range of different styles and fitting options.
• Meet with the tailor—the tailor will be on-hand to ensure the garment is made to your exact measurements.
• Choose the fabric—choose from a selection of thousands of fabrics curated from mills in both Britain and Italy.
• Choose customisation options—tweak the suit to fit your taste and needs, including the number of buttons, cuff style, linings, collar styles and more.
• Receive your made-to-measure suit—in 8 - 10 weeks time, you will be invited to try on your new suit.
• Final fitting—if needed, we will make additional alternations to ensure that you are completely satisfied with your made-to-measure suit.

Fabrics

Our fabrics are curated from mills in both Britain and Italy. We choose only the most exciting, quality fabrics available. This ensures that not only will your suits look top of the range, they will also be eye-catching and show a certain flair.

Time

While the time it takes to receive your final made-to-measure suit may vary, you can expect to wait from 8 – 10 weeks.

Price

A New & Lingwood, a made-to-measure two-piece suit starts from £1,295.

Who should purchase a made-to-measure suit?

This level of service is perfect for someone who:

• Who may require a better fit than ready-to-wear tailoring
• Wants to customise their suit to their exact specifications such as choosing the cuff, lapel and pocket style amongst other options
• Wants a fitted suit but wishes to spend less time than is needed for a bespoke suit

Bespoke

Bespoke has become a catch-all term to describe anything that isn’t ready-to-wear. However, in tailoring, bespoke means: a garment that is made entirely from scratch. This includes the pattern, measurement and fabrics.

Bespoke tailoring is the height of luxury. At New & Lingwood, we can offer bespoke garments, simply enquire in store.

The process

• 1. 3 – 5 fittings—with the suit creation starting from scratch, a lot more measurements will be needed. This is to ensure the tailor can find the most precise fitting possible.
• 2. Choose your fabric—similar to the made-to-measure suits, you will have a choice of thousands of fabrics curated in both Italy and Britain.
• 3. Choose your customisation—with bespoke garments, there is no restriction on customisation. Your suit is created from scratch, so even the most obscure request can be accommodated for.
• 4. Final fitting—similar to a made-to-measure garment, you will be invited back to the shop to try on your new suit. Some adjustments may need to be made.

Fabrics

All New & Lingwood fabrics are of the highest quality, selected from mills in Italy and Britain.

Time

A bespoke suit takes longer than the other tailoring options available. The suit is created from the beginning, including any customisations the wearer may have asked for. Bespoke suits can take up to 80 man-hours to create.

You can expect to wait approximately 12 weeks for your fully bespoke suit

Price

A fully bespoke New & Lingwood suit starts from £3,500

Who should buy a bespoke suit?

A bespoke suit is the perfect purchase for someone who:

• has a clear idea of a unique style of suit they would like to wear
• is looking to spend some time on the perfect suit
• wants to treat themselves with a special gift

Ready-to-wear

Ready-to-wear clothes are pre-manufactured to standard sizes. Customers can buy these clothes straight from the rack, unlike made-to-measure and bespoke clothing. However, ready-to-wear clothing does not necessarily mean the mass-market clothing you find on the high street.

At New & Lingwood, our ready-to-wear lines are made in limited production runs which are changed every season. This ensures that our ready-to-wear garments still feel unique to the wearer.

The process

The process for ready-to-wear clothes is the shortest and most simple:

• 1. Find and purchase the garment you like—you will find a range of vibrant, premium-quality clothing in our stores. These change every season, so be sure to visit regularly.
• 2. Ask for optional alterations—our trousers come with complimentary alterations whether you’re in-store or online.

Fabrics

Like our made-to-measure and bespoke ranges, our ready-to-wear clothes are only made from the finest textiles sourced in mills from Italy and Britain.

Time

If you wish to purchase a ready-to-wear piece with no alterations, it will take a matter of minutes. You can either visit one of our stores and browse our in-store selection or visit our online store.

If you need to have some alterations to ensure the optimum fit, you will need to visit the store. Times may vary, but we try to accommodate alternations within a day or two.

Price

A ready-to-wear jacket from New & Lingwood starts from £595.

Who should purchase a ready-to-wear suit?

A ready-to-wear suit is perfect for someone who:

• is looking for a quick purchase but still demands quality
• has a standard build

Made-to-measure, bespoke and ready-to-wear suits: a comparison table.

Caring for your garment

Regardless of the type of tailoring, caring for your garment ensures longevity and maintained quality. In this section, you will find the relevant cleaning/care information for our most popular garments, including:

• suits
• shirts
• trousers
• knitware
• dressing gowns

Suit

• Brush off your suit—remove any gathered dust or crumbs at the end of every wear, preferably with a clothes brush made from natural fibres.
• Dry clean your suit only when really needed—approximately once every six months will suffice unless there are any stains that need cleaning.
• Hang your suit on thick wooden hangers—leave some space between each item to allow the fabric to breathe and dry out.

If you plan to store your suit away for an extended period of time, we recommend you dry clean prior to storage and install a mothproofing sachet in the suit bag to prevent damage.

Shirt

• 1. Undo all the buttons before washing—this alleviates the strain on the button stitching
• 2. Turn the shirt inside out—this protects the buttons from chipping and allows the cleaning agents to properly clean underarm stains.
• 3. Wash at 40 degrees (as standard)—make sure you double-check the temperature as individual shirts may require different temperatures.
• 4. Line dry or airing cupboard)—avoid tumble drying as it can damage the shirt.
• 5. Iron shirt—Try to do this whilst the shirt is a bit damp. Use the ‘cotton’ setting to ensure optimum ironing.
• 6. Hang on a hanger—ensure the top button is fastened.
• 7. Hang in wardrobe—try to leave space between shirt to minimise any creasing.

Trousers

• 1. Read your trousers’ specific care instructions—this will minimise any risk of mistakes.
• 2. Brush any dust/crumbs from your trousers after every wear—for the best results, use a clothing brush made from soft, natural fibres.
• 3. Store trousers by hanging them along the crease—try hanging them in a wardrobe if possible as this will help reduce the likelihood of creases.

Knitwear

• 1. Hand wash in cool water— the high quality fabric can only be cleaned by professionals
• 2. Squeeze gently by hand and lay flat to dry—do not ring the excess water
• 3. Do not hang knitwear—this can cause shoulder dimples and distort the shape
• 4. Give all knitwear a rest between wearing—allow time for airing for wrinkles to fall out

For woolen garments— check individual care labels as different types of wools require different washing requirements.

Dressing gowns

• 1. Dry clean only— the high quality fabric can only be cleaned by professionals
• 2. Wool gowns can be shaved – this is to remove bobbling
• 3. Use a cedar wood hanger
• 4. Cover dressing gowns – to prevent moths