The Art of a Bespoke Suit

Mr Fox, a new South Delhi tailoring outfit, wants to breathe new life into the art of the bespoke suit

- By Magandeep Singh

Over the last few hundred years, the art of bespoke has managed to survive and thrive by evolving with the times while staying stoically resolute to its basic tenets. There was a time when clothes didn't come off an industrial line, even for children. They were always handcrafted to the size, fabric, and pocket requirement. Clothes were bought to last a lifetime, and if they needed repairs or adjustments, the tailors were happy to oblige. There was no surplus production, no notion of binge purchases and consequently, no Boxing Day bargains for impulsive sartorial hunting. A fabric that had 'been spoken for' meant that a client had already selected it, and the suitor would start work on it.

Much of that tradition has disappeared in the last five or six decades, as assemblyline style production took over. Today, what remains of that term means different things to different people. While in an earlier period, a bespoke suit was almost entirely handcrafted except for the actual stitching done by machines, these days, even a suit that is almost entirely machine-made to your size is considered bespoke. Even some top-rung international brands misname their made-to-measure suits as bespoke.

And it doesn't stop at suits. A bespoke car is one where you can get seats of your choice of colour and fabric. A bespoke holiday is one where a travel agent creates an itinerary for you depending on your preferences rather than you doing it yourself. Bespoke is a term that is misused and abused in equal measure. As a result, I am usually disdainfully dismissive of any service in the country that calls itself bespoke.

Coming back to bespoke suits, it is, in fairness, not for everyone. It is a pricey affair, so you should not get one made on a whim. Before opting for one, you must be convinced of its usefulness and benefits. The fact that a well-made bespoke suit will last a lifetime, considering the fabric's quality and the construction's endurance, is a given.