MTM/Bespoke versus RTW.....

[edmorel]

One of the things that pops up almost daily is the "what should I get for X amount of dollars" or "should I buy brand X or get a MTM/bespoke". Obviously, generalizations are always going to have exceptions but based solely on the pics posted here and on the WAYWN thread, everything from the Geneva/Borrelli shirts to Rubinacci/Kiton suits/jackets, what looks best? I am asking this in the aggregate, not to compare one guy's suit against this guy's suit. Just taking all the shite posted here and only here, from everyone you can recall, if you had to make one judgement with no caveats, what looks better? You can add a comment but please do not mkae any direct criticism's/attacks on someone's "fit" as the girls on teh streetwear forum say.


I'll start off by saying that I feel the RTW stuff posted on here looks better than the bespoke. Keep in mind that I mean this in the aggregate, some RTW stuff looks horrible and some bespoke looks amazing but overall if I had to make a suggestion based solely on the pics posted here, I would recommend RTW everytime. And yes, I know I have a conflict of interest.

 

[itsstillmatt]

The bespoke sometimes looks more good, but the RTW often looks less bad.

 

[Taxler]

Originally Posted by iammatt

The bespoke sometimes looks more good, but the RTW often looks less bad.

I have a few suits that proove the less bad is sometimes better than the less good.

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Bespoke

 

[John Ellis]

Overall I'm bound to agree. Quite honestly I've been deeply disappointed by some of the bespoke I've seen on here although some of the stuff owned by people like Manton looks very good. For most people top quality RTW is a better choice than bespoke and in any case even if you ultimately graduate to bespoke you need to have built up a sense of what looks best on you by trying on and buying some RTW suits. I've said here before that I have top quality RTW suits that look better than Bespoke suits I've had made. I have a couple of RTW choices and neither are cheap. It's quite easy to get much cheaper bespoke although the most expensive from Savile Row is going to cost you more. Occasionally I see aficionadoes here urging beginners to buy their first suit from a bespoke house which is really bad advice although I'm sure it's well meant but sending a novice to a bespoke tailor where he would attempt on the spur of the moment to make decisions about what and what would not work for him is a thoroughly bad idea.

 

[dopey]

ooops. I voted without controlling for "on SF". Had I noticed, I might have gone with RTW.

That actually points to a big part of the issue. Much of the not-so good bespoke posted on SF is low-end bespoke or first try-bespoke. Those can often give you spotty results. But high-end bespoke, especially once the relationship has settled down, almost always beats RTW.

From my own experience, which admittedly carries no weight since I don't post photos, I think even the bespoke I am unhappy with looks better on me than than RTW and regularly draws compliments from strangers and colleagues. For example, I have a SR sportcoat that I consider a major "f-up" that was a mess from the beginning and only marginally better when they recut it (and charged me for doing it). It floats off my neck and pulls back from my shoulders. But when I force it into place and walk out the door, it gets lots of compliments because, until it pops off my neck again, the fit through the back and the cut are still very good distinct and also flattering. Most RTW just doesn't do that. Similarly, a few weeks ago I walked into a party full of strangers wearing a Desmond Merrion suit and three people approached me and asked about my "beautiful suit." Again, the suit had flaws that I knew still needed to be fixed but it nonetheless stood out and looked good. What's more, it was a dull Lesser tropical pinstripe in a mottled mid gray - nothing fancy about the cloth at all. It was the cut and fit that stood out (and I ain't no iammatt, I rely on my clothes to improve on an otherwise offensive appearance).

I have a range of RTW, some of it pretty high-end (though nothing higher than RLPL) and none of it gets me to the same place. Frankly, the RTW result is usually still good enough for me and for most people to function professionally and socially. I prefer the look of bespoke, but can't say it really matters. My interest in bespoke is more as a hobbyist then because it makes me look so much better. But I nonetheless do think the approval is real.

In any case, I am pretty sure I can tell when someone is wearing real bespoke and when it is RTW, though I am sure a good RTW tailor can get you close.

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Originally Posted by dopey

ooops. I voted without controlling for "on SF". Had I noticed, I might have gone with RTW.

That actually points to a big part of the issue. Much of the not-so good bespoke posted on SF is low-end bespoke or first try-bespoke. Those can often give you spotty results. But high-end bespoke, especially once the relationship has settled down, almost always beats RTW.

I agree 100% with the statement above.

 

[Piobaire]

I think there is greater variation is the MTM/Bespoke I see here than there is the RTW. Part of this is probably because the MTM/Bespoke allows for greater individual choice and sometimes that choice is not always something others will find attractive. Also, fit is more variable, as we have people trying to measure themselves and then sending it to a remote tailor for manufacture.

Overall, I think the top quintile of MTM/Bespoke looks better than RTW, but under that, RTW is often as presentable, or more presentable, than some of the MTM/Bespoke items.

I would love to have many of the pieces I see from the like of Manton, FNB, Iammatt and others.

 

[SuitingStyle]

RTW, but to be fair, I think the majority of ppl who do post in the WYWR thread post in RTW garments, only a handful of forum members consistantly post pics of themselfs in bespoke garments.

 

[mishon]

Not to digress, sort of, but it all depends on one's body type. People with good physique can look as great wearing RTW as they do wearing bespoke.

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Originally Posted by mishon

Not to digress, sort of, but it all depends on one's body type. People with good physique can look as great wearing RTW as they do wearing bespoke.

Not really. IMO, people with a good physique benefit even more from bespoke suits, as most RTW suits are cut from a standard pattern in order to suit the average consumer. Thus, the diminished chest-waist differential on RTW suits does not flatter the well-built.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

I buy RTW, but i also spend a hefty amount of money with my tailor fine tuning my jackets. I'm happy with it as its the best route financially for me.

I think bespoke may be the best option for clients with an open checkbook, or enough to buy a full rotation and work with more then one try.

It also may be wise to have your bespoke fine tuned or adjusted after a few wearings when you figure out what you would like to change.

I have one jacket that i've made a total of 3 changes to, at the same tailor, first i brought the shoulders in, then the chest waist and back, then shortened the jacket.

 

[mishon]

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

Not really. IMO, people with a good physique benefit even more from bespoke suits, as most RTW suits are cut from a standard pattern in order to suit the average consumer. Thus, the diminished chest-waist differential on RTW suits does not flatter the well-built.
Point well taken.

 

[0b5cur1ty]

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

Not really. IMO, people with a good physique benefit even more from bespoke suits, as most RTW suits are cut from a standard pattern in order to suit the average consumer. Thus, the diminished chest-waist differential on RTW suits does not flatter the well-built.
I would just like to point out that, in my experience, this varies hugely according to brand. I have several RTW suits that have a pronounced chest-waist differential, having clearly been designed for slim, in-shape men. I have also tried on jackets that looked OK in the rack and fitted like unusually drapey tents.

 

[Dragon]

RTW jackets often use safe (not too bold or weird) materials. The cut and design options are safe too. The people that make RTW jackets are professionals that are selling to a mass.

With bespoke you make the choice of fabric. You could pick fabrics that really look great on you, but you could also make some choices that look like garbage. Same goes for the cut and design issues.