Bespoke Or Not To Bespoke

July 7, 2023

So part of the fun/confusion of sewing is learning all the lingo.  People are so keen on using all these terms like couture, bespoke, made-to-measure and really have no idea what they mean.  This is because mostly these folks have no idea the skills involved in construction of clothing.  And really there's not that much difference between the construction of men's and women's clothing.  But you do need to know the basics to know the differences.  And in particular what some of these terms mean.

One term is Bespoke.  What exactly does that mean? That refers to the means, mechanical or not, of how the garment is assembled.  In this case this is the garment is all done by hand.  This much the same description of women's clothing in the phrase haute couture.  The literal translation is high seam.  The real meaning is highly technical sewing and it's understood that the only way this can occur is by hand.  

So what's all this fascination by hand and what does it really mean?   The key is in a couture garment, nearly everything is made by hand.  There is more control in crafting exactly what the designers wants because the cutting and sewing gives a roundness that contrasts with the flatness of manufactured clothing.  

The same is true of bespoke clothing - it is worked by hand with the small stitches and the toile that hold the shape of the fabric.  

The counterpart to that is clothing that is made by machine or manufactured.  And I have seen men's jackets with machine-made pad stitching. The whole idea seems ludicrous to me as the very definition and reason for the pad stitching is to sew in a roundness and softness into the garment.  The machine-made pad stitching doesn't sew in that roundness.  So what makes the roundness in manufactured clothing?  It's the pressing.  The manufacturer literally placed the garment on a form and literally molds it into place then presses it to give it the same that is needed.  

For men's wear, the other type of clothing is made-to-measure which is done by machine.  And I've seen a lot of this type of clothing (like the machine pad stitching) and it's nice looking and they do a passable job, and certainly the price is a lot better.  

But like the women's clothing counterpart, RTW or ready-to-wear, it is also made by machine, and the forming or shaping by pressing is clearly evident the first time a RTW piece is washed or even cleaned.  It loses its shape and becomes a completely different garment that the one that was pressed, molded.  

So what makes our home machine-made garments different that the manufactured garments sold in stores?  Why, if our clothes are made by machine, are they better?  How can we achieve that roundness to our clothing that is evident in the bespoke and haute couture clothing?  It's by learning where the roundness matters and where it doesn't.  Granted, we can craft the whole garment by hand, but the truth is that no one has the time nor resources to do that.  But how can we get close to that soft roundness that so matches the body so much better, and still have a garment that is practical and plausible within the confines of our resources?  

The answer for me, is to learn what some of these handwork techniques are, and from there use the ones we need or like in a certain area, and leave the rest to the machine.  

Going back to this green coat.  Believe me, I would never have taken on this coat had I thought the whole thing would have had to be accomplished by hand.  That ain't in my budget of time-- believe me!  However, I was adamant about that collar falling exactly as it does here, sort of casually-looking overlapping so that it looks effortless.  Well, it's anything but effortless.  This is specifically sewn and shaped over my hand to roll and fall exactly this way.  But the rest of the coat is constructed on my sewing machine mostly so that I could wear it that winter, and not have it finished in time for bathing-suit season!

Another thing that you will notice after you start making a lot of your core pattern, is that after you've made a few garments, and start wearing them on a regular basis, that you will begin to notice they form more closely to the shape of your body.  

You may not notice this at first.  What happens is that you think, "Gee, I sure do that like top and I would like to have that in several colors and then in this print or that style."  So you set about making those up.  But something's a little askew.  You followed the pattern exactly, but it doesn't look the same as those you've worn for a year or so.  What happened?  

Clothes will naturally conform to your body, and what you are noticing is the roundness that a garment will take on after a year or so of wearing.  It's like a fine patina-ed fit.  Wearing those newer made garments (from the same pattern), for a while will give that form that those old favorites have.  

We as sewists have the opportunity to choose what part we devote a greater amount of time to and what part we don't have to.  Bespoke and haute couture clothing is certainly beautiful and very lovely to wear.  But in my mind, putting all that extra hand-work into an area that really doesn't matter, is frivolous and frankly a waste of time.  Those details that do matter, it's another case.  

Most of the time, I will keep the handwork around my face, or my shoulders.  This is the part that is the most important part of the garment.  For years this is where I put most of my effort for my clients so that their face is framed in beautiful detail work, whether that's shaping, beading or expensive fabrics.  There is nothing wrong with doing that handwork around your face or shoulder area, and completing the rest of the garment on the machine.  

We actually have a greater advantage over manufactured clothing in that we don't have to ship the garment from the manufacturer to the retailer where it's been crammed into a box or other shipping containter that then has to be pressed back into a round form.  Our garments are made, pressed on round surfaces (hams, rolls, etc.), then worn on our bodies.  

Which brings up another subject, the care of our beautifully made clothes with all the gentle soft roundness of our bodies in mind.    But that's for another day.  For now, combining the hand methods with the machine methods can produce a beautifully fine garment that can often compete on a level ground with bespoke and haute couture garments.  

That we know the process by which clothing is assembled, gives us such a huge step up from most of the rest of the public.  We can have a freedom of size, shape and style that the rest of the public has know knowledge of, much less a choice.  When some talk about bespoke and haute couture, it's also an indication as to their knowledge of the makeup of clothing.  To cavalierly say that "Oh well, I would love to have only haute couture clothing," is pretty much an admission of ignorance.  Same as the fellow who says he only wears bespoke clothing, that he buys at Nieman Marcus.  Believe me, NM does not sell bespoke clothing.  

The more you know, the more you can see how others have absolutely no idea about how clothing is made.  
 

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

The Ponte Jacket Class has been rescheduled.  We had so many who wanted to take it but couldn't get here for one reason or another so it didn't work out.  We've rescheduled it for September, when we are more interest in jackets, and particularly something that will make us look professional and responsible -- because there are times when we need that look.  You can click here to get more information for the class on September 20, 21, and 22.  If you need any information about places to stay or other accommodations, simply respond to this email and I will get back to you.  I love my city and love showing it off!

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