Bespoke men’s clothing is much like the female orgasm; even though we love talking about it in casual conversation, most of us simply have no idea what it is exactly. Also, it’s fake in a lot of the cases, as many times what we think is bespoke clothing is actually just made-to-wear. Did you get that “bespoke” jacket on Amazon, or at any of the readymade stores that love to call anything that looks dapper and expensive ‘bespoke’ in order to make more sales? Get the drift?

What Is Bespoke Clothing?

Simply speaking, bespoke clothing refers to clothes that are tailor-made to fit you, and only you. It’s more of a higher grade of tailoring than a genre of clothes, something we often forget when we’re referring to it. Of course, as it is with everything related to fashion, nothing could be simplified into just one sentence, as bespoke tailoring is a nuanced skill that’s learned through years - possibly even decades - of practice, and the tailors that are skilled enough to make it are hard to come by. That’s why they charge a bomb, too, though for true bespoke men’s clothing, it’s worth it.

If you’re about to ask, ‘well then how does it differ from made-to-wear exactly?’ you should, as it's a legit question. Whenever you go to a clothing brand and ask them to, say, make a suit for your buddy’s upcoming wedding, they would go into the back, bring a (possibly well-illustrated) guide of all the styles you could go for, and make the suit for you. The difference is that they would most likely choose from an existing set of fabric, style, fit etc. and custom-fit it into your dimensions. It’s different from bespoke in the same way that building a house with a generic layout is different from really building a house from scratch, as with the latter, you’d have to know the basics of what goes into making a house and get the professionals skilled enough to do it, and then go about executing it. It’s more difficult than it sounds.If you’re actually going for bespoke tailoring, everything that makes you you would be taken into consideration before designing it. Every little curve of your body’s shape, the fabric and colours chosen according to your personality, and every little stitch done by hand in making it all happen. Of course, that’s something not everyone can do, which brings us to:

Where Do You Go For Bespoke Men's Clothing?

As we mentioned above, brands love to call anything that’s just expensive or high-quality bespoke, though essentially speaking, there can’t be any established brands that could offer bespoke clothes, as it’s more of a tailor thing, so don’t waste your time on those. Depending on where you’re located, here are our picks for the best bespoke tailor shops in the country (of course, we’re leaving out individual designers who specialise in bespoke men’s clothing, as that would be a whole conversation on its own):

• SS Homme; Mumbai: Located in Khar West on Sv Road, SS Homme is one of the best shops for bespoke suits and shirts. It’s owned by Sandeep Gonsalves, who could also provide you with some hands-on tips about suits and other nitty-gritties of bespoke men’s clothing if you happen to run into him (though their other stylists are equally good at their job).

   

   

• Tailorman; Bangalore: For those living in Bangalore, the best option for bespoke men’s clothing is Tailorman. It’s not too high on the expense factor either, and they offer quite a few types of clothes - like bandhgalas, trousers, dinner jackets etc. - that you won’t get at other bespoke tailors, as it’s generally only restricted to suits.

   

   

• Camessi; Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata: One of the things that works for Camessi is that they’re available in multiple cities, and as long as you’re in one of them, they’d be happy to service you. They’d also send their stylists home to take your measurements, which works if you’re tight on the schedule. They also have their own factory near Udaipur, where every part of their clothes is custom-made according to your needs.

   

   

• The Darzi; Delhi: If you’re in the capital, there are a few tailors as experienced and skilled at the art of bespoke tailoring than the Darzi. With over 35 years of experience designing some of the best suits we’ve seen, it’s their massive collection of possible combinations of fabrics and styles that impresses us. They also have other accessories to complete the look - like bowties - so definitely take a look at them for your next bespoke suit.  

   

   

• Syed & Baker Co., Chennai: One thing working for these guys is that you don’t actually have to be in Chennai to get your hands on one of their bespoke, custom-made clothes. You can just go to their website, type in your details and they’d be happy to home-deliver it. Though for the best experience, we highly recommend paying them a visit whenever you’re in the city, as they’re one of the best in the field.

   

   

• Herringbone & Sui, Mumbai: Another one located in Mumbai, these guys offer the best of Italian craftsmanship in all their bespoke clothing options. They also recently started their online store, making sure that their clothes aren’t just restricted to those living in Mumbai, though again, we’d highly recommend paying them a visit if you live there. Other than the usual shirts and suits, they also offer bespoke shoes, and offer the option of engraving your own motifs and custom designs on them to complete the look.