What is a made to measure suit?

Tailored clothing has historically been a tangible expression of fashion for men who are always concerned about their overall appearance. More and more men today believe in investing in well-fitting and elegant wardrobes that can give then a distinct personality capable of impressing everyone in their professional and personal lives. Suits have been the sartorial zeitgeist ever since they were first designed and they still continue to be the same. They fall in the category of timeless fashion that blends in every occasion.

With tailored menswear sweeping across the globe and incorrect use of word "custom" in advertising campaigns by retailers, the meaning of "made to measure" suits has become misleading. Some retailers often sell made to measure suits as custom made suits and put a high price tag of those suits. Made to measure suits are more technology-driven construction, require less manual labor and are less expensive than custom suits.

The Process of Suit Making

Suit making involves a number of steps. For a suit to be made, a pattern is to be drawn. A pattern here refers to the shape of every individual panel that makes up a suit. These patterns are not drawn directly on the fabric. They are rather drawn on a paper using a pencil. These papers are then cut to form the panels. These panels made of paper are then placed on a fabric that will be used for making a suit and the pattern is traced on the fabric using tailor's chalk. The fabric is then cut into individual panels and sewn into a wearable suit.

So, How Are Made To Measure Suits Made?

Made to measure suits or MTM suits don't require paper panels. A person's measurement is taken and based on the measurements; the suit is made from pre-existing fabric panels. Only the measurements of the existing panels are altered. In other words, the fabric panels already exist and panels are not created out from scratch using paper drawing. This reduces the amount of work to be done. Once the measurements are taken, the pre-existing fabric panels are put through machine work with a very limited amount of manual labor or hand work.

Because manual labour is less to measure suits and mostly pre-existing fabric panels are used. They are less expensive than custom-made which require creating panels right from the scratch. MTM suits are good for those who want to introduce themselves to customized garments but run on a limited budget.