What does bespoke mean?

[GW8IZR]

Made to measure not off the shelf standard and add another zero to the bottom line.

A bespoke suit is tailored to fit. Doesnt mean you will never see another suit in the same cut and colour.

Nor will it guarantee you dont look like a sack of ... tied in the middle with string

(ref) Spike Miligan. Adolf Hitler my part in his downfall

 

[Sean]

EXPENSIVE

EXACTLY what i was going to say
in the same realm as all burgers being "Goumet", Beer in bottles being "Crafted" And usefull advice being a "LifeHack"

 

[GW8IZR]

EXACTLY what i was going to say
in the same realm as all burgers being "Goumet", Beer in bottles being "Crafted" And usefull advice being a "LifeHack"

Yes that one sneaked up on me, I kept seeing the term and wondered what half wit came up with it ;-)

 

[Pete.]

Bespoke simply means 'specifically made for', be that a purpose, location application or just a person's wishes.

 

[angellonewolf]

as above pay through the nose for some thing a normal skilled person can make but at a higher cost to produce fat profits

 

[Kent]

Bespoke - customer gets exactly what they want! In a suit its choose the cloth choose the style, have it fitted to them
Made to. Measure - a std design made to fit the client as a new item
Off the peg - ready made suit that could be worn as is or altered to fit as an extra

Those are the origin as far as I am conserned. They can be applied similar to anything made by man or machine Imo.

 

[GW8IZR]

bespoke actually means nothing more complex than to order something..

 

[Kent]

Might just add all the designers in history had traits in thier design. Therefore I put forward bespoke has an eliment of the "pre considered consept"

 

[MattF]

bespoke actually means nothing more complex than to order something..

Not quite. You can order an off the shelf item. Bespoke merely means that something is designed/made/fitted/altered in a manner to suit someones requirements. That could be something as simple as lopping an inch off some standard item so that it'll meet that customers needs.

 

[GW8IZR]

Not quite. You can order an off the shelf item. Bespoke merely means that something is designed/made/fitted/altered in a manner to suit someones requirements. That could be something as simple as lopping an inch off some standard item so that it'll meet that customers needs.

No the origin is in bespeak or to speak for ..

Of course language evolves, common usage becomes correct. Bespoke can mean some of the 'definitions' previously posted.

For example if enough people miss spellt something for long enough it becomes correct, its why bovvered can drift in and out of usage and so on.

 

[pedrobedro]

Custom or tailor made is the common usage. One off would be my nearest saying.

 

[MattF]

No the origin is in bespeak or to speak for ..

Of course language evolves, common usage becomes correct. Bespoke can mean some of the 'definitions' previously posted.

For example if enough people miss spellt something for long enough it becomes correct, its why bovvered can drift in and out of usage and so on.

Isn't the original meaning "spoke of", rather than for? Granted, that's technically/originally correct, but the common usage is slightly different.

 

[Kent]

Not quite. You can order an off the shelf item. Bespoke merely means that something is designed/made/fitted/altered in a manner to suit someones requirements. That could be something as simple as lopping an inch off some standard item so that it'll meet that customers needs.

The difference in opinions is why I posted the only real definition in common use for three different things - suits!
If you set up and advertised as a bespoke tailor and only offered off the peg with alterations, you would get informed real fast by visiting customers!
Bespoke is also defined in the gun trade quite clearly.

 

[GW8IZR]

The original question was what does bespoke mean, the answers have mainly been to a slightly different question, what does bespoke mean to the person answering the question. Of course that's absolutely correct and if enough people believe the same hence it becomes common usage.

As you know language evolves but once people start flowering up answers and bending meanings I think it sometimes helps to simplify and get a bit closer to the origin.

 

[Burdekin]

Everything I do is bespoke, bodged but bespoke bodged. :-)

 

[pedrobedro]

My mate does bike wheels and they are bespoked

 

[armalites]

The original question was what does bespoke mean, the answers have mainly been to a slightly different question, what does bespoke mean to the person answering the question. Of course that's absolutely correct and if enough people believe the same hence it becomes common usage.

As you know language evolves but once people start flowering up answers and bending meanings I think it sometimes helps to simplify and get a bit closer to the origin.

There was a program on the radio recently where a guy said exactly this. He said language evolves and there is no arbiter of word usage and there are many words used in common language today which we all assume a menaing of but if you look them up in the dictionary the meanings don't fit 100%.

One example is the word quality, we often hear "quality product" or "quality car" and assume it means very good as that is what it now means in everyday language but the original word is also another word for standard.

Back to OP, to me bespoke means made specifically ie not off the peg/shelf. This where it then gets a bit cloudy, I think we all know a bespoke suit is one a tailor makes after measuring you but the reality is they are working to a design and they adjust to fit so, if you made gates where there were some selectable features for a standard item they would still be bespoke IMHO

 

[Kent]

There was a program on the radio recently where a guy said exactly this. He said language evolves and there is no arbiter of word usage and there are many words used in common language today which we all assume a menaing of but if you look them up in the dictionary the meanings don't fit 100%.

One example is the word quality, we often hear "quality product" or "quality car" and assume it means very good as that is what it now means in everyday language but the original word is also another word for standard.

Back to OP, to me bespoke means made specifically ie not off the peg/shelf. This where it then gets a bit cloudy, I think we all know a bespoke suit is one a tailor makes after measuring you but the reality is they are working to a design and they adjust to fit so, if you made gates where there were some selectable features for a standard item they would still be bespoke IMHO

Again its all opinions but if I had a std gate and added a number to it this would classify as a bespoke gate - I would say an off the peg with alterations.
One thing is for sure the client or potential client gets the last word, so caution is advised.

 

[penfold]

usefull advice being a "LifeHack"

Good advice to you and me is a lifehack to people with conspicuous beards, ostentatiously checked shirts and brightly coloured braces who drink out of jars.

 

[Richard.]

Bespoke is all I ever get involved with. Stuff trying to compete with mass produced solutions on price. It doesn’t necessarily mean a one off as there is quite often the case I’ll make something and someone else thinks it will suit them too and before you know it there is a few off knocking about. Even though it’s not a one off any more it’s still bespoke imo. It’s still made to suit an individual situation.
For me bespoke means to suit. It doesn’t have to be complex or expensive but it can be.
“Rich I need a handle making for this so I can hold it at both ends. It’s got to clear this and be able to hold this.”
Not only is the handle bespoke but the mass produced item he fits the handle too also becomes bespoke because it’s been changed/improved to suit the individual. That’s my take on it.