The word ''bespoke'' () has evolved from a verb meaning 'to speak for something', to its contemporary usage as an
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective (abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ma ...
. Originally, the adjective ''bespoke'' described tailor-made suits and shoes. Later, it described anything commissioned to a particular specification (altered or tailored to the customs, tastes, or usage of an individual purchaser). In contemporary usage, ''bespoke'' has become a general marketing and branding concept implying exclusivity and limited runs.
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Origin
''Bespoke'' is derived from the verb ''bespeak'', meaning to "speak for something".[ The particular meaning of the verb form is first cited from 1583][ and given in the '']Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
'': "to speak for, to arrange for, engage beforehand: to 'order' (goods)." The adjective "bespoken" means "ordered, commissioned, arranged for" and is first cited from 1607.
According to ''Collins English Dictionary
The ''Collins English Dictionary'' is a printed and online dictionary of English. It is published by HarperCollins in Glasgow.
The edition of the dictionary in 1979 with Patrick Hanks as editor and Laurence Urdang as editorial director, wa ...
'', the term was generally British English
British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
in 2008.[ ]American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...
more commonly uses the word ''custom'' instead,[ as in custom-made, custom car, or custom motorcycle. Nevertheless, ''bespoke'' has seen increased usage in American English during the 21st century.][
]
History
The word ''bespoke'' is most known for its "centuries-old relationship" with tailor-made suits,[ but the '']Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
'' also ties the word to shoemaking in the mid-1800s.[ Although it is now used as an adjective, it was originally used as the ]past participle
In linguistics, a participle () (from Latin ' a "sharing, partaking") is a nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a word derived from ...
of ''bespeak''. According to a spokesperson for Collins English Dictionary, it later came to mean ''to discuss'', and then to the adjective describing something that was ''discussed in advance'', which is how it came to be associated with tailor-made apparel.[ The word was used as an adjective in ''A Narrative of the Life of Mrs Charlotte Charke'', the 1755 autobiography of the actress Charlotte Charke, which refers to '']The Beaux' Stratagem
''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on March 8, 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have fal ...
'' as "a bespoke play".[ After that, the adjective was generally associated with men's tailor-made suits.][
Before about the 19th century, most clothing was ]made to measure
Made-to-measure (MTM) typically refers to custom clothing that is cut and sewn using a standard-sized base pattern. Suits and sport coats are the most common garments made-to-measure. The fit of a made-to-measure garment is expected to be superio ...
, or bespoke, whether made by professional tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
s or dressmaker
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician.
Notab ...
s, or as often, at home. The same applied to many other types of goods. With the advent of industrialised ready to wear
Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing ...
clothing, bespoke became largely restricted to the top end of the market, and is now normally considerably more expensive, at least in developed countries.
At some point after that, the word ''bespoke'' came to be applied to more than tailoring, although it is unclear exactly when.[ Mark-Evan Blackman of the ]Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
in New York told ''The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' in 2012 that the "bespoke proliferation may be tied to young Hollywood types becoming enamored with custom suits about a decade ago". ''The Wall Street Journal'' article said that "language purists" were not happy, while suit makers said the word had been "bastardized".[
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Contemporary usage
In 1990, American writer William Safire
William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He w ...
, questioned in a ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' article what had become of "custom, a word fading from our fashion vocabulary in a blizzard of British usage". In a play on words, he wrote of the snob appeal[ of the word: "To be suitably trendy, bespeak to me of bespoke tailoring."][ '']Gentlemen's Quarterly
''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on ...
'' magazine wrote that the word was "gaining in popularity", meaning "the opposite of off-the-rack". In its contemporary usage, it implies exclusivity, and is used as an aid in marketing[ and branding.] A 2014 ''India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new o ...
'' article described bespoke as an emerging branding trend that marketers would need to embrace.[
A 2001 google search of "bespoke and software" produced 50,000 hits, many not in the UK or the US.] ''The New York Times'' quoted an Indian tech director as saying the "global communications boom" contributed to a "superset of English vocabulary";[ another business writer explained that software companies in India were accustomed to adapting their language depending on the client, so that switching between ''bespoke software'' and ''custom software'' was the equivalent of switching between ''lift'' and ''elevator'' or ''queue'' and ''line''.][ By 2008, the term was more often used to describe software, database and computer applications than suits, shirts or shoes.][
The '']BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
Magazine'' wrote in 2008 that the word had increasingly been used to describe things other than websites, suits and shoes—like cars and furniture.[ Some examples of usage of the word are:
* bespoke medicine (a movement to better fit treatment to the individual patient),][
* bespoke portfolio (an investment tool),][
*]bespoke shoes
Bespoke shoes or custom shoes are shoes made especially for a certain customer by a shoemaker. The feet are measured and a last for each foot is created. At the fitting, the customer tries the prototype pair of shoes made in an inexpensive leathe ...
(shoes that are made to fit the customer's specifications),
*bespoke software
Customised software (also known as bespoke software or tailor-made software) is software that is specially developed for some specific organization or other user. As such, it can be contrasted with the use of software packages developed for the ...
(software written to the specific requirement of a customer),[ and
* bespoke tailoring (clothing made to the individual measurements of the customer).][
]
Deborah Tannen
Deborah Frances Tannen (born June 7, 1945) is an American author and professor of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Best known as the author of ''You Just Don't Understand'', she has been a McGraw Distinguished Lecturer at ...
, a Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
linguistics professor, told ''The New York Times'' that "Americans associate it with the British upper class", adding that the word for Americans tapped into "our individualism. We want everything made special for us. Even when it comes to salad bars."[ As of 2012, there were 39 applications using the term ''bespoke'' at the ]U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
, with half of those having been filed only in the previous 18 months.[ ''The Wall Street Journal'' said that the term had started to proliferate in corporations and among investors a few years before that.][ A writer in '']The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' said that consumers no longer wanted to "keep up with the Joneses", but wanted to set themselves apart, saying that the bespoke drive was anti-tradition, and about a desire to be different rather than identify collectively with others.
''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'' described the word as "monstrously distorted, abused and otherwise mangled into near meaninglessness", saying that anything can now be labeled "bespoke". The same ''Newsweek'' writer used the word as a verb to describe ordering a custom-made pair of glasses ("bespeaking a pair of spectacles").[ One French bespoke shirtmaker was said to offer 400 shades of white, to satisfy vendor-customer relationships and desire for custom-made items.][ ''The New York Times'' devoted an article to bespoke cocktails, which they described as "something devised on the spot to a customer's precise and sometimes peculiar specifications".] In another article, ''The New York Times'' described bespoke perfumes' taking the "world of personalization to an entirely new level".
A 2016 ''The New York Times'' article describes a satirical video about bespoke water and observed:"The B word has become an increasingly common branding lure employed by interior design companies, publishers, surgeons and pornographers. There are bespoke wines, bespoke software, bespoke vacations, bespoke barber shops, bespoke insurance plans, bespoke yoga, bespoke tattoos, even bespoke medical implants."
UK tailoring controversy
The UK Savile Row Bespoke Association has requirements for a garment to use the term ''bespoke'', but those requirements are not followed by some manufacturers.[ In 2008, the British Advertising Standards Agency allowed a company, Sartoriani, to use ''bespoke'' to describe its suits, causing a controversy with the ]Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
tailors who use the word to describe custom handmade suits.[
]
Related terms
* Antonyms include "off-the-shelf" and "ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing ...
"
*Related term: "modding
''Modding'' is a slang expression derived from the English verb " to modify". The term refers to modification of hardware, software, or anything else, to perform a function not originally intended by the designer, or to achieve bespoke specif ...
", a DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-g ...
term meaning personalization
Personalization (broadly known as customization) consists of tailoring a service or a product to accommodate specific individuals, sometimes tied to groups or segments of individuals. A wide variety of organizations use personalization to improv ...
of an item after manufacture
* Synonyms include "custom-made" and "made to order"
See also
*Bespoke shoes
Bespoke shoes or custom shoes are shoes made especially for a certain customer by a shoemaker. The feet are measured and a last for each foot is created. At the fitting, the customer tries the prototype pair of shoes made in an inexpensive leathe ...
* Bespoke tailoring
* Custom-fit
* Mass customisation
References
{{Historical clothing
English words
Manufactured goods
Usability
Archaic English words and phrases