Made to Measure
The house cut, at a different rhythm.
Welsh & Jefferies now offers made to measure alongside full bespoke — the house pattern adjusted to your measurements, one meeting, and delivery in six to eight weeks.
Made to measure is the second of the house’s two services, and the nearer door to the same cut. The garment is cut from the Welsh & Jefferies pattern — quite slim, semi-military, square of shoulder — adjusted to your measurements and to how you stand, then made up with hand-finished details. It is not bespoke: no paper pattern is drafted for you alone, and there is no baste fitting. Everything else remains — the same cloth books, the same cutter’s eye, the same shop in St James’s.
It suits a first commission, a wardrobe built at pace, and the clients we see on our travels: measured at one meeting, the garment follows in six to eight weeks, finished and adjusted in the shop. Where a figure asks for more — a marked stoop, an uneven shoulder — we will say so plainly and recommend bespoke. Uniform and ceremonial work remains bespoke, always.
The process
Consultation
Purpose, style and cloth — chosen from the same books as bespoke, with the cutter’s advice — and an honest word on which of the two services will serve you better.
Measurement
Taken at the same sitting: your measurements, and a reading of how you stand and move. The house pattern is adjusted to them — chest, waist, shoulder, length.
The making
The garment is cut from the adjusted pattern and made up over six to eight weeks — machine-sewn, with hand-finished details.
Fitting & finish
You try the finished garment in the shop. Final adjustments are made and recorded against your measures, so the next order fits closer still.
Two services, one cut
Everything the house makes is cut to the same eye, from the same books, in the same shop. The two services differ in pattern, fittings and time — bespoke remains the fullest expression of the craft, and made to measure the nearer door to the same cut.
- Made to measure
- The house pattern, adjusted to your measurements
- Bespoke
- A paper pattern drafted by hand for you alone, kept for life
- Made to measure
- One meeting, then a finished fitting
- Bespoke
- A series — baste, forward fitting, finish
- Made to measure
- Machine-sewn, with hand-finished details
- Bespoke
- Hand-padded canvas, hand-sewn buttonholes and edges
- Made to measure
- Six to eight weeks
- Bespoke
- Typically 8–12 weeks
- Made to measure
- Near-standard figures, first commissions, wardrobes built at pace
- Bespoke
- Pronounced figures, unusual commissions, uniform and ceremonial dress
Uniforms and ceremonial dress are made only bespoke — cut under the same roof that has dressed officers since 1917.
Cloth & style
The same books
There is no second, lesser list for made to measure. The books on the table are the books of the house — Lesser, Smith Woollens, Dugdale, Holland & Sherry, W Bill, D’Avenza, Dashing Tweeds, Caccioppoli — alongside Scabal’s woollens and rarities. The stocked list changes with the seasons; ask what is on the table now.
Style is settled the same way as bespoke: single- or double-breasted, lapel and pocket, vents, lining and buttons, trousers plain or turned up. The cutter advises; nothing is left to a form.
- Woollens and rarities
- from Super 150’s to gold thread
What to expect
- Timeline
- Typically 6–8 weeks
- Visits
- One to commission, one to collect
- Alterations
- Included at the finished fitting
- Garments
- Suits, jackets, trousers, waistcoats, coats
- Cloth
- The same books as bespoke — 500+ in the shop
Figures are indicative and confirmed when we meet — prices are given plainly at consultation, and made to measure is the more accessible of the house’s two services.
Common questions
What is the difference between made to measure and bespoke?
Bespoke begins with a paper pattern drafted by hand for you alone, passes through a series of fittings — baste, forward, finish — and carries the greater part of its making by hand. Made to measure begins with the house pattern, adjusted to your measurements, and is machine-sewn with hand-finished details. One is the fullest expression of the craft; the other is the same cut at a different rhythm and a more accessible price.
How many visits will I need, and how long will it take?
Two visits: one meeting to be measured and to choose cloth and style, and one for the finished garment, when final adjustments are made. Delivery is typically six to eight weeks; bespoke, by comparison, runs longer across its fittings.
Will made to measure fit me?
For most figures, very well — the pattern is adjusted for your chest, waist, seat, length and shoulder. Where a figure asks for more than an adjusted pattern can give — a marked stoop, notably uneven shoulders — we will say so at the first meeting and recommend bespoke.
Can I choose any cloth?
Yes. Made to measure draws on the same books as bespoke — from town suitings to tweeds and evening cloth. If a cloth exists, it can usually be found.
Are my measurements kept?
They are. Your measurements, adjustments and preferences stay on file with the house, so a repeat order needs no more than a conversation — in the shop, in writing, or when we travel.
Can I be measured outside London?
Often, yes. The house travels — China and Hong Kong, New York and elsewhere — and one meeting is all a made-to-measure commission requires. Ask for the current itinerary.
Begin with a meeting
An hour in the shop: cloth on the table, measurements taken, and a plain answer on which of the two services suits you. Visitors from abroad can often be seen around our travelling schedule.
Book an appointment