How custom is your "Custom" apparel?

You want to look your best, so you’re ready to spring for custom apparel, but it’s a significant investment; you want to be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

Traditionally a man’s custom suit would benchmark against an ounce of gold. Riding apparel could be more, considering the unique silhouette, additional fabric, and specific structuring. However, if your outfitter is promoting standardized sizing instead of ‘custom’, there is little need to overpay.

The goal with custom apparel is to get an optimal fit: one that you wouldn’t be able to achieve by buying ready-made clothing or consignment.  To this end, Victory Pass Equestrian Apparel adjusts flat patterns based on your measurements and cuts a garment unique to you. This approach achieves ideal fit instead of garments ‘off the rack’, ‘made to order’, or ‘semi-custom’ (that is, made as a standard size, but adjusted to fit through alterations).

Be wary of garments that are already ‘in-stock’. If it’s already made before you’ve taken measurements, it can’t be custom. 

Selecting your own fabrics doesn’t necessarily indicate custom.  These ‘made to order’ garments often use a standardized pattern but construct using the fabric you choose. 

Semi-custom may be difficult to spot, as it uses industrially produced, standardized garments, perhaps made to order in your choice of fabric.  Once they’re complete, they’re adjusted to fit better in specific places.  This can be evident if too much darting is taken despite a smaller cup size or if tight armholes prohibit the range of motion.

Check to see if your outfitter completes alterations in-house. If so, they likely know the craft to cut and construct custom garments.  Consider how many measurements they take for each garment. If less than a dozen points of measurement, little can be done other than direct one to the closest standard size. Ask them about their skill set. Salespeople have great insight into aesthetic and silhouette, but without tailoring skill themselves, there can be quality control issues or an inability to troubleshoot poor fit.