What Is Bespoke?

...And What Does It Have To Do With Curtains?

        “Bespoke” is an English term that dates back to the 1700's.  Back then tailors used to keep full lengths of cloth in their stores.  When someone reserved a portion from a particular batch, it was considered “spoken for”.   To this day, when someone makes a product for you specific to your project's measurements, it is considered bespoke. 

        Many people use the word “bespoke” and “made-to-measure” interchangeably.  This is an inaccurate practice.  Made-to-measure usually means that they have a standard template that they modify to meet your specific measurements.  Bespoke means that they start from scratch creating your product specifically around your required measurements.  No templates are involved.

Prices And Variety

        In the curtain world, prices vary from under five dollars a panel to thousands of dollars a panel.  The variety of curtains available on the market are literally as numerous as the kinds of shoes you can shop for.  Before you buy, you should do some research and have an idea of what you want and how much you are willing to spend.

        There are many places to choose from when ordering curtains.  If you go to any random multi-purpose linen store, you will usually need to cut and hem the curtains to your specific measurements, or pay someone to do so for you.  Some stores even offer the service for an additional fee.

        If you are looking for higher quality curtains, you will have a plethora of companies to choose from that sell made-to-measure curtains.  Often times they'll even come to your house and take the measurements for you, and then return to install them.  These will cost more than the standard store brand, but you get what you pay for in quality and convenience.

The Cadillac Of Curtains

        If you're in the market for not only quality and convenience, but for the truly prestigious of all curtains, then look for a place that sells them bespoke.  They're not as common as the made-to-measure stores, but they are out there.  Do a little research, and when you find them, consider them gems in the curtain community.

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