Ready-to-wear (RTW) – also called prêt-à-porter, or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual use – is the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame. In other words, it is a piece of clothing that was mass produced in different sizes and sold that way instead of it being designed and sewn for one person. The term off-the-peg is sometimes used for items other than clothing, such as handbags. It is the opposite of haute couture.
Ready-to-wear clothing display
Image: Petite Panoply Trip to Cumberland Island, Georgia (20775335400)
Image: Move In Day 2011 (6099706937) (cropped)
The word bespoke has evolved from a verb meaning 'to speak for something', to its contemporary usage as an adjective. Originally, the adjective bespoke described tailor-made suits and shoes. Later, it described anything commissioned to a particular specification. In contemporary usage, bespoke has become a general marketing and branding concept implying exclusivity and limited runs.
A bespoke tailoring coat
The bespoke shoe lasts of Queen Victoria from 1898 and Earl Mountbatten of Burma at John Lobb Bootmaker in London
Fitting of a bespoke jacket