Bespoke & Made to Measure
Some dresses cannot be chosen from a rail. They are made for one woman, for one evening, in the measurements of her own body.
The Silk & Bears Atelier makes a small number of made-to-measure commissions each season — in hand-dyed mulberry silk, or in hand-embroidered silk velvet, cut and finished by the same artisans in Vietnam who make our collection. Every commission begins the same way: with a conversation, not a checkout.
As seen in British Vogue · Tatler · Grazia · T: The New York Times Style Magazine
Our collection is made in UK 8–14. A commission can be made anywhere from a UK 6 to a UK 18 — and, being cut to your own measurements, in whatever combination of them your body actually is. £50 above the price of the dress. Ready in 3–4 weeks.
Who this is for
A commission is the right choice if you recognise yourself here:
- You wear a UK 6, 16 or 18 — outside the range our collection is cut in, but well within what our atelier can make.
- Your bust, waist and hip fall in three different sizes, as most women's do, and no single number has ever quite worked.
- You are petite or tall, and standard maxi lengths either swamp you or stop short.
- You want one of our dresses cut closer to your own proportions than a size label allows.
- You have an occasion with a date — a wedding, a milestone birthday, a gala — and you would rather have one dress that fits than three that nearly do.
If you wear a UK 8 to 14 and simply want an existing style as it is, you do not need a commission — our size guide will get you there, and every piece is already made to order. Email us and we will advise honestly. We would rather sell you a £330 dress that fits than a £380 one you did not need.
How a commission works
- You tell us about the dress and the occasion. Use the form below. It takes two minutes and asks for no measurements yet — only the shape of the idea.
- We reply personally within one working day. You will hear from Tran, our founder, not a template. We will tell you honestly whether the idea works in silk or velvet, suggest the silhouette that will flatter you most, and confirm the price and the date it can be with you.
- We send your measuring guide, then your invoice. Once you are happy, we send a short illustrated guide showing exactly how to take each measurement — or how to have your local tailor take them in ten minutes. When your measurements are in, we send a secure invoice for a 50% deposit. Your place in the atelier is held the moment it is paid.
- We cut, make, and send you photographs before she travels. You will see your dress finished and on the stand before it is packed. The remaining 50% is due once you have seen those photographs, and nothing is dispatched until you are happy. It arrives gift boxed, with a hand-written note.
What a commission costs
Our made-to-measure fee is a flat £50 on top of the price of the dress — the same whether you are a UK 6 or a UK 18. There is no auction and no “price on application”. You will know what your dress costs before you send us a single measurement.
| Commission | Price | Ready in |
|---|---|---|
|
Made to measure — hand-dyed silk An existing Aurora, Celeste, Seraphine or Valentina style, cut to your measurements and your length |
from £360 dress from £310 + £50 atelier fee |
3–4 weeks |
|
Made to measure — hand-embroidered silk velvet An existing Velvet Atelier style, cut to your measurements and your length |
from £525 dress from £475 + £50 atelier fee |
3–4 weeks |
|
A change to the design itself, or a new design A different hand-dyed colour, a changed neckline or sleeve, or a dress drawn with you from the beginning. We take only a few of these each season. |
by discussion quoted before anything is agreed |
quoted with your timeline |
What the £50 covers, plainly. The dress exactly as you see it, cut to your measurements and to the length you want. That is what made to measure means, and length is part of it — there is no separate charge for a shorter hem or a longer one.
Anything that changes the design — a colour we do not currently dye, a different neckline, a different sleeve — is a different piece of work, and we quote it separately before you commit to anything. We would rather be clear about that line than surprise you halfway through.
All prices in GBP and include UK delivery and gift boxing. International delivery is quoted at the time of your enquiry. We accept a limited number of commissions each month; when the atelier is full we will tell you, rather than promise a date we cannot keep.
Payment
50% deposit to reserve your place and begin cutting. 50% balance once your dress is finished and you have seen the photographs, before it is dispatched. Both are paid through a secure Shopify invoice — the same checkout as the rest of our store, with the same card protection. We never ask for a bank transfer.
How we protect your fit — and the honest part
A made-to-measure dress cannot be returned. It exists in one set of measurements, for one person, and no one else can wear it. Under UK law, bespoke and personalised goods are exempt from the usual 14-day right to cancel, and once your deposit is paid and cutting has begun, that deposit cannot be refunded. We would rather say that plainly here than surprise you later.
So we do three things to make sure that risk is as small as we can make it.
We cut with a generous seam allowance. Fabric can always be taken in. It can never be added back. Every commission is cut with extra allowance at the waist and side seams, which means your dress can be brought closer to the body afterwards by any competent tailor — but will never arrive too tight to wear comfortably. This is why we do not cut to your exact waist measurement, even when you ask us to. It is the single most important thing we know about making a dress for a woman we cannot see.
You see the dress before it is sent, and before you pay the balance. We photograph every commission finished and on the stand, and nothing leaves the atelier until you have looked at those photographs and told us you are happy. If something is not as we agreed, we would far rather hear it while the dress is still in our hands than after it has crossed the world.
We contribute £50 towards local alterations. If your finished dress needs taking in or shortening when it reaches you, send us your tailor's receipt within 30 days and we will refund up to £50 of it, without argument. A local tailor with the dress in her hands and you in the room will always beat a measurement taken over email — we would rather pay for that than pretend it never happens.
If a dress arrives faulty, or not as we agreed it in writing, that is our error — we remake it or refund you in full. The paragraphs above are about fit and preference, never about our own mistakes.
Begin your commission
No measurements yet — we ask for those once we have spoken and you are sure. Tell us about the dress and the occasion, and Tran will reply personally within one working day.
Questions we are asked most
- What sizes can you make?
- Anything from a UK 6 to a UK 18 — and because a commission is cut to your own measurements rather than to a size label, it does not matter if your bust, waist and hips fall in three different sizes. That is the ordinary case, not the exception. Our ready-to-wear collection is cut in UK 8–14, so if you wear a 6, 16 or 18, a commission is how we dress you.
- Is the length included?
- Yes. A dress cut to your measurements is cut to your length — shorter for a petite frame, longer if you intend to wear a heel. There is no separate charge for it, because it is not an extra: it is what made to measure means.
- Can I have one of your dresses in a different colour?
- Sometimes, and we are always glad to be asked — but it is a separate conversation rather than something included in the £50. Our silks are hand-dyed in small batches, so a shade we are not currently dyeing means a batch made for you alone, and that carries its own cost and its own timeline. Tell us the colour you have in mind and we will tell you honestly whether it can be done and what it would come to.
- How long does it take?
- Three to four weeks from the day your measurements reach the atelier, whichever style you choose, plus delivery. If your occasion is sooner than that, write to us anyway — we will tell you honestly whether it can be done rather than take your deposit and hope.
- Do I have to measure myself?
- No. Most of our commission clients have their measurements taken by a local tailor or alterations shop — it takes ten minutes, usually costs £10–15, and is far more accurate than measuring yourself in a mirror. We send an illustrated guide showing exactly what we need, which you can simply hand over.
- Can the dress be altered later if my size changes?
- Yes, in one direction. Because we cut with a generous seam allowance, a tailor can take your dress in at the waist and side seams afterwards — and we will put £50 towards that in the first 30 days. Letting a dress out is far harder, and in embroidered velvet often impossible without disturbing the embroidery, which is exactly why we never cut to the tightest possible measurement, even when asked.
- Why is velvet dearer than silk?
- Silk velvet has a nap — a direction the pile lies in — so every panel must be cut the same way or the colour shifts between them. It cannot be re-cut if a panel is wrong, and on our Velvet Atelier styles the embroidery is worked by hand, to sit correctly on your body rather than on a standard block. It is slow work, done by people who are very good at it.
- Can I see the dress before I pay the balance?
- Always. We photograph every commission finished and on the stand before it is packed, and nothing is dispatched until you have seen those photographs and the balance is settled.
- Can you copy a dress from another designer?
- No. We will happily take inspiration from a silhouette, a neckline or a colour you love, and make something in our own hand — but we do not reproduce another house's design.
- Do you make bridal?
- We make bridal separates, silk shawls and capes, and ivory occasion dresses, and we dress a great many mothers of the bride. We do not make structured wedding gowns with corsetry or boning — that is a different craft, and we would rather send you to someone who does it beautifully than do it adequately ourselves.
- Do you make for bridesmaids or groups?
- Yes, and it is one of the loveliest things we do — a set of dresses or shawls in one hand-dyed colour, each cut to a different woman, in whatever range of sizes the group happens to be. Tell us the number and the date in the form above and we will quote you, including a reduction for groups of four or more.
Would you rather simply write to us? Email info@silkandbears.com with “Bespoke” in the subject line, and we will take it from there.