Definition: Clothing that is mass produced in standardized sizes and sold at retail stores in a finished condition is called "ready-to-wear" clothing. These clothes are intended to be worn without needing any significant alterations by the end-user.
Ready-to-wear clothing is in contrast to clothing that is made-to-order, custom designed, individually fitted or one-of-a-kind, which is sometimes referred to as haute couture.
Also Known As: off the rack, off the peg, pret a porter
Alternate Spellings: ready to wear
Common Misspellings: readytowear, ready towear, ready to ware, reddy to wear, redy to wear
Examples: Bergdorf Goodman, which is now owned by the Neiman Marcus Group, was the first retail store to offer ready-to-wear clothing in 1914.
