extract from "Measure Up"

Being fitted for one's first suit used to be a rites-of-passage event: a key part of the transition from boy to man. Then the high street staged a ready-to-wear takeover, kitting out much of the working male population in the same soulless office attire. However, the art of tailoring is enjoying a mini-comeback and the suit, of course, remains the archetypal bespoke item.

   At tailor Steven Hitchcock's, the first challenge is to choose your cloth. There's a huge selection, with a choice of lightweight(8oz-9oz), heavyweight(14oz-15oz), or soft, fine super 120, in a range of colours and patterns - plain, birdseye, herringbone, pinstrip and so on. Next, you'll be measured all over, from your shoulders to your seat (tailor talk for bum) and rise (crotch to waist). Hitchcock takes into account your posture, type of build and general shape: it's not uncommon to have one shoulder higher than the other, for example. Next, discuss just what you want: single or double-breasted, slanted pockets, a ticket pocket, flat-front or pleated trousers, turn-ups, belt-loops, strap and buckles, straight or tapered - the variations are endless. Then a "forward", or unfinished version, is made before a second fitting. Any necessary adjustments are done after that and the final suit is completed. In all, the process takes about three weeks for a two piece suit.

   Yes, it's a pricey business, and yet bespoke tailoring is witnessing a boom. According to Hitchcock, most of his clients like the special attention and the value for money. "The fact is that good ready-to-wear suits are getting better, but they're also getting more expensive," he says. "For the money, you might as well buy bespoke." JOSH SIMS.