Custom-Made Suits: If You're Rich, Dress Like It

After buying suits off the rack for years, you're ready for one that's custom-made.

All you need is a brief initiation into the secret society of "bespoke" (or custom-made).

A typical bespoke suit takes two to three fittings, needs up to 100 man-hours of design, construction and stitching, and can cost anywhere from $2,000 into the stratosphere.

The process has been referred to as the ultimate in individuality, and for good reason.

While made-to-measure is the bridge between off-the-rack (ready-to-wear) and bespoke, M2M is actually a set style of what a designer or tailor already has on hand -- an existing prototype -- fit to your measurements.

With bespoke, you are consulting and collaborating with the designer on every detail of your garment, from fabric to cut to detailing and the design itself.

One way to get your feet wet is to have a shirt made ($200-400) by a place like Houston's Hamilton Shirtmakers, established in 1833 and run by fourth-generation brother-sister team David and Kelly (available at Barneys New York, other retailers and Hamilton Shirts).

In London, its counterpart might be Jerymn Street's Turnbull & Asser (which makes shirts for, among others, Prince Charles), and in Paris, Charvet on Place Vendome.

The process at Hamilton lasts about three weeks and takes every taste of the customer into account, from cuff button placement to tail length and pocket size.

Taking it up a notch would involve having a suit custom-made, which will run you roughly 10 times the cost of that shirt, depending on where and how you have it done (if you happen to take regular trips to Hong Kong or Shanghai, it can be far less).