Ms. Karan, whose father was a custom tailor on West 38th Street, introduced sexiness to the tailored career-woman's uniform of the mid-80's.

He glanced at the tailor's mark along the inside pocket and saw that it was from a modest custom tailor's establishment in Berlin.

And the three labels in his clothes merely mean that they were made to order by a custom tailor.

"There was a period when you rarely saw one, unless it came from a custom tailor," Mr. Pressman said.

No one is quite sure who made all the money, but a disconcerting number of custom tailors have recently opened up shops near Wall Street.

Before that, he was an executive at Dimitri, a men's custom tailor.

Some designers also gain valuable experience working in retail stores, as personal stylists, or as custom tailors.

Stop in at Manuel (1922 Broadway, 615-321-5444), custom tailor to the stars, to see the pinnacle in embroidered-and-rhinestoned suits and boots.

For a man, no trip to Hong Kong is complete without a visit to a custom tailor, and there are literally hundreds.

This is no wonder since the owner, Anthony Boeg, started on London's famous row of custom tailors, and is very much in that tradition.