So at last, something good to come out of the credit crunch. Austin Reed has announced that sales of the firm's made-to-measure service are 32 per cent up on last year in its key city stores and flagship shop in Regent Street. The reason? “Professionals are choosing to smarten up their wardrobes in a time of financial uncertainty.”

If it's true that to thrive in an economic downturn you need to look the business, then hello sharp tailoring. And the sharpest of the sharp is made to measure, where the resulting garment is yours and yours alone. No question then of finding you're in the same outfit as your boss, or, much worse, the guy interviewing you for a new position.

Made to measure differs from bespoke in that your suit is not made entirely from scratch, or entirely by hand. Instead of the lengthy and pricey process of having your own exclusive “pattern” made and attending a series of fittings, and, furthermore, dealing with the choice of unlimited options (fabric, cut, vents, pockets, buttons, linings etc), made to measure works on the principle that you start with something that exists, and then you adapt it.

Typically there will be a few styles to try on, and the best suited to your physique will then be pinned and chalk-marked-up to fit you properly. You then choose fabrics and linings and details, as with bespoke, so you still get a unique result. But instead of costing a small fortune, and taking a small eternity to create, a made-to-measure suit usually costs not that much more than an off-the-peg model by the same designer.

If you go to Giorgio Armani an entry- level made-to-measure suit will set you back £2,000. And you'll be in good company. A new Armani ad features a moody black and white picture of the actor Christian Bale, star of the forthcoming Batman film The Dark Knight (released July 25), in a razor-sharp whistle, white shirt and tie, with the strapline “Hand Made to Measure, Giorgio Armani, For Bruce Wayne”.

It turns out that the Milanese maestro has done the suits for all the Waynes of the Batman screen franchise - Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Christian Bale (in his last outing as the Caped Crusader in Batman Begins in 2005). Now, it seems, he wants to let us know that one of his made-to-measure customers is a wealthy playboy phil- anthropist who by night clobbers wrongdoers.

Of course if Armani's price tag triggers thoughts of having to do a bank job with the Joker, consider that Austin Reed's summer sale deal (until July 31) offers a made-to-measure suit with a free shirt for £399. Between these two tailoring poles of pricing lie a bunch of great made-to-measure options including Gieves & Hawkes, Kilgour, Ede & Ravenscroft and Richard James. My advice is to go for a single-breasted style in a lightweight, dark, natural fabric - greys are fashionable at the moment - and that way your investment won't date too quickly.