For urbane gents, the bespoke suit is surely the equivalent of the Rolls Royce. Neat and stately, its made-to-measure folds and tucks add a dash of elegance and comfort to any humdrum day, and - like fine wine and good company - there's just a little hint of self-indulgence.

Unlike the Rolls, of course, it does not cost a suitcase full of cash.

This may be the era of off-the-peg clothing, but the booming economy and heightened fashion consciousness have renewed interest in bespoke tailoring. Previously associated with old-style old men and variations on the colour grey, the tailored suit is now a young man's thing.

"Our customer is not the old Churchillian. We don't have a lot of the old school," says Mr Declan Abrahams of Maurice Abrahams on South Anne Street in Dublin.

"For financial guys, the handmade suit is a kind of uniform. We get a lot of fathers buying suits for their sons - tailoring is extremely popular with the young fellas. It's a bit of a thrill, a bit of a ceremony."

Mr Abrahams says his clients range in age from the late 20s to about 60. Most are professionals - lawyers, bankers etc - and many become hooked on the concept, preferring to wear tailored suits only as they get older. This view is echoed by Mr Louis Copeland jnr, who has a similar clientele at his three outlets in central Dublin.

Such figures are likely to be rather familiar with the vocabulary of tailoring, a richly suggestive lexicon of old-fashioned phrases such as skeleton fitting, roll-up cuffs and frock coats.

They might also learn of eminent London cloth-makers of Saville Row such as Wain Sheill and Dormueil. If these names conjure images of bespectacled Victorian gents with huge sideburns working by candlelight on yards of fabric with a measuring tape and scissors, they are watchwords for quality for those in the know.

Charvet in Paris, of which Mr Charles Haughey was a good customer, has a similar reputation, although it specialises in shirts.

While the cloth is crucial to the look and feel of the suit and to its price, getting the cut right is the essence of the job. It usually takes a couple of visits. On the first, customers choose their desired fabric from a "swatch", a book of specimens, while the tailor assesses posture - square or sloping shoulders? - and takes key measurements.

Among these are chest, waist, seat, inside leg, outside leg, width of thigh, width of arm and length of arm. Before the cut is finalised, the customer tries a "basic fitting" on the second visit.

Clients can choose any shape they like, from tail coat to military uniform and everything in between, including traditional single- and double-breasted jackets.

"People often come because they want something unusual," says Mr Copeland.

Whereas some will be concerned about the width between their pinstripes or the breadth of their lapels, others will specify hand-made button-holes only. "For American and British customers, its very important that the buttons on the sleeve open up," says Mr Abrahams.

Larger men in particular, will have different requirements. "You've got to know how to cover him to make him look as thin as possible - thin out the humps and bumps and make it look like he doesn't have them," says Mr Copeland.

As for the cost, people could expect to pay £500-£600 (€635E762) for a handmade suit, but this can rise to £1,000, depending on the fabric and the time required to do the job.

"We can't afford to be complacent," says Mr Abrahams, who also stocks off-the-peg suits. "Compared to what we're charging for the top designer range, it's only marginally more expensive."

Mr Copeland's turnover will be in excess of £5 million this year, with 90 per cent derived from his off-the-peg business. The remaining 10 per cent, which comes from the made-to-measure trade, is worth about £500,000 - no small sum.

It is a relationship business. "It's a bit like a barber. If people get their suits made by a certain tailor, they tend to stick with them," says Mr Copeland.

The difference between a "engineered" or machine-made suit and a handmade outfit is similar to the contrast between photographs and paintings, he says. "It's the little things. A bespoke suit is a bit like a painting - it has little imperfections. An engineered suit is like a photograph in that it's nearly perfect."

Quality is everything. Whereas a manufactured suit will be bound together with glue, wool canvas will be found inside the handmade garment. Horse hair is used to give a collar body. If treated well, a good suit will last for years.

Irish men's fashion sense is improving, Mr Copeland says. "Certainly over the last 10 years, we'd be probably more fashionable than our UK counterparts. If you look at people in Heathrow Airport, most tend to be very staid, very old-fashioned."

Ironically, staid and old-fashioned were once the terms used to characterise the bespoke business itself. It certainly retains its old-style charm, although a funky made-to-measure jacket for a rock star would hardly be called staid.

In a business in which loud, large-scale advertisements would seem out of place, or mildly vulgar, word-of-mouth is important. Customers must wait three or four weeks for their suit to be prepared, although a tailor will probably agree to hasten a job if needs be. Same day delivery, however, is not on.

"There're not very many tailoring people left in the country. You could count them on both hands. It's down to a handful of people who can actually make the suits," says Mr Copeland.

While he employs 12 full-time tailors and Mr Abrahams has four, both have encountered difficulty recruiting apprentices, who train for three or four years.

"We can't attract people into the business," says Mr Abrahams. "We're finding it extremely difficult to recruit apprentices. If they've any ability at all we give them a go. In a few years time they'll be able to name their price."

Shirt-making is a different skill altogether and even rarer, although one Dublin outlet, the Custom Store in the Royal Hibernian way, offers to make the full kit - trousers, jacket and shirt.

Bespoke tailoring is a life-long custom. Mr Abrahams cites the example of a US customer who requested a jacket in a hurry. Only later did he learn that the man was soon to die and wanted to be buried in a new outfit.

He adds that customers often request "lucky" outfits, for important meetings or presentations. "If they don't ask we'll always tell them it's a lucky suit," says Mr Copeland.