In the old days, when a male colleague announced he was going to Savile Row, it meant one of two things: an overgenerous bonus or a clandestine interview with a headhunter. Now that the credit crunch has shorn market participants of both possibilities, co-workers may well equate clothes shopping with playing hookey. So should you consider the stay-in option for procuring men's wear?

I asked myself this question when I discovered people I met in my capacity as a fund manager were shielding their eyes from the glare of my superannuated suit jackets. And thus I found myself contacting Ad Hominem, a two-woman firm that purports to bring Savile Row to your doorstep.

Claire Alexander and Vicki Clark will show up at your office, occupy a (hopefully secluded) conference room for 45 minutes and – they claim – produce a suit every bit as good as what you'd get at a bespoke tailor, but for slightly less. The “list” price for the most basic suit is ￡745, but most people will qualify for a 25 per cent referral discount. Shirts go for ￡150, knocked down to ￡110 after the discount.