I am in the process of ordering a made-to-measure shirt. I've chosen the fabric, a white cotton twill; I've chosen the collar, cutaway; and now I'm making sure the sleeves will be just right for my gorilla-sized arms.

But I'm not in a shop or even in my office, and I'm not being attended to by a visiting shirt maker. It's gone midnight and I'm slumped on the settee with my laptop looking at the Marks and Spencer made-to-measure shirt website. Having clicked on various options I'm now typing in my arm-length. Imagine that: the luxury of a bespoke service married with the ease of buying online. Heaven, right? Yes – especially if you're a shopaphobic male.

Sure, there's the small issue of (mis)measurement but with the economy bad and the weather worse, what “online bespoking” lacks in personal attention and human contact it makes up for in lower prices and convenience. No wonder it's a growing business.