OVER to the Hennessy Road offices of one of Asia's leading advertising agencies where a handful of (pony-tailed?) ad men are engaged in a presentation to a prospective client.

No big deal, we hear you mutter. But wait. Outside the conference room where the agency's boys are fervently pitching for the possible new account is Sam the Tailor, this town's bespoke icon - nervously pacing the corridor like someone about to be summoned inside to be told his fate.

It turns out that the ad men's mysterious pitch required Sam to enter the room on cue, measure up the client for a shirt and leave the room without a murmur. (Which must have been an ordeal for the canny tailor who has never been known to let a customer get away with buying just one shirt!) Sam had to immediately fax the measurements to his workshop from the agency's premises, and the finished product was delivered to the conference room in an hour.

That at least would have assured the presentation was a tailor-made success.