City dwellers hanker for the farm these days.  Well, the farms close by.  The local or "slow food" trend that's sweeping across American kitchens has been growing strong for years in the U.K.  Now the Brits are bringing the same concerns to the things they put on their bodies, not just inside them.

James Shaw and Alastair Rae founded their new men's line Albam on the principle of local British manufacturing at relatively affordable prices.  But one English spot's been famous for keeping it local for centuries: Savile Row.

"We have fantastic cloth and tailors here in England, so why buy something with cloth from the Far East that's been glued together in a factory in China?," asks Patrick Grant, owner of Norton & Sons, the Savile Row shop that's been suiting up kings, princes, and presidents in English and Scottish wools for almost two centuries.

Of course, staying local Savile Row style doesn't come cheap -- especially for Americans suffering from the weak dollar.  Norton & Sons suits start around £3,000 (around $6,000), but they're more sought after than ever.

The backlog for one of the 250 suits that the shop turns out each year has stretched to four months from two, despite the ever-tightening worldwide economy.

"At a time like this, a lot of businessmen return to more formal, understated, elegant clothes because business is difficult and they need to look the part," says Grant, who purchased Norton & Sons two years ago when he was only 34, fresh out of post-grad studies at Oxford.  "Having the right clothes speaks volumes about you as a person."

There's also the concern of quality over quantity.  "These suits are going to last you a long time," he said, adding that they're currently altering a duke's trousers that were made in 1957.  "Most of our suits tend to have a classic Savile Row cut that will not date. We might exaggerate or reduce a lapel, or reduce a pocket flap but we strive to maintain correct balance and proportion.  A well-cut suit will never be out of style."

Americans don't have to fly to London for this special treatment.  Grant and his tailors normally do four trips to New York a year.  But expect to be patient.  They measure up a new client, but will need to see him two to three more times.  "Unless they come to London, they might wait a year for their first suit."

What's a year, though, when your new duds will last a lifetime? Sustainable Suiting at its best. --HOLLISTER HOVEY

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