Custom clothier Greg Chapman takes a client's measurements. Chapman, of Beverly Hills, Calif., not only makes sure that suits are customized to the person but also advises on style, fabric and accesories. STEVE MARCUS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Now, Greg Chapman, Beverly Hills' tailor to the stars, is looking to boost his profile in Las Vegas.

Chapman, who prefers one-on-one meetings with customers at their offices and is best contacted through his Web site, www.gregchapman.com, is affiliated with Perfect Fit Tailors in the Village Square Shopping Center in Summerlin. That affiliation will enable customers to buy his suits through a local store.

Like his suits, the move appears to be a good fit.

Chapman already has an impressive Las Vegas clientele, including MGM Mirage Chief Executive Terry Lanni, Harrah's Chief Executive Gary Loveman (and most of his associates back to his predecessor, Phil Satre), South Point owner Michael Gaughan, Cannery executives Bill Paulos and Bill Wortman, and Fontainebleau's Glenn Schaeffer.

He also has made suits for former Nevada Power Chief Executive Walt Higgins, Sierra Health Services executive Anthony Marlon, former Gov. Robert List, state Sen. Randolph Townsend, and Nevada government lobbyists Harvey Whittemore and John Sande.

And don't get him started on Hollywood celebrities and sports figures. The list goes on and on and on: Regis Philbin, Ricardo Montalban, Jan Michael Vincent, Pat Boone, Merlin Olson, Burt Reynolds, Walt Frazier, Pete Maravich, Steve Garvey, Ron Jaworski, Ken Norton, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Willie Shoemacher have been customers.

"I explain to my clients that there's a huge difference between wearing a suit bought off the rack in a store and a custom-made suit that fits them precisely," Chapman said on one of his frequent trips to Las Vegas. "Only a custom-made suit delivers the polished, sophisticated look of someone with uncompromising good taste and success and the respect and confidence of your appearance draws even more success."

Chapman wasn't always a candidate for putting clients on a best-dressed list. He was a self-described surfer/beach bum when he decided to attend the University of Hawaii, working by day at Waikiki Beach Service and by night as a piano player in the lounges of Waikiki hotels.

One day, an Indian film crew was making a movie on the beach, and Chapman was thunderstruck by one of the beautiful Indian actresses. He asked the star's mother if he could buy her a soft drink on the beach. When he met the star, he asked her to marry him.

Three years later, after finishing school, Chapman flew to India and married his actress fiancee in a five-day wedding with 15,000 guests. Chapman had modeled clothes while going to school and considered himself a natty dresser, but he discovered that most of the wedding guests and movie stars had better fitting suits than his.

Greg Chapman not only makes sure that suits are customized to the person but also advises on style, fabric and accessories. The jacket on the left has the waist length too long. When the waist is properly positioned, the suit drapes smoothly. STEVE MARCUS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

He ended up buying his first custom suit when he lived in Bombay, India, and was amazed at the difference.

"That was kind of a breakthrough," Chapman said. "That's when I first discovered that custom tailoring was the way to go."

Chapman stayed in India for a year while his wife, Rajashree, completed her contractual obligations to her studio. She then abandoned fame and fortune to move to the United States. While she kept the books, Chapman visited clients' offices and built a sales force. Six years after returning to America in 1968, they opened a custom tailoring shop in Beverly Hills.

Chapman's sales pitch for custom-tailored clothing is that ready-to-wear suits are made for people with average postures and a normal shoulder slopes of 2 inches. But not everyone is built that way or maintains "average posture." People who fall outside the parameter find that their clothes don't fit properly and are uncomfortable.

To assure a perfect fit, Chapman takes 35 measurements and posture photos and offers a wide range of materials for suits. Because Chapman records a greater number of measurements that are proportional, the flexible pattern expands and contracts relative to the fit of the previous suit, assuring a good fit regardless of physical changes such as weight gain or loss.

Whether customers order by appointment or by phone from a photo or material swatch, perfect-fitting clothes are sent to their office and rarely require fittings or alterations.

Typically, Chapman will set an initial appointment at the customer's office or at the Stirling Club at Turnberry Place. At that meeting, Chapman will explain his concept and his wardrobe plan - a budgeting option that enables customers to expand wardrobe options over time at a lower cost.

Tools of the trade: A device used to measure the roundness of the back (posture).

"One of the things I liked the most about it was the convenience because I'm too lazy to go over to Nieman's," said Gaughan, who three years ago bought 10 suits from Chapman that he continues to wear.

"I've always preferred custom suits, and I decided to try one of his," he said. "I liked the one I got so much that I bought nine more."

Chapman explained that a custom suit recovers from a wearing better than most store-bought clothes. If there are enough clothes in a rotation, they don't have to be dry-cleaned as frequently, which further extends the life of each suit.

"Many executives will go out and spend maybe $3,000 on suits every other year over a 40-year career, which over a lifetime costs around $60,000, and the suits wear out. Under a wardrobe plan, you make a monthly payment, discuss wardrobe needs and build a collection over time that will last a lot longer, literally forever," Chapman said.

As the wardrobe grows, it becomes easier to rotate clothing selections and extend their life. Chapman said some of his customers start big, then scale back monthly payments for a year or two, then turn up the heat as their needs increase. He says not stopping is the key to eventually having a lifetime wardrobe that will never wear out.

The end result is a collection of suits and accessories that look brand new 25 to 30 years after they were made.

That, he said, will give executives the look of success and confidence they need in their business.