http://www.mensflair.com/style-advice/go-bespoke-and-prepare-to-suffer.php
Good (albeit short) article. Delayed gratification is the name of the game- well worth the wait IMO.
When a tailor really nails the fit of your suit, you know it and the rest of the world knows it. One time, the maintenance guy of my building, who never before acknowledged anything I had ever worn, saw me wearing one of my custom suits for the first time, a very conservative, understated suit, and the fit did not escape even his undiscerning eye when he remarked to me, "Nice suit!"