Web Tailored To Clothes Designers -- You; Custom-Made Options; Polo, Nike, Lands' End, others let shoppers take matters into own hands.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: LISA SCHMEISER

Clothing made expressly to a customer's tastes and contours used to be the province of ladies who lunched -- and had the money to pay for personalized items. Now anyone with a tape measure and Internet access can custom-order perfectly fitting jeans or a tie with the right color combination.

Many companies offer made-for-you clothing that's custom-fitted -- or even custom-designed -- via the Web. Big companies offering this service include Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, the Lands' End unit of Sears Holdings and Target.

The appeal to consumers is obvious. "More and more, consumers are getting pickier and developing opinions about what they want," said Michelle Madhok, founder of shopping service SheFinds. "The fact that they can go online and get customized clothing is a huge win."

Lauren Freedman, president of consulting firm the Etailing Group, links the demand for custom-designed and custom-fit apparel with consumers' increasing expectations that anything they want -- from cell phone ring tones to coffee drinks -- can be tailored to their preferences.

"The mind-set of shoppers is they want individuality," she said, "and the market is responding to that."

Polo.com's Create Your Own service lures a lot of first-time buyers, says Sarah Gallagher, president of the Web site unit.