he Madison Avenue office of Vincent Nicolosi, custom tailor, is heavy with what the writer Tom Wolfe calls "status details," those clues that tell where one ranks in the social structure. The details in Mr. Nicolosi's office, however, often reveal the vanities of Mr. Wolfe himself, or at least the size of his waistline (a slim 32).

There is the silk blazer, fashioned in the author's trademark color, white, resting on a mannequin in the foyer. There are the photographs adorning the walls of Mr. Wolfe dressed dapperly in a three-piece flannel suit or a pair of pleated slacks, his mouth molded into a satisfied half-smirk.

On a table is a copy of Mr. Wolfe's latest novel, "I Am Charlotte Simmons," a tome on the sexual and other proclivities of college students. The inscription reads: "To the egregio maestro, the incomparable Vincent Nicolosi. What gives this book LIFE is the suit on the guy on the back cover."

For over 25 years - ever since the two were introduced by another cus- tomer, the Manhattan lawyer and Wolfe muse Ed Hayes - Mr. Nicolosi has been custom fitting the man who is arguably the literary world's most flamboyant dresser.

Like Mr. Wolfe, who is renowned for the verbal pyrotechnics in works like "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" and "The Bonfire of the Vanities," Mr. Nicolosi too is a maximalist. His trademark is the thousands of tiny stitches that he says give his suits an indestructible quality.

"My suit is an investment," Mr. Nicolosi said one recent afternoon in his shop, which is near 53rd Street, resting his heavy frame on a fitting room chair. "My suit, I guarantee for 20 years. Never you destroy my suit."

Mr. Nicolosi, who was born in Italy, is a proud, if somewhat temperamental, man. Ask him about the difference between his suits (which start at $3,000) and those straight off the rack.

"That is a business," he said, then, pointing to a suit jacket nearby, added, "This, this is art!" His face then sank into a look of great frustration. "But you do not understand my work," he said.

As Mr. Nicolosi was midway into a discussion about his preference for Holland & Sherry fabrics, Mr. Hayes stopped by, wearing a blue and brown patterned three-piece Nicolosi suit.

"I'm going to show you what a perfect suit looks like," said Mr. Hayes, whose office is across the street. "Look at this," he said, stepping in front of the full-length mirror. "There's nothing in this suit except for Ed Hayes's shoulder and Vincent Nicolosi's work."

"Notice this seam," he went on, flattering Mr. Nicolosi with each observation. "This seam accentuates the shoulder muscle."

Finding himself in the presence of a true admirer, the tailor beamed. "You see the balance of the pant," Mr. Nicolosi chimed in.

As quickly as he appeared, Mr. Hayes exited, leaving the tailor to his creations. On a mannequin next to him was the latest, a camel-colored cashmere coat with side vents and a flared cape top. It looked like a garment appropriate for wearing while dashing across Bodmin Moor.

"That coat took two weeks to make," the tailor said. "And four fittings. This customer, he likes to look different."

A tag on the lapel read "Wolfe."

STEVEN KURUTZ