A suit for £15? What would they say in Savile Row?

Robert Colvile ventures into the most stylish part of London in possibly the cheapest item of clothing he has ever owned

I am wearing a tie that costs more than my suit. No, scratch that - I'm wearing a tie that costs a lot more than my suit. As do my shirt, my shoes, and my cufflinks. In fact, it's fair to say that most of my T-shirts cost more than this little number.

	Whistle blower: Robert Colvile test drives the new £15 suit by Asda

To explain: I am sporting the latest sensation, a designer suit from the George range at Asda that costs just £15. Admittedly, after Sunday, when the discount ends, it will set you back a whopping £25 (£19 for the jacket, and £6 for the trousers). But that's still an impressive feat of logistics, possible only due to bulk-buying on a titanic scale (fabric by the mile rather than the yard) and the diligent labour of garment workers in China and Bangladesh - all treated just as ethically as any free-range chicken.

The trend in suit pricing has, admittedly, been downhill for a while. A couple of years ago, Sainsbury's was offering a suit, shirt and tie for £71. Primark had a pinstripe suit for £35, and Asda also caused a sensation last January with a £19 special offer. But still - £15? For a two-piece that, according to the company, "has more than a passing resemblance to one featured in Dolce and Gabbana ads"? There has to be a catch.

And there is: the material. Once the "machine washable" tag has been cut off the cuff, my colleagues are quite impressed with the line and cut - until they get close. Close up, 100 per cent polyester material is slightly sticky to the touch, and glistens oddly. Five individuals warn me to steer clear of open flames.

Then again, what matters is not what the amateurs think, but how the professionals react. If this is, as Asda boasts, "Savile Row inspired tailoring", what will Savile Row make of it?

To fortify myself, and test the suit in polite company, I stop in at the Goring Hotel in Victoria. My outfit passes the doorman's scrutiny with impressive ease - indeed, inside the bar, I draw more glances for my lurid celebratory cocktail than my respectable outfit. Blending in on the Tube is equally simple - but then, no one ever makes eye contact there anyway.

However, as I approach Savile Row, I am more than a little apprehensive: I am, after all, about to commit the sartorial equivalent of bringing a bucket of KFC Popcorn Chicken to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Yet, to my surprise, the George suit goes down a storm. At Dege & Skinner, where a bespoke suit will set you back £2,500, it draws praise for the way it hangs, and for getting the number of buttons on the sleeve correct (four, not three).

Of course, the polyester draws comments (apparently, it's very in these days - for golf shirts). But as one gentleman concludes, to general approval: "You can't knock it, can you?"

So you'd wear it yourself, then?

"Oh, I wouldn't polish my car with it. But for what it is…"

It is, they suggest, a suit for those who don't wear suits. With repeated use, it would wear quickly, and in hot weather it would roast you alive. But for a university interview - or, echoing comments made in 2001 by Topman's David Shepherd, "first court case" - it would do fine. In fact, the feeling is that it would be a good deal at twice the £25 price.

I seek a second opinion at Harvie & Hudson, in nearby Jermyn Street, but they, too, are approving - and suggest that a high-street outfit of similar quality could set you back up to £130. "Nothing wrong with this at all," says the gentleman behind the counter, as he examines the jacket. "Of course, it's polyester…"

In short, despite my suspicions, the £15 suit turns out to be a triumph of good value and canny design. As the expert from Dege & Skinner admits, "I've seen worse than that at 10 times the price." And you can't say fairer than that, can you?