Hello everyone.
I'm heading to Asia at the end of the year (Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore) and I'm thinking of getting some tailored suits because I heard they're relatively cheaper. Just wondering if anyone has any experiences (good & bad) or tailor recommendations?
Cheers.
Agreed. Hong Kong offers some very high quality tailoring at prices very low for first rate tailors, but still a lot higher than an average suit off a rack in a shop in Aus.
If you want a cheap and cheerful tailored suit the lowest prices I am aware of are in Vietnam, with Thailand a pretty good second. If I planned to buy 2 or more suits I would divert via one of those countries as the savings are worth it.
I agree with everything said thus far. I've bought a few suits in Thailand from a place recommended to me more for quality than price. From memory I spent about AUD $1k for two suits (with two pairs of pants each), nine shirts and a few ties. They've lasted well over the past few years of near daily use and more so than the more expensive suits I've bought off the rack in Australia.
I've been wanting to do this for a while, but unfortunately probably won't happen anytime soon. Anyway, one thing I've wondered is how long does it take? I'm guessing you need to stay in the area, first for measurements and then finally to make sure they fit right and to pick them up once made. How long did that process take approximately?
Four days. First day was measurements. Came back late on the third for a fitting, then collected 20h later.
I think they sped up a little for my timetable, think they usually quote about a week.
I don't want to hijack the thread. @mskeggs, Could you recommend any tailor in HCM city Vietnam?
I can't sorry. Hoi An is where the greatest number of tailors are, if you are heading that way.
For Hoi An I have had great results for suits "Miss Forget me not" in the past, still get comments on my first one from several years ago.(Cost less than $200 for 2 pants and jacket)
Also good results from Lan#9 on Hoang Dieu opposite the chicken tree for casual.
Both were recommendations from expats I know who have lived there for many years.
My view on certain countries (cannot comment on Taiwan and Korea as have not been there but will be there in October).
Hong Kong - a very big range. If you want nice stuff go to the top tailors and get an Ascot Chang shirt. In terms of suits make sure you read all LEGITIMATE reviews. There are excellent but dodgy tailors (e.g. Raja where I have a suit which is falling apart (a mistake from years ago).
Japan - don't rate the market highly. Worked here and generally my view is that office people just don't dress that well (perhaps that's just my view of fashion) in a suit. They like their expensive ties though and all the top department stores have the very best European fabrics (you know they won't be fake) which you pay for and then get tailoring on top - I did look at one guy getting a suit done and didn't quite like the fitting. You could perhaps try and just buy the materials knowing it's legit (although unsure if they can do this).
Singapore - these guys generally focus on their shirts as given the weather most people don't really wear suits. They love their high end fashion stuff so their fashion forums are good but generally most of them seem to refer to tailors in Hong Kong (best way to get tips - just google).
After many trips to Thailand and Vietnam (and heaps of bad suits). I have settled on a good place for shirts in Bangkok (can't recall the name at present) and also suits in Bangkok (Rajawongse) in terms of price and quality.
My recommendation as hinted above is to read Singaporean suit forums as the people on their travel to all parts of Asia and provide recommendations/tips on suits/fittings etc.
Thanks for the replies! Given that Scoot just started a 2-4-1 sale, I think I'm actually going to detour via HK. :D
If you can, make a detour to Hong Kong, a lot more options. But you have to know what you want and how to see the difference between fabrics. Otherwise you'll get ripped off. Price starts around $400-$2000
If I have to pick from the four listed above, I'll focus on Korea and Spore.