I have been getting my son's clothes custom made in India for a couple of years now, as he is of Titan proportions, I would really like to get them made in Sydney, or at least Australia. I am not looking for suits or the dowdy range at big and tall stores. We want jeans, jackets and shirts made that suit his age and style. With the AUD low again, the costs to get them done overseas plus shipping should get us to a price point an Aussie tailor could reasonably charge. We are more than happy for up and coming designers, seamstresses or tailors to put thier hat in the ring, this could end up a lifelong relationship, he is not getting any smaller! A shoe guy/gal would also be great!
Custom clothing or Tailor at reasonable prices in Sydney?
[Deactivated] on 23/02/2017 - 07:49
Last edited 23/02/2017 - 07:49
Last edited 23/02/2017 - 07:49
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I am looking everywhere, if he needs his clothes made for life, he needs to hook up with a clothes guy, I can't do it forever and waiting 6 weeks when you need new duds now, is hectic. I literally have to hunt through 100+ stores online and B&M to find them, and he has zero time to shop himsself. He doesn't want runway fashion, just wants comfortable clothes, that fit him well and don't make him look 20 years older.
How big is he actually? Knowing that could make it easier to suggest stores.
We are talking 6"2" and still growing and a 3XL-4XL with a size 15 foot.
@stormii: That's basically my size (except I'm 6"4).
I buy my shoes from Eastbay (and my RMs for business from RM Williams). My suits I get from Singapore (cost $1K but they're amazing). Clothes - cheapies for around the house wear from Big W and the balance online from the US. Business shirts I have tailored when I go on my annual trip to Asia. Once they have your size it's easy to reorder from them.
@SirFlibbled: Nice one,thanks! Eastbay stock 14's he is an Aussie 14, Us 15, which is a great place for bigger guys stuff, but the fluctuating dollar makes it hit'n'miss with prices.
@stormii: Prices are what prices are. I buy multiple items at once to reduce the cost of postage. If I buy a pair of shoes from Eastbay, I'll grab some socks, a couple of pairs of thongs and a second pair of shoes. I then keep them in a box until I need them.
You can't help the fluctuating AUD but it still works out cheaper than buying in Australia for the same products.
@SirFlibbled: Sometimes I think thats the problem with our dollar though, that we keep sending it OS. I don't want to get all political again, but I really, really would like to source in Australia if I can.
Are we talking 4XL? 5XL? Those sizes still feature in KMart and BigW.
We are talking 6"2" and still growing and a 3XL-4XL with a size 15 foot. It is length as well as width, plus quality, a kmart set of duds wont last a month on him, he is not sedentary.
There are tailors who fly in from overseas (mainly HK although I know of one from Thailand too) and set up a temp shop in a hotel room in the city then fly back home and send you the suit once it's made. Depending on the material I think they start at something like $300 for a bespoke suit/pants/shirt.
I'm not sure how to get in touch with them though or even how to find out about them besides word of mouth. Maybe someone here knows?
Perhaps a combination of eBay and an alteration tailor would help.
I am trying to streamline the process a little more for him. He is getting good, and has less time, and I might want him to move out and stuff eventually.
Have faith, he will learn. He is not a standard size, so compromise is inevitable, possibly all his life. eBay would widen his choices and an alteration tailor make them wearable, sometimes by only adjusting the leg length. Eventually he will learn that Brand A size 4XL is his best bet for shirts, brand B size 3XL is best for trousers. Which is similar to what most of us learn, including the ladies.
An alternative is to do the sums on a short trip to Bali, its a relatively short 5 hour flight from Syd
Its possible to stay in quiet a nice hotel from $50 AUD inc. Breakfast for 2.That sounds like a good idea, he can shout his mamma a trip with the savings ;)
@stormii:
Capitalise on some of those crazy cheap flight offers to Bali that pop up every once in a while.
Enjoy A short holiday whilst your sons clothing is crafted.Should the above be of consideration, perhaps reach out to http://www.alta-moda.com/.
They are a 5 storey fabric/material store whom I would imagine supplies a large percentage of the local tailors with materials.
If you reach out to them with you story and requirements, perhaps they can recommend a few tailors whom will take car of your son?@Cheap Charlie: This I like, it has all the makings of an adventure, with some sexy savings bundled in. Sounds like me and the boy are going to visit a big factory on foreign soil, sounds like the start of an action film to me. I will keep looking for a young designer to hook up with in Australia, but the kid needs clothes.
@stormii: I had my business shirts made in Bali 2 weeks ago (Brisbane Tailor). You really need to watch who you get. I've had other tailors where the clothes look ok when you get them but go to crap after a few months.
I used Luxury Plus in George St in Sydney. The suit was very nice and quality seems good so far. It cost me $230 with a groupon, so i think maybe $300? And $50 per shirt
They may charge more for a large person though?
As for shoes, I had a pair made when i was in Vietnam. Hell, it would practically be worth it to hop on a cheapo AirAsia flight to Vietnam, buy up big, then fly home, and you're probably ahead money-wise
We will drop in tomorrow for a look see thasnks.
Tailors like http://www.picassotailor.com/home.aspx visit Sydney regularly and have fittings in cbd
Very affordable.For quality shoes I would recommend loake shoes uk
Often on sale and in size at
http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/search.php?task=newSearch&nsFr…If you want cheap fashion in big and tall you need a USA freight forwarder like MYUS
Just go to big and tall section on amazon or Ralph Lauren depends on his taste, lots of giants in USA and get it sent to freight forwarder. Delivered it's still cheaper than david jones and in big sizes.
Jeans jackets and shirts sounds more like amazon or Macy's to me
http://www.ralphlauren.com/family/index.jsp?s=A-StorePrice&c…http://m.macys.com/shop/mens-clothing/big-and-tall/Sortby/PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH?id=45758&edge=hybrid&cm_sp=mew_navigation_shop--men--45758_bigtallclothing
I am so wary of mail-forwarding, have you had personal experience with this company?
Yes my wife and I have an account with them, we buy from multiple sites and leave it in the box in Florida until we are ready, consolidating the items helps cut down the shipping vs shipping each item individual.
I also use the personal shopper function as some sites don't let you pay with Aussie credit card, this is especially good around the thanksgiving Black Friday sales. The shipping is expensive but it really depends on how much you save vs buying in Australia. Normally two or three items will justify the shipping expense. Macy's is a good place to start just make sure you have the shipping address set to USA as they automatically set it to au prices, which is not just a straight exchange, an many items are not available to sell to Australia, because the brands are so so heavily marked up here.Thanks.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….no. Figure Australian costs of double RRP of a designer label and you would be close, or maybe 8 times what you would pay in Asia? I can't imagine India charges substantially more than Thailand or Vietnam, so fair to say you will find local prices expensive.
I have no advice except to ask a couple of tailors for prices and you will realise that you are not going to find anything suitable in Australia.
Perhaps you could find a seamstress or person doing piece work that could duplicate some things you had made in India, but even then I think you will be paying substantially more.
If you want to go this route, I think word of mouth would be the best source, or possibly gumtree.