Custom-Made Suits in Bangkok - What to Expect
I attended a travel trade show in Bangkok last summer and had just enough free time, 2 days, to visit a tailor to have a custom suit made.
Bangkok and many other Asian cities are great places to visit a tailor for custom made suits, shirts, sports coats, and other clothing at a great value.
But it's best to be prepared and understand the process before jumping in and taking advantage of that $99 offer.
Here's a quick guide on what to expect.
In almost any big Asian city, shop after shop of souvenir sellers, t-shirt vendors, jewelers, and tailors beckon you to come in and "just look.
" But beware, don't go in unless you really want a suit and are willing to spend $300 and up for a two piece suit with a decent quality fabric.
Anything less than that and you may as well get one off the rack at K-Mart.
Most shops are small, but some may be part of a larger chain.
It doesn't really matter for your purposes.
All are just sales outlets with bolts of fabric that can take your measurements and send them to a factory for the actual cutting and sewing.
Some may even be quite high-tech now.
They will store your measurements in a database, and you will be able to order new suits or shirts or pants by email and credit card.
The Negotiation The manager or owner (whoever has the authority to negotiate) will ask you what you are looking for.
You tell him a suit or a sports jacket but that you're just looking for now.
He'll engage you and be quite friendly and offer you a cold beer.
He'll ask you to sit down and show you a photo book of models wearing different styles of suits to find out which ones you are interested in.
If you engage, you're hooked and well on your way to a new suit.
Once you select a style (1, 2, or 3 buttons, double or single-breasted, collar type, back-center or side splits, etc.
), he'll talk to you about the fabrics.
He'll show you the difference between real cashmere wool and fake cashmere wool fabrics (also known as polyester) by burning a small sample with a lighter and then proceeding to assure you that he only wants the best fabric for you and that the $99 price is based on the polyester fabric.
You'll succumb and agree that you really want the real wool fabric.
Note that these guys are not paragons of style and don't necessarily do a good job advising you of the right style of suit or jacket for your purposes.
But they are good at leading you to make some decisions.
During this preliminary process of discovery, the tailor will avoid giving you a price, but once you decide on how many suits, shirts, ties, etc.
He will finally put together a package price for you.
This is finally when the negotiation begins.
Bargain hard and be firm and be willing to walk away.
, he may throw in extra shirts or ties to finally seal the deal.
Measurements and First Fitting Once you agree to a price, the tailor will take your measurements.
You need a minimum of 2 days for the process, but 3 is better.
Within the first day, you will have your first fitting.
You will return to the shop to meet the real tailor who will have a rough cut of the major pieces.
They will check to ensure that the breadth and length are working properly and chalk and pin the exact spots for the final assembly.
You'll come back to the shop the next day for another fitting.
The Second Fitting At the second fitting the suite is complete and the tailor or shop owner will do their best to convince you that it fits correctly when you try it on.
But, here's where it's a good idea to have someone with you to validate your concerns with too tight shoulders, too long sleeves, or whatever the problem might be.
Be firm and tell them what you want done and they will acquiesce.
However, if the suit really does fit at this point then you're done! The Final Fitting After the final alterations are made, the tailor will likely want to deliver it to your hotel.
This helps reduce the possibility that you might reject it.
He may even send someone who doesn't speak very good English, so if something is wrong you will have a hard time articulating it.
However, if it still doesn't fit right be firm and request more alterations.
It may require a visit to the shop one more time.
Lessons Learned
Located at No.
1/3 Soi 3 Sukhumvit Rd.
Max can be contacted by email at maxs.
fashions@yahoo.
com or by mobile phone at +66 (089)-4020775.
Bangkok and many other Asian cities are great places to visit a tailor for custom made suits, shirts, sports coats, and other clothing at a great value.
But it's best to be prepared and understand the process before jumping in and taking advantage of that $99 offer.
Here's a quick guide on what to expect.
In almost any big Asian city, shop after shop of souvenir sellers, t-shirt vendors, jewelers, and tailors beckon you to come in and "just look.
" But beware, don't go in unless you really want a suit and are willing to spend $300 and up for a two piece suit with a decent quality fabric.
Anything less than that and you may as well get one off the rack at K-Mart.
Most shops are small, but some may be part of a larger chain.
It doesn't really matter for your purposes.
All are just sales outlets with bolts of fabric that can take your measurements and send them to a factory for the actual cutting and sewing.
Some may even be quite high-tech now.
They will store your measurements in a database, and you will be able to order new suits or shirts or pants by email and credit card.
The Negotiation The manager or owner (whoever has the authority to negotiate) will ask you what you are looking for.
You tell him a suit or a sports jacket but that you're just looking for now.
He'll engage you and be quite friendly and offer you a cold beer.
He'll ask you to sit down and show you a photo book of models wearing different styles of suits to find out which ones you are interested in.
If you engage, you're hooked and well on your way to a new suit.
Once you select a style (1, 2, or 3 buttons, double or single-breasted, collar type, back-center or side splits, etc.
), he'll talk to you about the fabrics.
He'll show you the difference between real cashmere wool and fake cashmere wool fabrics (also known as polyester) by burning a small sample with a lighter and then proceeding to assure you that he only wants the best fabric for you and that the $99 price is based on the polyester fabric.
You'll succumb and agree that you really want the real wool fabric.
Note that these guys are not paragons of style and don't necessarily do a good job advising you of the right style of suit or jacket for your purposes.
But they are good at leading you to make some decisions.
During this preliminary process of discovery, the tailor will avoid giving you a price, but once you decide on how many suits, shirts, ties, etc.
He will finally put together a package price for you.
This is finally when the negotiation begins.
Bargain hard and be firm and be willing to walk away.
, he may throw in extra shirts or ties to finally seal the deal.
Measurements and First Fitting Once you agree to a price, the tailor will take your measurements.
You need a minimum of 2 days for the process, but 3 is better.
Within the first day, you will have your first fitting.
You will return to the shop to meet the real tailor who will have a rough cut of the major pieces.
They will check to ensure that the breadth and length are working properly and chalk and pin the exact spots for the final assembly.
You'll come back to the shop the next day for another fitting.
The Second Fitting At the second fitting the suite is complete and the tailor or shop owner will do their best to convince you that it fits correctly when you try it on.
But, here's where it's a good idea to have someone with you to validate your concerns with too tight shoulders, too long sleeves, or whatever the problem might be.
Be firm and tell them what you want done and they will acquiesce.
However, if the suit really does fit at this point then you're done! The Final Fitting After the final alterations are made, the tailor will likely want to deliver it to your hotel.
This helps reduce the possibility that you might reject it.
He may even send someone who doesn't speak very good English, so if something is wrong you will have a hard time articulating it.
However, if it still doesn't fit right be firm and request more alterations.
It may require a visit to the shop one more time.
Lessons Learned
- While they can produce a custom suit in less than a day, it's best to have at least 3 days available to ensure you get the best fit.
- Have all of your meetings in the shop because they will be more likely to try to please you there.
- Get the best fabric you can afford.
- Use a tailor that will save your measurements and you can order new clothes online at anytime after that.
- For womens' clothing, allow more time for additional fittings.
The consensus is that you'll need 4 to 7 days.
Located at No.
1/3 Soi 3 Sukhumvit Rd.
Max can be contacted by email at maxs.
fashions@yahoo.
com or by mobile phone at +66 (089)-4020775.
