Suits in Bkk

[zeusbheld]

I reckon we should relax a bit more here and not try to start WWIII at every opportunity.

where's the fun in that?

[CiaranM]

I reckon we should relax a bit more here and not try to start WWIII at every opportunity.

where's the fun in that?

spoilsports everywhere today !!!

[vbroker]

... I came to and am now posting in this thread because I would like to know if anyone can recommend quality custom suit shops in BKK for $400.00 - $500.00 or approx. 15,000 - 18,000 Baht; as I will be there soon. And yes, I tend to agree you get what you pay for. There are exceptions, however. So, in the interest of getting back to the topic posted, does anyone knowledgeable have information in this regard? Further, has anyone brought a well fitting suit with them (say an off-the-rack designer or a home custom made) and asked said tailor to copy same using different cloth? What were the results? Are some tailors better than others at this practice? My Hong Kong experience was less than satisfactory. Any info is appreciated. Cheers.

I can only refer to my very satisfactory experience with a (chinese) tailor in Hong Kong. He made at least 10 very nice suits and 20 shirts for me over the last 3 years. One based on a fitting suit for a friend of mine, which was copied, and fitted him very well, because my friend liked the fabric of one of my suits and could not come to HKG himself. The price depends on the material you choose, but with USD 400-500 you are already in the better quality range, for this you can already choose among genuine italian fabrics.

His name is Camay Tailor (Louie & Peter), L66 Peninsula Centre, Mody Road, near the Shangrila Kowloon hotel. If you want his telephone number, you can PM me.

He has taste, is absolutely trustworthy and not pushy at all.

As I am in Hong Kong several times a year, I do not risk to try a new tailor in BKK at all...

I am quite certain your Hong Kong tailor is excellent. But it doesn't help me as I will not be there; I will be in BKK and Kuala Lumpur. I am not looking for Malay tailors as this will be my first trip there and my plate is full. So again: are there any decent BKK tailors away from The Mandarin Oriental? Cheers.

[zeusbheld]

[

I am quite certain your Hong Kong tailor is excellent. But it doesn't help me as I will not be there; I will be in BKK and Kuala Lumpur. I am not looking for Malay tailors as this will be my first trip there and my plate is full. So again: are there any decent BKK tailors away from The Mandarin Oriental? Cheers.

there were a few posted earlier in this thread.

i doubt i'd have a suit made here, as i have a perfectly fine tailor in bombay but it'd be good to know, i might have a shirt made from time to time.

anyone got any more than people have already posted?

how about this, rather than tailors who copy other designers' stuff, are there any around with a good eye of their own doing more original work?

[MikeAussieGuy]

I reckon we should relax a bit more here and not try to start WWIII at every opportunity.

Come come, thailandfriends.com is registered in Texas after all, isn't it?

lol, classic.

[marky12345]

Mike i do like to wind people up on here, but there is a select few who get wound up with everyone and everything, and take eveything literally,i do usually opt out of blatant personal insults, opting for piss take.

So by all accounts there isnt a renowned tailor in Bkk, this surprises me, maybe the govt should look into making Bkk the suit hub of Asia.

[vbroker]

So by all accounts there isnt a renowned tailor in Bkk...

Yes, there is.

If it helps at all.

Quite right; there is. Thanks for the follow-up and the name(s) of the tailor(s) you know. I will go into some detail later as I am dealing both with re-inserting myself into San Francisco and jet lag.

[zeusbheld]

So by all accounts there isnt a renowned tailor in Bkk...

Yes, there is.

If it helps at all.

Quite right; there is. Thanks for the follow-up and the name(s) of the tailor(s) you know. I will go into some detail later as I am dealing both with re-inserting myself into San Francisco and jet lag.

by 'go into some detail' i'm guessing you mean you had some work done? looking forward to the details. i have a very good tailor in bombay but... i'm not in bombay.

for jet lag, just a) stay up all night the night before you get on the plane, so you sleep on the plane. and wake up exactly at your normal wake up time for your destination (set your watch to the new destination once your'e on the plane too). it's brutal but effective. the only real downside is that you miss out on all that wooonderful airline food.

[vbroker]

I have been in and out of your adopted country 7 times now. I have tried every method under the sun (including pulling all nighters) AND have supplemented most of these attempts with my good friend Ambien aka Zolpidem on the plane. This is my first night back here and Ambien was again on the team (and will be tomorrow night) and I still arose at midnight my time; wide awake. In other words; for me, nothing works. Oh well. This is the price I pay to lead my life. My only benefit in this was my NY-based friend who travelled with me is also suffering and we mobile-comiserated 3+ hours ago for an hour and a half.

The tailor came from a respectable referral source and I couldn't believe it when he told me it is on lower Sukhumvit of all places. Yeah, I know most farang and therefore the market reside on lower Suk. I found it surprising nonetheless. The two know each other as far back as when the GI's were first pulling out of Vietnam. Since I don't type 80 (or even 50) wpm and I'm not mentally up to it, the rest will have to wait. Time now to go to work.

[vbroker]

My friend flew in from NY and we met at his Suk Soi 2 hotel at around 0200. With little to do yet wide awake (damn jet lag again) at 0300, we decided to get Thai food. We were sitting at the Soi 5 Foodland counter and I started a conversation with the gentleman to my right. He ordered food speaking perfect Thai and I asked how long he lived in BKK. Turns out he and his western wife have lived there for 19 years and she speaks spot on Thai as well. I find out further he is a top executive at a U.S. based mid-sized firm. This prompts me to ask if he knows any quality local tailors. He tells me he has been using this particular tailor for as long as he has lived there; his closet is full of his suits exclusively. This is the type of qualified recommendation I place value on and would take a chance with.

Gulati Fashions

Shop No. 73 Sukhumvit Rd.

Corner Shop Soi Nana 3

Bangkok 10110 Thailand

Proprietors: Jesse and Sam

There are two other tailors bordering each side of this one: Herrmann and Royal. They are three separate tailors with no affiliation to one another; I am referring only to Gulati.

Three suits and three sport jackets (single breast, no vents): 43,000 Baht or approximately U.S. $1200. That works out to just shy of 9,000 Baht ($250) per suit and around 5500 Baht ($150) per sport jacket. Shirts cost between 700 and 1100 Baht ($20 - $30)

Bear in mind; these tailored clothes will NOT approach the quality of NY, London, Paris, Milan, etc. custom tailored threads. The store proprietors will tell you otherwise of course, and you can't blame them. They are excellent salespeople. Regardless; I stand by what I say. On the other hand, you will spend at least U.S. $1500 or likely closer to U.S. $2000 for a custom suit in any of the aforementioned western cities. The Gulati clothes appear to be well worth the price. You need to be careful, however. Jesse and Sam will say they need you for at least two fittings. I say you need at least three and maybe four to get exactly what you want; at least the first time through. Further, bring someone you trust to look at these clothes as they reside on your body. You want to know how they look not only in the mirror but also in the eyes of others; there are many things you can miss in the mirror.

It has been my experience (Hong Kong) that Asian tailors prefer a tapered fit to their suits. Sometimes too tapered. I asked Sam for an "American Fit" and had them open up two jackets after the second fit and they STILL came out slim looking on me, but in a good way. Remember, it is easier to take in hems if a garment is too large as opposed to letting it out if it is too small. Elaborating further: It is in the store owner's interest to use just enough cloth with a smaller versus larger error margin; the more cloth used on your garment, the higher his cost outlay. In other words, there comes a point when the garment can't be let out any more after the material has been cut to measure.

A word on the pants: Make sure the the Y (crotch area) isn't riding too high on you. For me, there needs to be enough space between the garment and Mr. Happy and the twins. The trick here is to sit in a chair while wearing the trousers. Lean forward; cross your legs etc. and see how you feel. There is a vast difference between standing and sitting when it comes to comfort and look.