Hong Kong Tailor Report - Peter Lee, Chan, Jantzen, Zee's and Tassels

Thanks gang! It was quite a trip. Funny that there have been so many positive comments on the corduroy suit when that's far and away my least favorite in terms of fit. Hopefully it will be rectified soon.

For those inquiring, I definitely recommend giving Peter Lee a try next time you're in HK. I was there for 10 days and he made all these garments plus a few shirts. It definitely came down to the wire as the final alterations were made the night before I left.

Teddie - I agree the waist rippling must have something to with my dropped shoulder. I'm not used to standing in robotic pose mode like this and I haven't noticed anything like that before when I wear them. Most of these items I wear unbuttoned the majority of the time. I will keep an eye on it though as I was a bit surprised when I saw the photos. In terms of the back, I asked for there to be some drape and room for me to move freely so it makes sense that there are some lines.

thanks for the thread and pics.... makes me miss HK all the more.

Couple of questions. Does PL make paper patterns for everything you had made including the shirts? Just to make re-ordering easier? Also, I'd be interested in knowing how much variability you get from each subsequent re-order from the patterns?

Perhaps Phat Guido can answer that since he's the only one that seem to have ordered by mail from them?

Originally Posted by Slewfoot

Click to expand...

Teddie - I agree the waist rippling must have something to with my dropped shoulder. I'm not used to standing in robotic pose mode like this and I haven't noticed anything like that before when I wear them. Most of these items I wear unbuttoned the majority of the time. I will keep an eye on it though as I was a bit surprised when I saw the photos. In terms of the back, I asked for there to be some drape and room for me to move freely so it makes sense that there are some lines.

First, let me say that everything is quite nice.

Vertical lines are normal in the back, especially if you put in some extra fullness, but the diagonal lines are indicative of a dropped shoulder that was not taken into account. You may very well stand differently when you are not in pose mode though. Maybe you could try taking some more casual pictures.
I am surprised Chan did not catch the dropped shoulder. I had them make a jacket for me before and they did a really good job picking up on that and compensating.

This is an excellent post! Thank you
That case is fantastic.

Originally Posted by jcc123

Click to expand...

Couple of questions. Does PL make paper patterns for everything you had made including the shirts? Just to make re-ordering easier? Also, I'd be interested in knowing how much variability you get from each subsequent re-order from the patterns? Perhaps Phat Guido can answer that since he's the only one that seem to have ordered by mail from them?
- no.. He has a few samples of mine to copy. Details of my recent PL.. Remember, this is 1/3 the $$$ of a Chan using the same cloth (VBC S130).. 5 day turn around..

Originally Posted by tps16

Click to expand...

First, let me say that everything is quite nice.

Vertical lines are normal in the back, especially if you put in some extra fullness, but the diagonal lines are indicative of a dropped shoulder that was not taken into account. You may very well stand differently when you are not in pose mode though. Maybe you could try taking some more casual pictures.
I am surprised Chan did not catch the dropped shoulder. I had them make a jacket for me before and they did a really good job picking up on that and compensating.

This is a sure case of the blind leading the blind.

PG how much is the cost of that suit made with VBC 130(Revenge?).........I had one from J. years ago, and he charged me about 450 USD......I didn't even realize there were so much hidden gems in that Far East Mansion.......too bad I am pass the stage of wearing bespoke stuff, now just get OTR stuff since there are many slim cuts that suits me fine and is much cheaper after discount. Seeing photos from you two may make me change my mind!

Originally Posted by kolecho

Click to expand...

This is a sure case of the blind leading the blind.

Is there something else you noticed? As I said before, I am not a tailor, but this is what I think may be causing the ripples in the waist.

Originally Posted by Phat Guido

Click to expand...

- no.. He has a few samples of mine to copy. Details of my recent PL.. Remember, this is 1/3 the $$$ of a Chan using the same cloth (VBC S130).. 5 day turn around..

I really like that fabric PG. I assume this is an odd jacket (because of the buttons), rather than a suit. On the back of reading this article and liking the pics posted I found myself visiting Peter Li at Baron's today. Hadn't been shopping in TST for years and years so it was a lot of fun tracking down the tailors and also the Uniqlo store. I found the fabrics on offer at Baron's a bit disappointing really. I told Peter I was interested in a light weight blazer fabric suitable for all year wear in HK. First up he brought out a Cerutti 1881 book of wool/cashmere which had some nice checks. He also brought out a roll of Zegna which was lovely. That was it though. When I asked about VBC he was surprised and brought out a book of really dull fabrics. I mean.....really dull. Prices were $774(US) for a blazer in both the Cerutti and Zegna and $450(US) for the VBC. Peter then offered me a special price because I was an internet reader who had found my way to him.......as he fiddled for 30 seconds with his calculator, he offered $761 for the Zegna. WTF? Walking back up toward Nathan Rd, I noticed Y William Yu virtually opposite Baron's. I was out of time, but even the window display looked far more interesting fabrics wise. Considering these prices, I think I'll go to Chan on the weekend and see if he has any interesting VBC. Given Peter Li's prices for a VBC blazer I don't understand how Phat Gido says a VBC is a third of Chan's price. Can anyone quote Chan for a reasonable blazer?

Originally Posted by ApplesHK

Click to expand...

Given Peter Li's prices for a VBC blazer I don't understand how Phat Gido says a VBC is a third of Chan's price. Can anyone quote Chan for a reasonable blazer?

That is because you didn't greet Peter with the secret HK iThug handshake. Or maybe you went to the wrong Peter Lee. Just remember that two wongs don't make a white.

You best stick with Chan or William Yu. You are likely to find their products more to your standard.

That's it! Yes I did forget the secret handshake
Peter gave me his card yesterday which shows his name as Peter Li.

I should have added, that after Phat Guidos', Slewfoot's and Gazman 70K's reports, I was looking forward to visiting Peter. He was very attentive but the fabrics were very disappointing. Jantzen's fabrics are much better but even these I'd rate as average.

I guess you get what you pay for, but as there are so many mentions of decents suits at around $1200 even at WW Chan, I was hoping to get some nice blazers at around $500 here in HK.

Maybe I am not being realistic. Jantzen made me a blazer (which I've now turned into a suit after the comments posted here which were really helpful. Got them to make the slacks this week and will change the buttons from brown to blue) for about $600USD and Baron's quoted $750.
What will Chan charge for a blazer in Wool/cashmere or Fresco?

And does Chan have a good VBC range?

I think Y William Yu is one of the H&S dealer in HK, so you may find more good stuff there.
If you are looking for Italian fancy stuff, I think you better go for Chan. However, I don't think you can get a blazer at around $500 at Chan.

Apples,

If you met Peter "Li" not Peter "Lee", then you got the wrong guy. Peter Lee is also not located at opposite of Y William Yu.