Gordon Yao

[luk-cha]

so Gatsby have you got you GY suit now?

 

[Viktri]

Originally Posted by NoVaguy

You shouldn't get gold or silver buttons on a suit - you only get them on a blazer (a coat, which does not come with matching pants).

You should get regular buttons on your suit. I think the buttons on my solid navy blue suit are black or dark navy blue or dark brown or something like that. Really dark.

I didn't realize that about the metal buttons Thanks
I think I'd enjoy the dark buttons and blue matches my skin well.

Originally Posted by Gatsby

According to this thread, and my own experience, Gordon speaks excellent English so I would be surprised if language were the reason to pick Chan over Yao. Ironically, it was at Chan where I had more language difficulties, as whoever cut my suit did not speak English, and the salesman had to translate what I wanted into Cantonese. Again, that is just my experience on visiting Chan in HK and I am aware that those who ordered on roadshows, etc. have had different experiences. However, I am comforted to know that for my Yao suit, Gordon was the one measuring me and was the one who was cutting my suit -- the essential element of bespoke tailoring. Better reasons to pick Chan would be their established reputation, organization, selection of options, etc...

You will never get silver/gold buttons for a business suit. As mentioned below, this is typically for blazers or uniforms. Get buttons that match the tone of the fabric. As for fabric, it is fine that you are intent on getting a "˜brand name' fabric, as long as you are willing to pay the premium. What the people at Chan will likely suggest is VBC 130s or LP 120s. Both are good "˜starter fabrics' (though there are some serious LP haters on SF) and will wear well IMO. Everything else is up to you. Selecting fabrics is never easy even if you know exactly what you want (unless you have the fabric you want beforehand). Really just go with your gut feel and ask the tailor if they have anything currently being made using something of similar pattern/color/weight so you can compare. If you just search the forums, there are tons of posts that will explain everything in much better detail.

Will get around to posting Chan vs. Yao pictures sometime.. worth a new thread?

Oh, concerning the proficiency in English I thought the opposite

Well, language isn't a big problem for me but it is rather embarassing (since I am Chinese, technically). I would want Chan cutting my suit as well, but I'm not sure if he'd do it for a 21 year old kid.

What do VBC and LP stand for? Thanks for the tips on the fabric choosing

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by Viktri

I didn't realize that about the metal buttons Thanks
I think I'd enjoy the dark buttons and blue matches my skin well.




Oh, concerning the proficiency in English I thought the opposite

Well, language isn't a big problem for me but it is rather embarassing (since I am Chinese, technically). I would want Chan cutting my suit as well, but I'm not sure if he'd do it for a 21 year old kid.

What do VBC and LP stand for? Thanks for the tips on the fabric choosing


Both are fabrics Lp stands for Loro Piana and don't know the other one

 

[Fishball]

Both are Italian fabrics, VBC stand for Vitale Barberis Canonico.

If you want to know more about fabrics, check this out: http://www.hollandandsherry.com/page...tile_guide.htm

 

[Fishball]

Viktri,

If you are looking for scabal 120's, I think they will charge around HK$9,000.
Should not be more than that.
Call to make an appointment first. 21 is not a kid at all. I have my first bespoke suit at 17.

 

[luk-cha]

but if you are gonna go with Yao i'd advise to get H Lesser's at it possibly a better cloth than the other esp in the lighter weights from what i have told, also it is easier to tailor too!

 

[Gatsby]

Originally Posted by luk-cha

so Gatsby have you got you GY suit now?

yup, finished last week. wore it to a wedding in korea over the weekend.

(not mine mind you!)

generally satisfied.. maybe my 'first impression' of the suit in the mirror was not that good, but it wears very well and has good drape.

as for prices, I was charged a lot more for Scabal 130s, and Yao said that was the only Scabal fabric he had available. Just reading through this thread, I am starting to feel like I overpaid?? even dragon8 got his suit Scabal for $1400, I think I paid something like $1600, and that was the "price tag" written on that swatch book. Did he just raise his prices or something?

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by Gatsby

yup, finished last week. wore it to a wedding in korea over the weekend.

(not mine mind you!)

generally satisfied.. maybe my 'first impression' of the suit in the mirror was not that good, but it wears very well and has good drape.

as for prices, I was charged a lot more for Scabal 130s, and Yao said that was the only Scabal fabric he had available. Just reading through this thread, I am starting to feel like I overpaid?? even dragon8 got his suit Scabal for $1400, I think I paid something like $1600, and that was the "price tag" written on that swatch book. Did he just raise his prices or something?

I just asked him to send me some fabrics from Scabal and the price was the same. Yao did not say the prices went up.

 

[SuitingStyle]

Originally Posted by Gatsby

yup, finished last week. wore it to a wedding in korea over the weekend.

(not mine mind you!)

generally satisfied.. maybe my 'first impression' of the suit in the mirror was not that good, but it wears very well and has good drape.

as for prices, I was charged a lot more for Scabal 130s, and Yao said that was the only Scabal fabric he had available. Just reading through this thread, I am starting to feel like I overpaid?? even dragon8 got his suit Scabal for $1400, I think I paid something like $1600, and that was the "price tag" written on that swatch book. Did he just raise his prices or something?

How are the shoulders , did he do a nice job of soft shoulder? or he only does padded ones? Possible we see some pics?

Also, Yao finally answered my email, he is expecting to finish my June order in the begining of Sepember.

 

[dah328]

Originally Posted by Gatsby

What the people at Chan will likely suggest is VBC 130s or LP 120s. Both are good "˜starter fabrics' (though there are some serious LP haters on SF) and will wear well IMO.
Btw, this is misleading. There are lots of people here who don't like LP worsteds and for good reason. Most people here think LP cashmere is great. If you happen to have LP worsteds that have served you well, great, but many of us have found them to wear very poorly.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by Viktri

Regarding blue: After reading these forums for a few weeks, I think it's just my school that finds colours old. Almost everyone in my business school will be wearing a black suit (men and women). My mother actually suggested a charcoal suit but I didn't want to stand out. Looks like mom was right (?). I got a black suit, now I actually want a blue suit but I'm averse to gold or silver buttons, I'm not sure how they'd look on me.

Blue is a classic for business, much preferable to black in most parts of the world.

Is there any resource online that explains the difference in fabrics? I've been searching but I haven't found anything encompassing. I've read a little about worsted wools but I'm not no expert. As a beginner, are there any fabrics that I should have a suit made of before purchasing into the more expensive/exotic wools? I'm looking for a good fabric that won't be too hot but I'm not sure whether if a higher super wool is warmer/cooler and how they compare to brands like Zegna or Scabal.

The Super count has to do with the fineness of the yarn and has no bearing on whether a garment is warm or cool. It is the weight of the fabric that determines that. In other words, a garment made of Super 130s wool can be warm or cool depending on the weight of the fabric. Fabrics with a very high super count tend to be delicate and wrinkle easily and are probably best avoided. Some knowledgeable people avoid Super wools altogether although most fabrics the tailors have will be Supers.

I'm still looking for a tailor. I was pretty much set on Chan until I got to this thread but I still think I'll stick with Chan. My Chinese isn't very fluent, although my friends could speak for me.. The thing is, when I asked if my friends knew where Chan's location was and gave them his address, my friends said Chan's going to be an old man

(implying that he'd be out of touch and create "old men garments").

The head cutter and general manager at Chan's is Patrick Chu. He is a comparatively young guy (Of course, almost everybody seems like a "comparatively young guy" to me these days!), and he speaks fairly good English. I wouldn't worry about him creating "old men garments" for you.

 

[luk-cha]

Originally Posted by Gatsby

yup, finished last week. wore it to a wedding in korea over the weekend.

(not mine mind you!)

generally satisfied.. maybe my 'first impression' of the suit in the mirror was not that good, but it wears very well and has good drape.

as for prices, I was charged a lot more for Scabal 130s, and Yao said that was the only Scabal fabric he had available. Just reading through this thread, I am starting to feel like I overpaid?? even dragon8 got his suit Scabal for $1400, I think I paid something like $1600, and that was the "price tag" written on that swatch book. Did he just raise his prices or something?

i think it depend a lot on which, i have seen very mixed price for scabal in HK both wholesale and retail so i am guessing it has a lot to do with where that perticular fabric was made. i know that Yao has the Lesser books and i would suggust that next time you choose from them from what i have heard they are some of the best cloths available and great to tailor.

i hope you post some pics

 

[SuitingStyle]

quick update, my suit was mailed today, should be getting it next week.........

 

[hanker565]

bump...would anyone who has received their yao suit mind posting pictures?

 

[olemungu]

I got mine in the mail last week. Since it was first try, I'd have to give him a solid B. There were few flaws. The darting on the right hindquarters were not flush. The cut behind the left shoulders were a bit uneven. I'll try to post before and after pictures after I meet Gordon in November.