tailors in seoul korea?

[apple3210]

hmm thanks for the info.

thats gonna suck then

do you know if hahn can churn one out in that amount of time?

or any recommendations for off the rack and then getting it altered there? i'm not too fussed with super quality materials, just the fit is the main point.

 

[impolyt_one]

you might be figuring your price based on early 2011 exchange rates vs the current rate

 

[XKxRome0ox]



you might be figuring your price based on early 2011 exchange rates vs the current rate

no
mr.choi made my suit for 500,000 won both times
i picked the fabric in store from the bolts in january when i was in korea
my aunt went and picked the 2nd one for me in september since she lives there and brought it with her when she came to LA

and if anything the korean won is weaker against the USD right now... making it even cheaper
$429.258 vs. $442 or so in january

 

[XKxRome0ox]



hmm thanks for the info.
thats gonna suck then
do you know if hahn can churn one out in that amount of time?
or any recommendations for off the rack and then getting it altered there? i'm not too fussed with super quality materials, just the fit is the main point.

i suggest you stop by savile and hahn's and ask if they can finish the suit in the time frame that you have
you said you have 2 days and then traveling and then 2 more days?
so it's more than 4 consecutive days... it's quite possible
but it all depends on the workload that they have at that moment

i hope it works out for you

 

[rostov]

Cross posted from the waywt thread since I hadn't photographed my Korean tailoring yet.

Tuxedo - Hahn's
Shirt - Hamilton

I can probably get more photos of my Korean tailoring, if there is interest...

 

[impolyt_one]



no
mr.choi made my suit for 500,000 won both times
i picked the fabric in store from the bolts in january when i was in korea
my aunt went and picked the 2nd one for me in september since she lives there and brought it with her when she came to LA
and if anything the korean won is weaker against the USD right now... making it even cheaper
$429.258 vs. $442 or so in january

The won has been down temporarily since the dollar slid around September, hovering between 1100 to 1150 (?) or so, but it was down in January and worked it's way back up into the 1000's through the summer. In any case, it's never much of a difference for something about $500.
I do think I may have paid the $50 more than you because I got a bespoke suit both times, whereas you probably got an MTM, technically - I designed my trousers 100% and gave them the order (beltless, single pleats to the top, a bit of invisible elastic in the waistband (!!), and specific set of measurements to form a taper, and then asked for a jacket that is not typical of Korean tailors. They still fucked the jacket, but the $50 does represent what is normal for a Korean to pay themselves for making a pattern each time. From what I saw of your suit, it is something they can make MTM from a set of blocks they have in-house. Belted trousers, 2B double vented jacket, a couple extras. That would be the case at most places.

 

[XKxRome0ox]



I do think I may have paid the $50 more than you because I got a bespoke suit both times, whereas you probably got an MTM, technically - I designed my trousers 100% and gave them the order (beltless, single pleats to the top, a bit of invisible elastic in the waistband (!!), and specific set of measurements to form a taper, and then asked for a jacket that is not typical of Korean tailors. They still fucked the jacket, but the $50 does represent what is normal for a Korean to pay themselves for making a pattern each time. From what I saw of your suit, it is something they can make MTM from a set of blocks they have in-house. Belted trousers, 2B double vented jacket, a couple extras. That would be the case at most places.

trying to understand where MTM ends and "bespoke" begins...

so are you saying that they do not actually make an individual pattern for me?
which is fine as long as the final product fits me ... but i don't understand what the "blocks" are

 

[rostov]

hmm thanks for the info.
thats gonna suck then

do you know if hahn can churn one out in that amount of time?
or any recommendations for off the rack and then getting it altered there? i'm not too fussed with super quality materials, just the fit is the main point.

I had Hahn make my tuxedo in 7 days, but they weren't pleased about it. I may have paid extra to have it done. Like was otherwise suggested, it isn't particularly good form, although I was in a similar situation.

 

[impolyt_one]



trying to understand where MTM ends and "bespoke" begins...
so are you saying that they do not actually make an individual pattern for me?
which is fine as long as the final product fits me ... but i don't understand what the "blocks" are

It is a grey area, but to put it simply, I refer to yours as being MTM because they will have a set of cardboard patterns that basically make a suit of generic styling (2B jacket, flat front belted trousers) in a general size range, and then to fit it to you they use a combination of just tweaking that paper pattern on the fly, and then fitting you on that first fitting when it''s still basically a basted together vest and something that kinda looks like trousers but doesn't stay up without a pin at the waistband.
Bespoke would mean I am requesting something that they can't exactly whip the cardboard patterns out for - my trouser design was made from scratch, my jacket was probably made from the blocks but a little modified, maybe requiring a pattern from scratch - they did everything to my request and almost all of the critical points are things not done by Korean tailors, which I did on purpose - I have made about 10 suits in Itaewon and the first 8 were trash.

Both are good suits, obviously, and both will fit. I just feel that if they offer you the choice, and it's an unspoken one - you should take advantage of being able to really work the palette if you can. That is the real beauty behind Korean tailoring - they aren't all that great, and the fabrics are nothing special - but they are friendly and not so over-worked that they can't do a few special things for you if you ask nicely.

 

[XKxRome0ox]



It is a grey area, but to put it simply, I refer to yours as being MTM because they will have a set of cardboard patterns that basically make a suit of generic styling (2B jacket, flat front belted trousers) in a general size range, and then to fit it to you they use a combination of just tweaking that paper pattern on the fly, and then fitting you on that first fitting when it''s still basically a basted together vest and something that kinda looks like trousers but doesn't stay up without a pin at the waistband.
Bespoke would mean I am requesting something that they can't exactly whip the cardboard patterns out for - my trouser design was made from scratch, my jacket was probably made from the blocks but a little modified, maybe requiring a pattern from scratch - they did everything to my request and almost all of the critical points are things not done by Korean tailors, which I did on purpose - I have made about 10 suits in Itaewon and the first 8 were trash.
Both are good suits, obviously, and both will fit. I just feel that if they offer you the choice, and it's an unspoken one - you should take advantage of being able to really work the palette if you can. That is the real beauty behind Korean tailoring - they aren't all that great, and the fabrics are nothing special - but they are friendly and not so over-worked that they can't do a few special things for you if you ask nicely.

now what about my reorder? the suit came out exactly the same as the first one with the exception of reducing the waist by 1/2 inch which i requested
they must have made a pattern based on my first measurements and fitting ... no?

and just going with the house cut was adventurous enough for me
since i was a total suit noob
i don't think i would mess with the overall design but i do want to tweak just one or two details if i get the chance to go visit savile row again

 

[impolyt_one]

Yes, they probably have your paper pattern somewhere. They make a paper pattern for everybody's suit, otherwise they wouldn't be able to cut fabric, but like I said, the easy way is taking the blocks and tracing around them and just spacing them out to get the right size... and then there's sitting down and making a pattern truly from scratch, that takes considerably more work. They have both of our patterns in there somewhere.

 

[apple3210]

thanks for the info guys regarding the timing.

hmm i guess i might have to ask on my first day if they can get it done within 7 days.

if not, are there any other decent tailors? i've only seen those 2 mentioned in this thread though.

 

[impolyt_one]

Check out department stores for suits - most are crap due to the fabric quality, but there are some in alright cloth, etc. If you find one on sale it might not be too expensive. If you are Asian and not fat, it's likely the cuts will be flattering, and if you need it tailored, they can do it for free within 7 days. That is, if you are really that hard up for a suit or absolutely need to buy one in Korea.

What you are expecting, a MTM suit with a good fit, within 7 days - that's really just not good form in Korea and it's not the norm, 2 weeks is. Vanni, another place that was mentioned here, requires 3 weeks. It's like going into a busy McDonald's and asking for them to change the sauce, hold the lettuce, add something else, and then expecting it to be done in 30 seconds. Yes, it's possible, but it's likely they aren't going to care much what you think of the fit, and what comes out they're gonna make you live with.
You will need a first fitting, which they can do as quickly as within a day, but the second fitting will be with finished trousers and it'll be for fine tuning the jacket, which means they need to time to actually make it to that stage - 2 or 3 days later is not enough time for them to put together a handmade suit. These people aren't sweatshop workers in Shenzen, they go in at 9-10 and finish work around 6 or 7, and make a reasonable amount of money for their work.

 

[pvrhye]



Check out department stores for suits - most are crap due to the fabric quality, but there are some in alright cloth, etc. If you find one on sale it might not be too expensive. If you are Asian and not fat, it's likely the cuts will be flattering, and if you need it tailored, they can do it for free within 7 days. That is, if you are really that hard up for a suit or absolutely need to buy one in Korea.
What you are expecting, a MTM suit with a good fit, within 7 days - that's really just not good form in Korea and it's not the norm, 2 weeks is. Vanni, another place that was mentioned here, requires 3 weeks. It's like going into a busy McDonald's and asking for them to change the sauce, hold the lettuce, add something else, and then expecting it to be done in 30 seconds. Yes, it's possible, but it's likely they aren't going to care much what you think of the fit, and what comes out they're gonna make you live with.
You will need a first fitting, which they can do as quickly as within a day, but the second fitting will be with finished trousers and it'll be for fine tuning the jacket, which means they need to time to actually make it to that stage - 2 or 3 days later is not enough time for them to put together a handmade suit. These people aren't sweatshop workers in Shenzen, they go in at 9-10 and finish work around 6 or 7, and make a reasonable amount of money for their work.

That 40% at the door dept store markup is madness. If you don't have time for a MTM suit from Korea, I'd just wait til I got home.

 

[apple3210]

ok thanks.

unfortunately i live in Australia. Suits here cost an arm and leg for something measure to fit, especially the city i live in.