Alright, so i found a tailor.

[Alias]

In an earlier post of mine, I was angsting over the choice between going off-the-rack for a suit or having it tailored, here in South Korea. The choices at the department stores were great, but they didn't have what I was looking for. The Korean economy is in a depression, and selections are very limited. Sure, they sell foreign-made items here, but at very highly-inflated costs; the South Korean government likes to keep a tight rein on imports. I visited my favorite domestic brand "Cambridge" (www.cambridge.co.kr) and looked at what they had to offer. Their suits are very high quality for the price, with stitched lapels that look damned near hand-stitched (they might be, I don't know.) Unfortunately, I was looking for something in pinstripes, and theirs weren't lined up properly at the jacket darts and so on. That left me at the mercy of the tailors here. I was recommended a tailor shop by someone on Andy's boards. The salesman is a Mr. Hahn, and his store is very presentable; stacks of fabric and suits in wooden closets with windowed doors. This was a far cry from some of the other shops, some of which were really depressing to look at. I saw some of his suits, and they were quite nice. For roughly 500 USD, I can get something with very well made handsewn buttonholes, working buttons on the jacket sleeves, not to mention my own choice of fabric. (He also uses real horn buttons, a far cry from most Korean tailors who use plastic.) I spent about half-an-hour being measured and agonizing over the little details. His tailor took a fair number of measurements, more than twenty. I explained that I wanted the pinstripes to line up correctly as much as possible. He agreed to comply. So I'm getting my first fitting in two days, and I'm wondering about the sleeves. How well should the pinstripes match? I've seen some suits around that have the stripes parallel on the front of the sleeves, but at the back they converge into V's. Is this the proper way to do it?

 

[Enrico]

Alias,

I'm the guy who recommended mr. Hahn on the other board. I spent lots of time discussing my preferences with him and he eventually got it right. I bought quite some suits from him since and I am completely satisfied. Good to hear he is offering those horn buttons now, I had to buy them myself on a market (and I think I was the first customer ever to to this...).

Let me know how it turns out.

 

[Alias]

Hey, awesome. Glad to hear from you again. I'm definitely taking pictures of this thing when it's done. I'll be sure to inform Mr. Hahn about any concerns I might have with the pattern matching. If this means he has to recut the sleeves, so be it. The horn buttons look very nice. You can tell just by how they feel in your hand; they're just slightly heavier than plastic ones of comparable size and thickness. I guess Mr. Hahn is eager to learn the expectations of newer customers and adjust his business accordingly. Smart guy. I wish others would do the same

Care to post pictures of your suits? I would love to see them, especially the detailing (inside jacket pockets, sleeve buttons, etc.)

 

[bengal-stripe]

I explained that I wanted the pinstripes to line up correctly as much as possible. He agreed to comply.

So I'm getting my first fitting in two days, and I'm wondering about the sleeves. How well should the pinstripes match? I've seen some suits around that have the stripes parallel on the front of the sleeves, but at the back they converge into V's. Is this the proper way to do it?

Stripes will always converge to a V at the outside seam of the sleeves, just as down the trouser leg or on the back of the seat. (Whenever something gets tapered.)

 

[Alias]

Stripes will always converge to a V at the outside seam of the sleeves, just as down the trouser leg or on the back of the seat. (Whenever something gets tapered.)

Thanks for the info. I'll go and see if he did this.

 

[Alias]

Well, the suit's coming along very nicely, but the patterns still aren't matched as well as I would like. The front's ok, the back's ok, I have no big issues with the pants, but the jacket sleeve seams aren't lined up. The cutter told me that it was impossible to do, and he told me this as another gentleman was in the store with a jacket, with sleeves that had the stripes matching perfectly. His was off-the-rack.

I don't know anything about tailoring, but I'm assuming that the cutter (most likely trained according to whatever traditional tailoring practices the Koreans use) doesn't know how to cut so the patterns match at the seams. Does anyone know how they do this?

Edit: He does use a single piece of fabric, and I've seen him lay out the patterns. Maybe it's the angle he cuts them at?

 

[A Harris]

It is not possible to line up ALL the stripes on a suit EVERY time. In fact I do not think that I've ever seen a suit that had all the stripes matched perfectly. Your particular shape will imapact it as well - the cutter is going to have to align differently for you than he is for someone who is two sizes larger. Your tailor is probably right - it probably cannot be done.

 

[Alias]

It is not possible to line up ALL the stripes on a suit EVERY time. In fact I do not think that I've ever seen a suit that had all the stripes matched perfectly. Your particular shape will imapact it as well - the cutter is going to have to align differently for you than he is for someone who is two sizes larger. Your tailor is probably right - it probably cannot be done.

That's a relief. Thanks for the info.

It's hard to tell with Korean tailors, since there's always a chance they'll say one thing and mean another.

 

[peter07]

I will pick up a blazer from Hahn's soon. A warning about Korean tailors in Itaewon: if you keep going to the same one, the owner might think he has your business and will get sloppy. You have to keep them on their toes.