Bangkok tailors

[MikeF]

I'm travelling to Thailand in August for my honeymoon and would like to purchase some a custom suit or two while I'm in Bangkok. Does anyone have any recommendations re: tailors? I would prefer to hear from people who (1) have actually had clothes made in Bangkok and (2) understand something about suit construction (i.e. can say more than merely that it looks nice or that people offer compliments).

 

[BjornH]

I tried two tailors in Thailand on my trip in the fall 2001. The former made me a suit and a tuxedo and the latter made me some trousers and shirts.

The former one did a fairly decent job on the tuxedo but the suit really wasn't any good. The fabric is a bit suspect and the darts on front were badly done and pressed so it does not stand up to scrutiny. This was of course one of those 24-36 hour jobs and the lesson is to give the tailor plenty time to finish and preferably use a tailor that does not provide 24 hour suits. The suit and the tux totaled around $300 so I felt it was worth the try - just for kicks.

The latter made me some shirts that looked a bit strange (the buttonholes for example) and did not take washing well, especially the linings in the collar and cuffs. They went out of favor real fast. The trousers had 2 cm wider legs than I am used to and I hadn't really worn them untill I took them to a tailor recently and had them narrowed. I wear them regularly now and haven't seen better examples of flat-front flannel trousers in the stores.

I still get a kick out of wearing something that was made to my measurements so, at least, I got something for my money. The tuxedo has done it's job well so I don't feel too cheated.

So the bottom line is IMHO: Do not chase the best deal, neither in price or time. Do not let them rush you and do some research before you go. The best approach could be to aim for perhaps a better suit but for the same money you would pay at home.

Good luck .

Bjorn

 

[koolhistorian]

From my experience - that was 2000, but I think is still relevant - go for the chinese tailors, not for the indians. I've made the mistake of going to an indian tailor, and the sheer result was throwing out of the window 200 $. The suit was baggy, the shirts were unwearable. There are some upscale chinese tailors in the shopping arcade of the Oriental Mandarin hotel - the lady there seemed knowledgeable and they offered three fittings. The price was not very low - at that time approx. 350 $ US - but they had good fabric, etc. and the shirts were ok. Still had regrets about that! Good luck!

 

[acidboy]

I just had some shirts made at Pierre Tailors, located inside Erawan Hotel. I'm satisfied with their work, though the fabric choices are quite limited.

 

[lmaligaya]

Had 2 suits and 4 shirts made at James Tailor (James Fashion). The fabric selection is phenomenal, but i would adivse that you really need to be adamant about your fit, which takes about 3 fittings. If you go in a group they will try to split you up, they are pretty good about that, so watch out.

overall, i was very happy with my puchase, especially with the shirts, they are super slim and the quality is top notch.

my friends had similar experiences, but you really need to know what kind of look/ fit you want, so dont go here if this is your first MTM experience. Try the chinese tailors like stated above.

i got the package for 17500 baht at an exhange rate of $33.

 

[xingby]

see extensive discussion on BKK tailors
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=1207953

 

[Medvald]

I did try a tailor called Golden Tailor. The year was 2000 I think. It was not good. Not only was the cut bad. I ordered a super 120 pure wool cloth. The end results was a cloth that said super 150 but it was a blend of wool and polyester. It basically was a scam. They served lot of drinks though.

 

[upnorth]

I'd imagine that the OP has gone for his honeymoon in thailand 5 years ago.

 

[acidboy]

... and he never came back.

 

[gwolf]

Originally Posted by acidboy

I just had some shirts made at Pierre Tailors, located inside Erawan Hotel. I'm satisfied with their work, though the fabric choices are quite limited.
would you still recommend them for shirts AB? wonder if they have a chambray. aside from that i'm just looking for plain solid blues and whites. golden wool (?) is anothher i'm taking note of from previous threads.

 

[ApplesHK]

For shirts go to Milan Suit in Sukhumvit Rd under ASOK station. Not a great range of shirting but good quality maker and will do as you ask.
For suits go to Narin Couture also in Sukhumvit Rd on the same side as Milan Suit but further up the road between Asok and Nana stations.

Narin is Thai as is the guy at Milan Suit. I've tried both these men and their work is good. They are both highly recommended in that Lonely Planet blog too.

Narin is in the WW Chan (Hong Kong) price bracket.

 

[gwolf]

much much thanks AHK! ah narin is still pretty pricey. i could stomach it though for just a couple of good suits i'll be using for a long time. who knows my office might not require that of me anyway. as i've mentioned in other threads i've bumped i'm gonna be a local.

 

[deepitm]

Originally Posted by ApplesHK

For shirts go to Milan Suit in Sukhumvit Rd under ASOK station. Not a great range of shirting but good quality maker and will do as you ask.
For suits go to Narin Couture also in Sukhumvit Rd on the same side as Milan Suit but further up the road between Asok and Nana stations.

Narin is Thai as is the guy at Milan Suit. I've tried both these men and their work is good. They are both highly recommended in that Lonely Planet blog too..

I just got back from BKK and can second this opinion on shirts. I had read one post on SF suggesting that the Narin shirts didn't end up holding up that well and that worried me. As a result I opted for Milan Suit even though Narin feels more legit. Narin definitely has better fabric choices and is a bit more expensive, but Kiet at Milan knows what he's doing. I ordered 3 shirts to start at 1200 THB per shirt ($40 USD at the time). I did a mix of slim, non-pleated Oxfords and a semi-spread dress shirt with darts in a pinpoint cotton. Shirts were all very good on the first fitting and required no alterations. I re-upped and got another 3 (another oxford and 2 more semi-spread collar dress shirts), this time in a higher quality pinpoint on the dress shirts as the colors I liked were made w/ fancier cloth. Those were 1500 THB ($50), and were ready in 2.5 days and were perfect. I cannot comment on long term quality because I haven't had the shirts very long, but the stitching and collars all seem well done. I would suggest Milan if you are looking for basic solids and stripes, but if you want a specific fabric you may be best off bringing that on your own. I don't know the basic rate for shirt construction if the fabric is supplied by the customer. If you want MoP buttons, you will also need to provide them as he doesn't regularly stock them. Not really important to me but important to some.

Also, he has a really rad dog named Fox. All in all, 6 shirts that fit great and altogether less than 8000 THB ($270). In hindsight, I actually wish I had gotten more.

Worth mentioning, I do speak some Thai and I did bring an example shirt to show how I liked my shirts to fit. I would suggest others be explicit in what they want as well as style concerns can sometimes get lost in translation.


EDIT: After some wear and washing (2.5 months or so), I still stand behind the shirts. However, I do think it's worth noting that some of the cheaper oxford cloth feels, well, cheap. The shirts I got made with the higher grade fabric are significantly nicer considering they were only $10 more. Without a doubt the better fabric was worth it. However, you can get around this entire issue by just bringing your own fabric.

 

[cerulean_haecceity]

Hi everyone. I'm in Bangkok now. I saw a lot of tailors in MBK (the big shopping mall). Stores there promise to finish a shirt in 1-2 days. Are these tailors any good?

 

[ApplesHK]

It's nice to hear from some satisfied customers re Milan Suit shirts.

I picked up my brother last night at the airport after his 9 hour flight and commented on his crisp pink oxford. It's a Milan Suit shirt he said. It's had three years wear and it's as good as the day I bought it.

This was good to hear as I'd taken him to Kiet's shop. He also added that he'd never go back to Jantzen in HK (I also took him there) as there was no comparison.

I suppose Jantzen has the advantage of a vast range of fabrics and mail order, but if you're going to Bangkok don't bother going anywhere else for shirts and if you know your fabrics, buy your own and take with you and Kiet will happily make them up.

For the record, I'm much happier with my Milan Suit shirts ($40US) than I am with my way over-priced Ascot Chang ($140) shirts.