Eleganza Uomo Shanghai?

[Maccimus]

Fully-canvassed in some, maybe most of, Shanghai Tailor's understanding is half-canvassed with horse tail canvass being extended to the bottom of the jacket.
So in Shanghai you have to tell the tailor you need something not fused, rather than just tell them you want fully-canvassed.

Of course Kiang must know it well, but you have to raise his attention, otherwise he might treat you like other 99% of customers who never care about this.

 

[Maccimus]

Nice suit, I forgot to say. Con.

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by BraveMax

The padding actually isn't too bad - I have really broad shoulders, and they dip quite a bit. So the padding actually works well in most cases. I certainly have suits with less, though.

I paid 5480 Yuan for the suit and the shirt. That was ~$840 when I bought the suit.

The fabric... I have a swatch of it attached to the bill, but he did not write down the name. It wasn't one I recognized, anyways. I believe it was a Super 120? It's pretty light-weight stuff - I wanted a suit I could wear in a DC summer.

One more detail which was disputed earlier... Again, I'm no expert here and I'm not quite sure what to look for to verify this, but in my limited knowledge I don't believe the jacket's fused. I asked him, actually, and he quite clearly told me that all of their suits were fully-canvased.

Thats a good price. Congrats again

 

[BraveMax]

Maccimus,

I wasn't aware of that... But I specifically asked whether it was "fused" or "full-canvassed". He answered quite clearly "no-fuse".

Is there a way to check/tell?

 

[Pantisocrat]

Originally Posted by BraveMax

Maccimus, I wasn't aware of that... But I specifically asked whether it was "fused" or "full-canvassed". He answered quite clearly "no-fuse". Is there a way to check/tell?
Actually, it's really easy to tell. Near the front of the chest, where your shirt pocket would be, use your thumb and index finger to pinch the fabric of the front and lining of the suit respectively. You should be able to feel a middle layer, somewhat thick canvass, between your fingers. Also, most fused suits have tiny air bubbles on the surface of the fabric after the glue has dried and expanded. I think the suit is 8.2/10, that is to say it looks very mediocre on you. The sleevepitch, armcye, chest circumference of the suit can all be tweaked for better drape. The rise of the pants is too low and the buttocks area too loose. They are minor details but it is those details that separate good and bad tailors. As far as the tailor (cutter?) not listening to your suggestion, that is unacceptable. A ticket pocket is not "structural" and is really a matter of preference.

 

[BraveMax]

Originally Posted by Pantisocrat

Actually, it's really easy to tell. Near the front of the chest, where your shirt pocket would be, use your thumb and index finger to pinch the fabric of the front and lining of the suit respectively. You should be able to feel a middle layer, somewhat thick canvass, between your fingers. Also, most fused suits have tiny air bubbles on the surface of the fabric after the glue has dried and expanded. I think the suit is 8.2/10, that is to say it looks very mediocre on you. The sleevepitch, armcye, chest circumference of the suit can all be tweaked for better drape. The rise of the pants is too low and the buttocks area too loose. They are minor details but it is those details that separate good and bad tailors. As far as the tailor (cutter?) not listening to your suggestion, that is unacceptable. A ticket pocket is not "structural" and is really a matter of preference.

I feel the layer of canvas there - it's definitely different than my other, OTR, suits. It must be fully-canvased, then.

I can't really speak to the drape of the suit, except to say that the suit FEELS great and that I haven't noticed any of the usual tell-tale signs of bad drape - IE, fabric bunching at the neck, the arms creasing to indicate twist... The rise IS a little low, certainly. That's a little unusual for me... Might be an issue if I chose to wear braces, as I understand your waist is a little higher like that than it would be otherwise.

I agree regarding the ticket pocket, and that's certainly why I brought it up.

Given the rushed nature of the job, though, and the price, I'm not really complaining

 

[Maccimus]

Then you should trust him.
I used to call him to ask whether I can use my own fabric, and he said no...

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by Maccimus

Then you should trust him.
I used to call him to ask whether I can use my own fabric, and he said no...

I guess no one likes to be responsible if they ruin your fabric.

 

[Maccimus]

Originally Posted by BraveMax

I feel the layer of canvas there - it's definitely different than my other, OTR, suits. It must be fully-canvased, then.

I can't really speak to the drape of the suit, except to say that the suit FEELS great and that I haven't noticed any of the usual tell-tale signs of bad drape - IE, fabric bunching at the neck, the arms creasing to indicate twist... The rise IS a little low, certainly. That's a little unusual for me... Might be an issue if I chose to wear braces, as I understand your waist is a little higher like that than it would be otherwise.

I agree regarding the ticket pocket, and that's certainly why I brought it up.

Given the rushed nature of the job, though, and the price, I'm not really complaining

Well, you can find some places much cheaper than Kiang's, if you speak some mandarin

.

 

[TheWraith]

Originally Posted by BraveMax

My apologies for the long delay - I've had quite a bit to catch up on since I got back, and somehow pictures and a review just never seemed to top my to-do list!

Pictures of the Raymond Kiang (Eleganza Uomo) suit I purchased when I was in Shanghai at the end of March can be found in this gallery:

http://s820.photobucket.com/albums/zz124/BraveMax/

Over-all, I feel that my experience was a good one. I'm obviously not experienced in this, so I can't really speak to the over-all quality... But my mother (who is a fabric expert) pronounced the fabric of good quality, and the stitching good (apart from some places she found "a little strange" - one example being the stitching around the collar tag. Picture in the gallery.).

The suit, as far as I can tell, fits quite well and is very sturdy.

As for the actual customer service... Well - that was pretty good too. I've read that the mark of a bad tailor is that he imposes his will on the suit. For the most part, Raymond was very accommodating and quite patient. He presented me with the major options, and made good suggestions based on what I told him I was looking for (including a very good suggestion on the fabric). He also patiently explained why he suggested that I do things a certain way, and I chose to trust him on several decisions upon which we disagreed.

He also did the actual stitching and fitting in record time (literally 24 hours between fittings). There were three visits - initial, first fitting, and the final fitting. And he was open late each night!

The only complaints I have were fairly minor:

1) Language barrier - his staff spoke little to no english around me. That includes the actual tailor (an elderly gentleman who really seemed to know his stuff, as far as I could tell)...
2) On one or two of the minor touches, he actively pushed me away from suggestions I had made. In particular, I was interested in getting a ticket pocket and he quite firmly told me that it was just "in fashion now" and that I should not have one put in. He also didn't ask me about the cell phone pocket in the trousers - just added it. I suppose it's kind of a substitute for the ticket pocket... But I don't find it all that comfortable to use, and therefore don't. This same attitude applied to several other minor options, though in those cases I feel like my inexperience was a deciding factor. They impacted the look of the suit, and therefore he may well have been trying to steer me away from decisions which I would have regretted.

Thanks for the review.

 

[BraveMax]

Originally Posted by Maccimus

Well, you can find some places much cheaper than Kiang's, if you speak some mandarin

.

Oh, I'm sure. I was even there with friends who were fluent in Shanghainese and Mandarin... But they were arriving a day later, and I didn't want to wait

Also, they didn't know the local sartorial options, so it would have been a major crapshoot as far as which tailor we picked...

Originally Posted by TheWraith

Thanks for the review.

No problem.

 

[dbc]

Headed to Shanghai next month. Looking at using Eleganza since Chan is probably too expensive for me.

I fly in on a Wednesday afternoon and out on Sunday afternoon. Would it be possible to get a shirt made in that period of time?

If I'm looking at Thomas Mason, Egyptian or Sea Island cotton, how much damage to the wallet are we looking at?

Thanks chaps.

 

[dbc]

*bump*

 

[VR88]

I had two suits made by Raymond earlier this year, one two-piece and one three-piece. The construction is excellent, great range of fabrics and adjustments are no trouble whatsoever (I drop into Shanghai occassionally and he can make any adjustments in 48 hours).

I also have three shirts made. The fabrics are mediocre and the construction a little heavy for my liking, however for the price they are quite good and the fit is obviously superb.

Highly recommended, best service and quality in Shanghai.

 

[barrelntrigger]

The padding actually isn't too bad - I have really broad shoulders, and they dip quite a bit. So the padding actually works well in most cases. I certainly have suits with less, though.

I paid 5480 Yuan for the suit and the shirt. That was ~$840 when I bought the suit.

The fabric... I have a swatch of it attached to the bill, but he did not write down the name. It wasn't one I recognized, anyways. I believe it was a Super 120? It's pretty light-weight stuff - I wanted a suit I could wear in a DC summer.

One more detail which was disputed earlier... Again, I'm no expert here and I'm not quite sure what to look for to verify this, but in my limited knowledge I don't believe the jacket's fused. I asked him, actually, and he quite clearly told me that all of their suits were fully-canvased.

Hello, may I ask what kind of fabric was it? Was it Chinese fabric or imported designer fabric? Thanks a lot!