L&K Custom Tailor

[CFunk]

Hello SF Members,

Has anybody ever tried L&K custom tailor? I believe they are based in HK headed by Michael Lalwani. I am looking to get work shirts and I think they're doing a stop in NY next month. Also, can anybody compare their quality with that of Lee Baron's (I think they're also doing a stop in NY in mid May)?

Furthermore, my price range is approximately $50-$75 if anybody has recommendations. I am trying to avoid the online MTM route (Jantzen). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Joan Rodriguez]

Hi,

I highly recommend L&K, a friend of mine had his suits done there so I gave it a shot: outstanding!

They have a small shop on Nathan Road where they have thousands of different fabrics. They get your measures and offer you intermediate fittings where you can personalize everything. Their suits are:

- 100% Bespoke, no patterns there
- Full canvassed
- Hand stitched
- Made in HK (not mainland china)

And then you can get almost any kind of italian/english fabric, including wool with cashmere, silk, merino: you name it.

The owner is called Michael, his father used to be a tailor too and he took over the business 30 years ago. What else is there to say?

Oh and if you're not in Hong Kong you should check out their tour schedule http://www.lktailor.com/trip_schedule.php

voila

 

[CFunk]

I ended up getting a few shirts from the company. Long story short - fabric/fit was okay. But I will not be ordering from them again. PM me if anybody wants more details or info about my experience.

 

[downtownford2]

I have bought one suit, one pair of trousers, and four dress shirts from LK. I'd highly recommend buying suits, sport coats, and trousers from them, I would not go back for the dress shirts.

Suit review
Pros:

• The suit fits men like a gem. Perfect in the shoulders and sleeve length.
• Fully canvassed. The suit conforms to your body shape after a few wears.
• Working cuff buttons.
• Fabric is nice, from Taylor & Littlewood in England.
• Silk lining throughout, even in sleeves.
• Pick stitching throughout.
• Great choice of fabrics, including Loro Piana.

Cons:

• Tailor forgot to include a ticket pocket which I requested.
• Cheap buttons.
• Trouser fit was a little snug in the waist and crotch, but noting a tailor can't fix. When I visited L&K a second time, I requested he let out the crotch and waist a 1/4 inch, making them fit perfectly.
• Stitching could be a little better in some areas; the piece of fabric on the top of the breast pocket came undone but was quickly fixed.

Shirt review
Pros

• Large, almost overwhelming choice of fabrics.
• Great fit in shoulders and sleeves.

Cons

• Not tailored well around the waist, could use more tapering.
• Shirts are not long enough - extend maybe 3-4 inches below belt line, as if they were tailored to be worn untucked.
• Cheap buttons, correlating to shirt color. Some buttons became undone after a few wears.
• Collars are stiff, like they have some sort of card-stock paper in them. Not necessarily a con, but still feels strange when compared to other dress shirt collars.

Conclusion
I would definitely recommend a suit/sport coat and trousers from L&K. Despite the cons mentioned in the suit review, they are nothing a tailor can't fix for a modest amount. When you compare with buying a fully canvased OTW suit, L&K is a far better bargain, even if minor alterations are necessary. I get compliments whenever I wear my L&K suit.

The shirts were obviously a huge disappointment, and as I said earlier, I would not buy another one. The biggest problem is how short they are, because unlike the minor defects in the suit, you cannot have alterations to make the shirt longer.