Moving to Hong Kong, Buy Now or Wait? Shoes, Shirts, Etc.

[temporaryachilles]

I'm moving to Hong Kong in a few months, where for the first time in a decade, I'll be working in a formal business environment. I have to assemble a complete wardrobe from scratch, and I've been doing my 'diligence' on this site, which has been informative and overwhelming.

My question is: Are there items that I should buy in the U.S. before moving?

My initial thoughts:

• Buy shoes in the U.S. Nordstrom's seems to have good prices on Allen Edmonds shoes this weekend ($210 for most models). But can better value can be found in HK? Perhaps Mayer bespoke?
  
• Buy suits in HK. I'd like to try suits from W.W. Chan, Gordon Yao, and A Man, and then filling out my wardrobe from the tailor I like best. The price for bespoke in HK seems to be comparable with decent quality RTW suits in the U.S.
  
• Buy shirts in HK. I'm thinking about having shirts made at Ascot Chang or Jantzen. The price of bespoke Ascot shirts may be an issue.
  
• HK may be about the same or slightly more expensive for high-quality RTW and brand name goods, ties, t-shirts, socks, etc.

I'd be very grateful for any input!

 

[acidboy]

You'll find everything you need there, don't worry.

 

[temporaryachilles]

Thanks -- my internet research showed that virtually everyone has a store in HK, so selection won't be an issue. I guess I'm more concerned about prices. My prior overseas assignment was in Brazil, where imported clothes cost three times more than in the U.S., and domestically produced stuff was mostly junk. If certain things are less expensive in the U.S., I can buy them now and take them with me.

 

[whoopee]

Buy shoes. Hard to find good ones at the prices your A-Es are going for.

 

[temporaryachilles]

Thanks -- I just nabbed four pairs of AEs from the Nordstrom sale for $210-230 each.

 

[Suits You Sir!]

David's Shirts is also a good bet. Heaps of beautiful fabrics, shirts are made with great attention to detail.

I went to his place on Kimberley Rd in Kowloon back in April this year. Lovely guy. Go there and he'll show you around his shop, telling you all about the processes that go into making a shirt, preparing and storing the fabrics. And he does so with boundless, youthful enthusiasm - impressive for an old guy. Staff very polite except for one who was pushy to the extreme. He persisted to the point of being rude, so towards him only I was forced to be very firm. Sadly that soured the experience when I picked up the shirts on my third visit. Was it not for that it would have been a 100% pleasurable shopping experience.

David also has a shop in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the Island.

Minimum first order of three shirts. I chose pink gingham, a grey houndstooth and a beautifully soft bright purple. The most luxurious fabric and an incredible colour. All came out great, nice fit and well made. Not cheap but you get what you pay for. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Web address is - http://davidsshirts.com/

It's not to the standard of Ascot Chang's website but don't let that fool you for the quality of David's shirts.

I never got around to visiting Changs as my very dear wife fell ill. So how the two compare is up to others to offer an opinion.

Have fun in Honkers.

 

[temporaryachilles]

Thanks, I'll pay David a visit -- he's in the same hotel as Mayer Shoe, another place I wanted to check out. Can you give ballpark figures on his prices? I'll probably want Thomas Mason Silverline or equivalent...

 

[Suits You Sir!]

Geez, I really don't remember the precise figures.

I would dig through my receipts but given it was my last trip with my beautiful wife who lost her battle with breast cancer shortly after our return, it's something I can't bring myself to do at this stage.

I'm thinking it was around AUS$180 a shirt for us. Of course this all depends on the fabrics you choose. The purple was a choice of my wife's and was the most expensive of the three.

 

[Douglas]

Originally Posted by Suits You Sir!

Geez, I really don't remember the precise figures.

I would dig through my receipts but given it was my last trip with my beautiful wife who lost her battle with breast cancer shortly after our return, it's something I can't bring myself to do at this stage.

I'm thinking it was around AUS$180 a shirt for us. Of course this all depends on the fabrics you choose. The purple was a choice of my wife's and was the most expensive of the three.

Jesus, brutal. I'm so sorry. I am sure you have many wonderful memories from the trip. My condolences and best wishes.

 

[temporaryachilles]

Thanks for the information. I'm very sorry about your wife -- it's obvious that she must have been very special to you.

 

[Suits You Sir!]

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. They are appreciated.

Yes, it surely is brutal. I thought I had prepared for what was coming. Nothing can be further from the truth. Nothing prepares you to see your partner die.

She was so very, very special to me. She was my inspiration (and to many whose lives she touched), my strength, my soul mate.... my world. Life now is an empty existence. And a very lonely one at that.

Less than 24hrs after touching down at home I had her rushed by ambulance to hospital - she couldn't breathe. She suffered a pulminary embollism and rapid progression of mets in the lungs.

On admission she was put on 35 litres of oxygen per minute and was told she would probably not make it through the night. Despite this, about 10 days afterwards on the ward and with zero improvement in scans of her lungs, she'd got herself down to 5 litres per minute. She was so, so determined. But four weeks after being rushed in, we were told she had no more chemotherapy options left and would be discharged to go home to die. After four days at home, she went back to hospital for a transfusion due to low haemoglobin.

Amazingly, after being admitted to hospital once again she was given a few days to survive. But she fought like the true heroine she was and lasted for almost another three weeks.

I am so incredibly proud of her and for the incredible fight she put up. I know that if she'd had her own comfort in mind, she would have not fought for as long as she did. I do believe she hung on for as long as she possibly could for the benefit of us. For this - and for many other reasons (including encouraging me to learn to fly!) - she will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Incidentally, I sent Ash Samtani an email about her loss. My wife had much to do with the suit that the Samtani's made for me during my trip to HK and she made an impression on them also.

Regardless of how people on SF view Ash's tailoring, (which I thought was excellent), I have to say that when they conduct business with clients at the time - and afterwards - both Ash and his son Luke are true gentlemen who deserve a great deal of respect for the genuine interest and friendship they have with their clients.

I was surprised and heartened to see they had written a wonderful reply email about my wife, whom they had remembered fondly and said some beautiful words about her.

I will always remember that suit with truly special memories of both my wife and of the Samtanis.

 

[acidboy]

I'm sorry about your loss. I sure hope your wife is in a happier place, and you also find some happiness even without her.

 

[Toiletduck]

Sorry for your loss - may she rip.

Originally Posted by whoopee

Buy shoes. Hard to find good ones at the prices your A-Es are going for.

+1, good shoes are more readily available in the US (unless you want cheap custom made shoes). I would suggest to pick a tailor based on what you have read on the forum, and stick to them for at least 2 suits (1 test and 2nd tweaked), unless the first 1 is junk.

 

[temporaryachilles]

Thanks for the tip. I have some new AEs in my suitcase!

Originally I thought that I would try one suit from each of the top three tailors mentioned on this forum -- A Man, WW Chan, and G. Yao. However, it seems that current prices for their suits are a bit more than anticipated ($1500 or so for nice fabrics). I will still probably try at least one of them. But I wonder if there are good tailors in HK that can produce decent business suits in the $750-$1000 range?

In exchange for some good recommendations, I'll post pics of the finished suits.

 

[esspee1200]

depending on where you currently live. HK is pretty pricey. but its also a fashion and shopping mecca. the place is floodeed with shops and malls.