Show us your Chan

[ter1413]



+1, you can't tease us like that.

+2

 

[Wallcloud]

Going to see mr chan in march in chicago. Looking forward to it!

 

[JLibourel]

^Actually, you are going to see Mr. Patrick Chu, not Mr. Chan. I am not sure whether W.W. Chan is still alive, but his son, the head of the company, is now living in Shanghai, I am pretty sure. Previously, he was living in North San Diego County.

 

[hangthree]



For a mid to heavy weight, the Smiths 11 or so oz can't be beat imo. The threads are four ply and very dense and durable, while the weave is pretty open. It's significantly heavier than the Minnis 9-10 oz and the lighter Crispaire. Crispaire is probably best for a suit, but for a blazer suit, I'd go w/ Minnis or Smiths -- Minnis for lighter weights, Smiths for heavier. My navy blazer suit is made from the Smiths 11 oz stuff. If you could get two, or plan ahead, I'd get the Smiths in a darker navy and the Minnis in the lighter weight and color, namely 0520.

I agree...I ordered a Smith's Finnmersco in dark blue with patch pockets, dark purple lining, and smoked MOP buttons over the summer. I keep it in my office at work for impromtu meetings. I forget the exact cloth #, but its 11oz and drapes perfectly.

I recommend Smith's.

 

[bboysdontcryy]



I agree...I ordered a Smith's Finnmersco in dark blue with patch pockets, dark purple lining, and smoked MOP buttons over the summer. I keep it in my office at work for impromtu meetings. I forget the exact cloth #, but its 11oz and drapes perfectly.

I recommend Smith's.

For a mid to heavy weight, the Smiths 11 or so oz can't be beat imo. The threads are four ply and very dense and durable, while the weave is pretty open. It's significantly heavier than the Minnis 9-10 oz and the lighter Crispaire. Crispaire is probably best for a suit, but for a blazer suit, I'd go w/ Minnis or Smiths -- Minnis for lighter weights, Smiths for heavier. My navy blazer suit is made from the Smiths 11 oz stuff. If you could get two, or plan ahead, I'd get the Smiths in a darker navy and the Minnis in the lighter weight and color, namely 0520.

This resonates with my experience. It's just a surprise that Smith's isn't as well received as other reputable merchants. Chalk it down to the difficulty of getting fabrics from them.

 

[johanm]



This resonates with my experience. It's just a surprise that Smith's isn't as well received as other reputable merchants. Chalk it down to the difficulty of getting fabrics from them.

Smith Woollens is awesome. They came onto my radar as a result of Michael Alden's raving about them on the London Lounge. Love their Botany line in particular due to (i) a wide range of beautiful grey sharkskins and non-navy blues, and (ii) a selection of plain weaves that are highly breathable while maintaining the strengths of 13 oz fabric.

 

[David Reeves]



Smith Woollens is awesome. They came onto my radar as a result of Michael Alden's raving about them on the London Lounge. Love their Botany line in particular due to (i) a wide range of beautiful grey sharkskins and non-navy blues, and (ii) a selection of plain weaves that are highly breathable while maintaining the strengths of 13 oz fabric.

For those kinds of cloths I do prefer H Lesser though. You can deal direct with Smiths I believe. Is anyone a Taylor and Lodge fan? They are really nice but very much under the radar.

 

[johanm]



For those kinds of cloths I do prefer H Lesser though. You can deal direct with Smiths I believe. Is anyone a Taylor and Lodge fan? They are really nice but very much under the radar.

I like Lesser 13 oz too, but Smith's Botany book excels in the areas I noted above - non-navy blues/grey sharkskins, and breathable plain weave fabrics - in terms of both breadth and quality of options. Lesser 13 oz is better for twills, nailhead, and birdseye IMO.

 

[add911_11]



For those kinds of cloths I do prefer H Lesser though. You can deal direct with Smiths I believe. Is anyone a Taylor and Lodge fan? They are really nice but very much under the radar.

My dad is a great fan, they do beautiful super numbers, luxurious british finish.

Some of their range are very expensive, even for the bigtimers here.

TBH, Fintex of London is the real under-rate,I thought their finish and stiffness will be phrased in here.

 

[David Reeves]



My dad is a great fan, they do beautiful super numbers, luxurious british finish.

Some of their range are very expensive, even for the bigtimers here.

TBH, Fintex of London is the real under-rate,I thought their finish and stiffness will be phrased in here.

Well a lot of people mark up fabric which makes fabrics like that prohibitive. I've never seen the point in that, I just figure I make money on suits and why not use a good cloth if I can? The Golden bale runs at $250 a yard to me so it's quite pricey but imagine if I marked that up by a factor of 3? Then it becomes very expensive to the end client. I expect to spend $500 on an entry level cloth and that's what the client pays. For Golden bale they may spend an extra $500 but it's not completely crazy.

I agree about the twills Lesser does them great. Fantastic for trousers.

 

[add911_11]



Well a lot of people mark up fabric which makes fabrics like that prohibitive. I've never seen the point in that, I just figure I make money on suits and why not use a good cloth if I can? The Golden bale runs at $250 a yard to me so it's quite pricey but imagine if I marked that up by a factor of 3? Then it becomes very expensive to the end client. I expect to spend $500 on an entry level cloth and that's what the client pays. For Golden bale they may spend an extra $500 but it's not completely crazy.

I agree about the twills Lesser does them great. Fantastic for trousers.

Well, only the educated gents will appreciate the beauty of golden bale, I think the price you mentioned are very reasonable. I am sure as a distinguished tailor like you, some customers will be happy to go the extra mile. What is your opinion on Reid & Taylor? Apparently that was the gold standard brand back in my dad's age, is it true?

 

[Wallcloud]



^Actually, you are going to see Mr. Patrick Chu, not Mr. Chan. I am not sure whether W.W. Chan is still alive, but his son, the head of the company, is now living in Shanghai, I am pretty sure. Previously, he was living in North San Diego County.

I stand corrected. I retain my original excitement.

 

[Wallcloud]

Does anyone have any tips on getting in touch with chan? I have had no luck getting a return email regarding my inquiry into a meeting on the 22nd of this month even though I have sent several emails.

 

[Archivist]

Send the message from another email address. I had an issue with email getting caught in a spam filter. I contacted them from another address and they added me to their white-list.

Or you could simply phone them.
Hong Kong Shop
A2, 2/F., Burlington House, 94 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Phone : (852) 2366 9738, 2366 2634 Fax : (852) 2368 2194
Email: sales @ wwchan.com

 

[vinveritas]

You may want to try Ms. Fiona Lam at [email protected].