tailors in seoul korea?

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by Alias

Really late to this thread.

Min is a great tailor. It's too bad he'll be moving to the States in September. I'll be getting as many suits from him as I can before he does. I went for a fitting just today in fact.

I haven't found any decent shirtmakers in Seoul. Not one. Of course I'm the kind of guy who looks for pattern matching at the shoulders and all that picky stuff.

After Mr. Min goes, I might try out Zenith, but the guy who runs that store is an ass. The actual tailor on the other hand is a nice guy. The worksmanship is pretty good.

But as far as tailored clothing goes, you get what you pay for.

Alias, have you had any luck with shirtmakers? I'm leaving Korea next month and I wanted to take my best fitting shirt and just have it copied 4-5x over before I go home.

I've tried Dainty but I wasn't impressed with the result, so I want to try some place else...

 

[dizzhizz]

i think there is a reputable shirt maker over in the basement of the Hyatt hotel that gets a lot of attention from the ex-pat community so might be worthy to check out...

 

[stvnr]

I would be interested in this as well. I've had shirts made at several tailors but haven't been happy with any of them.

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by dizzhizz

i think there is a reputable shirt maker over in the basement of the Hyatt hotel that gets a lot of attention from the ex-pat community so might be worthy to check out...
I'm going to check em out tomorrow. I'd really like to basically trash 4-5 of my old Jantzen shirts with fresh jawnz if I can. I'll let the board know the results.

 

[sage_incognito]

Interesting to see discussions going on about tailors in Korea. Yes Korean men are indeed victims of rapid modernization and economic growth. They are not given a chance to savor and appreciate the true beauty or style of gentlemen's suit. Almost 99% of Korean male in suit are fashion-terrorists - wearing huge suit (on average 2 size larger than their body size) or excessively shining skinny suit (we deride them as "cutlass fish"). The long trousers (thus making heavy breaks around ankles) and cheap black square-toed shoes have become an easy identification tag for Koreans when you see them overseas.

Yet as a member of Style Forum and an active participant at Korea's own version of style forum, I would like to let you know there are two excellent stores.

1. Segi tailor: It means "century tailor" ("Segi" is pronounced "Seh-ghee." The first syllable se as in "set" the second ghee as in "lamborghini") Famous for tailoring the three former Korean presidents, their style is excellent - true to Neapolitan style. Visit "www.segitailor.com" and check their style yourselves. The price starts with 1200K won (about US$900) and for a Neapolitan style, you should pay at least 2000k won (about US$1500). It's a bespoke tailorshop, taking more than three weeks. Located at the B1 floor of Lotte Hotel near City Hall.

Please note most tailorshops around Sogong-dong (nearby City hall and Bank of Korea building) are the best in Korea, which means the most expensive. Frequent customers include politicians, CEO's of big companies, high-ranking diplomats, etc. Among them Segi is rated one of the best.

2. Lansmere: Located in Cheongdam dong (upscale town in Kangnam area), this is a collection shop of luxury goods. It also provides a wonderful custom tailoring. Starting price is around 3000K won (about US$2300). They also sell John Lobb shoes, Tie your tie ties, Attolini suits, etc.

As for shirts, Hamilton is not regarded as good among the members of that Korean version of style forum. Instead they recommend "Lims" at Hyatt (on the foothills of Namsan Mountain) and "Savile Row" nearby Sejong Art Center. (this place is quite hard to find for foreigners). Price starts with around 50k won (35 dollars). "Goshe" is also a good one located in Apgujeong dong. (As far as I know, Goshe and Savile Row are from the same managers). I am not sure whether or they can speak and understand English at those shops, yet their quality is good.

You can buy some upscale shoes like Stefano Bemer, John Lobb in Seoul as well only you know where they are sold. Believe or not, you can buy Church's shoes at dirt cheap price in Seoul, only if you know how to shrewdly use "the shoe voucher" at the department store (while supplies last). Some of my friend bought a pair of Church's Consul at 400k won. (around US $300).

The more you know about Seoul, the more surprised you will be. I'm Korean living in Seoul for more than 25 years. Ask me anything about Seoul.

 

[Brian SD]

I'd love to go check out Segi tailor but it's more money than I'm willing to spend at the moment. Sage, do you have anything to speak of about Hahn's, near Noksapyeong station? From the sounds of things, they offer a pretty decent value for your won. I know I'm cheaping out here, but I want to spend under 600k won for a (at least semi-decent) suit - anything less (quality or value) and I'll just forego the idea and put off the MTM suit to another day. I know exactly what you're talking about re: "Cutlass Fish." It's one of the first things I've noticed since I came to Korea, yet despite this, I would consider Korean people to be dressed far, far better on average than Americans. Fashion-terrorists as they may be, I do give Korean men credit for actually looking like they put some thought into what they're wearing before they step out of the house. I'll check out Goshe, as it's closest to my apartment in Gangnam. Really all I need them to do is get the measurements from a shirt I already have, which I consider to be a perfect fit. Hopefully they can handle that much in English.

 

[sage_incognito]

Brian, frankly I don't know about Hahn's tailor. I assume tailorshops in Itaewon are on average nice for quality, excellent for money. (quite reminding me of Hyundai cars in the 90's) Given the overall comments on Hahn's tailor, I guess it would be a safe bet if you try a suit under 600k won. I am not sure whether they will craft a style like strapatta (three-button suit with lapel rolled to second button), manica camicia (natural shoulder feeling like shirts), or la barca chest pocket though.

I had two suits tailored in Washington tailor shop about 5 years ago when I had a vague idea about men's suit. They fit well and I am quite satisfied with them except the sleeve buttons are non-functional. (Something I regret for not having askedf for.)

Goshe is good. take a look at some pictures posted by a Korean sartolialist. Their collar and fit options are far better than other shirt shops.

http://blog.naver.com/gustosignore/40060906546 (don't try to read the Korean. LOL)

In case you think communication might be problem, go to Savile Row nearby Sejong Art Center in Kwanghwamoon. The tailor said he used to work(or study) in London. The patterns are same as Goshe. There is nothing but address direction on its website with phone number. One more thing: For the same shirt, Savile row is on average 5-10K won cheaper than Goshe thanks to the slightly lower rent. (the tailor told me so.)

http://www.savilerow.co.kr

In case you're interested in Segi tailor's style, visit Segi tailor's blog. Here are some excerpts.
http://blog.naver.com/f1racing/100055111079
http://blog.naver.com/f1racing/100054548939

They boast Lee Kun-hee, the legendary CEO of Samsung "empire" was also a frequent customer there quoting a newspaper article. (Also former president, Park, Chun, Roh, etc.) Some pictures feature a suit for a tall, lanky Swede. I assume they do speak English, for I don't think they can speak Swedish fluently. Nor do I think the Swedish guy chatted in Korean.

Hope this will be of some help jettisoning the idea that Koreans are only making cheap knock-off stuff on a rundown street. (Itaewon and Hong-dae are my least favorite hangout place.)

 

[stvnr]

Thank you for the tip, sage! I will check out Goshe since I live nearby and also Savile Row next time I'm in the Gwanghamun area. I pass through the area near Goshe quite often but never saw the shop.

By the way, what's the Korean version of Styleforum? I can read and write Korean so I'd definitely be interested.

 

[Quede]

classic menswear forum(department store gallery) is http://gall.dcinside.com/list.php?id=department_store
naver classic style cafe is http://cafe.naver.com/senzaunsoldo
"Sage" is a member of both forums.

 

[dizzhizz]

good stuff sage! i've always heard about this MTM shop over in the Kwanghwamun area but never knew of the store name til now. I'm actually in the market for a charcoal grey so it seems like this will be my next stop after I got my income tax refund later this month!

are reservations required or can I just pop in and expect to be measured?

thanks again!

 

[iamtheface78]

Cheers for all the help, sage. I've been lurking trying to find a good tailor and Saville Row looks ace. How is their selection of material?

Or, alternatively, know any good places to buy suit/shirt material that's not strictly a tailor? Cheers! Next paycheck will find a good home in a few new shirt investments...

 

[sage_incognito]

Overall material quality of Savile Row is far better than the others in Itaewon. Hence the slightly higher price. I used to get my shirts tailored in Hamilton, but since I switched to Savile Row which is closer to my workplace, I no longer visit there.

Hamilton shirts shrink quite after washing, but those by Savile Row do no or maybe a little bit (at least not so noticeable). I am not sure whether that's because I pay more attention to washing. Anyway, I am satisfied with them. I am not crazy about super quality shirts, for I regard them as disposable goods after one or two year-long use.

You can visit the store during ordinary work hours from Monday to Friday. Material quality is good, at least better than Itaewon. In case you want superb quality try Italian or English material costing around 90-150k won.

As for cloth material, Kwangjang market in Jongno and Dongdaemun market are famous. Both are for retail sales and I am not sure whether they will sell off some cloth for personal tailoring. For Kwangjang market, visit http://jkm.or.kr/home/home/sijang/ (No English.) for suit cloth visit http://jkm.or.kr/home/home/sijang/bbs.php?id=m6 (No English)

Dongdaemun market also deals in some cloth material as well. http://www.dongdaemunsc.co.kr/index.html (Here again, no English) The homepage says cloth material is available on 3rd and 4th floor.

But it might be for sure quite a challenge. A foreigner goes to Kwangjang market for some yards of fine cloth while sieving through tons of old, cheap, and fake ones, and negotiates in Korean for a good deal. Then he takes that material to a tailor in Sogong-dong, whom he probably never met before. Again that foreigner requests he'd like to have a decent suit tailored using that material for a good price. Also negotiation is handled in Korean. Um... I wouldn't do that myself even in Korean. A brave soul (Korean) tried that once and got some replies. If you can read Korean, read this: http://gall.dcinside.com/list.php?id...store&no=13081

With the devalued Korean won and economic recession, expats in Korea have a great chance of buying excellent clothes at a cheap price. A couple of days ago, Galleria in Apkujeong-dong is said to have sold Turnbull & Asser shirts for 80k won. (55 US dollars). Some members of that Forum bought Sutor Mantellassi shoes at 250k-300 Won (less than 200-230 US dollars) - boasting that must be the cheapeast Mantellassi shoes in the universe.

 

[iamtheface78]

Thanks sage...sounds a bit scary as my Korean is limited at best.... so I'll probably just stick with Saville Row...

 

[Brian SD]

With the devalued Korean won and economic recession, expats in Korea have a great chance of buying excellent clothes at a cheap price. A couple of days ago, Galleria in Apkujeong-dong is said to have sold Turnbull & Asser shirts for 80k won. (55 US dollars). Some members of that Forum bought Sutor Mantellassi shoes at 250k-300 Won (less than 200-230 US dollars) - boasting that must be the cheapeast Mantellassi shoes in the universe.

Damn, are you serious? Mantellasis for 300k won in Galleria?

I really wish I knew enough Korean to find out about this stuff.

 

[kimchikowboy]

Great thread. I've been looking for Mantaellasis in Korea, and now I know where to go (though I expect the largest sizes are US 10, which is too small). I was at Shinsegae Department store near Namdaemun last weekend and they had Duchamp ties for 55,000 won, if anyone is interested.