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tailors in seoul korea?

HanSoo417

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Looking to buy a tailored suit in korea. Any recommendations.

tips would be helpful tool. like how to make sure i'm not being ripped off.

I'm here for the summer and heard that i could get cheaper prices and hopefully a better fit seeing as how my body type is more similar to the people here than the big fold in america.
 

slipperywhenwet

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Welcome to Korea. How much do you want to spend? What style do you like? Do you think those men in the shiny silver suits actually look good?

Whatever you do, stay out of Itaewon. Yes, they can make you a "nice suit" for cheap, but it'll last barely more than a month.

Go where the Koreans go, but be certain to make sure that the tailor knows that you don't want to look like a basketball player. Korean men wear suits that are usually 2 sizes too large, have droopy asses, and are WAY too wide in the legs.

I found that explaining that I wanted a slim fit helped a lot. Also, don't expect to be happy with your first pair of pants. It will be hard for a tailor to really understand what you want if you like to dress properly here. However, the tailor I dealt with adapted quickly, and my second and third pants were perfect.

For a Korean suit, expect to pay around $350 as a minimum, and for pants around $100. ***** run around $30~50. The pants are made as well as my Paul Smith, and have lasted well. I never bought any suits because I'm not a fan of the styles, but that's just me. The shirts I've had made are not bad either.
 

Matt

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Search for posts by Alias from a few years back. I think je ended up finding a decent tailor.
 

HanSoo417

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I'm looking for a simple slim black suit. No, i don't like those shiny suits that people wear and i don't want to spend more than $400. $300 is the price i was hoping for.

Is itaewon that bad? i was told to go there by a few people. lol

Where exactly do the koreans go anyways?
 

slipperywhenwet

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Simple black almost any tailor here can do, and do a good job within your price range.

Itaewon is the seedy area that most of the G.I.s hang out in. It reminds me of the most rundown parts of Beijing where the foreigners would go to get fakes. You'll be looking at shops that are run by people who know that they will never see their clients again because most of them are just there on holidays.

I had a tailor in Bundang, who I liked quite a bit. Most of the tailors here, especially in the lower price ranges, don't actually make the suits. Rather they take the measurements and send those measurements and any special instructions to a central facility, where the clothing is then made. It takes about a week to get pants or shirts, but I'm not sure how long for jackets.
 

Xenok

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The two tailors in Seoul that have been mentioned in this forum are Hahn's and Satoria Min.

Hahn's is actually in Itaewon, and I've gotten a charcoal gray suit from them and I'm quite satisfied with them. They do a good job (for the price at least) but it's important that you tell them what you want. The default style is definitely not what you would consider slim fitting. The cost is about $450 for a suit, and $600 with an extra pair of pants. This is for local material, i.e. Cheil's top of the line stuff. If you want Loro Pianna or Scabal, double that. I don't remember what other books they carry but they definitely have those two.

Alias (another SF member) has recommended Satoria Min. He's located at Grand Intercontinental Hotel (not COEX Intercontinental). You might have to search for his post.

I've also heard good things about Zenith Tailor at Grand Intercontinental and most people tell me the tailors at the top hotels are all pretty decent, but of course pricier.

There's a street near City Hall that's famous for their tailors, and I walked by it once and was very impressed by their window display. I forgot the name though, I'll try to see if I can find out what the street is called.

Itaewon is filled with shady fly-by-night operations, but they are not all bad, you just have to be careful.

I've had no luck with shirts though. Hahn's outsources their shirts and I wasn't too happy with the results (the sleeves are too baggy and the cuffs and collar too stiff), so I'm probably going to try Hamilton next.
 

riotshield

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I had a few suits made in Itaewon. One at Hahn's and two at a shop a few doors down called Savile Row. The Hahn suit is more business (versatile for work), the Savile Row suits are more form fitting. Very good construction on both though. I paid 450K won for the Hahn and 375K for the Savile Row.

I've had good luck with Hamilton for MTM shirts (also in Itaewon), for about 35K-45K won a shirt.
 

Alias

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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.
 

HanSoo417

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Originally Posted by Xenok
Itaewon is filled with shady fly-by-night operations, but they are not all bad, you just have to be careful.

be careful? How do I be careful? what are thing I need to look out for?
I'm a poor college student so i don't need the finest of suits. I just want one to fit me right. I'm 5'4" so most suits look a little funny off the rack even with alterations. and since i'm looking for a slim suit, slim suits don't look slim on a guy my height.
 

maclock

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Sorry, but I'm reviving this thread. Can anyone name any tailors in Seoul offering bespoke service on the level of W.W. Chan & Sons? If they can speak some English, that would be even better.

The tailoring prices in Seoul might make a short trip there well worth my while if they will do a few fittings, etc. Do the tailors in Seoul offer bespoke? Do they canvas their suits? So many questions....
 
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I have had a number of suits and a few odd jackets made by "England" tailor Jung Been Lee in Itaewan. Excellent craftsmanship and a variety of 150's wool materials to choose from.
 

maclock

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Any contact and/or cost information, Sartorial in Seattle?

Many thanks,
maclock
 

maclock

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Many thanks. I have dropped him a line.

Can anyone confirm whether Mr. Min of Satoria Min has moved to the States?
 

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