Tailors/Retailers in Vancouver

[Michael1981]

Hi,
I am making a 3 week trip to Vancouver and was wondering if there are any places/stores I should see.

In particular I would like to know whether or not there are any concepts that offer MTM shirting at good prices. (around the $100CDN mark) Being from Toronto I've yet to find a good source for shirts.

 

[clownmitts]

You're not going to find it in Vancouver either. The shopping here is miserable. You could give May Sun custom shirt co. a try. It's at 3673 Main St. I've had one shirt made there for 100$ and I wasn't that impressed. It seems as though the entire court system of B.C. gets their shirts made there based on the business cards Mr. Ng has taped to his counter.

 

[ceaton]

Originally Posted by clownmitts

You're not going to find it in Vancouver either. The shopping here is miserable. You could give May Sun custom shirt co. a try. It's at 3673 Main St. I've had one shirt made there for 100$ and I wasn't that impressed. It seems as though the entire court system of B.C. gets their shirts made there based on the business cards Mr. Ng has taped to his counter.

What the mitts says is true.

 

[Roger]

Exactamundo. Anything we have in Vancouver in the way of stores (Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew, the Bay, etc.) you have in Toronto and with a bigger selection and better prices.

I don't think your MTM shirt quest will do well here either. You could try Angelo's Tailors in the 1500 block of Commercial Drive, but I really don't think you'll find a decent MTM shirt here for $100.

 

[thisisme]

can anyone recommend any tailors in vancouver that are good with suit alterations ie waist suppression, thinning sleeves, etc etc?

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by thisisme

can anyone recommend any tailors in vancouver that are good with suit alterations ie waist suppression, thinning sleeves, etc etc?
(1) Tony Arletto at European Custom Tailors (604-684-8777) on Thurlow just south of Robson has done lots of this for me and is a pretty good, classically-trained Italian tailor. He now has a new partner, Tony Tran, who is Vietnamese. (2) Frank at Minichiello's in North Van (604-985-9222). Frank is also a classically-trained Italian tailor, and he, and the other tailors that work for Paul Minichiello, do good work. I've had surgeons' sleeves done by them, along with quite a bit of other alterations, trouser-making, and shirt-making (Frank doesn't do the latter work). Talk to Julie Minichiello about what you need done, and she'll bring Frank into it.

 

[thisisme]

bump.. would you go with these guys to alterations or stick with inhouse and if something goes awry they'll replace/fix/whatever it

 

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by thisisme

bump.. would you go with these guys to alterations or stick with inhouse and if something goes awry they'll replace/fix/whatever it
huh?

The only Vancity has going for it clothing-wise are some decent thrift and a few streetwear stores. As said before, TO has much better selection and prices of anything you'll find in Vancouver.

a

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by thisisme

bump.. would you go with these guys to alterations or stick with inhouse and if something goes awry they'll replace/fix/whatever it
If you buy something at Harry Rosen or Holt Renfrew, you'd probably be best advised to use their tailoring services, which, except for extensive alterations, should be free. Interestingly, these stores and others like them often use outside tailors like those I've mentioned in an earlier post to do their alterations work. A sales person may do the fitting and measuring, and then the garment is often sent out to some independent tailor. This practice may produce a less successful result in the end than having the actual tailor do the fitting and measuring, but if it's just trouser-cuffing or sleeve shortening, going with the in-house service may be fine.

On the other hand, if you need really extensive alteration work on a new garment purchased from one of the big menswear stores, you might think about going to an established tailor, rather than relying on the in-house service, since such alterations would undoubtedly carry a charge from the store over and above the cost of the garment. In this case, finding a tailor who makes bespoke (or, in Vancouver, more likely made-to-measure) suits, jackets, and trousers is probably your best bet. They will take measurements themselves, thus not having to translate measurements taken by a sales person (many of whom are close to hopeless in this area), and will work on the fit with you until it's right. The two tailoring companies I noted above are, in my experience, capable of doing this to an acceptable level of quality.

 

[tattersall]

Originally Posted by Aaron

As said before, TO has much better selection and prices of anything you'll find in Vancouver.

...and Toronto languishes behind Montreal. Don't get me started on my sleepy-hollow...

Vancouver does have a couple of gems worth mentioning - Richard Kidd has a better selection of Borrelli goods than you'll find in Toronto and at fair prices. Belvest mtm is available at a quiet place that Roger can tell you more about.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by tattersall

...and Toronto languishes behind Montreal. Don't get me started on my sleepy-hollow...

Vancouver does have a couple of gems worth mentioning - Richard Kidd has a better selection of Borrelli goods than you'll find in Toronto and at fair prices. Belvest mtm is available at a quiet place that Roger can tell you more about.
Yes, good idea, Tattersall. Madison Men's Wear (1050 Pender in the Bentall Tower) is the most recent incarnation of E.A. Lee, a longtime Vancouver menswear business, and is owned by Barron Lee. They carry Belvest, and Barron does Belvest MTM from that store. In my opinion, Belvest (of which I currently own nada, unfortunately) is extremely good quality--probably about the equivalent of Isaia (although not Neapolitan like Isaia), for example, and not far from Brioni--at a much lower price than the latter. Barron Lee told me that a MTM Belvest suit will cost something on the order of $3500+, so about the same price as Zegna Couture MTM, but, at least in my opinion, slightly better quality. I guess another store that might be mentioned is Leone Fashions (757 W. Hastings), which carries the "fashion forward" stuff from Versace, Prada, etc. Not at all my style, but, as far as I can tell, high quality--and the store has a very urban-cool ambience.

 

[sartorially senseless]

(2) Frank at Minichiello's in North Van (604-985-9222). Frank is also a classically-trained Italian tailor, and he, and the other tailors that work for Paul Minichiello, do good work. I've had surgeons' sleeves done by them, along with quite a bit of other alterations, trouser-making, and shirt-making (Frank doesn't do the latter work). Talk to Julie Minichiello about what you need done, and she'll bring Frank into it.[/quote]


do you know how much they charge when you bring your own suiting fabric?

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by sartorially senseless

do you know how much they charge when you bring your own suiting fabric?
Do you mean to have them do an MTM suit? No, I don't know; I haven't had them do a suit or jacket for me. Give Julie a call. If you're talking about trousers, the charge is $195 if you provide your own fabric.

 

[pg34]

Originally Posted by Aaron

huh?

The only Vancity has going for it clothing-wise are some decent thrift and a few streetwear stores. As said before, TO has much better selection and prices of anything you'll find in Vancouver.

a

Which thrift stores? I haven't had that much luck.

 

[sartorially senseless]

Originally Posted by Roger

Do you mean to have them do an MTM suit? No, I don't know; I haven't had them do a suit or jacket for me. Give Julie a call. If you're talking about trousers, the charge is $195 if you provide your own fabric.

MTM trousers are $195 WITH the fabric...i thought they were $195 for the whole package.

Ya, i guess that would make things much easier to call them.....