The Hong Kong Tailors Thread

[IsABellyDad]



Hadn't that gone up to $1150 HKD around CNY 2015, so more like US$ 140 before the cost of fabric.

I believe that CMT is only available to existing customers whose pattern is already known, so you have to place that 3 shirt minimum order first (though AFAIK one shirt can be made up first as a fit test before the others are completed).  Staff in the Princes Building quoted me shirts in house fabric prices from HKD1450 and in Thomas Mason from HKD2250.  Not cheap by any means.

To be precise, HK$1100 for CMT a shirt.

Back in end March, I received an email from AC about a customer referral program. So, as an existing customer, I refer a new bespoke customer, the new customer will get a voucher equal to 5% of the value of his first order and I will get a voucher equal to 10% of the value of his first order. Not sure whether this program is still on though.

 

[Penfold]

What's your take on the shirts, for fit, construction and durability? Worth the money? Which store do you tend to use, and have you tried other HK shirtmakers?

I admit that I do get put off by the cost - mainly the thought of what AC must pay in rent for their 4 stores here in HK - IFC, Prince's Building, Harbour City and the Peninsula, plus how my helper would mangle them at wash time.

 

[Penfold]

My sister getting married in August so I'd like to have a nice suit for this special day.

>> Are you 100% sure the guests will be in suits and not black tie or something more casual? Best check before you go any further.


I'd like to order a jacket and pants, I'm not very difficult and don't need extra special coton or soy, I just want a classy suit who fits me well.
I never wear suits (only own a very cheap one I bought for a previous wedding) for my work (always casual) or my personnal life (always casual too ).

>> What's your definition of classy? Timeless looking (i.e. traditional but maybe a little old-fashioned) or more contemporary?
>> What's your height, weight and body shape? Are you able to buy good fitting casual clothes in shops or are you a difficult shape to fit?
>> On Styleforum there are three things which we like: Cut, Construction and Fabric. Fit is included in Cut, but Cut also means the shape and style of suit, beyond how well it covers your body. Cut is also the most important, but we tend to get pretty picky about Construction and Fabric too. You are right to prioritise Cut though over expensive cloth. Read on...


About the budget I have to say that's quite tight as I'd like something arround 5000HKD (for jacket and pants), is it possible ?
Then I'd like a shirt and shoes, is with 1500 HKD I can have something nice ?

>> You can have suits made in HK for 5000 HKD or less, perhaps with a shirt or two thrown into the deal as a package. There will be compromises in terms of Construction and Fabric. You will probably get a fused suit, rather than one made around a floating canvas piece. Since you don't plan to wear the suit very often maybe this is something you can live with. Fabric is more tricky. Cheap fabric often looks very cheap. There is a lot of accumulated knowledge on various cloth manufacturers and their ranges, but those products will be out of your price range, so you're flying blind a little here.
>> If you want to buy ready-made shoes then 1000 HKD will do - look up Loakes or Herring Shoes online. To have shoes made in HK starts at around 1600-1700 HKD and may not be worth it for you.


During my researches few names of tailors comes back, I saw a lot of post talking about Sam's tailor or Lee Baron, they have good feedback right ?
>> Sams is not well regarded on Styleforum. Lee Baron had a good reputation but we have not heard so much recently about their work.

General tip - if you have a normal body shape then consider getting an off-the-rack suit and having it altered to fit you better. Apart from the fit of the shoulders and chest a good alterations tailor can fix quite a lot of small things. This will be cheaper and more predictable than going to a low-mid range tailor in HK.

 

[Bastos]

Good morning,
Thank you very much for your complete answer that help me a lot

Here my answer :

Quote: Yes I'm sure that a suit is needed

Quote: I don't really know the difference between more traditionnal one or more conemporary, do you have any exemple ? (I will search on google to find some example too ^^)

Quote: I'm 1.85m tall, say my weight arround 90Kg and I'm quite chubby, I can easily find tee shirt or polo for my size in every shop no problem.

Quote: That's why I prefer the cut, as I dont have an "athlete" body I'd like a cut who show more my shoulders than my tummy

Quote: Sorry to ask but what "fused suit" or "floating canvas piece" means ? I'm not searching something cheap, just like to have a suit that looks better than the basic one you can find in a shop, that's quite an important day I'd like to be classy ahah.

Quote: Ok good to know, do you have other(s) I might consider ?

Quote: Noted, thanks

 

[chobochobo]

^ nice info. I've not been to Lee Baron for a year or so, but have had a few suits made by them and they've been fine. Pretty good for the money, but I don't have that wide an experience to comment more.

 

[chobochobo]

Maybe someone here will know. I bought some 3 piece shoe trees from a upstairs shop in Sham Shui Po a while back; I've forgotten their details - does anyone know where they are please?

 

[cchen]



What's your take on the shirts, for fit, construction and durability?  Worth the money? Which store do you tend to use, and have you tried other HK shirtmakers?

I admit that I do get put off by the cost - mainly the thought of what AC must pay in rent for their 4 stores here in HK - IFC, Prince's Building, Harbour City and the Peninsula, plus how my helper would mangle them at wash time.

I used to get shirts from Jantzen and Lee Baron, but now exclusively use AC. Fit and construction is top notch. It's worth the money to me....

 

[kolecho]



I used to get shirts from Jantzen and Lee Baron, but now exclusively use AC. Fit and construction is top notch. It's worth the money to me....

+1. Don't waste time and money. Go for the best and enjoy wearing the garments.

 

[Viktri]

I was actually at AC yesterday in IFC and ordered a few shirts. Service was pretty poor - I was served by the older gentleman and he was quite gruff and rude, more so than Jantzen. With respect to the service at the shirt cloth selection stage, the older gentleman told me that their minimum is 3 shirts and that I would have to order all the shirts at the same time, I couldn't have them made or adjusted 1 at a time. That was fairly disappointing and if the shirts don't turn out well then I won't be back. 1 fitting - and I was told that I had to make the choice of the back darts before the fitting and that this decision would be permanent. I was hoping that I could see the difference in having and not having a dart and asked. He said no, so I pushed him on the topic and he said maybe during the fitting he'd show me.

I ended up ordering 3 shirts. He also took measurements of the shirt that I was wearing (a Jantzen). I'm hoping that the AC shirts end up with a better fit than Jantzen, because that's the reason that I went to AC. I know that they can do a better job, because I have used AC in the past and the lady that measured me 7 years ago was still in the store. But the ordering experience was poor - to be honest, if they'd treated me in that manner when I had my first batch of shirts done, I would not have gone back to AC yesterday. If the AC shirts aren't mind-blowing good, I won't be a return customer.

 

[kolecho]



I was actually at AC yesterday in IFC and ordered a few shirts. Service was pretty poor - I was served by the older gentleman and he was quite gruff and rude, more so than Jantzen. With respect to the service at the shirt cloth selection stage, the older gentleman told me that their minimum is 3 shirts and that I would have to order all the shirts at the same time, I couldn't have them made or adjusted 1 at a time. That was fairly disappointing and if the shirts don't turn out well then I won't be back. 1 fitting - and I was told that I had to make the choice of the back darts before the fitting and that this decision would be permanent. I was hoping that I could see the difference in having and not having a dart and asked. He said no, so I pushed him on the topic and he said maybe during the fitting he'd show me.

I ended up ordering 3 shirts. He also took measurements of the shirt that I was wearing (a Jantzen). I'm hoping that the AC shirts end up with a better fit than Jantzen, because that's the reason that I went to AC. I know that they can do a better job, because I have used AC in the past and the lady that measured me 7 years ago was still in the store. But the ordering experience was poor - to be honest, if they'd treated me in that manner when I had my first batch of shirts done, I would not have gone back to AC yesterday. If the AC shirts aren't mind-blowing good, I won't be a return customer.

I've only ever used the Peninsula store and service is outstanding. I agree that if service is lacking, there is no point in returning.

 

[cchen]

I've used Peninsula, Elements, and Prince's building for various reasons. All have been very good. Sorry to hear about your experience and I hope the shirts turn out ok.

 

[Fishball]



I was actually at AC yesterday in IFC and ordered a few shirts. Service was pretty poor - I was served by the older gentleman and he was quite gruff and rude, more so than Jantzen. With respect to the service at the shirt cloth selection stage, the older gentleman told me that their minimum is 3 shirts and that I would have to order all the shirts at the same time, I couldn't have them made or adjusted 1 at a time. That was fairly disappointing and if the shirts don't turn out well then I won't be back. 1 fitting - and I was told that I had to make the choice of the back darts before the fitting and that this decision would be permanent. I was hoping that I could see the difference in having and not having a dart and asked. He said no, so I pushed him on the topic and he said maybe during the fitting he'd show me.

I ended up ordering 3 shirts. He also took measurements of the shirt that I was wearing (a Jantzen). I'm hoping that the AC shirts end up with a better fit than Jantzen, because that's the reason that I went to AC. I know that they can do a better job, because I have used AC in the past and the lady that measured me 7 years ago was still in the store. But the ordering experience was poor - to be honest, if they'd treated me in that manner when I had my first batch of shirts done, I would not have gone back to AC yesterday. If the AC shirts aren't mind-blowing good, I won't be a return customer.

You are return customer, then why 3 shirts minimum?

 

[hippotamus]

I've only ever used the Peninsula store and service is outstanding. I agree that if service is lacking, there is no point in returning.

++1,

I always go Peninsula, everyone including the young and older chaps has excellent services and knowledge.

Honestly if one found their services and ability to cope with customer are negative then really not worth returning

AC turn around time is also advantage as they have their own workshop

 

[IsABellyDad]

What's your take on the shirts, for fit, construction and durability? Worth the money? Which store do you tend to use, and have you tried other HK shirtmakers?

I admit that I do get put off by the cost - mainly the thought of what AC must pay in rent for their 4 stores here in HK - IFC, Prince's Building, Harbour City and the Peninsula, plus how my helper would mangle them at wash time.

Um... I'm a beginner to bespoke. AC is my first bespoke shirt tailor (well, follow the "go for the best" approach as suggested by other members here). First shirt was made in Aug 2014. I did that in the Elements shop (close to my home, and with free parking - every time I went, whether it's for fitting or picking up, the staff gave me a receipt to claim free parking). I need to pay for 3 shirts as a new customer, where the first one uses the cloth from AC (yes, much higher price) and the 2nd and 3rd CMT (was HK$ 850 each back then...). I got my first shirt made and fit in weeks, and worn and washed it for a few times, then went back for another fitting, then the 2nd one, and then the 3rd one. (I was not in a hurry. Quality matters.)

Fit: I would say the fit is as good as you want it to be - with multiple fittings (and you can even take the shirt back to adjust after wearing and washing it for a few times). The staff gives very comprehensive advice on the possibilities and trade-offs. For example, I literally wanted to eliminate any cloth that appears to be "extra" around the armhole, on the shoulder, and the waist - and the staff tells me whether that will restrain movement, cause a problem after having a full meal, etc. The staff also advises me for a slightly wider cuff on the left hand where I need to wear watch.

Construction: Most details (e.g. pattern matching, gusset, split yoke, horizontal button hole at the bottom, front placket, no back darts, etc.) are done to my expectations. Of course, before visiting the shop, I did my own homework on the details I want. I found a minor "problem" with my 2nd shirt: the bottom button overlaps with the fabrics label. That was promptly corrected (within 1 or 2 days).

Durability: I think this is more impacted by the fabrics? The stitching by AC is known to be good (well, you can read from their website and some old magazine articles - french seam sewn with single needle stitching, 22 stitches per inch, etc.). This recalls me of another minor "problem"... the stitching of one button became loose after a few wears and washes (not sure why). I took the shirt back to AC and the problem was promptly fixed (within a few hours, obviously by the staff in the store).

Service: Excellent. Indeed, it's a surprise to hear that some other members were not treated well. Frankly, for a newbie like me, the multiple fittings, the willingness to listen and give advice and options, the flexibility that I can get the first shirt and wear it in normal days and then take back for fitting/adaptions before the 2nd shirt and before the 3rd shirt, etc. matter a lot. An extra story to share: My shirt is made with non-fused collar and cuffs. However, my domestic helper could not properly iron that. Thus, I took the shirt back to AC and asked whether there are problems with the construction of the collar and cuffs. The staff then took me to the small room inside the store and demonstrated how to properly iron the shirt...

Turnaround time: Is also excellent (as mentioned by another member). I recently urgently need a white shirt. So, I bought a piece of cloth and then bring to AC (yes, CMT price of 1 shirt only, for HK$ 1100). I got the new shirt after 3 days (can probably be even quicker, but 3 days is good enough for me).

Price: Is not cheap (particularly in consideration that a substantial part probably goes into the rent for their stores in Tier 1 malls, which I don't really value). Thus I'm also trying options that are cheaper, when I don't need the service and the quick turnaround time.

 

[Viktri]



You are return customer, then why 3 shirts minimum?

You're absolutely right that I should have asked. I didn't mention to them that I was a return customer until during the shirt decision making process (selecting the colours, darts, etc.) and by then I was dismayed by their attitude towards me that this thought didn't cross my mind. After I told them that I was a return customer (I was not a huge customer, 8 shirts), they did not bring up the fact that the minimum number of shirts would change. I wouldn't expect them to since that conversation had moved on and they had a business to run; maximizing the # of shirts per order is their priority.

Perhaps the IFC staff was a bit jaded by the traffic in IFC, and/or I need to refine my customer-skills. Maybe I need to recalibrate my expectations.

I expected them to sit me down, ask me about my preferences, guide me through the process and address any concerns that I might have about fittings and how different choices could affect the look and feeling of the shirt. Instead, I was the individual that initiated the process until it came down to measuring.

Access to non-house fabric book: I had to ask about the differences between some whites in the house fabric book which led to a discussion of thread count which led to them taking out a TM fabric book so that I could peruse it.