Touring HK Tailors and Fittings

[jleeo225]

Has anyone been to the WW Chans of the world when they tour through the U.S. cities (as opposed to seeing them in HK)? Is just getting measured once sufficient to have a suit made and then shipped back to you in the U.S.? Just wondering because I would like to try this. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[JLibourel]

We have had numerous threads about Chan and other itinerant HK tailors. Chan's normal MO is to take a set of measurements and ship you a completed garment. They will do basted fittings if the customer insists, but because they tour only once every four months, this makes the process rather protracted. I was very satisfied with my first order from Chan, although the fit is not as good as on subsequent garments.

Other than Chan and perhaps Hemrajani, I don't know how many other touring HK tailors are worth dealing with. There is scant discussion of them in the forum culture.

 

[Will]

Chan is the only one I would consider for tailored clothing, and I would spend the extra four months for a fitting on the first garment to get it closer to right.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by Will

Chan is the only one I would consider for tailored clothing, and I would spend the extra four months for a fitting on the first garment to get it closer to right.

The fact that you have used Hemrajani extensively for shirts but would not use them for tailored garments says quite a bit right there! Should I feel a need for more good dress shirts I might give Hemrajani a try, especially since their U.S. base of operations is only a few miles down the road from my office.

 

[dah328]

Originally Posted by Will

Chan is the only one I would consider for tailored clothing, and I would spend the extra four months for a fitting on the first garment to get it closer to right.
Will, have you tried Hemrajani for tailored clothing? How do you find them inferior to Chan?

dan

 

[Will]

I like Joe and probably have forty of his shirts. But if you look at photos of Hemrajani tailored clothing, (some of Chan's too but a lower percentage), in nearly every case there are waves along the straight seams of the jackets and trousers that I consider unacceptable.

I had them make two pair of trousers for me (trousers are much easier than a jacket) and sure enough, I got wavy lines.

I was planning to try Chan and had not done so when I saw the announcement that they will no longer use customer cloth. That makes it unlikely that I will ever use them. If you do, a fitting will help identify wavy seams at an earlier state.

I do have clothes from Ah Man that I am completely satisfied with, but they do not travel.

 

[dah328]

Thanks, Will. It looks like there's very little in the way of acceptable choices short of the full-price guys in NYC or London.

 

[Will]

Call Martin Greenfield's place in Brooklyn and ask if you can become a direct customer. No-one has ever done so and posted the response on one of the boards.

I think they are likely to refer you to a retailer unless you are one already, but it should be worth a try.

 

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Will

I like Joe and probably have forty of his shirts.

Will, I was thinking about giving Hemrajani a try for shirts since they actually come to San Diego and I'm having no luck with Jantzen. Can you tell me whether the first efforts from Hemrajani will be acceptable or is there a trial and error process? Also, I know Hemranjani has many different fabric levels and I assume the cheapest are poor. How much do you need to spend to get the more decent fabrics?

 

[Will]

Originally Posted by reubencahn

Will, I was thinking about giving Hemrajani a try for shirts since they actually come to San Diego and I'm having no luck with Jantzen. Can you tell me whether the first efforts from Hemrajani will be acceptable or is there a trial and error process? Also, I know Hemranjani has many different fabric levels and I assume the cheapest are poor. How much do you need to spend to get the more decent fabrics?

As with any maker, you should get a sample shirt first. When that's right, have them make the rest of your order. I gave them a shirt to copy, and if I recall correctly the first try was perfect.

I came to Joe wondering if I could avoid spending $400 a shirt with my regular maker for some weekend shirts that wouldn't be worn much. That made his "luxury" Thomas Mason fabrics seem very well priced to me. Only once have I bought below that level, and I gave the shirt away as the fabric was rougher than my neck appreciated. YMMV

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by Will

As with any maker, you should get a sample shirt first. When that's right, have them make the rest of your order. I gave them a shirt to copy, and if I recall correctly the first try was perfect.

I'm curious how well they copied the shirt. Was it a close approximation, or a near exact copy?

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by jleeo225

Has anyone been to the WW Chans of the world when they tour through the U.S. cities (as opposed to seeing them in HK)? Is just getting measured once sufficient to have a suit made and then shipped back to you in the U.S.? Just wondering because I would like to try this. Thanks ahead of time.

Yes.
One-time measurement worked out great for me, didn't even need tweaking upon delivery.

 

[dragon8]

I use ascot chang for shirts and they tour 2 times a year. I prefer their shirts than ww chan since ascot has a ton of fabric selection. The bad thing about ascot is that they have a 3 shirt minimum and the total usually goes into the $400-500 range.

One measurement is all it takes and the shirts fit perfectly.

They also travel with Gordon Yao who does all of Ascot chang's suits. Order from him and not thrrough Ascot it is about $500 cheaper. Gordon's suits I think are bette rthan Chan and i have ordered through both.

 

[AMC]

Originally Posted by dragon8

I use ascot chang for shirts and they tour 2 times a year. I prefer their shirts than ww chan since ascot has a ton of fabric selection. The bad thing about ascot is that they have a 3 shirt minimum and the total usually goes into the $400-500 range.

One measurement is all it takes and the shirts fit perfectly.

They also travel with Gordon Yao who does all of Ascot chang's suits. Order from him and not thrrough Ascot it is about $500 cheaper. Gordon's suits I think are bette rthan Chan and i have ordered through both.

I have just the opposite experience. Recently on a trip to HK, I had suits and shirts made by Chan, a suit made by Gordon Yao (directly), and shirts made by AC.

While the Yao suit is very nice, I found that the attention to detail and sense of proportion at Chan was superior. The Chan shirts fit better than AC as well. The advantage of AC is that they have a larger selection of fabrics.