W.W. Chan (Shanghai): Experience & Please Critique My First Bespoke Suit!

[eliu]

I was in Shanghai visiting friends back in July and on a whim decided to get a suit made at W.W. Chan. I was woefully unprepared (didn't have time to research on StyleForum, didn't even have dress shoes to wear to the fitting) but thought why not? I thought I would share my first bespoke experience and ask for some help on what's wrong with my suit (I can tell a lot of things aren't right, but it's hard to put my finger on what to ask for to correct it next time). My suiting experience consists mainly of things I've read here, my only suits before this being off-the-rack and not being particularly nice. Anyway, in terms of Chan, I went to their location on Maoming Lu, not the Ritz. The whole street is just tailoring shops, ranging in prices/styles. Chan is pretty small but well staffed. My cutter (I think that's the right terminology?) was Kingston. He spoke English quite well and helped me select the wool for my suit and the patterns for my shirts. He didn't actually do the measurements, that was done by an assistant who didn't speak much English. The suit was 9075 RMB ($1340 USD) for an all-season Zegna Trofeo wool. The shirts were on a summer sale, buy 2 get 1 free (each shirt was 730RMB, so about $108/shirt, $72 after discount). I can't remember the cotton, but it was standard and nothing particularly luxurious. I was told Chan in Hong Kong is about 10-15% more expensive. In terms of payment, they allow up to 50% in credit card with the rest paid by cash (which required daily ATM stops for several days). I went in on a Monday afternoon and got measured. I was in the next day for a basted fitting. I was then in on Wednesday for a final fitting. The suit was done on Friday, so soup-to-nuts was about four days. I was told all the cutting and sewing happens on premises overnight, though I don't know where those people were since the space didn't look that big. I have no other bespoke experiences to compare it to, but the overall experience was pleasant and I was impressed they were able to turn it around so quickly. I would say I'm happy with my suit but can tell it's not perfect so am hoping to learn what to correct. To get this out of the way, I'm 26 and pretty small (a 36R/38S). I don't expect my suits to last forever and I wanted something contemporary with a slim fit. My thought process was, instead of paying $1k retail for a fused Theory job made of sub-par wool, why not get a fully canvassed one for a little more? I think this is what led to some trouble. I wasn't asking for the house style, I was getting, in their words, a "Dior cut" suit and it seemed every fitting I was asking for things slimmer and narrower ("stuffed sausage" is the look I was going for). Things I think that might be off? Please correct me if I'm wrong. (1) The button stance seems a bit high, front/back balance looks a touch off, though maybe that's just my posture? (2) My pants don't seem to follow my hamstrings very well, a lot of pulling back there. Maybe I just need to pull the waist up? (3) The sleevehead looks lumpy? They told me this was inevitable due to how little padding I wanted, not sure if that's true. As for the shirts, hard to say since I haven't washed them yet. The fit seems fine, though achieved mainly through some serious darting. Anyway, please let me know what you think! For pictures of the fitting (for those just curious about Chan): http://s744.photobucket.com/albums/x...ipher/fitting/ For pictures of the suit (for those wanting to rip this apart): http://s744.photobucket.com/albums/xx86/liucipher/suit/ Added new photos after a quick steaming: http://s744.photobucket.com/albums/x...it%20part%202/

 

[Svenn]

Originally Posted by eliu

and it seemed every fitting I was asking for things slimmer and narrower ("stuffed sausage" is the look I was going for).
It's actually slim enough already in my opinion, especially evident in the waist suppression as viewed from the back. The problem with frontal shots is that the camera lens 'bulges' the center of the pic, so in your frontal it looks like you're sticking your stomach out and the suit isn't slim-cut enough... but it is.

Originally Posted by eliu

(3) The sleevehead looks lumpy? They told me this was inevitable due to how little padding I wanted, not sure if that's true.
I agree the whole body of the sleeve is lumpy (not just the head), and that's not due to the padding... there are several pics of guys here with pad-less or near pad-less shoulders with nice sleeves... I actually got an absolutely immaculate sleeve done by Gordon Yao in Hongkong with padless shoulders (though the suit had other flaws, you can see it here: http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...0&postcount=15 ), and at $700 for labor it might be a better choice if you're going back to Asia sometime in the future. It takes lots of skill and extra labor to do padless shoudlers and clean sleeves, my guess is Chan Shanghai just didn't want to invest in it. Despite the sleeve, overall it looks great and in motion you'll look leagues ahead of the RTW folks. It seems a tad pricey for the quality of work you got, though.

 

[TheFoo]

I agree the buttoning point is a tad high, but it's not terrible by any stretch. What they told you about the sleevehead is bullsh*t: it doesn't have to be lumpy just because it doesn't have padding. The gorge is way too high, but I gather that you wanted it that way. I don't see a balance problem, though the jacket is a tad too short--another centimeter or so would do the trick.

The back balance of the trousers looks too long, causing the cloth to sag behind your thighs. Perhaps you could pull up the waist a bit in back, but it's hard imagine that compensating for all that extra cloth.

The jacket is slim enough as is. Don't overdo it.

 

[hymo]

It's not a particularly successful suit.

 

[dragon8]

The side view of the pants looks off but other view looks ok. The sleeve looks way too lumpy.

BTW, $1340 for a Zegna Trofeo suit is a super price.

 

[forex]

The suit looks awful, I must say. I don't know how Chan can let you take this as a finished suit

 

[A Harris]

Originally Posted by forex

The suit looks awful, I must say. I don't know how Chan can let you take this as a finished suit

Agreed. Overall shape looks good but there are huge fit issues. The fit of those trousers in the back is unforgiveable.

 

[Bull]

This is a solid first stab at bespoke. Aside from what Foof said, which I think is all pretty on-point, I would also remind you of something Phat Guido always says, which is that bespoke is a process. It's very hard to get exactly what you want on the first try with the first tailor. My first stab at bespoke involved all sorts of "British" (or what I thought were British) bells and whistles such as bold pinstripes, ticket pocket, hacking pockets, etc. - all details I would never opt for now. Your tastes will develop and your relationship with Chan (if you have more suits made) will cause refinements of fit and style over time. Nonetheless, this is a nice, solid first try. Wear it well!

 

[TheFoo]

 

[Bull]

LMAO Foof even ironed it for you. Classic.

 

[ginlimetonic]

Originally Posted by Bull

LMAO Foof even ironed it for you. Classic.
lol how the heck did foof do it?? photoshop is the only thing that comes to mind. p.s. all those wrinkles on the back- seems like you were quite 'hunch backed' when you got measured and fitted, and for the photos, you're standing up straight, leaving excess cloth around the back area.

 

[Watchaholic]

I'm glad to have found this place, because I walked into Rajawongse a couple months back and walked out with 3 worst fitting suits than this, if I had seen this before I would have probably said not bad at all. Though I am surprised this is from Chan who is so highly regarded here - I guess it goes to show you need to know what to ask for when you walk in, no matter who the tailor!

 

[forex]

I like foofed version quite a bit, there are some elements I still don't like but there is only so much foofing can be done to a fucked up suit. I still don't like the trousers and Bull, you are such a nuisance, please get lost and don't post.

 

[LabelKing]

I don't like the quarters.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

I don't like the quarters.

I do see a little kink, but the effort is eons better than the typical Savile Row attempt at open quarters.