WW Chan inventory of cloth

[Concordia]

For those who drop into Chan in HK to get something made quickly, how much cloth do they have around these days. Or, how much can they get very quickly?

I could see pre-ordering a worsted for a suit before arriving, but if they're fronting for W Bill it would be a shame not to look at the books before committing.

 

[Concordia]

I hear from one who should know that Chan stocks mostly their VBC selections. English cloths can be had but take about a week to order, and should be ordered in advance if you want to have fittings done during a quick trip to HK.

 

[emptym]

That sounds familiar to me. But you might ask Chan directly what they stock. The SFers who would know the most about this would be the Armoury guys, Toiletduck and yfyf. If you're not going till after November, when Chan visits the US, you might try to see them here, get measured, and pick out cloth so that they have a basted product waiting for you.

 

[Slewfoot]



That sounds familiar to me. But you might ask Chan directly what they stock. The SFers who would know the most about this would be the Armoury guys, Toiletduck and yfyf. If you're not going till after November, when Chan visits the US, you might try to see them here, get measured, and pick out cloth so that they have a basted product waiting for you.

I would definitely try and get measured and choose fabric while they are on tour. If you're ordering W. Bill or something they don't have in stock (most of the nicer fabrics they don't stock) it will take 3-4 days until the first fitting at the earliest as the fabric needs to get shipped from England and then made into the basted fitting.

They are also busier than ever. I used to be able to get a jacket made in my 5 days in HK, but now it's down to two fittings and then they ship me the final products. That's not really an issue and good for them for being so in demand as they do great work.

 

[Bounder]



I hear from one who should know that Chan stocks mostly their VBC selections. English cloths can be had but take about a week to order, and should be ordered in advance if you want to have fittings done during a quick trip to HK.

This.

Oddly enough for being in HK, they stock no frescos. They can get pretty much anything you want but they order it from the UK and it takes about four days to arrive.

So if they already have your pattern and you know exactly what cloth you want, you might be able to get something done up on a week-long trip if you give them enough advance notice. It is true they are busier than ever but they claim to be able to produce a suit with no fittings after they get your patterned tweaked. I have never tried them out on this but I might be tempted to take a chance on one fitting. They ought to be able to do that in week as in the past, they could could take your measurements, give you two fittings and have the final adjustments done in time to take your suit with you in a week.

 

[Concordia]

Well, I've got a week (almost) on site, so if they get comfort with re-measurements and a look at what I want made on Monday, I should be able to get at least a forward fitting by Friday morning. Nothing I have to take with me, although that would obviously save on postage and customs.

 

[AlexE]

Write them an email [email protected]. They probably know much better than anyone on SF what they have in stock and Ferdinand Kok answers quite fast. If you want a specific fabric you should give them a few days warning so they can order it.

 

[TheTukker]



Write them an email [email protected]. They probably know much better than anyone on SF what they have in stock and Ferdinand Kok answers quite fast. If you want a specific fabric you should give them a few days warning so they can order it.

+7

 

[Concordia]

Well, I had my initial re-measurement today. They had done a suit for me back when China was British, and while it fit gloriously and was basically well made, it had shoulders that made me look like a mobster. Partially my fault -- I had nodded with approval at one of their shop models), and partly the lack of time between measurement and my departure from HK. To avoid any misunderstanding, this time I brought in an old A&S suit that they could copy.

They did measure it within an inch of its life, and then had me try it on to clarify what I liked and also suggest a few updates on cut in the trousers. It IS an old suit, and while the waist is the same size, it's moved around in height a bit.

I was most interested in happened next: Patrick put me into a sleeveless, unconstructed, largely unfinished jacket made from windowpane flannel. Sort of a cross between a waistcoat, a basted fitting of a jacket, and the finished product with lapels. It was something like the sized bodies that some shirtmakers use when they're doing MTM. From there, he re-pinned the shoulder seams and did a little fussing with the shape of the waist, such as it is. A few chalk marks, a few measurements and changes noted by the assistant (including higher arm holes), a pin to reflect the desired length, and that wound things up. I'd never seen this done before, but clearly it can have value if you're trying to witness and document an unfamiliar shape for a fast fitting two days later.

We shall see on Wednesday how it progresses.

 

[GBR]



Well, I had my initial re-measurement today. They had done a suit for me back when China was British, and while it fit gloriously and was basically well made, it had shoulders that made me look like a mobster. .

China was never British, Hong Kong was: HK was 'reunited' with China in 1997.

 

[Concordia]

1:57

 

[AlexE]



They had done a suit for me back when China was British

This must have been around the same time when the United States were Dutch, right?

 

[Bounder]



1:57

That's good enough for me.

What did you work out? Did you order the cloth in advance or are you using something they have in stock? Are you going to be able to take your suit with you?

 

[Concordia]

I did order the cloth (and prepay the suit/jacket with card). I assume they have it in, because we have an appointment for a fitting on Wednesday.

My guess is that they'll be shipping. There's a preliminary time for a second fitting on Friday as well--- don't know if that is just to settle sleeve lengths or if they'll need to do more real work afterward. I leave early that afternoon so unless we're very lucky, I'll have to wait.

 

[David Reeves]

Well, I had my initial re-measurement today. They had done a suit for me back when China was British, and while it fit gloriously and was basically well made, it had shoulders that made me look like a mobster. .

China was never British, Hong Kong was: HK was 'reunited' with China in 1997.

It was a "client state".