Shanghai Fabric Market - Any recommendations?

Hey All,

Just curious if anyone out there has any experiences/recommendations they can share for Fabric Market in Shanghai (the one near the Bund)?

Im due to pickup a suit and some shirts there this Sunday or Monday (was measured last week when I placed the order). I ordered my suit from Stall number 163 and the shirts from 378. I just picked these places based on how many people they had crammed in there are the time...I know...not really a good way to find the better tailor....

When I pick up these items, I was thinking of perhaps trying other stalls and ordering some more pieces (suits & shirts). However I do not really have any idea on on which stalls to go to. Can anyone out there share their experiences of particular stalls they have done business with- Good & Bad?

Yes I know, if I want a well made suit without the fuss of looking around, I should just go to Chans or Daves, but Im on somewhat of a budget and thought I should stock up on some "decent"/well fitting suits before going back to real work (currently an english teacher, previous life an I.T. Manager)

Provided I get a few recommendations and budget/time permitting I may actually order a suit or shirt (whichever the stall is known for) from each location - and make a post with pictures of each piece with locations of tailors for future reference (and for me to decide which tailor I should just go to for the remaining suits/shirts I want made )

Also thinking I might have a tailored leather jacket made while over here - any recommendations/suggestions on that?


for those bored and want to know the details of what I ordered:
suit:
Dark Navy blue pinstripe - supposedly Super 150. Requested functional buttons, 2 vent, 2 button, requested bone buttons (we'll see...) - 650rmb/93 bucks (think I might have gotten slightly ripped off, since I've heard 550rmb is the norm)
Shirts: Supposedly 100% cotton, felt like it I guess, but Im a bad judge at feeling textures. one blue the other white. Both Shadow Striped/Tone-on-Tone (yeah not feeling they will go well with the suit I ordered...) No pleats, Point Collar 140rmb/20 bucks each

Thanks in Advance!,

Bob

Dave's is ok, Sam's is better and Chan is the best. The rest ... well it's like a lottery only most of the prizes suck.

Still, if you find a gem, let us know! Plus post pics...

In my experience the fabric market is pretty disappointing. I had a "cashmere" overcoat made there a couple of years ago that I have never worn - it fits well enough, but the cut was dreadful. Shirts and casual clothes maybe, because even with a small amount of tailoring they will look better than most of the blousey shirts people wear, but a suit, I'm not sure.

If you are not willing to stretch to Chan, there are other options on the same street (Maoming Lu) that offer better value for your Kuai than the fabric market.

Sam's is owned by the same people as Chan and they offer a suit, extra trousers and 3 shirts for I think 6,000 RMB. Fused and with less handwork than Chan but the same cut.

I don't know about the others on the same block but I think they are lower priced and also not bad. If you go further South - cross Huaihai Lu - there are others that are somewhere in between the fabric market and the bigger ones in price. I can recommend one called Maya (玛雅 in Chinese if I recall). I have casual shirts made there and have been happy with the results. They make a reasonable canvassed suit from Chinese and Italian cloths starting around 1,500 RMB. Somewhat more than what you pay at the fabric market but in my opinion well worth it - particularly for me as I never wore the overcoat - but if you are thinking of ordering more from the fabric market, consider ordering fewer from somewhere better. Maya are also nice people who you can be sure are not ripping you off (speak to Mr Liu).

Originally Posted by Corinthian

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...
Sam's is owned by the same people as Chan and they offer a suit, extra trousers and 3 shirts for I think 6,000 RMB. Fused and with less handwork than Chan but the same cut.

I don't know about the others on the same block but I think they are lower priced and also not bad. If you go further South - cross Huaihai Lu - there are others that are somewhere in between the fabric market and the bigger ones in price. I can recommend one called Maya (玛雅 in Chinese if I recall). I have casual shirts made there and have been happy with the results. They make a reasonable canvassed suit from Chinese and Italian cloths starting around 1,500 RMB. Somewhat more than what you pay at the fabric market but in my opinion well worth it - particularly for me as I never wore the overcoat - but if you are thinking of ordering more from the fabric market, consider ordering fewer from somewhere better. Maya are also nice people who you can be sure are not ripping you off (speak to Mr Liu).


Thanks for your input!

Maya sounds interesting, I will have to check them out. If they are noticeably better than the fabric market, 1,500rmb doesn't seem that bad for a full canvassed suit...Do you happen to have their address, website or phone #? My Chinese is still pretty bad, will probably have to show the address to the Taxi Driver...

Do you happen to have the address or website or phone #s to Sams? I might got check them out if Im that horrified at what I get at the other places...

I have heard of some good comments about "Tony the Tailor" on the expat boards - have you heard anything about this guy? http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.p...4162&view=next

Thanks!,

Bob

The only folks worth a damn on Maoming are Sam's and Chan. Sam's starts at 6k for the "package" as Corinthian stated and Chan's is more. Never heard of Tony the Tailor but I don't have enough time to fully explore Shanghai's various tailors either.

I don't have Sam's details handy but Chan's are:

Maoming Lu, Shanghai

129-A02 Maoming Nan Lu, by Huai Hai Zhong Lu, 200020, China
Phone: (86-21) 5404 1469
Fax : (86-21) 5404 0539

The stores are right next to each other. Connected in fact! Walk-ins should be fine but you might have to wait a little while. Business is brisk.

In the Shanghai fabric market ,can you find the fetuses ,for eating?

yfyf, you are correct that Sam's and Chan are the best on Maoming and besides the occasional casual shirt from Maya I personally don't go anywhere else. But the OP started out at the fabric market - it's a major jump in expense to go from there even to Sam's.

Bob, I don't have Maya's address but they are on Maoming Lu just south of Nanchang Lu. There are three or four tailors next door to each other, Maya being one of them. You'll want to being a Chinese speaker with you.

khaki sack, I think it's the fetal sack that's eaten but I have no idea where to look for something like that. I can find out though if you're planning a trip to Shanghai

I had the impression it was the placenta? I believe it's eaten by the mother.

Originally Posted by Corinthian

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yfyf, you are correct that Sam's and Chan are the best on Maoming and besides the occasional casual shirt from Maya I personally don't go anywhere else. But the OP started out at the fabric market - it's a major jump in expense to go from there even to Sam's.

Bob, I don't have Maya's address but they are on Maoming Lu just south of Nanchang Lu. There are three or four tailors next door to each other, Maya being one of them. You'll want to being a Chinese speaker with you.

khaki sack, I think it's the fetal sack that's eaten but I have no idea where to look for something like that. I can find out though if you're planning a trip to Shanghai

How are the trousers from Maya? I'm on a quest to find half-decent, semi-disposable cotton trousers. I've had one pair made up by Sam's, quality is ok but I found the colour has faded more than I expected after the first wash. It was done in an aqua blue. I may have to consider only doing light coloured cotton trousers.

Originally Posted by yfyf

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It was done in an aqua blue. I may have to consider only doing light coloured cotton trousers.

This seems like a very wise idea, at least for any cotton made here in China. I've found that corduroy holds up a little better though.

I'm just amazed by how difficult it's been to find a pair of 100% suitable cotton trousers. A lot these days are fairly low rise which I'm not a big fan of. Or the cotton itself doesn't have a very dry hand which makes them a bit uncomfortable during the summer. Or the colour of the cotton fades a bit too quick. Or the cotton is too transparent and well that brings it's own set of problems.

Or maybe I'm just being too picky haha. /end derail.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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I had the impression it was the placenta? I believe it's eaten by the mother.

I'm no fertility doctor but aren't the the same thing?

Originally Posted by yfyf

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How are the trousers from Maya? I'm on a quest to find half-decent, semi-disposable cotton trousers. I've had one pair made up by Sam's, quality is ok but I found the colour has faded more than I expected after the first wash. It was done in an aqua blue. I may have to consider only doing light coloured cotton trousers.

I've had two pairs of trousers made there. The first were great, for the money anyway. But the second pair were oddly high in the waist and never seemed right to me. I always went to Chan after that. They are quite happy to work with your own material and will copy garments if you have something you are happy with.

Don't expect too much from them. If you are used to Chan, then you will be disappointed, but if you are "graduating" from the fabric market they are great.

Well recently I just graduated to the Fabric market - Evaluating what I've been wearing before seems kinda garish after reading these forums...next step will be to take my "blousy" shirts to get properly fitted ;-)... though maybe soon I'll move on to Maya then Chans... Anyway reading up on the Shanghai Expat Forums, I compiled a list of possible recommended/not recommended tailors at the Fabric Market...yes, possibly most of the posters there are not as knowledgeable about clothing as you all, but I suppose its kind of a starting point to work from...Probably wouldn't be bad idea for me to go try some suits at the Westgate mall, so I can get the feel of what a real Super 150 suit feels like? - though maybe not such a good idea if you follow the idea of "Ignorance is Bliss" Shanghai Expat Posting... Recommended Stalls: 83- Suits 116- Shirts 132- Coats 139- Suits 147- Suits 159- Shirts & Suits (though some did mention the suits maybe a miss) 173- Suits 205- Shirts (maybe iffy) 216- Suits 223- Shirts 228- Shirts 237- Shirts 243- Shirts 258- Suits 285- Pants 305- Seersucker/Linen clothing 338- Suits 389- Suits Not Recommended (or as others have stated "STAY AWAY") Stalls: 111 147 205 226 243 245 282 306 318

Originally Posted by Corinthian

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I can recommend one called Maya (玛雅 in Chinese if I recall). I have casual shirts made there and have been happy with the results. They make a reasonable canvassed suit from Chinese and Italian cloths starting around 1,500 RMB. Somewhat more than what you pay at the fabric market but in my opinion well worth it

Based on the recommendation from this forum I visited Maya last week on a quick business trip to Shanghai. I must say I am very impressed with the results. Thank you!

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to get a suit made, but I did buy 5 dress shirts. I was skeptical at first, as the tailor was a very tough negotiator and my total Chinese vocabulary of about 4 words was no help. I wound up paying about $50 (USD) for each shirt which is $20 more than I paid in Hong Kong two years ago... Maybe I could have gotten a better deal if I spoke Chinese. I wasn't expecting to pay this much but when I received my shirts back I was more than pleased. The fabric is excellent, the fit is perfect and the craftsmanship is VERY consistent. A similar shirt in the US would run at least $150+. My only "complaint" is that it took 5 days for 5 shirts. My tailor in Hong Kong could have knocked out the same overnight, but I must say the quality at Maya is more consistent.

Next time I will plan to buy a suit from Maya. His starting price was 1,880 RMB if I remember correctly and went up depending on the fabric. I'm sure a very reasonable price could be had in the end.