Manila Tailor

i read somewhere that the ascot chang in manila is horrible. probably in this thread.

Originally Posted by emptym

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My thanks to acidboy and bbaquiran who helped me make a few decisions about styling.

don't be silly... I wasn't of any help at all with styling decisions. you're gonna ruin my reputation!

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

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a few months back I was in town and got a tour of historical Manila from this dude:

boy, you've really been going around eh? next time you're here, ring me up and beer's on me.

Originally Posted by daruma

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i read somewhere that the ascot chang in manila is horrible. probably in this thread.

the guy at ascot chang in elements mall, hk told me so.

I'll be in Manila for just a day and a half, before going to a wedding...would it be possible to get a quality Barong tailored in that time?

Alternately, is there a recommendation on a good place to buy an off-the-rack Barong Tagalog? I'm very tall and wear a 44 suit, so I might have to go to a place aimed at foreigners.

^ no, first you're not what they call asian-sized so you probably won't find a barong otr, and if you do the fabric and construction is usually nothing special. also, as me, emptym and bbaquiran found out the other week, barong is not that easy to make- I won't recommend getting a rush barong job.

Ya, I don't think a custom barong is an option in a day and a half. But I think you might find a good OTR one, depending on how tall "very tall" is. I'm 6' and can find otr barongs that fit in length but then are too wide. I'd check SM (moderate) and Rustans (really expensive).

Had a great meeting w/ B's tailor today. He's definitely driven by the pursuit of excellence. Ordered a shirt and some shoes. He's checking on a suit (2.5 weeks enough time for canvasing?) and a bag (any good leather?). His work looks very promising. Hope you get to meet him too soon, E.

Going to Cornell's tomorrow in the early afternoon for a fitting of the coat. He couldn't get it done till Wed and I couldn't go till tomorrow.

Originally Posted by emptym

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Had a great meeting w/ B's tailor today. He's definitely driven by the pursuit of excellence. Ordered a shirt and some shoes. He's checking on a suit (2.5 weeks enough time for canvasing?) and a bag (any good leather?). His work looks very promising. Hope you get to meet him too soon, E.

Did he get to show you the sample shoe?

Thanks for the info, "very tall" in my case is 6'5"/2 meters, and I'm relatively thin at 175lbs/80 kg, so it sounds like I won't be able to find anything my size. Too bad.

But having a quality Sarong Tagalog might be fun, if I ever win a Golden Globe award perhaps. Any recommendations on a place that's quality, and can tailor one in a week or two?

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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Did he get to show you the sample shoe?
He did. It's very nice. I like the shape a lot. W/ a few small tweaks, I think they'll be terrific. Hoping to get those tweaks done on my pair. He also had a great pair of sw&d-type boots that he's used for 6 months. Very nice as well.

Originally Posted by Kamapuaa

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Thanks for the info, "very tall" in my case is 6'5"/2 meters, and I'm relatively thin at 175lbs/80 kg, so it sounds like I won't be able to find anything my size. Too bad. But having a quality Sarong Tagalog might be fun, if I ever win a Golden Globe award perhaps. Any recommendations on a place that's quality, and can tailor one in a week or two?
I like Cornell's (info posted earlier in this thread), but he's sometimes hit or miss. I'll post photos of the barong he made for me when I pick it up. I'm betting that Bbaquiran's tailor is better if you're willing to spend the extra $. I'll post pics of his work when that comes in too. Btw, B., he said you had posted pics of pants he'd made you. Where can I find those?

is that shoe by any chance mine?? is it a captoe nubuck?

Originally Posted by emptym

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He did. It's very nice. I like the shape a lot. W/ a few small tweaks, I think they'll be terrific. Hoping to get those tweaks done on my pair. He also had a great pair of sw&d-type boots that he's used for 6 months. Very nice as well.

Oh yeah those boots. IIRC they are actually a vintage pair from the US, belonging to his grandfather and that was resized by another shoemaker, who unfortunately was very old and died in the Typhoon Ketsana floods. I saw them back when they were too big for his feet.

I like Cornell's (info posted earlier in this thread), but he's sometimes hit or miss. I'll post photos of the barong he made for me when I pick it up. I'm betting that Bbaquiran's tailor is better if you're willing to spend the extra $. I'll post pics of his work when that comes in too. Btw, B., he said you had posted pics of pants he'd made you. Where can I find those?

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Actually I never got around to posting pics of the trousers he made.

Originally Posted by daruma

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is that shoe by any chance mine?? is it a captoe nubuck?

Yup, it's your shoe. Very nice, and I may get something similar. I think they're not 100% done yet though.

Originally Posted by emptym

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Had a great meeting w/ B's tailor today. He's definitely driven by the pursuit of excellence. Ordered a shirt and some shoes. He's checking on a suit (2.5 weeks enough time for canvasing?) and a bag (any good leather?). His work looks very promising. Hope you get to meet him too soon, E.

Going to Cornell's tomorrow in the early afternoon for a fitting of the coat. He couldn't get it done till Wed and I couldn't go till tomorrow.

b told me he's meeting j next week... I hope we can find the time to meet up, if its alright with b.

Originally Posted by daruma

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is that shoe by any chance mine?? is it a captoe nubuck?
It is. And it's very nice. Imo, the shape of the last is similar to Alden's hampton, which I love. I wasn't that into nubuck till I saw it, but that's what I ordered, just in a plain toed blucher.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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Oh yeah those boots. IIRC they are actually a vintage pair from the US, belonging to his grandfather and that was resized by another shoemaker, who unfortunately was very old and died in the Typhoon Ketsana floods. I saw them back when they were too big for his feet.
INteresting. The ones I saw may be copies of the vintage pair, or almost totally remade. They had a standard lining he carried, a vintage sole he can source, and new stitching on the uppers and welt.

Actually I never got around to posting pics of the trousers he made.

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Why not?!

Originally Posted by acidboy

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b told me he's meeting j next week... I hope we can find the time to meet up, if its alright with b.
He's coming to Manila on Monday and we're meeting then, either 9-10 am, 12-2 pm or after 4 pm. He said he'd let me know later.

Thought I'd post a follow-up here - I dropped by Cornell's, thinking I could get something tailored and pick it up in a week. But actually, they were able to tailor up a barong in 24 hours (dropped by at around 9am, picked it up at 9am the next day)

They were very friendly to a confused foreigner who knew nothing about barongs, and I was glad they could tailor it overnight, it was obvious they were playing around with their schedule to accomodate me. I told them I was going on an airplane, and they threw in a free travel bag. But I wasn't entirely happy with the product - narrow at the shoulders, and wide on the bottom, like a bell. Maybe that's how barongs are supposed to be fitted, but I don't think so. Sleeves seemed a tiny bit long & cuffs large, as well.

Also, the place kept on pushing me the cheaper, crappy fabrics. Polyester even, for both standard button-up shirts and for barongs. Who gets a tailored shirt made from polyester? Particularly given the heat and humidity of Manila, it would be crazy. The cotton they had didn't seem very quality. I got the barong made from banana fiber, they didn't show me the material until I specifically asked.

Maybe I sound too negative - it wasn't a bad place, just a little more down-market than I was expecting.

emptym please clear out your SF inbox and check your gmail. Thanks!

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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emptym please clear out your SF inbox and check your gmail. Thanks!
Sorry about that earlier, B. But thanks for the intro to your tailor. He just sent me pics of the linen jeans he made for me. Should be shipped soon w/ a shirt: Wish I'd had time to get a bag and a suit from him. The shoes have been great. Have you gotten anything from him recently? Shoes from the same "haberdasher": Seamless heel: Channeled sole: Comfortable enough to wear sockless for some all day walking in serious heat and humidity: