$3000 budget for shirts, slacks and suits for Hong Kong

Hi all,

First time poster here. Great site.

I just graduated from a US college and will work in finance in a major US city next month. I would like to buy 10 dress shirts, two suits, five slacks and some ties and belts (shoes if they are good bargain) in Hong Kong.

I am from HK originally and will head home for two weeks. Tips I have gotten so far:

Shirts - Jantzen (ask for Ricky)

Obviously this is low budget (USD $3000) and I understand I won't get top quality.

I feel this site focuses a lot on Chan and other really top tailors but anyone has experience with budget tailors?

If anyone can break down where I should get:

-slacks
-suits
-belts
-ties
-shoes (zee?)

that would be so great!

Thanks so much!

Fit is everything, and as such I would focus much more on quality rather than quantity. Even if this will be your only business attire, I think it is better to use that probably hard-earned $3000 on one nice WW Chan, Yao, A-Man, etc bespoke suit and 3 shirts, rather than blowing it all on budget tailors for greater quantity. Obviously you will have to do more cleaning than normal, but I think that's a price worth paying. Some people will vehemently disagree with me, but shoes are not nearly as big of a deal as some make them out to be... get a $50 pair of plain, conservative leather shoes and I highly doubt anyone will notice, especially if you have an awesome custom suit covering the other 95% of your body. Anyway, this only works if you do your research and find out exactly what style you're going for, so you can direct Chan or whoever to make it accordingly.

go to Lane Crawford in IFC mall to get your shoes and belt.

Why do you need so many slacks? are you planning to not wear a jacket to work very often?

I am one of the many people Svenn predicted would disagree with his recommendation to buy some cheap shoes.

As for the suits, you can probably get two suits from Chan in VBC cloth for around $2500. 10 shirts from Ricky will be about another $500. I would then get three pairs of slacks for another $500 or so and call it a day. I know thats over your budget a bit, but if you absolutely had to stick to $3000 then just get the suits and shirts, and wait until later for the pants. Pants are easier to find at a bargain in the states- its more important to get the suits taken care of when you're there in person.

what is the dress code at your new job?

Ricky at Jantzen also does suits if you are in Hong Kong. Not sure of the price or how they compare to Chan.

Jantzen does both fused and floating canvas suits, if I understand correctly, at the same price and about twice or more cheaper than Chan. They are not spectacular though, a decent beginner suit is always possible with a bit of handholding.

I suppose if you are there in person, their shirts are good value, especially since you can see and feel the fabrics and jump ahead of the internet queues to get your shirt in 3-4 days. Seeing that you are there for much longer, I would suggest that you make a "trial" shirt first, wash it, tweak it and then order more.

If you see your finances becoming more steady in the coming months from your employment, you could head to Chan and try and convince them this --->. Have your measurements taken, choose a fabric and pay a deposit, go for one or two fittings. Tell them you will go missing in Africa or Amazon for a few months and not to bother you and that you will pay the remainder when they next visit the States with your suit.

I would not actually rush into getting so many items at one go, if you are new to this, although I can see the temptation, having paid the air tickets and taken the time to go to Hong Kong. The result I usually see with this kind of whirlwind shopping trips is disappointment and wrong purchase decisions. The reason is that even with a really competent tailor, the first and second commissions are usually stepping stones to a better final product and it takes time to nurture a relationship with the tailor. I assume having gotten the job, you must have at least own and worn something decent enough to get you through the interviews so the same outfits would probably tide you through as you gradually build your wardrobe.

Maybe try 6 shirts, 2 slacks, 1 suit, 1 shoe and some accessories to start with. You don't necessarily have to go for expensive shoes, but definitely not cheap shoes. A pair of calfskin shoes from loake through herring or pediwear will be fine without breaking the bank, although you can decide on this after snooping around for shoes in Hong Kong summer sales.

peter lee does suits

I'd get 3 suits (from P Lee) $1500 total
3 pants from P Lee $600
2 pairs of good shoes - get these off of Buy and Sell $600 (max)
6 shirts Jantzen $300

I'd agree with upnorth. Start small, buy quality, and make sure they all fit. Once they have your measurements, and get the cutting properly tweaked, you can always order more later and have them shipped to you.

Put simply, your only objective on this trip is getting the fit right for that first suit or shirt or trousers.

Originally Posted by upnorth

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I would not actually rush into getting so many items at one go, if you are new to this, although I can see the temptation, having paid the air tickets and taken the time to go to Hong Kong. The result I usually see with this kind of whirlwind shopping trips is disappointment and wrong purchase decisions. The reason is that even with a really competent tailor, the first and second commissions are usually stepping stones to a better final product and it takes time to nurture a relationship with the tailor.
This, plus your tastes and preferences will inevitably change. That same structured, one-button, sharply-roped suit you commissioned from Chan in their finest (and most expensive) English fabric will no longer seem like a great deal when you have grown to prefer softly-tailored three-button suits.

Do not buy a suit from Jantzen. It will be a train wreck.

Peter Lee is more expensive than people seem to think. $500 will not get you a suit at PL anymore. It's more like $800. If you have your own cloth he might do CMT for the lower price, but then you need to find cloth.

Chan should be reliable but will also set you back $1200 or so for a suit.

Shirts buy whatever, Jantzen can be fine but you need to watch them closely, but they'll be cheap.

Definitely do Peter Lee for shirts instead of Jantzen. The shirts are around 10% - 20% more in cost, but nearly 100% better in terms of fabric and fit. I have shirts from both and Peter is much better.

Originally Posted by Slewfoot

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Definitely do Peter Lee for shirts instead of Jantzen. The shirts are around 10% - 20% more in cost, but nearly 100% better in terms of fabric and fit. I have shirts from both and Peter is much better.

Hm, I have found the shirts to be more like 50% more expensive.

I did get to Peter somewhat after you, and when he was a bit more known around these parts, so you may well be paying less for shirts than I am, but Jantzens are about $45 and PLs are more like $70.

Thank you all for the great responses.

First of all I don't see myself heading back to Hong Kong in the next two years so I would like to get my wardrobe mostly done in this trip.

I should also mention that I don't really care how I dress, as long as it is conservative, professional and does not raise any eyebrows (after all I am just 23).

I will make a trial shirt from Jantzen first.

Currently my budget breakdown is:

suits max $1000 (2) - did some research on Peter Lee, Baron Kay and they seem competent. Anyone?
pants max $100 (4) - Peter Lee's $200 is a bit too $ for me. Any suggestion? How about Jantzen?
belts max $50 (3)
shoes max $150 (2)
ties max $100 (4)

So this is more than $3000 but it's for the next two years so I am not too worried.

I can get belts, shoes and ties here. Shoes I am thinking about Johnston & Murphy. I have a melton from them and I like it a lot.

Anyone have suggestions for pants? Thanks!

Small point in the big scheme here, but if you're getting two pair of shoes, you probably can just stick with 2 belts that match those shoes.