Narin Couture tailor in Bangkok- only full-canvas suits outside HK?

there are a few in india

The header is a great advertisement for Narin.
Unfortunately he is not a good tailor. He does know all the tricks in the book and uses them. I have worn tailored suits in Europe since I was 15 years old so I have some experience, also with Asian tailors. I was lucky in Singapore and in Pakistan and Malaysia.
For an average suit one can also be lucky in Thailand.
Narin's prices - only the prices - may give the less experienced the impression that the quality should be high.
I liked the last remarks by Acidboy.
Narin cannot take measurements well and that is what it is all about. He does not really stock interesting materials but you have to order them from the books. He does not stock single suit material. But he is awfully pretentious. And if you like to listen it's a great story teller.
Many tailors in Bangkok can match his work. And if you take time you will find more tailors who do full canvas (but that is not all you need).

Originally Posted by Kirpan

Click to expand...

The header is a great advertisement for Narin.
Unfortunately he is not a good tailor....... And if you take time you will find more tailors who do full canvas (but that is not all you need).

Svenn the original poster of this thread is actually in Bangkok or thereabouts right now having his suit commissioned by Narin. Perhaps he could be in a better position than you to comment unless of course you have had one made by Narin yourself?

You sound like the many angry posters who emerge and vanish from nowhere only to disparage certain tailors in Asia especially those in BKK or HK. A jealous competitor perhaps?

^My suit isn't finished yet, but from what I've seen so far, it should turn out equal to or superior to a full-canvassed suit I got in HK for more than 3 times the price. I too find your remarks somewhat suspicious Kirpan... you dug up this thread to disparage Narin for your first and until now only post? Again, my suit isn't completed yet, but Narin is at the top of the list in many reviews of Bangkok tailoring, including the well-cited massive one on Lonely Planet, AskAndy, and Narin's own credentials as well. I don't expect the world for $300 USD, but I think he tries to deliver that with the multiple, detailed fittings and questions he asks of his clients. Now that being said, you may be correct he's bad at measuring (I had a really funky shirt collar churned out by him, but he promptly fixed it), though he doesn't appear to be over 40; and I would agree he's slightly pretentious and takes getting used to (though some of that is just the different culture).

Well I think Mr Svenn read my post better - I wish him luck.
I am not a jealous competitor, but as I wrote before, I have some years behind me since my father took me to his tailor.
In Pakistan my tailor(s) were quite good, be it a bit old fashioned. However I had to bring the Italian cloth, plus all the thread, buttons, horsehair,etc. myself. Later I found that he had used a lot of my materials on a suit for a cabinet minister.

I would suggest that you take all stories praising tailors in Asia with a grain of salt maybe until you have checked them out.
Cross out all confusing information like that the guy is a great football player or speaks Urdu well...
If you yourself are also fluent in Urdu that may give an indication that he is reliable in that field.
It does not maker him a good cutter or a good tailor.

Yes it was my first posting. One posting has to be the first,lah

I will now check how many postings there were from the guys praising this tailor in the first place.
I must add that you do attract attention when you give a shop's name in the header of a posting.
If a posting is overly positive I must somehow assess in what position the writer is or was. How many suits did he have made before and where. How long was he stationed in a town?

I have also read many elogies on Rajawongse in BKK. Well, I also checked him out and he does make a suit well - according to his own standards. He will advise you and as long as you don't deviate from his standard work too much you may get a better suit than from the peg. Especially so if it is the very first suit you have had made and when you look so wonderful in a suit that you will probably wear very seldom or never anyhow.
When you look for restaurants in Tripadvisor you will be surprised that in San Francisco the No 2 restaurant is a pizza place. Well that is because there were more postings naming the pizza joint than The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton.
A matter of numbers, not quality that counted.

For those really interested in a tailor it should not be too difficult also to check the stories told and ask yourself what these stories added to your conviction that a particular tailor is good.
Find out the source of the stories and ask locals to confirm them.
Good luck again.

I don't know, to me Kirpan doesn't sound angry at all - he sounds quite reasonable actually. He never even suggested an alternative, which he might have done if he was a "jealous competitor".

I'd love to see pictures of Svenn's suits, both HK and Narin (when it's done). Let SF decide which is superior (or better value-for-money). You'll get an honest, fair appraisal from the regulars here (especially if you don't say beforehand who made which suit ).

Further to the replies to my posting:
Well, I will never become a senior member, that's for sure. I am much too old for these things and I don't have the time. I would certainly not have had the time when I was younger. One was not supposed to be so preoccupied with these matters. I was not a Beau Brummel or an Oscar Wilde.
But I suppose I have a certain 'expertise' nevertheless.

Gentlemen as promised, I have read most of what you have written before. Very interesting. But as you must admit it all looks a bit ingà nue from my point of view. I will explain this later.

But first: I did have some work done by Narin a year or two ago, not so good, not very bad, mistakes galore. Noticed that he did not advise other customer about ill fitting but it was a tourist so he let him go.
This year I may stopover in Bangkok again and even though I do not need anything I thought it would be interesting to look up where I had spent some money before.
I was utterly surprised to find Narin quoted as an upper end tailor and thought it best to balance the information. More so when I found that most of the information was simply taken from earlier postings and not always reliable.
Delving into my memory I see Narin as a very simple one man shop with one or two average cutters and maybe 2 or 3 seamstresses. That's all. At the time I did not have any idea that he spoke French. It might have helped in understanding. He was not quick on the uptake, if that is what you name it.
I did not see 'son diplôme d'honneur' proudly displayed, but it may have been hidden behind the old piles of cloth. Taking measurements is not his 'forte'.
Many others have noticed this also and that he has no difficulty in repairing his faults is only just.
Some posters are eager to react when there is a not so favourable posting on Narin. If anything is suspicious it is exactly this.
I am not saying that you get paid for your writings but it is clear that you have spent lots and lots of time with the man and he has spent lots of time with you. If the results are that you have ordered one suit from him I can understand why he has to charge so much for average work.
As for the result of the one suit: we may assume that M. Narin is also reading this and that he is - in this case - not outsourcing. That a cutter has taken the measurements and that you can depend on his judgement. For the happy owner: well, at last you got a bespoke suit, or more or less so and by now there is no other way than to look to Leon Festinger.

I suppose that if you name yourself 'suited and booted' this is something that stands out among the people you are acquainted with. But maybe some humor is lost on me. I think that the majority of contributors to this site are Americans. They may use expressions not known to me. Sorry.

I looked at some other entries (almost 100% USA) on 'sweetbreads'. After numerous postings it turns out that some like them, some not and where they could eat them and at the very end there were even some questions what they were. I understand that it is not something that one can buy at the butchershop on the corner of Main street, so I cannot blame them. But, naturellement, one cannot expect profound knowledge from them.

It is maybe comparable with tailoring. You can read a lot about suit making and ask myriads of questions like Mr Svenn has done. But essentially both Mr Svenn and Mr S&B do not have a lot of experience in this field. They will have to have many suits made from many tailors before they should start advising others or even suggest things.

Of course,about 'expertise' I know it is a bit unfair. I am from another age and I was born into a family where it was normal practice to have suits made. I have never seen my grandfather, nor my father nor my 4 uncles without a bespoken suit. Not even on the beach. My father had light summer suits but often had his darker suits - and hats - also on the beach.
I guess that before my 4th year my mother made my clothes. After that our 'linen' tailor made my suits and as I was by then old enough I got sous-pieds and guêtres - we just called the whole thing sous-pieds. Nowadays most people will not even know the words.
Around 15 years old my father's tailor started making suits and coats for me. I think he often came to the house and I suppose he still did so for my father later on but as soon as I became a student I went to see the tailor. This went on till I was about 25. By that time our tailor had retired. I went abroad and for another 30 years I had my suits made in the old fashioned way. Nearly always 3-piece suits. Tuxedo's, evening dress, great coats, 'demi-saisons', etc.
Abroad I often got the adresses from my embassy. That did not mean that embassy's 'post reports' can always be trusted. But they are a starting point and having studied Asian languages it was easy to get information from local colleagues. I did not feel obliged to further that info.

I have no idea how many tailors I have had. I still have some old tailors that still make suits the old fashioned way. They are old and will stop working soon. Well, I don't really need any more suits or other clothes. Some of my good old tailors found an easier way to make jackets. I cannot blame them. Most of their customers can't see of feel the difference.
Where did all the suits go? I suppose that like elephants they all get together somewhere to fade away. As I have some dwellings in various continents some suits that I like less, go to a place where I visit less often. Sometimes they no longer fit anyhow. Sometimes I did not like them from the beginning and they have been worn only once or twice. Not the tailors fault. My mistake: cloth too heavy, did not like the colour or pattern after all. Servants happy.

After about 50 years experience I think I have a good idea what a tailor is like.

Originally Posted by Kirpan

Click to expand...

Further to the replies to my posting:
Well, I will never become a senior member, that's for sure. I am much too old for these things and I don't have the time. I would certainly not have had the time when I was younger. One was not supposed to be so preoccupied with these matters. I was not a Beau Brummel or an Oscar Wilde.
But I suppose I have a certain 'expertise' nevertheless.

Gentlemen as promised, I have read most of what you have written before. Very interesting. But as you must admit it all looks a bit ingÃ

nue from my point of view. I will explain this later.

But first: I did have some work done by Narin a year or two ago, not so good, not very bad, mistakes galore. Noticed that he did not advise other customer about ill fitting but it was a tourist so he let him go.
This year I may stopover in Bangkok again and even though I do not need anything I thought it would be interesting to look up where I had spent some money before.
I was utterly surprised to find Narin quoted as an upper end tailor and thought it best to balance the information. More so when I found that most of the information was simply taken from earlier postings and not always reliable.
Delving into my memory I see Narin as a very simple one man shop with one or two average cutters and maybe 2 or 3 seamstresses. That's all. At the time I did not have any idea that he spoke French. It might have helped in understanding. He was not quick on the uptake, if that is what you name it.
I did not see 'son diplôme d'honneur' proudly displayed, but it may have been hidden behind the old piles of cloth. Taking measurements is not his 'forte'.
Many others have noticed this also and that he has no difficulty in repairing his faults is only just.
Some posters are eager to react when there is a not so favourable posting on Narin. If anything is suspicious it is exactly this.
I am not saying that you get paid for your writings but it is clear that you have spent lots and lots of time with the man and he has spent lots of time with you. If the results are that you have ordered one suit from him I can understand why he has to charge so much for average work.
As for the result of the one suit: we may assume that M. Narin is also reading this and that he is - in this case - not outsourcing. That a cutter has taken the measurements and that you can depend on his judgement. For the happy owner: well, at last you got a bespoke suit, or more or less so and by now there is no other way than to look to Leon Festinger.

I suppose that if you name yourself 'suited and booted' this is something that stands out among the people you are acquainted with. But maybe some humor is lost on me. I think that the majority of contributors to this site are Americans. They may use expressions not known to me. Sorry.

I looked at some other entries (almost 100% USA) on 'sweetbreads'. After numerous postings it turns out that some like them, some not and where they could eat them and at the very end there were even some questions what they were. I understand that it is not something that one can buy at the butchershop on the corner of Main street, so I cannot blame them. But, naturellement, one cannot expect profound knowledge from them.

It is maybe comparable with tailoring. You can read a lot about suit making and ask myriads of questions like Mr Svenn has done. But essentially both Mr Svenn and Mr S&B do not have a lot of experience in this field. They will have to have many suits made from many tailors before they should start advising others or even suggest things.

Of course,about 'expertise' I know it is a bit unfair. I am from another age and I was born into a family where it was normal practice to have suits made. I have never seen my grandfather, nor my father nor my 4 uncles without a bespoken suit. Not even on the beach. My father had light summer suits but often had his darker suits - and hats - also on the beach.
I guess that before my 4th year my mother made my clothes. After that our 'linen' tailor made my suits and as I was by then old enough I got sous-pieds and guêtres - we just called the whole thing sous-pieds. Nowadays most people will not even know the words.
Around 15 years old my father's tailor started making suits and coats for me. I think he often came to the house and I suppose he still did so for my father later on but as soon as I became a student I went to see the tailor. This went on till I was about 25. By that time our tailor had retired. I went abroad and for another 30 years I had my suits made in the old fashioned way. Nearly always 3-piece suits. Tuxedo's, evening dress, great coats, 'demi-saisons', etc.
Abroad I often got the adresses from my embassy. That did not mean that embassy's 'post reports' can always be trusted. But they are a starting point and having studied Asian languages it was easy to get information from local colleagues. I did not feel obliged to further that info.

I have no idea how many tailors I have had. I still have some old tailors that still make suits the old fashioned way. They are old and will stop working soon. Well, I don't really need any more suits or other clothes. Some of my good old tailors found an easier way to make jackets. I cannot blame them. Most of their customers can't see of feel the difference.
Where did all the suits go? I suppose that like elephants they all get together somewhere to fade away. As I have some dwellings in various continents some suits that I like less, go to a place where I visit less often. Sometimes they no longer fit anyhow. Sometimes I did not like them from the beginning and they have been worn only once or twice. Not the tailors fault. My mistake: cloth too heavy, did not like the colour or pattern after all. Servants happy.

After about 50 years experience I think I have a good idea what a tailor is like.

Kirpan, would it be possible for you to post a picture of yourself in a suit you wear often? I would like to see how roomy it is.

(I'm an Asian, not an American.)

I had a suit and some shirts made by Narin. I think he has pretty good taste, and I like the fact that he is very opinionated. I wanted Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 500 Days of Summer, but he walked me back a bit from a suit I wouldn't be able to move in.

In any event, here are some pictures of what he made me. They're not the best pictures, but I figure somewhat ought add a picture to the dialogue.

I'm happy with what he made me. What say you?

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&i...disp=inline&zw

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&i...disp=inline&zw

Originally Posted by justinzee

Click to expand...

I had a suit and some shirts made by Narin. I think he has pretty good taste, and I like the fact that he is very opinionated. I wanted Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 500 Days of Summer, but he walked me back a bit from a suit I wouldn't be able to move in.

In any event, here are some pictures of what he made me. They're not the best pictures, but I figure somewhat ought add a picture to the dialogue.

I'm happy with what he made me. What say you?

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&i...disp=inline&zw

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&i...disp=inline&zw

^ Those photos are not available.
Can you upload again?

Sorry; here they are.

They had been traveling in a bag for about two days before I put them on, so they don't look as crisp as they do now.

Hi Kirpan

It was really nice to read your experiences of tailoring, and hearing of your male relatives wearing dark bespoke suits on the beach! I love the sartorial styles of the 1930's/1940's and wish to get some suits/shirts/trousers copied when I visit Bangkok later this year. I also might take some 1930's catalogue pictures with me, to have some new pieces made. Could you recommend a good, 'old school' tailor?

Many thanks

Jon

Below is my $300 USD fused suit by Narin in Huddersfield's 14oz glen plaid with blue overcheck (not that you can see it ). I didn't expect much so I am fairly satisfied... I just had this extra cloth laying around and thought I'd give Bangkok tailoring a try. Shirts were nice, a little softer collars than I like, but still nice.



armholes weren't as high as I like, I'm not sure he can go any higher so I probably won't return..




All in all, if you're on a budget and like a roomier suit, he might be the right choice. If you go for a fitted suit like I did, I doubt you'll get the mobility you want.

Originally Posted by Svenn

Click to expand...

Below is my $300 USD fused suit by Narin in Huddersfield's 14oz glen plaid with blue overcheck (not that you can see it

). I didn't expect much so I am fairly satisfied... I just had this extra cloth laying around and thought I'd give Bangkok tailoring a try. Shirts were nice, a little softer collars than I like, but still nice.

armholes weren't as high as I like, I'm not sure he can go any higher so I probably won't return..

All in all, if you're on a budget and like a roomier suit, he might be the right choice. If you go for a fitted suit like I did, I doubt you'll get the mobility you want.

Do you go to his shop for the measuring or does he go on a tour? $300 was for CTM?

Originally Posted by bigasahouse

Click to expand...

Do you go to his shop for the measuring or does he go on a tour? $300 was for CTM?

I went to his shop in bangkok, he doesn't do any tours (yet). Yea the pricing was kind of vague and in thai baht, but i gather it was $300 for CMT (bring own fabric)... i think his cheap fabric suits start at $400... i wouldn't touch any suiting fabrics in thailand with a 10 foot pole.