Manila Tailor

Originally Posted by emptym

Click to expand...

I'm still very happy w/ my shirts, pants, and washable linen sport coat from him.

good to know you're still rocking dem cornell's, M.

So I showed the shirt Cornell made to my other tailor last night. He pointed out a bunch of flaws in the construction and other things that could be improved, but he did concede that for the price (I paid P1000 for a white swiss cotton shirt) and the fact that it fit me very well it was pretty decent.

I also had Cornell make a wool version of my cotton Mabitex trousers.

I'm also happy with Cornell's turnaround time. And to answer a previous question, yes he does do alterations. A customer came in with a Zara shirt to be slimmed down and sleeves shortened and Cornell agreed to do it.

I'll have a bunch more shirts and a few odd trousers made at Cornell's and gradually replace them with better quality ones from the other tailor as my time and budget allows.

When I get the chance I'll take some photos of both tailor's shirts to show the details in Cornell's shirts, and compare with the shirts my other tailor's made for me.

Originally Posted by emptym

Click to expand...

Makes sense. Thanks, B.

CMT at Cornell's is about 5,500 PP. I think Topper's is almost twice that for a canvased suit, so around $200. I've only been to Toppers once and that was in July. Stuff looked pretty good then, but I wasn't trying anything on.

Do you have a new favorite tailor? The guys at Kamuning had some suggestions, but I didn't have time to check them out.

I have a new tailor in Mapayapa Village in Quezon City. He's really good in alterations. However, I'm not satisfied at the suits he made for me. Maybe I'll try Cornell's for my next suit. Does he have nice fabrics for a sports jacket? Like POW check?

Originally Posted by acidboy

Click to expand...

good to know you're still rocking dem cornell's, M.
They're still among my favorites. I wore a pair of Cornell's pants to meet Salvatore Ambrosi.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

Click to expand...

So I showed the shirt Cornell made to my other tailor last night. He pointed out a bunch of flaws in the construction and other things that could be improved, but he did concede that for the price (I paid P1000 for a white swiss cotton shirt) and the fact that it fit me very well it was pretty decent.

I also had Cornell make a wool version of my cotton Mabitex trousers.

I'm also happy with Cornell's turnaround time. And to answer a previous question, yes he does do alterations. A customer came in with a Zara shirt to be slimmed down and sleeves shortened and Cornell agreed to do it.

I'll have a bunch more shirts and a few odd trousers made at Cornell's and gradually replace them with better quality ones from the other tailor as my time and budget allows.

When I get the chance I'll take some photos of both tailor's shirts to show the details in Cornell's shirts, and compare with the shirts my other tailor's made for me.
I look forward to the comparison. Your tailor has one of my Cornell shirts and a pair of pants! I agree that his construction is better than Cornell's.

Originally Posted by aon

Click to expand...

I have a new tailor in Mapayapa Village in Quezon City. He's really good in alterations. However, I'm not satisfied at the suits he made for me. Maybe I'll try Cornell's for my next suit. Does he have nice fabrics for a sports jacket? Like POW check?
Cornell's fabric is hit or miss. I'd bring my own. I got some nice stuff from Kamuning. But you'r not likely to find great sport coat fabric there. BB wrote in another thread that Cornell's suits are half canvased. I thought they were fully fused. I think that he's great for starter suits or causal stuff like cotton or linen. My washable linen jacket from him is great. Just be sure to be specific and to get fittings.

em, is your linen jacket lined or unlined?

It's quarter lined with shirting he had at the shop. It has a light, I assume fused, canvas and very thin shoulder pads. The pants that go w/ the jacket to make it a suit are with JR. Were you there just for the ordering or also for the fitting? I don't think I ever posted that pic of Cornell and me that you or Acidboy took:
Wish I was still in Manila!

will you have another tour of duty this year?

Originally Posted by emptym

Click to expand...

It's quarter lined with shirting material he had at the shop. It has a light, I assume fused, canvas and very thin shoulder pads. The pants JR has go w/ the jacket to make a suit.

Ah great. I'll probably get something similar soon. Just have to find the right fabric.

Were you there just for the ordering or also for the fitting?

Click to expand...

When we met you were ordering.

Originally Posted by acidboy

Click to expand...

will you have another tour of duty this year?
No, but I may be able to come for family and fun. It's only a slight possibility though.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

Click to expand...

Ah great. I'll probably get something similar soon. Just have to find the right fabric.

When we met you were ordering.
And you guys were helping me. You might try Fourth Quadrant Textile in Kamuning, 154 Textile section, run by a family called Bongon. They had some great cotton twill in many colors and some nice linen or linen blends. I have some stuff from there that I may send with a friend who would bring it to Cornell's. I'm afraid to get stuff w/o the chance to have fittings and alterations though.

Originally Posted by emptym

Click to expand...

No, but I may be able to come for family and fun. It's only a slight possibility though.

And you guys were helping me. You might try Fourth Quadrant Textile in Kamuning, 154 Textile section, run by a family called Bongon. They had some great cotton twill in many colors and some nice linen or linen blends. I have some stuff from there that I may send with a friend who would bring it to Cornell's. I'm afraid to get stuff w/o the chance to have fittings and alterations though.

Does fourth quadrant have some interesting fabrics for sports jacket? Can anyone recommend a good place where I can find patterned fabrics for a jacket? Thanks!

It's probably hit or miss. Try Emiliano-Ericci in Kamuning (who says he supplies stuff to Cornell) and Fanbi in Greenbelt (I think). Of all the fabric shops I visited, Emiliano-Ericci seemed by far the best stocked for men's suiting and shirting. They also recommended some tailors who worked from their homes. If I was in town for a month or visited frequently, I'd try BB's tailor for a canvased jacket. He has access to top notch fabric too.

Thanks for your inputs! I'll try to visit BB's tailor as well.

I had my first real quality control problem with Cornell this week, on my third shirt. The collar button was incorrectly placed, and the buttons aren't centered in the placket. I pointed this out and we (Mr. Cornelio and I) went through the other finished shirts in the shop and found several other shirts where the buttons weren't aligned with the center of the placket. He also checked the width of the placket on my shirt and it was 1/8" wider than it was supposed to be.

I found JR through SF and I scheduled a meeting with him when I was in Manila for a business meeting back in October. I've now got 5 shirts and 4 trousers. I will post pictures later this evening or tomorrow morning.

^Great.

BB, that's too bad about the small problems w/ the shirt. I haven't had any problems w/ shirts, although I don't think I have a button down collared shirt from him. I'm sure I've had other problems, but the only one I can think of now was flapped besom pockets put on instead of patch pockets. Is he going to remake or otherwise fix the placket?