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Malaysian bespoke

Tano

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Originally Posted by holynewhere
any1 of u heard of lord's tailor? is it any good?

I'm going there in march to get a suit made. I have heard ah lokes prices have gone up a lot due to his popularity. I have also been told to check out bespoke at 1utama. Can anyone comment on where else to get a good bespoke or Mtm suit in KL?
 

hymo

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Ah Loke also makes shirts in-house. It took me 4 shirts and lots of "coaching" (which since he is an old Cantonese, would resemble kicking up a big ruckus in order to have impact) or thereabouts before satisfactory stuff came out, which includes non-fused collars and cuffs, a split non-symetrical yoke to compensate for my dropped right shoulder, sufficient back width for full upper body ROM, enough chest width to make the shirt less body conscious, and the right neckhole geometry to avoid bunching at the sides of the neck. I supply my own interlining nowadays because he doesn't pre-soak his. His buttons are tacked on by hand with a nice shank if you ask for it. Some examples of shirts his brother (the shirtmaker) made for me:
70lilac.jpg
BERed2.jpg
Gshen may recognize this linen cloth
P2060268.jpg
zegna019.jpg
 

Bounder

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Hymo, in a previous post, you mentioned your new suit had "swappable buttons". By this, do you mean it is a Swiss Army suit?
 

sartorial_marxist

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Hymo, it is really amazing what you have done with your tailor. I live in SEA too and I know the constrains and difficulties you go through. However, I am really very surprised that Ah Loke is still willing to accept your business after all that micro-managing. I myself have been a victim of getting turned away for "asking too much". "Proper" tailors from the west calls...
 

hymo

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I don't know what a Swiss Army suit is. I have 2 sets of buttons for my navy DB: one set in dark navy horn and another set of antique German navy (the military, not the colour) gilt. I can switch between sets of buttons in 5 minutes. If you take a closer look you can see how this is implemented:
zegna049s.jpg


Originally Posted by sartorial_marxist
Hymo, it is really amazing what you have done with your tailor. I live in SEA too and I know the constrains and difficulties you go through. However, I am really very surprised that Ah Loke is still willing to accept your business after all that micro-managing. I myself have been a victim of getting turned away for "asking too much". "Proper" tailors from the west calls...

Yeah my relationship with him started off real bad after I bombed into his shop asking for minimal shoulder padding, deep waisting etc. etc. Now that I've more experience with tailors, I think it a good idea to start off with their house cut, then for the second commission to tell them in very specific language the deviations you want from their house cut. By going back, you demonstrate confidence in them, and the first garment serves to facilitate the communication of expectations.
 

Tano

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Does Ah Loke have his own cloth for shirts? (Im only in malaysia for 5 full days and dont have time for fabric shopping).

Whats the turn around time on these shirts and how much $$?
 

hymo

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Originally Posted by Tano
Does Ah Loke have his own cloth for shirts? (Im only in malaysia for 5 full days and dont have time for fabric shopping).

Whats the turn around time on these shirts and how much $$?


I mostly buy my shirtings from Acorn in Cumbria then bring them to Ah Loke. AL has his own shirtings but these come with the usual exhorbitant tailor's markup. I think you should expect to pay RM200-250 for a shirt. Nonetheless, pricing at AL is still lower then the usual suspects, i.e. Lord's (who makes pathetic shirts of provincial quality) and Bespoked (great shirts, but fused and very expensive).
 

hymo

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The finished shirts can be mailed to you in Perth. Same thing with suits.

It is unrealistic to expect great fitting shirts on your first commission. It takes several iterations and good communications on your part to achieve good results.
 

Tano

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My plan was to get a bespoke suit made on the first day i arrive, then hopefully get atleast one fitting before i leave and then have the suit mailed to me.

I phoned Bespoke and they laughed (said 2 weeks for first fitting). Does Ah Loke offer express tourist option? :)
 

hymo

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Originally Posted by Tano
My plan was to get a bespoke suit made on the first day i arrive, then hopefully get atleast one fitting before i leave and then have the suit mailed to me.

I phoned Bespoke and they laughed (said 2 weeks for first fitting). Does Ah Loke offer express tourist option? :)


There was this Canadian guy who squeezed in 3 visits (1 measurement session + 2 fittings) in 4 days. Obviously such things have the tendency to shorten the life expectancy of tailors...
 

Bounder

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Originally Posted by hymo
I don't know what a Swiss Army suit is. I have 2 sets of buttons for my navy DB: one set in dark navy horn and another set of antique German navy (the military, not the colour) gilt. I can switch between sets of buttons in 5 minutes. If you take a closer look you can see how this is implemented:
zegna049s.jpg

Yes, that's what Vox dubbed a Swiss Army Suit (as in Swiss Army knife) when he had one made. I am impressed that you had it done double-breasted. I assume you did the cuffs, too. How many buttons did you have him put on each cuff? Do you know how much he is charging for a sportscoat now? How is his cloth and can you supply your own?
Yeah my relationship with him started off real bad after I bombed into his shop asking for minimal shoulder padding, deep waisting etc. etc. Now that I've more experience with tailors, I think it a good idea to start off with their house cut, then for the second commission to tell them in very specific language the deviations you want from their house cut. By going back, you demonstrate confidence in them, and the first garment serves to facilitate the communication of expectations.
But the point here is none of us will have to do that as you have already broken him in, as it were. We all want stuff much like you have already trained him to make. Of course, you won't want to give your name but perhaps you could provide us and your tailor with a code word we can use. "Please give me a hymo suit!" Well, probably not that, but you get the idea.
 

Tano

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THanks Hymo.
Since i dont have time does he also sell suits and do MTM? If not, wheres a good place to get a decent half /full canvassed suit (non surgeon cuffs) in KL to bring to Ah Loke to alter?
 

apropos

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Originally Posted by hymo
It is unrealistic to expect great fitting shirts on your first commission from most Asian tailors. It takes several iterations and good communications on your part to achieve good results from Asian tailors, because they have absolutely no pride in what they do and inexplicably think they know best.
FTFY.
 

hymo

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^got burned by a few of them?

Tano, the fully canvassed RTWs here are Brioni's and Zegna's which cost upwards of RM10K. Might be a better idea to buy them in Aus and have them altered here.

AL does not sell suits and does not do MTM. But some of the other tailors do, though this is an option I have never bothered to check out.
 

hymo

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While we're on the topic...
zegna054-1.jpg
Blazer: ALT Shirt: ALT Trousers: ALT (worn hard, never pressed) Shoes: Loake 1880 Durham
P2010016.jpg
 

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