Custom Suit - WW Chan or Richard Lim

Over the years I have tried a lot different RTW suits (oxxford, zegna, canali, Isaia, paul stuart, brooks brothers) but found none to be quite right. So I am thinking of taking the plunge and going custom. Living in Los Angeles, I have heard of good things about Richard Lim in terms quality/value and have also heard good things about WW Chan, who is scheduled to visit the city in July. WW Chan seems be tried and true, but more expensive and less accessible. Richard Lim more of a gamble but cheaper and more accessible. Anybody have experience with both? Any advice would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by guhmok

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Over the years I have tried a lot different RTW suits (oxxford, zegna, canali, Isaia, paul stuart, brooks brothers) but found none to be quite right. So I am thinking of taking the plunge and going custom. Living in Los Angeles, I have heard of good things about Richard Lim in terms quality/value and have also heard good things about WW Chan, who is scheduled to visit the city in July. WW Chan seems be tried and true, but more expensive and less accessible. Richard Lim more of a gamble but cheaper and more accessible. Anybody have experience with both? Any advice would be appreciated.
As a big fan of Richard Lim, I'm also VERY curious to see if anyone has used both Richard Lim and WW Chan. A side by side comparison would be quite interesting. *edit* BTW, guhmok, how much of an idea do you have about the kind of look you want? From my experience with Richard Lim, it works best if you really know what you want and don't need your hands held very much.

I have experience with WW Chan but my first suit from them was in HK and I got multiple fittings. Chan will give you a fitting on tour but it has to be mailed back and forth which will add more $$$ to your total cost.

With RL you can have multiple fittings for your suit w/o additional cost and I believe some posters have said that he was good.

I'm not sure about prices from RL but I believe Chan suits start at about $1300

I have 3 comissions from Richard Lim. Love them all, even if the shoulders are a little more structured and the armholes a little lower than I'd like. My 1st Chan is due to arrive in May. I'll let you know how it turns out.

very happy with the work WW Chan have done for me and would recommend them. no experience with RL

Originally Posted by coolal

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As a big fan of Richard Lim, I'm also VERY curious to see if anyone has used both Richard Lim and WW Chan. A side by side comparison would be quite interesting.

*edit* BTW, guhmok, how much of an idea do you have about the kind of look you want? From my experience with Richard Lim, it works best if you really know what you want and don't need your hands held very much.

That's a good question. Of all the RTW suits I have tried, the Isaia base S is my favorite. So I like the natural shoulder, high armholes look. I also like Oxxford Onwentsia, which I think is more "structured" when compared to Isaia. I am going to visit RL some time soon and will have to see what he can do.

Originally Posted by bigchris1313

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I have 3 comissions from Richard Lim. Love them all, even if the shoulders are a little more structured and the armholes a little lower than I'd like. My 1st Chan is due to arrive in May. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Any reason why you decided to change up tailors? Is it for the stylistic reason you cited? Would love to see pics of the work RL has done for you.

Also, in terms of knowledge, ease of communication, service, etc., what was your impression of the different tailors?

Originally Posted by guhmok

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That's a good question. Of all the RTW suits I have tried, the Isaia base S is my favorite. So I like the natural shoulder, high armholes look. I also like Oxxford Onwentsia, which I think is more "structured" when compared to Isaia. I am going to visit RL some time soon and will have to see what he can do.

Originally Posted by guhmok

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Also, in terms of knowledge, ease of communication, service, etc., what was your impression of the different tailors?

guhmok, certainly looks like you have an idea of what works and what doesn't from years of RTW experience. I would put together a list of favorite looks and the details that make that look. Button stance / gorge height / number of buttons in front and on sleeve / peak or notch / single or double vent / pocket types / jacket length / etc. Armed with this, you're most likely to be happy with your end result.

As for Richard Lim, his assistant Sunny handles all the communication. They are very warm and willing to work with you in any way. I use email to stay in contact with Sunny and she always replies within 24 hours. That said, it's not really the kind of shop where you'd drop by and chat for a while. There is ZERO rush, but it is an efficient process that goes by quickly.

I'm very curious what the service experience is like with WW Chan. I imagine there is more salesmanship in the presentation, especially with regard to the traveling tailors.

I'm bumping this, because I'm also considering a commission from both (or either).

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

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I'm bumping this, because I'm also considering a commission from both (or either).

Coolal has a thread with pics from his jacket from RL and by all accounts it looks very nice and he takes CMT. The prices are very reasobale for CMT and may give them a try in the future.

With Chan you can be guided to the latest trends and based on Coolal, one may be betteroff with what you want when you go in.

A user recently asked me via PM to compare my Chan comission to my Lim commissions. This forced me to finally do the write-up I should have done a while ago. For Angelenos trying to choose between my favorite local Korean and the ultimate in SF-approved tailors, hopefully this rundown will be instructive:

Originally Posted by bigchris1313

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Hmm. Each have their pros and cons, and while I come out firmly on the side of Richard Lim, I am not indicative of Styleforum at large (ie: I do not wear a 38S). I am 6'1" and 275 lbs. I am a former college football player and continue to recreationally powerlift. Accordingly, I have a 53" chest and a 43" waist. A 10" drop and extremely sloped shoulders--not to mention my massive chest measurement--make me very difficult to fit.

Chan:

I received my Chan fairly recently. I was fit during the November tour, received my basted suit in the mail, and got my basted fitting during the March tour. I received the suit in May (after having paid nearly $200 to ship the basted suit back to Hong Kong). Unfortunately, the basted fitting was not enough time for them to work out all the kinks. There are still folds of excess fabric on the sides of the jacket, and somehow, the sleeves are--I kid you not--an inch different in length. 1 inch! I can't explain the sleeves, but I can understand the excess fabric. I am a difficult fit because of my sloped shoulders, large chest, and 10" drop. After 1 basted fitting, I probably shouldn't have expected perfection. I am having my local alterations tailor take care of the work at present.

On the other hand, Chan does things that Lim cannot, particularly in terms of the SF aesthetic. Chan's construction is softer and his shoulders are more natural. There is also much more hand work. If I were like the rest of SF, were built like a stick, and wore a 38 jacket, then I'd be all over Chan in a heartbeat. If you're an easy fit and you care about handwork and softer construction, Chan is a good value for the money, given that one basted fitting should be sufficient. If you're a difficult fit like me, I would not recommend using Chan unless you're going to go to HK personally to get your pattern down. If I had 2-3 fittings in HK, I'm confident I'd have an amazing product I wouldn't have to have altered back home. But I don't have the luxury of flying to HK and staying for weeks at a time.

Richard Lim:

For me, Lim has been a God-send. Even with his upcharge for larger clients, his prices are competetive with Chan. In fact, for regular-sized clients, thanks to Chan's new price increases, Lim may even be cheaper.

With Lim, you are paying for the ability to have several fittings to make sure you are fitted right. While the jackets have some measure of handwork, much of the stitching is machine done. The construction is also stiffer than Chan's. For a guy like me, this is good. It gives a sharper silhouette. Also, for my extremely sloping shoulders, Lim will not give me a truly natural shoulder (and after my Chan experiment, I understand why). So if you're looking for the SF aesthetic, Lim isn't quite all the way there, though you can force him in that direction. I've gotten him to give my high armholes, and his waist suppression looks outstanding. But if you want a really natural shoulder, softer construction, and lots of handwork, you might want to look elsewhere. (Though I should note that some SF posters report that Lim will do more handwork if you ask him to, such as for buttonholes).

But in return for the more structured silhouette, more padded shoulders, and machine stitching, I get a tailor who will give me as many fittings as I need to get the product right. I can go back to Lim week after week to get something down. For my first jacket, he even insisted on making a trial pattern out of scrap cloth. (This is very uncommon). But all the fittings mean a jacket that fits extremely well, with the convenience of him being over in Koreatown instead of half a world away. The only downside is that his cloths are mostly Italian mills and an Austrialian mill named Gladsons, with whom I've been quite pleased. If you are looking for large, SF-approved cloth selection, Chan will suit you better. Alternatively, Lim has great CMT rates if you bring in your own cloth.

In sum:

If you are an easy fit who wants lots of handwork, demands every SF-approved aesthetic feature including a soft construction, and have time to spare, go with Chan. If you are a difficult fit who is willing to wear a more structured jacket with more machine work but who needs more fittings to make it right, go with Lim.

I personally will continue to use Richard Lim and endorse him at every turn. Lim's work flatters me more, and I now have no confidence that Chan will ever be capable of fitting me properly unless I fly to HK. (Furthermore, the 1" in sleeve length difference after my only fitting is unconscionable). I know that Lim will always be able to "make it right," and even if he work is only 90% SF-approved, he makes a damn fine product, especially for the price.

I regret that I do not have a digital camera capable of taking a decent photo.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

I commissioned a CMT blazer from Lim. We'll see how it turns out... I met Mr. Lim when I went into the store initially, but after making an appointment over the phone, I was measured and discussed details of the garment with their saleswoman/receptionist/admin.

She was nice enough as we discussed details and so forth. I was measured by another tailor in the shop.

I went in about ten days later for a basted fitting, and the length of the coat was adjusted a bit with the tailor who took my measurements. Coincidentally (it seemed) Mr. Lim came in and made a few adjustments after the tailor had pronounced me done.

They made it very clear (this was in talking with the receptionist/saleswoman) that there would be only one fitting. They did accommodate my requests and I'm looking forward to seeing the result, and they certainly didn't seem like they would refuse adjustments upon delivery, but it certainly wasn't either a "extra fittings for an extra charge" or "as many as it takes, we'll make a pattern from scrap cloth" situation in my case.

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

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They made it very clear (this was in talking with the receptionist/saleswoman) that there would be only one fitting. They did accommodate my requests and I'm looking forward to seeing the result, and they certainly didn't seem like they would refuse adjustments upon delivery, but it certainly wasn't either a "extra fittings for an extra charge" or "as many as it takes, we'll make a pattern from scrap cloth" situation in my case.

I'm willing to guess that's the difference between CMT and going whole-hog.

As I understand it, the CMT service--which I have never used--is a la carte in terms of pricing. You get exactly what you want and no more, with a price to match. (eg: All regular commissions have surgeon's cuffs as standard; CMT commissions require a $20(?) fee for surgeon's cuffs). I believe that for their CMT service, extra fittings cost extra dollars.

Conversely, if you get a regular commission, you use his fabrics (and he probably makes some margin on them as well) and are essentially paying for the premium package, though you are not obligated to take everything in it (eg: I opt to forgo pick stitching because I don't care for it, even though it would cost me nothing extra and I have essentially already paid for it). This "premium package" includes as many fittings as it takes to get it right. Even on my fourth commission, this included 3 fittings (basted/forward/final tweeks).

You get what you pay for. I get regular commissions from Lim; ergo, I get as many fittings as I need. The CMT is a great deal--especially for those who know exactly what features they want and don't need extra fittings--but for that price, you don't get to have everything.

I'm surprised to hear that. My assumption was that the sole difference between CMT and their standard offering was that in CMT, I provide the fabric.

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

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I'm surprised to hear that. My assumption was that the sole difference between CMT and their standard offering was that in CMT, I provide the fabric.

Again, I've never done it, but based on what I've read in some other threads, the a la carte system is what I understand. Coolal's thread I linked to above hints a little at it. Let's see if I can find the smoking gun...

Here we go: this is the post I've been looking for RE: Lim's a la carte CMT.