Any one care to report on their WW Chan visit?

I'll go first, but will have to make it quick. It was a decent visit. I was his first appointment in the morning in Beverly Hills. I got there at 8:30am, well before my scheduled 9am time so I could persue the fabric books. Everything was laid out well. I opted for a 3 piece peak lapel suit in a VBC 130s fabric for a total of $1380. The 110s was $80 cheaper, but felt "fuzzier" and not as fine. He said they would wear at the same rate. I think VBC was the least expensive material. The Trofeo, which someone reported at getting for less than $1000 (2 piece), was actually pretty expensive, IIRC at least $1500 for 2 piece, and a lot higher depending on what "line" you chose. I don't even know what weight I got. It was a navy pinstripe, however, and shoud look good. It was reassuring to see that his suit fit damn well nice. I should have just told him, make my suit look as good as it does with you.

In terms of measurements, he actually spent a good 45 minutes to an hour for the vest, suit, and shirt. I got all his attention in the beginning and he was willing to answer my questions. However, he seemed a little rushed as the phone started to ring and a few more people came in. I, for the most part, left the measuring to him. It's hard to tell how a jacket will fit when all you have is a sleeveless piece of material that faintly resembles a jacket that he pins. He did use a jacket I brought it to help him with the measuring. He determine the shoulders were too big and identified other fit issues. There were other things I told him, and he said sure, yes, but I don't remember if he actually wrote some of them down. At this point, it's just, damn I hope it turns out well. He seemed like he knew what he was doing.

I expect to take delivery mid to end June. I considered asking for a basted fitting in July, but travelling over 50 miles to see him is just a headache (I suppose not as big as going to Hong Kong!). So hopefully what I get in July will be good enough with only minor corrections necessary, if at all. Might be too optimistic, but we'll see.

I have things I forget to mention to him, has anyone had success in e-mailing him after the fitting to make sure it's considered in the making of the suit? For example, this might be obvious and presumed, but I want to make sure the quarters are slightly open, which I didn't mention.

Email them and they will note your request immediately.

I met with Patrick a couple of hours after you did. As I mentioned in my "white coat" thread, I had been considering such a garment, but I ended up selecting a summer-weight sport coat from an 8-ounce Scabal wool worsted in dark blue with red and light blue windowpaning.

Without going into details, I will just say they are wonderful people to deal with (at least Patrick is, anyway), who will really go, not just the extra mile, but an extra five miles to ensure customer satisfaction. I have been a Chanfan since 2004, but I can recommend them more enthusiastically than ever after today.

Regarding the OP's concern about fit, if your experience is like mine, your first garment will be quite satisfactory but not as excellent in the fit department as the subsequent ones.

I had a late morning visit in DC. When I arrived, no one else was there. I asked him a few questions about my current suit, and then took my time going through fabrics. There wasn't anything specific I was looking for, but I ended up getting some shirts.

I also recall that the Trofeo was a little more than $1500 for a 2-piece. This was the same price that I paid at his shop in Hong Kong (HK $12000). However, I vaguely remember the prices listed for VBC were more expensive on the US tour than in the shop, with the latter advantages of getting more fittings and receiving the finished product much sooner.

Now that you mention it, regarding the suit that Patrick was wearing, did it seem like his suit was showing too much cuff?

I had a 1:00 o'clock appointment today. I think I had complained in another thread of my appointments being rushed. Today was the opposite. When I arrived, two other clients were there, one of whom I chatted with briefly. After that, I was alone for at least 30 minutes. I had plenty of time to discuss the problems I had with my last suit. They are actually relatively few but two were matters I had directly discussed with Patrick last time, so I was unhappy. Patrick listened, questioned and made notes. I was comfortable enough that I decided to go forward and order my third suit.

I picked a mid-grey nailhead from the H&S Target book. I had gone with a sample of pick & pick (sharkskin ?) from Minnis that I wanted to match. The closest Patrick had was from Harrison and I couldn't remember what I had read about Harrison, so the H&S seemed safer. And I did like the extra texture of the nailhead. I'm getting a 2B, notch lapel jacket with side vents and ticket pocket and high-waisted, forward pleat, brace back trousers. I considered a vest but didn't think I'd wear it enough to justify the cost. I'm still considering e-mailing Chan and asking for another pair of pants, flat front and belted, to make the suit more versatile. But I think I'll have to ebay the Corneliani I picked up at Last Call if I'm going to spend the extra.

Patrick did seem to know what he was doing, and I thought it particularly interesting, as it has been reported before, how he takes a measurement and mumbles to himself for a bit then scribbles something down.

Originally Posted by HalfCanvas

Click to expand...

Email them and they will note your request immediately.

Do you know whether they acknowledge receipt of the e-mail asking for changes? I sent such an e-mail a few days ago to the sales@wwchan e-mail address, but haven't gotten a response. It makes me wonder whether they will incorporate the changes. Any thoguhts?

Originally Posted by teddieriley

Click to expand...

Do you know whether they acknowledge receipt of the e-mail asking for changes? I sent such an e-mail a few days ago to the sales@wwchan e-mail address, but haven't gotten a response. It makes me wonder whether they will incorporate the changes. Any thoguhts?


Arnold Wong responds to emails. They will incorporate changes requested over email.

Originally Posted by teddieriley

Click to expand...

Do you know whether they acknowledge receipt of the e-mail asking for changes? I sent such an e-mail a few days ago to the sales@wwchan e-mail address, but haven't gotten a response. It makes me wonder whether they will incorporate the changes. Any thoguhts?

On each of my first two suits, I e-mailed minor changes or additions and even changed my fabric choices. In each case, I received a response acknowledging the e-mail, and the changes were made--with one exception. I don't recall if the response was immediate. My recollection is that it may have take a day or two.

They do respond to emails and are great at making changes. I emailed after a fitting that on second though, I think the rise should be let out a bit. They complied and the suit turned out great.

My experience is that it usually takes Arnold a few days to respond.

Originally Posted by teddieriley

Click to expand...

Do you know whether they acknowledge receipt of the e-mail asking for changes? I sent such an e-mail a few days ago to the sales@wwchan e-mail address, but haven't gotten a response. It makes me wonder whether they will incorporate the changes. Any thoguhts?

I got an acknowledgement in response in similar circumstances. I'd give it another day or two, then follow up with a polite "just wanted to be sure you got my earlier email" message.

Does anyone think they've begun to lose business due to the cancellation of the CMT program?

Originally Posted by Connemara

Click to expand...

Does anyone think they've begun to lose business due to the cancellation of the CMT program?

They may very well lose a jacket commission from me. I want a velvet blazer and I'm not willing to pay any more than Chan prices, but I wasn't impressed by their selection of velvet fabrics. They had only one very pedestrian navy velvet swatch on my last visit. I may look for a cheaper alternative than Chan, i.e. RTW.

Originally Posted by thinman

Click to expand...

They may very well lose a jacket commission from me. I want a velvet blazer and I'm not willing to pay any more than Chan prices, but I wasn't impressed by their selection of velvet fabrics. They had only one very pedestrian navy velvet swatch on my last visit. I may look for a cheaper alternative than Chan, i.e. RTW.

You might also consider Hemrajani. I don't know whether they do CMT. Given your height and weight, wouldn't you be likely to have difficulty finding RTW in something like a velvet jacket?