Joe Louis gets a custom tailor-made suit
“Make me look like that!”
Wei looked at the page I had ripped out from a men’s magazine. It had a young gallant with perfect hair in a nonchalant pose dressed to the nines. She looked up at me. Then back at the dapper model.
“Let’s do it!” She said in her accented but very good English.
Over the next day we went through decisions regarding color, style, measurements, and fit together. After donning the personalized suit, I stood upright staring at myself in the mirror. While my hair was still thin and messy, I looked fairly similar to our inspiration.
“Something’s still missing,” I told Wei after the second fitting. I had read enough GQ articles to know that when you buy a custom suit, you’re supposed to let people know. Subtlely of course.
“How about stitching along the lapel as well as by the pin notch? But in an off color. To make it stand out just a bit.”
“Yah sure. I can do that.”
The suit looked good. Very good. It fit my body as if it were created specifically for it. Obviously. I strutted around the tailorshop with a confident swagger and smiled at Wei.
“Now I just need to find myself a Bond girl.”
The right place for the right fit
Southeast Asia has thousands of tailors. HoiAn, Vietnam is reputed as the city of four hundred tailors. Most of these sell low quality fabrics for low prices. That’s no deal.
Even if you aren’t a sartorial expert, there are plenty of people that are. Do some research online and read reviews. Pick a reputable place that still has competitive prices.
Dress, alter, repeat
Make sure to go for multiple fittings. This is standard in the process. The suit is being tailored to your body and you want to make sure each hem, sleeve, and taper fits right before calling it a day.
I know what I want, and I want it now
Go in with an opinion. Read magazines, blogs, and fashion articles beforehand. Bring pictures if you have them. The clearer you can describe what you are looking for, the better the tailor can make you happy.
Tell me what you want, what you really really want
Be vocal. Tailors aren’t mind readers. If something bothers you or isn’t working don’t wait until the final fitting. You are getting a custom suit to be what you want it to be. So don’t worry about voicing your thoughts. But do so earlier rather than later.
Pleat don’t do it
Don’t get pleated pants. No one does any more.
Return to sender
Backpackers don’t travel with suits. At least none that I’ve seen. You’ll probably want to ship the suit back home. Look into options through the tailorshop or directly at the post office. You probably won’t need it for a while, so choose a cheaper option.
While I’m at it
You can usually negotiate even better prices if you bundle a few items together. So while the tailor already has your measurements, it may be worth getting a nice dress shirt too.
See what other blogs are saying about Vietnamese custom suits:
“With deft fingers and a keen eye, they’re known by many as master craftsmen, able to copy any design they see. If you show them a picture of a coat, suit or dress, you can expect a nearly exact replica to be produced within 24-48 hours.”
–Two Travelaholics
“Choosing a tailor in Hoi An is like trying to choose a Starbucks in Seattle – they’re EVERYWHERE!”
–Travels Without Pants
