Thailand - Bangkok tailors

I am sure that this has been covered many times, but with the search function down...

Can anyone recommend a high quality tailor in Bangkok? I need to have some cotton shirts made, so the choice of cotton fabrics available is important. Somewhere near the Oriental would be ideal.

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I am sure that this has been covered many times, but with the search function down...

Can anyone recommend a high quality tailor in Bangkok? I need to have some cotton shirts made, so the choice of cotton fabrics available is important. Somewhere near the Oriental would be ideal.

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.


I really like Versace's Tailors on Sukumvit, Soi 7/1. Most of my wardrobe is from there, both business and casual. Great selection of fabrics - great cottens. Last year I had silk short sleeve shirts made in every color they had - 22 @ $20 a piece.

They also go to Europe twice a year and the US every October. They came to my office last October and fitted three other guys who are very happy with the results - clothes arrived December/January.

Sukhumvit, Soi 7/1 isn't near the Oriental, but it's easy to get to via the Skytrain.

The tailor I used, based on other FT recommendations was Raja's Fashions 1/6 Sukhumvit Soi Nana, opposite the Nana Hotel. While I was there, I heard a continuous parade of westerners from several nationalities and I was told they were typically people from and visiting various embassies. The US Embassy appeared to be well represented. Bobby is the younger of the two and has an uncanny knack for customer names.
tele 2538379
email rajas@ksc15.th.com
at least those were accurate awhile back.

The tailor I used, based on other FT recommendations was Raja's Fashions 1/6 Sukhumvit Soi Nana, opposite the Nana Hotel. While I was there, I heard a continuous parade of westerners from several nationalities and I was told they were typically people from and visiting various embassies. The US Embassy appeared to be well represented. Bobby is the younger of the two and has an uncanny knack for customer names.
tele 2538379
email rajas@ksc15.th.com
at least those were accurate awhile back.


any estimates on approx cost / number of visits for a good suit? shirts?

Thanks!

I second Raja's Fashions.

You will find many cheaper/faster places. You can hardly take a step along Sukhumvit Road without tripping over a tailor shop.

I had 3 sport coats made + a shirt and a few ties thrown in for about $150USD each. A sport coat bought off the rack in the USA of comparable quality would be $600 USD and up.

I would plan on at least 4 days and 3 visits. One for the initial measurements and 2 additional fittings. They will deliver the finished product to your hotel room.

I can't wait for my next trip so I can visit Bobby and his father again!

-woof

I was headed to Mr. Bobby on a Sunday evening and they were closed! I only had time for 3 visits before departure so I knew waiting a day for Mr. Bobby (Raja's) wasn't an option. For various reasons, returing home without a new suit wasn't an option.

So, I just picked Majestic Tailors on Sukhumvit Rd. (Just around the cornoer from Mr. Bobby's Rajas shop.).

I went straight for the "best" quality. English 150's cashmere wool blend. They do not offer "packages" and they claimed their prices were fixed.

Anyway, I pulled the trigger and for $225 US I picked up a real nice suit. Easily nicer than the $425 level at Nordstrom.

Exit Nana Skytrain station toward Nana Plaza. Just before you turn left is Majestic, just afetr the left to Nana is Raja's (Mr. Bobby). Had two dress shirts in Egyptian cotton made as well. approx $22 each. The break is at 6 shirts.

I can get more details if you are interested, please PM.

Just a thought here!
Wouldn't it be a wise idea to ask to see a "finished" suit/shirt belonging to another customer that has not been picked up yet?

If one is not readily available, you can walk!

If one is, you can easily inspect the craftsmanship of the product.

Scho

My buddy had a suit made at Rajawongse last trip - very nice job. Seems like it was $225 USD for the suit + $25 USD for each shirt. The shipping to the US was something that could be improved. Think of your new suit stuffed into a DHL Pak ....

Rajawongse Clothier
130 Sukhumvit Rd.
next to the Landmark Hotel
Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel: 02-255-3714
URL: http://www.dress-for-success.com/
E-mail: jesse@loxinfo.co.th

Many thanks for the suggestions - keep them coming!

Has anyone had any experience with Tramps or Cotton House, both at Oriental Place?

The tailor I used, based on other FT recommendations was Raja's Fashions 1/6 Sukhumvit Soi Nana, opposite the Nana Hotel. While I was there, I heard a continuous parade of westerners from several nationalities and I was told they were typically people from and visiting various embassies. The US Embassy appeared to be well represented. Bobby is the younger of the two and has an uncanny knack for customer names.
tele 2538379
email rajas@ksc15.th.com
at least those were accurate awhile back.

I have been there on many occasions may I say this was not my first custom made suit. I found the craftmanship excellent. The choice of fabrics for suits and shirts is outstanding. There was a write up in the Washington Post about Bobby and the shop. This was about 4 months ago or a little longer. He has made a suit in 2 days for me and delivered to my room as promised. The package when I was there was I got two suits 6 shirts 4 ties for $600. All top english wool fabric. He has made suits for U.S. Presidents and members of congress. He has also done suits for Embassy staff from several countries. One of the great things about him he will remember your name and what you drink. I can't guess how he does that. ^ You will be pleased if you buy a suit from this tailor. I need suits now , but I go to the Soviet Republics now. Looks like time for a mileage run. :D

I will be in Bangkok for a while and will be getting a suit. Do you know if Bobby and his gang have material for Seer Sucker suits? Also is it advisable to bring in a magazine ad of a Versache/Armani suit that you like for them to copy?

I was in Bangkok last May - check out Nickerman's in the Landmark Hotel at Sukhumvit Soi 5.

The had a pretty nice selection of fabrics for shirts/pants - I made three long sleeve shirts for 100USD.

Great customer service - I ordered shirts in the afternoon, and they were delivered to my hotel room across the street in the evening.

The store is owned by two very nice & professional Indian guys - Vijay & Dee. Their email address is: nickintl@loxinfo.co.th

They also do yearly US visits, so if you like them, you can order more.

I ended up at a tailor across the street from the Marriott (used to be Riverside, now I think it is called Resort & Spa). The shop is called Alex Fashions. They are less expensive than tailors in town, although they mentioned depending on which location I was at (they had a few around bkk) the prices were higher at the airport or in city center.

I was limited on time that trip, so had the 1st fitting at the store, a 2nd fitting with the suit made, in the restroom at BKK while changing planes from Siem Reap to HKT, and finally picked up the suit when I came back through bkk.

Great service, especially to meet me at the airport.

My favourite tailor (for last 5 years since I stopped using Hong Kong tailors) is Lucky Man Fashions .. now in the Ambassador Hotel Plaza (between the hotel ans Sukhumvit Soi 11.... the family are very friendly -- have treated us and our friends really well and have good prices fro good quality (they do not stock the SUPER expensive fabrics but can buy in for you) ... I am still wearing shirts I had made there 5 years ago... and I am rough on them with my travel schedule.

Shop used to be along the big open strip between ambassador and Sukhumvit where the beer bar, etc was (closer to Suk Soi 11/1 ?)-- now pulled down and a lux Serviced Apartment tower going up (opposite Miami or Manhattan hotel next to what was a string of 7 or 8 foot massage places..

The shipping to the US was something that could be improved. Think of your new suit stuffed into a DHL Pak ....

Well... a good suit isn't supposed to wrinkle. :p

There was an article in the L.A. Times last week about tailors in SE Asia.

Well... a good suit isn't supposed to wrinkle. :p



I'm trying to imagine a wrinkle-free linen suit, however good the quality... :)

-> retrav1K

Can you give some price examples for shirts and suits?

After falling into the hands of a terrible tailor in BKK in 1997 who made something that at the tailors place looked nice but once I brought it back to Europe seemed somehow "old fashioned", I never bought anything from any tailor in BKK.

I will be back in Thailand again this fall and could use some nice shirts in a proper material, that can handle my many train trips and still look good for the meetings I am to attend. Anybody with any tips on which material to look for, or any online resource that gives advice on what material to use for shirts and suits?

Thanks!

...any online resource that gives advice on what material to use for shirts and suits?

Best I've found is Ask Andy's Forum (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=3), where you'll find lots and lots of opinions and information.

after some hit and miss attempts with multiple thai tailors, i found that the trick was to bring them what i wanted copied. otherwise i just didn't get the exact result i was hoping for. both suits and shirts. now i do -- perfect.

I just went to Lucky Man fashion after examining about 6-7 shops in Sukhumvit. They are located in the mall of the Ambassador on Soi 11 methinks.

Arun, the owner, is extremely friendly and informative. It seemed to me out of the 6-7 shops, he was the least pushy and friendliest. I also liked many of the fabrics he had. I bought 1 suit, 2 sports coats, 8 pairs of pants, 9 shirts monogrammed, 4 neckties, and pocket squares for $500 all in. I have gone in for one fitting and am going for another next week when i get back to bangkok. I am very happy with the quality of these fabrics.

Thanks for the advice FT.

My favourite tailor (for last 5 years since I stopped using Hong Kong tailors) is Lucky Man Fashions .. now in the Ambassador Hotel Plaza (between the hotel ans Sukhumvit Soi 11.... the family are very friendly -- have treated us and our friends really well and have good prices fro good quality (they do not stock the SUPER expensive fabrics but can buy in for you) ... I am still wearing shirts I had made there 5 years ago... and I am rough on them with my travel schedule.

Shop used to be along the big open strip between ambassador and Sukhumvit where the beer bar, etc was (closer to Suk Soi 11/1 ?)-- now pulled down and a lux Serviced Apartment tower going up (opposite Miami or Manhattan hotel next to what was a string of 7 or 8 foot massage places..

I have never had a suit made, so I hope someone can tell me if what I want is feasible... I have always wanted to have a `special` suit made, not a standard/formal type suit but something more adventurous. If I bring in a decent picture of what I want, can they imitate that? How many and what quality pictures do they need? It doesn`t have to be 100% the same but as long as the style is similar.

How much would I have to expect to pay extra for something out of the ordinary?

We stayed at the Oriental last year and the concierge and a friend of mine recomended a place near there called World Group. I had two suits and two shirts made for $350 (after a considerable amount of negotiation). My shirts came out very nice and I was happy with them. My suits were ok, not great but conidering the price very reasonable. They have tons of pictures from magazines cut out and you can just point and they will do the work. Also, they can sew something on the internal pocket, like a "Made for Mr. Flier" which is a nice touch. However, my girlfriend had a request for a long coat and even though the lady claimed to completely understand what she wanted they really ruined it. It was not at all what she wanted and the material on the coat was not as nice as the sample fabric.

Just found this thread, and am curious whether Eutow tried Raja's or any of the other recommended tailors and can share his experience?

(From his various other posts in FT I'm confident he has impeccable taste!)

Just found this thread, and am curious whether Eutow tried Raja's or any of the other recommended tailors and can share his experience?

(From his various other posts in FT I'm confident he has impeccable taste!)

I have truly awful taste, but thanks for that anyway!

I found an excellent tailor, and made a point of getting his card. Of course, I am too disorganised to be able to locate it now.

His shop is on the ground floor of Oriental Plaza, behind the Oriental hotel. I cannot recall the shop's name, but if you find Cotton House (a ladies' tailor) and face it, turn to your right, and the tailor I went to is 2 or 3 shops further down the corridor on the same side as Cotton House. He has a lot of men's suiting and shirting fabrics visible from outside.

The gentleman in the shop was very professional and charming, and discussed the merits of various shirt fabrics, and how I wanted the shirts cut. He has an extensive range of fabrics, and was happy to show me them, along with some of the other shirts he is making for clients.

I had brought along a shirt that I wanted copied, although with some modifications. He understood the variations I wanted, and indeed gave some advice about them. We negotiated the price for 6 shirts (price varies depending on the choice of fabric - I cannot recall what I paid, but it was not cheap by Bangkok standards, although seemed good value to me), he measured me up, and I went back the next day for a fitting. He promised to send the shirts to the hotel by the end of the day, and they turned up on schedule.

They had been made extremely well. I have had the chance to wear them frequenly since, and they have worn very well. He also called me the morning after delivery to make sure that everything was to my liking, which was a nice touch.

If I need a tailor when I am next in Bangkok, I shall not hesitate to return to him. He had a lot of suit fabrics too, and I may be tempted to get a suit made in November. The prices are not as cheap as at many other places, but I found his understanding of the requirements and then execution to be excellent. Do please give him a try, and let us know how it goes!

Another recommendation for Raja's.

I have truly awful taste, but thanks for that anyway!

Well, if not impeccable taste then certainly impeccable, detailed reports .... Thanks eutow!

Another HUGE recommendation for Raja's. I've done business with them on several occasions now and was thrilled with the outcome.

I am a huge fan of Ravis. His website is Ravistailor.com

I have purchased clothing from him since early 2000. The workmanship is excellent, and he does not charge for Big and Tall. He has a HUGE selection of fabrics and styles for each price range. Single breasted suites start at $209.00 for 100 percent wool.

Just came back from Raja's - great service, very friendly. They had a few books, I flicked through it, chose a weird (and difficult) designer suit and they're making it now. Hope it will turn out well. Will see next month!

Well, if not impeccable taste then certainly impeccable, detailed reports .... Thanks eutow!

It's a pleasure. Good luck with your trip.

I have just had a bunch of clothes made by Mr. Bobby at Raja's, and I am very, very pleased. The quality is comparable to or better than the mid-level tailors in Hong Kong (though not up to the level of a top HK tailor such as WW Chan), and the prices are very fair.

Easiest way to find Raja's is to go to the Nana Hotel on soi Nana, and Raja's is directly across the street.

I have just had a bunch of clothes made by Mr. Bobby at Raja's, and I am very, very pleased. The quality is comparable to or better than the mid-level tailors in Hong Kong (though not up to the level of a top HK tailor such as WW Chan), and the prices are very fair.

Easiest way to find Raja's is to go to the Nana Hotel on soi Nana, and Raja's is directly across the street.

And if you want to watch as your clothes are sewn, head all the way down Sukhumvit Soi 4 (Soi Nana), past the Woraburri hotel. In that block before the Thai Tobacco Monopoly, on the right are a few open sewing shops. It's always a sight to see someone on the back of a motorbike taxi holding the suits in a plastic bag speeding up soi 4.

I have been going to BKK for a year now I just came back from my 4th trip.
I found my tailor through a friend and have bought over 50 shirts and 10 suits from him for myself. on one of my trips he taught me how to measure shirts and I have now ordered shirts for my grandfather, father, brother, and friends. All in all I have received well over 250 shirts from him.

I have NEVER had a problem

His shirts start at about 15 bucks and go up from there.

When he ships me shirts I have them at my door less than a week after I e-mail him.

Shipping runs about 5 buck a shirt but when you think about how far it has traveled to get to my door, its not that bad.

I have made suits and shirts in hk and in other shops in BKK no one comes close to the craftsmanship and service he provides.
pm me for his details.

YGM

I will be in BKK next week.

I have just had a bunch of clothes made by Mr. Bobby at Raja's, and I am very, very pleased. The quality is comparable to or better than the mid-level tailors in Hong Kong (though not up to the level of a top HK tailor such as WW Chan), and the prices are very fair.

Easiest way to find Raja's is to go to the Nana Hotel on soi Nana, and Raja's is directly across the street.
I have been looking at this thread for a friend who is going to Bangkok and found Raja's website - www.rajastailors.com where it states that Mr Bobby left them in 2000!!
On the shirt fabrics that are generally available - do they have a choice of 100% linens?

I have been looking at this thread for a friend who is going to Bangkok and found Raja's website - www.rajastailors.com where it states that Mr Bobby left them in 2000!!
On the shirt fabrics that are generally available - do they have a choice of 100% linens?

As one might say, "Not same, same. Different." The Raja's website you link to is for a shop on Sukhumvit Road near Soi 11. The Raja's shop referenced several times in this thread is on Sukhumvit Soi 4. Needless to say there are a lot of Raja's tailors in Bangkok.

The famous Bobby discussed here is with Raja's Fashion, not Raja's International Customer Tailor located next to Ambassador Hotel. Raja's Fashion is located on 1/6 Sukhumvit Soi, Nana 4, telephone 02-253-8379.

Needless to say, here's another vote for Bobby from a satisfied customer.

I'll be in BKK for a few days at the end of this month.

I'm quite interested in getting a suit and some nice shirts.

What can I expect in terms of time needed to get it done (number of fittings/etc)?

What is the process in terms of payment? All at completion, all up front, etc?

Finally how does BKK compare to SIN and HKG as I'll be in these cities as well, albeit with less time.

Thanks!

re worldsense:

You don't need to learn how to use 'Search' -- you need only read this topic to find answers to all your questions, except how to pay. For that one, figure a 50% deposit.

Another HUGE recommendation for Raja's. I've done business with them on several occasions now and was thrilled with the outcome.

Did you have to bring pictures of styles you wanted? Did you find their stated prices to be reasonable? Or did you have to negotiate? I'll be there next summer and would love to have work clothing made.

Local businessmen never use...

Famous for the local both Thai and expat are Art's tailor, Perry's and Broadway. These tailors are most favourite among bankers and embassy staff. Other choices worth try are in the Oriental Hotel, Plaza Athinee and Grand Hyatt. These tailors also using Chinese tailors same as the first group.

Good Luck !!! :D

Good to know!

Are these folks cash only?

re worldsense:

You don't need to learn how to use 'Search' -- you need only read this topic to find answers to all your questions, except how to pay. For that one, figure a 50% deposit.

Did you have to bring pictures of styles you wanted? Did you find their stated prices to be reasonable? Or did you have to negotiate? I'll be there next summer and would love to have work clothing made.

I brought some photos and also worked with one of their seamstresses on some sketches where I described what I wanted and she sketched until we both agreed.

FWIW, I've used Raja's International at Soi 11, not Mr. Bobby at Soi 4. So whoever posted that we were all referencing Soi 4 is wrong - the Soi 11 spot was recommended to me by several FTers.

I found Mr. Bobby at Raja's Fashions through this thread (see my posts above) and have since purchased a number of suits and shirts. Here are my experiences that may be relevant to the recent posters:
- very good service, good standard products for an excellent price: top value
- high volume operation, not really set up for special custom work
- fabrics are good, but seems to be one standard grade / no "top-end" choice
- didn't see linen shirt choices; only saw cotton
- used mostly by foreign men, local and visitors (business, diplomats, military)
- from my observations I wouldn't recommend to my wife for women's fashion
- credit cards accepted; typically half on order and half on delivery
- seems to be standard package of 2 suits and 8 shirts for US$700
- I'm a satisfied customer; thanks to the many FTers for the recommendation!

So what's the recommendation for "high end" fabrics. If I want to get something like an Armani equivalent where would I go and what would I pay?

I found Mr. Bobby at Raja's Fashions through this thread (see my posts above) and have since purchased a number of suits and shirts. Here are my experiences that may be relevant to the recent posters:
- very good service, good standard products for an excellent price: top value
- high volume operation, not really set up for special custom work
- fabrics are good, but seems to be one standard grade / no "top-end" choice
- didn't see linen shirt choices; only saw cotton
- used mostly by foreign men, local and visitors (business, diplomats, military)
- from my observations I wouldn't recommend to my wife for women's fashion
- credit cards accepted; typically half on order and half on delivery
- seems to be standard package of 2 suits and 8 shirts for US$700
- I'm a satisfied customer; thanks to the many FTers for the recommendation!

I just had a suit and pair of trousers made at Tramps in OP Place behind The Oriental, where I had earlier had some shirts made. They have some very high quality wool fabrics. The suit was made very well, with excellent detailing. Service was very good. The shirts I had made earlier have worn very well.

I would strongly recommend Tramps, and will certainly go there next time I want to have some clothes made.

I am sure that this has been covered many times, but with the search function down...

Can anyone recommend a high quality tailor in Bangkok? I need to have some cotton shirts made, so the choice of cotton fabrics available is important. Somewhere near the Oriental would be ideal.

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

As like most, I picked up some nice stuff for my consulting gig at Euro Boutique on Khao Sarn road for $15/shirts and $16/pants. Nice stuff and decent selection.

well...I am not as luck as the previous posters....had a bad tailor...I picked a thin wool fabric, was ready to be next day, fitted twice, still did not correct the problem (curly seams...uneven back and shouder...etc). I finally decided to forget about the whole thing. The suit was USD120, depost 50%, so I lost USD60....big deal. I then went to department store and bought the suits there. More expensive, but hey, I can see the final product before I decide if I want to buy it.

Anyone with recent experience with Jesse & Victor at Rajawongse? I am headed to LOS at the end of the month and am still on the fence about using Rajawongse or Mr. Bobby at Raja's

See that Rajas (on Soi 4 and 11) is highly recommended here, but what tailors are best for women's clothes?

Has anyone tried Embassy Tailors or Pierre Boutique for men's clothing? These two have been recommended to me by the Four Seasons Hotel in BKK. Pierre Boutique also carry higher end textiles from the likes of Loro Piana, Zegna, and Dormeuil.

If any one has tried these two places I'd love to hear of your experiences.

There's also a good tailor shop in the Royal Orchid Sheraton. The name escapes me.

I'll be making a suit-run to SE Asia later this year. Not sure yet whether it will be SIN or BKK.

One point of advice: Most rack suits, including fancy designer ones are "glued". If you are ordering a custom suit in a hurry, it will more than likely be glued. If you want one to be completely hand-sewn, it's best to specify such in advance.

My grandfather [maternal side from Nicaragua] was a tailor, and owned a very nice sastrería in Managua. He made me my first handmade when I was 15. Took it right from a picture he saw in a magazine. Nothing beats a custom handmade, when it is properly cut and sewn. They last forever. I would advise most to get smart on the anatomy of a suit before visiting, so that when you meet with your selected tailor, you can dialog with him to your satisfaction.

As for fabrics, I prefer tropical worsted wool for most suits [make sure you have the pants lined if you choose this fabric]. I find TW fabric works great in both hot and cold climates. I also prefer my trousers cut with a 'West Point' break.

Don't forget tuxedos. A well made tuxedo should last a lifetime. I recommend a shawl collar, because the shawl collar is timeless and never goes out of style.

M8

I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I know this issue is of some interest.

I was in BKK recently, and had another suit made at Tramps. The tailoring and fabric quality are excellent (fabric was lightweight wool), and the service and attention-to-detail remain superb. The clothes I have bought here earlier continue to wear very well. He buys fabrics from Zegna and other top end names. He is also able to get Sea Island cotton for shirts, although it is very expensive. One of the key differentiators for me is the high quality of the fabrics, which I have not found at the (few) other tailors I have tried in BKK in the past. I haven't been disappointed yet!

I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I know this issue is of some interest.

I was in BKK recently, and had another suit made at Tramps. The tailoring and fabric quality are excellent (fabric was lightweight wool), and the service and attention-to-detail remain superb. The clothes I have bought here earlier continue to wear very well. He buys fabrics from Zegna and other top end names. He is also able to get Sea Island cotton for shirts, although it is very expensive. One of the key differentiators for me is the high quality of the fabrics, which I have not found at the (few) other tailors I have tried in BKK in the past. I haven't been disappointed yet!

Can you compare the quality / value at Tramps to, say, Raja's and Rajawongse? I'm in the midst of having a suit, some pants and shirts made at Raja's, and am curious to hear about other places.

Thanks,
Michael

Can you compare the quality / value at Tramps to, say, Raja's and Rajawongse? I'm in the midst of having a suit, some pants and shirts made at Raja's, and am curious to hear about other places.

Thanks,
Michael

Unfortunately not, since I have not had anything made at either of these. I have over the years tried other BKK tailors, and have always been disappointed with the fabrics available - I am fairly picky about this. I have also found that clothes made elsewhere were not as longlasting as those I have had made at Tramps. If you have the time, it might be worth going to Tramps and having one or two items made there so you can compare the quality.

My husband and I will be in Thailand in March and he would like to get a few new suits. We will be arriving BKK early AM on a Sunday (basically midnight Saturday). I would like him to get fitted and then we will leave for a beach vacation, destination unknown (suggestions always welcome) :) . We will be back in BKK Thursday and Friday nights (staying at the Dusit Thani Hotel) and leave early Sat. AM.

My questions:
1. Are tailor shops open Sunday?
2. Do you make an appointment?
3. We don't have a hotel for our early stay in BKK. If the tailors are available Sunday, I would like us to find a hotel for the hours until they open, have him fitted, and go to the beach. Any recommended hotels near Tramp's or Rajawongse? If they are closed Sunday, we would stay until Monday.
4. Would fittings Thursday and fittings/pick up Friday be reasonable timeline?

Thanks.

My questions:
1. Are tailor shops open Sunday?
2. Do you make an appointment?
3. We don't have a hotel for our early stay in BKK. If the tailors are available Sunday, I would like us to find a hotel for the hours until they open, have him fitted, and go to the beach. Any recommended hotels near Tramp's or Rajawongse? If they are closed Sunday, we would stay until Monday.
4. Would fittings Thursday and fittings/pick up Friday be reasonable timeline?

Thanks.

Rajas is open on Sunday and I walked right in for my first appointment. We scheduled a fitting for the following day and then my third and fourth fittings were before I left Bangkok.

My recommendation would be go to straight to your tailor on Sunday morning - if you are having a large volume of things done (or anything that isn't a direct copy or a bit differen), I would recommend having your first fitting later that night or first thing on Monday morning.

If you did that, they would have all week to sew (and if you are having several like items done, they use the adjustments from the first as a pattern)... then go back on Thursday for your final fittings and they can make any adjustments and have items ready on Friday.

When I used Rajas for a large quantity of items in 2003, they actually packed my bag (I bought an extra roller for my purchased items) for me and brought it to the hotel for me after the final fitting with all the items neatly pressed and put together for shipping (and it all held up all the way back to Dallas).

Just a final note (and you didn't ask about Rajas but there are so many references to this upthread that I'm going to restate it anyway) - Mr. Bobby is NOT at Rajas. He has left - I still see references above to Mr. Bobby at Rajas (and its really more like Mr. Bobby formerly of Rajas - and Rajas still exists without him).

Mr. Song Tailor, close to the Chao Praya area (sheraton royal Orchid, ShagriLa side) - Has done very well for me, several visits, excellent service/prices.
Do not go to Narry... got me 'good' my first time..

Can anyone tell me definitively - which/wear is RAJA's to go to??

Thanks!

...Mr. Bobby is NOT at Rajas. He has left - I still see references above to Mr. Bobby at Rajas (and its really more like Mr. Bobby formerly of Rajas - and Rajas still exists without him).

As of when?

Mr Bobby was very definitely at Raja's Fashions (on Soi Nana) last fall. However, there are several tailor shops in Bangkok with 'Raja' in their name in some form or another.

I liked the tailoring and service that I got from Mr Bobby/Raja's Fashion, and both the prices and quality compared favorably to mid-level quality tailors in Hong Kong. However, as eutow suggests, the fabrics were ok, but not top quality. On my next trip this coming winter, I may well give Tramps a shot.

My questions:
Answers For Tramps:


1. Are tailor shops open Sunday?
Yes
2. Do you make an appointment?
No, but if you are interested in Tramps I can give you the contact numbers, and you can let him know that you are coming in advance.
3. Any recommended hotels near Tramp's or Rajawongse? If they are closed Sunday, we would stay until Monday.
The Oriental is very nice, and is a 5 minute walk from Tramps. It is in Oriental Plaza, so any hotel in that vicinity should work (I don't know of any others, unfortunately).
4. Would fittings Thursday and fittings/pick up Friday be reasonable timeline?
Yes it should be. He can usually accomodate when there is a rush, and again, you might wish to contact him in advance to schedule this is you need to order a lot. On my recent trip, I only needed one suit, but I went first to be measured, choose fabrics, and discuss the design. I went back after about 24 hours for my first fitting, and the suit was ready 24 hours later.


I've noticed at Tramps that when I am there, many of the other customers that have come in are clearly regulars, and seem to be getting a lot made from him. He also seems to get a lot of orders from overseas for people whose patterns he has kept.

There are lots of nice beach resorts in Thailand, of course, but somewhere that I like near Bangkok is Hua Hin.

Have a great trip, and please let us know how you get on with the tailors.

This shop is near the Conrad Bangkok in Embassy area. I had a three piece women's suit made and my husband had two silk shirts made. There were four fittings in all so make sure that you have three days where you can drop in for fittings. It was convenient for us as we were staying at the Conrad.

I been using a Rajah's competitor for 27 years now also opposite the Nana Hotel (but not when I first went to BKK)

http://www.tajmahalclothiers.com/

1/9-10 Soi Nana

His sons are now doing most of the work.

Happy wandering

Fred

This shop is near the Conrad Bangkok in Embassy area. I had a three piece women's suit made and my husband had two silk shirts made. There were four fittings in all so make sure that you have three days where you can drop in for fittings. It was convenient for us as we were staying at the Conrad.

Did you find Embassy Tailors to be any more expensive than other shops?

Are most shops open on Sunday? I will only be in Bangkok on Sunday and plan to place my orders then.

As of when?

Mr Bobby was very definitely at Raja's Fashions (on Soi Nana) last fall. However, there are several tailor shops in Bangkok with 'Raja' in their name in some form or another.

I liked the tailoring and service that I got from Mr Bobby/Raja's Fashion, and both the prices and quality compared favorably to mid-level quality tailors in Hong Kong. However, as eutow suggests, the fabrics were ok, but not top quality. On my next trip this coming winter, I may well give Tramps a shot.

As of 2000 - but again, I think that folks are referring people to multiple locations called Rajas (including the one that Mr. Bobby is now with that uses Rajas in its name).

This - http://www.rajastailors.com/ - is the Rajas I've always used (and my father way back in the early 70s). I've met with them both in Bangkok and on their trips to the US.

Did you find Embassy Tailors to be any more expensive than other shops?

Yes, I think they do charge quite a bit more than some other tailors in BKK. But, many, if not all, of the cheaper shops (with their "package deals") will not provide anything which is worth buying. I paid around $900 (after bargaining and waliing out to think things over) for a blazer suit, a shawl collar tux and four shirts (one tux style shirt). Not as nice as my Saville Row suit, but Saville Row is up in the thousands for just one suit.

I second the suggestion above in this thread to go with tropical worsted fabric. It is amazing how thick and heavy a suit a fabric can make up into when you think it will be light weight what with the lining and all.

I would go back to Embassy again.

By the way, re questions above as to cash and credit cards, I would never give a cash deposit to anyone in Thailand.

I been using a Rajah's competitor for 27 years now also opposite the Nana Hotel (but not when I first went to BKK)

http://www.tajmahalclothiers.com/

1/9-10 Soi Nana

His sons are now doing most of the work.

Happy wandering

Fred

Visual reference ....

Tajmahal Clothiers
http://www.cityphotoguide.com/node/85

As of when?

Mr Bobby was very definitely at Raja's Fashions (on Soi Nana) last fall. However, there are several tailor shops in Bangkok with 'Raja' in their name in some form or another.

I liked the tailoring and service that I got from Mr Bobby/Raja's Fashion, and both the prices and quality compared favorably to mid-level quality tailors in Hong Kong. However, as eutow suggests, the fabrics were ok, but not top quality. On my next trip this coming winter, I may well give Tramps a shot.


Visual reference for those first timers headed to BKK

Raja's Fashions
http://www.cityphotoguide.com/node/83

I was disapointed with Embassy tailors. Fabric were bad after a wash and will not recommend them to anyone.

Ive been living in Thailand for quite a while now and whenever im in need of a suit, I head down to a "Crown Tailor" down on Sukhumvit road soi 8. Over the years, the tailor there, Mr. Sam has provided me with amazing suits, shirts and pants that I wear regularly to work with perfect fit. You can easily get an amazing looking suit for very good prices. Many tailors offer similar prices, but this man just offers beyond amazing service which i prefer. (Im very fussy, so i need to be perfect, and he hasnt once complained, even thou there barely has been anything to complain,cuz hes fantastic) So try that place. lemme know how it goes. Ask for Gary, you mite just get a better price then me:P

How many fittings are most of you getting? I had suits made last time with only one fitting, and to be honest, it was fine.

I am leaning towards going to Mr. Bobby but because he's not open sundays, and i have to go diving =) he is suggesting one fitting. I was a little put off by it because I think a truly good tailor would have demanded at least 2. Do people think Mr. Bobby's is getting too commercial to care or is he that good the first time around?

Thoughts and suggestions please. Thanks in advance. And what's the going rate these days if I'm thinking about 4 suits and 10 shirts.

Lastly, any further comments on Tramp's that was previously brought up as having higher end fabrics? I am a trial lawyer so my suits get a lot of abuse, but I still fancy the finer things in life so if there is a noticeable difference, I'd like to know.

Thanks!
Ben

How many fittings are most of you getting? I had suits made last time with only one fitting, and to be honest, it was fine.

I am leaning towards going to Mr. Bobby but because he's not open sundays, and i have to go diving =) he is suggesting one fitting. I was a little put off by it because I think a truly good tailor would have demanded at least 2. Do people think Mr. Bobby's is getting too commercial to care or is he that good the first time around?

Thoughts and suggestions please. Thanks in advance. And what's the going rate these days if I'm thinking about 4 suits and 10 shirts.

Lastly, any further comments on Tramp's that was previously brought up as having higher end fabrics? I am a trial lawyer so my suits get a lot of abuse, but I still fancy the finer things in life so if there is a noticeable difference, I'd like to know.

Thanks!
Ben

I usually have one major fitting, and then there are sometimes some minor adjustments which need to be made, but which do not require me to go back for a second fitting. Tramps send the suit to my hotel after making the additional adjustments.

The fabrics at Tramps are excellent. The other several tailors I had tried in Bangkok earlier (some recommended by staff at some foreign embassies) did not have comparable fabrics in terms of quality for both shirts and suits (although some of them had a wider range of fabrics). I have not tried any of the popular names mentioned on this thread, so can't give a direct comparison, and frankly, once I had started to buy at Tramps, stopped looking for alternatives.

I've tried Googling Tramps, and the only thing that turns up is this FlyerTalk thread. Does it have an alternative name, or is there a web site?

How many fittings are most of you getting? I had suits made last time with only one fitting, and to be honest, it was fine.

I am leaning towards going to Mr. Bobby but because he's not open sundays, and i have to go diving =) he is suggesting one fitting. I was a little put off by it because I think a truly good tailor would have demanded at least 2. Do people think Mr. Bobby's is getting too commercial to care or is he that good the first time around?

Thoughts and suggestions please. Thanks in advance. And what's the going rate these days if I'm thinking about 4 suits and 10 shirts.

Lastly, any further comments on Tramp's that was previously brought up as having higher end fabrics? I am a trial lawyer so my suits get a lot of abuse, but I still fancy the finer things in life so if there is a noticeable difference, I'd like to know.

Thanks!
Ben

I totally agree with you about that. A good tailor, or ANY tailor in this case should be experienced enough to realise that every customer wants a good suit. 2 Fittings is the minimum. You should have 2 fittings and it should be the first thing the tailor suggests. Secondly, NEVER go to a tailor that says 24 hours it can be ready. It'll probably last you about 3 monthsn and ull never use it again. What a waste of money. I just bought a suit recently for a friends wedding, and the suit that i got was about 9000 baht for a good wool blend one. Shirts are probably around the 1000 mark. The shop that i used was the one i mentioned above, Crown Tailor, inside sukhumvit soi 8. I have their website here on the card so you can check it out www.crowntailor.com. Mail them up and ask their prices if ure not sure.

Lastly, its really up to u which tailor you want to use, because i think they all pretty much come up with the same outcome, but its just which one has been doing good service for you and has never let you down, both with the prices and the worksmanship and thats why i suggested the one i use, and im highly certain its the same for everyone else.

Hope it helps:)

I've tried Googling Tramps, and the only thing that turns up is this FlyerTalk thread. Does it have an alternative name, or is there a web site?
There isn't an alternative name, and I am not aware of Tramps having a web-site. You should also find some references to threads at fodors.com on google, which is where I first heard about Tramps.

I've tried Googling Tramps, and the only thing that turns up is this FlyerTalk thread. Does it have an alternative name, or is there a web site?
I should just add that Tramps is small, and does not strike me as a place that is catering to the mass tourist market - I can't imagine they would do much marketing, or have a web-site. As I mentioned, most business seems to come from repeat customers. Prices are also high. I can't see them making a suit with decent fabric for THB9,000 as garyphil was able to buy at Crown Tailor. I am happy to pay more for a well-made suit in excellent fabric, but just as with off-the-rack, it's a case of horses for courses!

i guess it just depends from person to person and how much you're willing to spend :) ..

Does anyone know of a tailor that can tailor make shirts on par with the quality of Charles Tyrwhitt (www.ctshirts.com) or Thomas Pink (www.thomaspink.com)?

I had two shirts made one time in BKK and they were awful. Horrible cloth and poor quality.

The qualities of a finely made dress shirt (in my opinion) include split-yoke detailing (where the yoke is cut in two and sewn up the middle rather than placed in as one piece). Single-needle-stitched shirt — more yarn is used, but seams are stronger. Sleeves that set into the shirt and neatly sewn. Placket and cuffs sewn on separately. Buttons: Mother-of-pearl is preferable to plastic.

Does anyone know of a tailor that can tailor make shirts on par with the quality of Charles Tyrwhitt (www.ctshirts.com) or Thomas Pink (www.thomaspink.com)?

I had two shirts made one time in BKK and they were awful. Horrible cloth and poor quality.

The qualities of a finely made dress shirt (in my opinion) include split-yoke detailing (where the yoke is cut in two and sewn up the middle rather than placed in as one piece). Single-needle-stitched shirt — more yarn is used, but seams are stronger. Sleeves that set into the shirt and neatly sewn. Placket and cuffs sewn on separately. Buttons: Mother-of-pearl is preferable to plastic.

Wow, u sure know your clothes well. I wouldnt guarantee it that any tailor in Bangkok can do it "perfectly" as you say as their shirt prices range from like 500-2000 baht. I'd say you wouldnt get "awful cloth and poor quality," but cerrtainly good cloth and decent quality. Feel free to try out any of the shops recommended in this thread. I think there were about 6 or 7. The one that I use personally as mentioned above is:

Crown Tailor in sukhumvit road soi 8
www.crowntailor.com

YOu know what, i just got an idea. Try emailing them up and asking them what you just asked me, and i guess make them make u a deal to let it turn out the way you want or something. Or else just walk down sukhumvit road and ask the tailors there if they can do it. You'll see about 1000 tailor shops on sukhumvit road, or wait, maybe 2000.

YOu know what, i just got an idea. Try emailing them up and asking them what you just asked me, and i guess make them make u a deal to let it turn out the way you want or something.

Good idea! I just sent them an email asking for the same. I'll let you know how they respond...

Alway good quality and the shirts hold up quite well. Alyway the upsale that gets old but I alway kid him about it. Alway look at the suits ready to be picked up for other customers.

Louis at Enlever Ses Vetement did some AWESOME work for me. He was kind of pricey ($500 for a nice suit w/ amazing shirt) but it was a really stylish cut. Highly recommended. Also mentioned in the Luxe Guides.

http://enleversesvetements.com/newsite/main.htm

A bit late for the original poster, but count this as another strong vote for Rajawongse (Jesse and Victor) --- address on first page or so of this thread. My stepson worked at the BKK embassy for a while and he and his crowd swore by Jesse and Victor. He took my husband there when we visited, and my husband got several suits and lots of shirts. Right before he left that post, he ordered my husband a couple more suits and a cashmere overcoat...shipped to US without any fitting, just based on the notes from our visit six months earlier, and they fit wonderfully! (Yes, they got wrinkled, but hanging out in steamy bathroom took care of that) The fabric selection was excellent, service terrific. I cannot compare with others, since we tried no one else, but you'll do fine here.

Now, we're going back for stepson's wedding, and my _second_ thought was Great! another visit to Rajawongse!

As one might say, "Not same, same. Different." The Raja's website you link to is for a shop on Sukhumvit Road near Soi 11. The Raja's shop referenced several times in this thread is on Sukhumvit Soi 4. Needless to say there are a lot of Raja's tailors in Bangkok.

Hey guys,

I'm looking to pretty much buy a business wardrobe while I'm over in Bangkok.

I've done quite a bit of research and have narrowed it down to either Rajawongse or Raja's (at Soi 4).

Does Raja's at Soi 4 have a website?

If anyone would be able to answer some of the questions below, I would really appreciate it! :)

Is there any substantial difference in price?

Will I be able to have everything (a few suits with extra pants, couple of sport coats, and a bunch of shirts/ties but I assume the suits and coats are the ones that will take longest?) done within a 7 days? 10 days?

Do they both mail items to Australia?

Thanks for all your help. All the information you guys provide for international travellers is really really helpful! Keep it up! :)

Hey guys,

I'm looking to pretty much buy a business wardrobe while I'm over in Bangkok.

I've done quite a bit of research and have narrowed it down to either Rajawongse or Raja's (at Soi 4).

Does Raja's at Soi 4 have a website?

If anyone would be able to answer some of the questions below, I would really appreciate it! :)

Is there any substantial difference in price?

Will I be able to have everything (a few suits with extra pants, couple of sport coats, and a bunch of shirts/ties but I assume the suits and coats are the ones that will take longest?) done within a 7 days? 10 days?

Do they both mail items to Australia?

Thanks for all your help. All the information you guys provide for international travellers is really really helpful! Keep it up! :)


I can answer one of those - Rajawongse probably can do the job you describe in 7 days...that's about what it took for a similar order for my husband 2 years ago; but the most important thing is if you tell them what you need and when you need it, Jesse and Victor will be straight with you about whether they can do it or not. You might want to call before you go.

are the prices pretty reasonable?

are the prices pretty reasonable?

Conde Nast did a story in, I think, the November issue on Victor and Raja. Estimated prices at $250 for British wool suit and $300 for Italian wool. Here's their website.
http://www.dress-for-success.com/

wow thanks!!! ^

Agree that Rajawongse do a great job, but their' prices are a abit higher then the other tailor shops around. Try walking around some other tailors, you'll see at least a $50 difference. This has been noticed a couple of times already.

The tailor I use is Herrmann Suits on the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 4. I have bought from Raja's prior to finding Herrmann's. Ask for Mr. Manit or Mr. Saran. I found the quality to be as good as Raja's, and the prices were better. On my last trip to Bangkok, I bought 10 shirts for $250 usd. They have a great selection of fabrics and the service is excellent. I am quite satisfied with the shirts I have purchased. I have probably bought over 25-30 shirts to date. One warning though, Mr. Saran's mom works in the store and she could sell ice to Eskimo's!

Contact info:

phone (662) 252 3917
fax (662) 252 0879

www.herrmannsuits.com

-RKG

Based on the recommendations in this thread I went to Raja's on Soi 4 (1/6) yesterday. My first impression was not very good, though. The location is unpleasant - right across the street from one of the bars I was hoping to avoid. The shop itself is small, crammed and completely unattractive and the marvelled choice of fabrics was simply non-existent: white shirt is either cotton or cotton-polyester, black pants wool or wool-polyester, one fabric each... Indeed, there are many recommendations on the walls, but at first glance most of them seemed to be from members of the American military. There were a lot of customers in the shop, all of them tourists, none of them wearing tailored clothing, and one tailor to attend to all of us. I ended up ordering much less than I had planned in order to get an impression of the quality first. I will write again to tell you how the outcome was.

-txl.

Are you sure you're talking about the same Raja's? The selection took me over an hour during my initial visit. Other than cotton, linen, and wool, what other fabrics were you looking for?

Your criticism that the customers were mostly tourists weren't you one of these tourists? I have to wear a suit for my job but when I'm on holiday that tie comes off. You would not see me wearing one on a visit here!

And being across the street from "one of the bars" you wanted to avoid certainly isn't their fault or concern. This wasn't worth mentioning but it leaves me to wonder what story lies behind this.

Hi. I am in Bangkok tonight and we just picked up 7 shirts that were made for my husband. Nice work and quick great service for a fair price. Today's prices were: $25 for Egyptian cotton shirts, $15 for silk ties, $50 for pants, $300 for full suit.
This shop is at 130 Sukhumvit Rd, near the Landmark Hotel. It is very small but I would highly recommend it for shirts, at least.

He showed us some articles done about the shop and the shop has made clothes for many VIPs.

Cheers.

I think there has been a misunderstanding. There is a shop named "rajas" and another one named "rajawongse." Incidentally they are brothers. The shop that txl was talking about was probably right, that is Raja's, It was in the location that you were saying. But the shop that is recommended here is Rajawongse. Maybe you should try out Rajawongse next time, seems very popular with many people or else try a tailor my friends and I use regularly. Crown Tailors in soi 8. Both of them have done good work in the past.

Like SFWanderer, I also wonder about the comments on fabric selection. When I was there last year, Raja's had one of the biggest shops in Bangkok (in terms of size), and the selection of shirt fabrics, in particular, was very large. I found the tailoring to be good, the quality of fabrics to be ok, though nowhere near as good as the top tailors in Hong Kong.

to help clear up any confusion:
See http://www.dress-for-success.com/ for the address of Rajawongse (and pictures of Jesse and Victor!) That is the shop that silver springer visited, at 130 Sukhumvit, near NaNa station. Although the shop physically is small, it is jam-packed, and the fabric selection wide and of very high quality.

Just got back from Bangkok, where I had five shirts and a suit made at Rajawongse, and wanted to mention how satisfied I am - it is possible to get better quality, but only by spending 6x as much. I worked mostly with Victor, and he's an absolute pleasure. Not only am I very satisfied with the finished products, I think it's important to note how enjoyable it is to do business with them. I didn't realize that they only take cash or checks, and so when I went to pick the items up, I ran to the ATM only to realize that I have a $300 daily limit on my ATM card, not enough for the $425 I owed Victor. I was a bit embarrassed, but Victor took it in stride. He suggested that since I was leaving the next afternoon, it would make my packing easier if I took the suit and shirts back to the hotel. So I took the items back to the hotel without leaving partial payment or collateral of any kind. What a pleasure to do business with someone who does fantastic work, and for whom a handshake is as good as collateral!

I will be going to BKK tomorrow, and am planning to have a couple of suits made at Tramps. I know that Raja and Rajawongse seem to be the popular places to go, but if anyone has any specific questions about Tramps, I would be happy to ask when I'm there.

Based on the recommendations in this thread I went to Raja's on Soi 4 (1/6) yesterday. My first impression was not very good, though. The location is unpleasant - right across the street from one of the bars I was hoping to avoid. The shop itself is small, crammed and completely unattractive and the marvelled choice of fabrics was simply non-existent: white shirt is either cotton or cotton-polyester, black pants wool or wool-polyester, one fabric each... Indeed, there are many recommendations on the walls, but at first glance most of them seemed to be from members of the American military. There were a lot of customers in the shop, all of them tourists, none of them wearing tailored clothing, and one tailor to attend to all of us. I ended up ordering much less than I had planned in order to get an impression of the quality first. I will write again to tell you how the outcome was.

-txl.
I will be in Bangkok from Dec. 22 to Dec. 27 and then up to Chiang Mai. I definitely look forward to going to Raja's on Soi 4 (1/6)- the original. Several of my friends have been there including my Father-In-Law (numerous times) and won't go anywhere else. Some say because of the quality and price and all say because of the excellent service. Raja does have an excellent memory and will remember your name- it seems like forever. Anyway, I will post again when I return and let you know of my experience. I will be heading over the day after I arrive and hopefully they will be ready before we leave (not sure over the Christmas holiday). How did yours end up?
-Jared

Wow, u sure know your clothes well. I wouldnt guarantee it that any tailor in Bangkok can do it "perfectly" as you say as their shirt prices range from like 500-2000 baht. I'd say you wouldnt get "awful cloth and poor quality," but cerrtainly good cloth and decent quality. Feel free to try out any of the shops recommended in this thread. I think there were about 6 or 7. The one that I use personally as mentioned above is:

Crown Tailor in sukhumvit road soi 8
www.crowntailor.com


I did manage to stop by Crown and had a suit made by Sam. Things didn't work out exactly to my specifications, but Sam made right by me in the end.

For everyone else planning on visiting a tailor in BKK, I would recommend you read the two links below to educate yourself on the detailed aspects of tailored clothing. This will help greatly in understanding the nuances of well-tailored clothing.

Jasper Littman | Bespoke suits: an explanation of the bespoke tailoring process (http://www.jasperlittman.co.uk/bespokesuits.html)

Tailored Clothing-FAQ (http://www.ravistailor.com/customtailor/)

I just returned from a trip to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I was in Bangkok from Dec. 22 (Fri.) and left on Dec. 27 (Wed.) from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I then returned from Chiang Mai for a 4 hour layover and left early Dec. 31 (Sun.)

I went to Raja's on Soi 4 (1/6)- the original, and had a great experience with Bobby. He remembered my father-in-law from 10 years ago very well and still had his measurements. I showed up early Sat. Dec. 23 and told him of my tight time frame. He assured me he could do it and after an hour of looking over different styles and fabrics I ordered two suits. The service was excellent, even though it was very busy. Yes, mostly English speaking foreigners were there, but drinks were always offered and several families were there with children. Yes, it is kind of "cramped" in there, but I enjoyed the experience. My measurements were taken on Sat. and I was to return on both Monday (Christmas) and Tuesday evenings for fittings. These were done at the indicated time as I was leaving Wed. for Chiang Mai. Everything was done professionally.

Bobby arranged to have someone meet me at the Novotel hotel across from the new airport at a certain time on my return flight from Chiang Mai and the exchange went perfect. The suits are wonderful and I am a very satisfied customer. I do recommend this location. Prices seemed a little high, but the service was great and everything was to my liking.

-Jared C.

Thanks vivrant for the informative links.

I was in BKK this month, and went to Rajawongse. As a bonus, I got to spend my time there with a former president (http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1639/img4080au6.jpg). Very memorable experience. Very satisfied customer.

A post on Bangkok tailors for women, based on my visit at the end of last month: I am thrilled with a conservatively-tailored (ie lawyer-wear-to-oral-argument-in-court) women's business suit from Cotton House, in the O.P. Place behind Oriental Hotel. They have a small but thorough selection of high quality suit fabrics; Reed did an excellent job of fitting my skirt and slacks, and had a man who apparently oversees jacket construction do the second and third fittings on my jacket, with terrific results. I did not need to take drawings...what I wanted was pretty standard, and Reed asked all the relevant questions - shape and length of skirt, type of waistband (or none), pockets, pleats, number of buttons on jacket, pocket placement and flaps (or none), length of jacket, etc. etc. (I am built like she is, so this may have been easier for me than for others - bringing a picture isn't a bad idea). There were two young women from the US Embassy there in at the same time having less conservative business wear fitted, in linen, with equally good results.

BUT for my dressier and more stylish wear, I went to T. Silk, also in the OP Place. Gorgeous silks and cottons, of varying weights and qualities, but the key there is that someone involved is not simply a seamstress/dressmaker but an imaginative designer -- some of the samples hanging in the shop have quite a flair. I went specifically for a dress to wear to my stepson's wedding; I had pictures, but ended up adapting something in their window. And also had them copy a second outfit from their rack - a striking suit appropriate for the dressiest cocktail hour. My taste is on the conservative side, but they had lots of younger, more adventurous styles shown as well.

Allow a week for the work (though T.Silk was able to make the dress in five days when asked), plan for at least three fittings. Each of these outfits was between $275 and $300.

Thanks vivrant for the informative links.

I was in BKK this month, and went to Rajawongse. As a bonus, I got to spend my time there with a former president (http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1639/img4080au6.jpg). Very memorable experience. Very satisfied customer.

I don't know your politics but OMG if I had the chance to give that man a mouthful about his progeny...I'm envious of your opportunity.

Nice pic though. Given their money you'd think he'd just go to a houston tailor.

I don't know your politics but OMG if I had the chance to give that man a mouthful about his progeny...I'm envious of your opportunity.

Nice pic though. Given their money you'd think he'd just go to a houston tailor.

There is such a thing as being polite around people like that, or anybody, for that matter.

Were I ever to meet Bill Clinton, I'd like to give him an earful, too, but I wouldn't, because that would be rude.

As for the subject at hand, how do places like Rajawongse compare to mid-to-high-end HK tailors, like WW Chan?

For some reason the link to the picture isnt' working on my computer. Is anyone else having this probleM?

As for the subject at hand, how do places like Rajawongse compare to mid-to-high-end HK tailors, like WW Chan?

I haven't been to Rajawongse yet, but I have been to Raja's (apparently very similar prices/quality), and I've also had suits & shirts from WW Chan. In short, the quality of tailoring and materials from Chan is far better than those of Bangkok tailors. You see it everywhere in the quality of the garment: the quality of the wool, the drape of the fabric, the way in which the garment is put together, the precision of the fit, and the details like the buttons and the zippers. I'm still wearing Chan slacks and shirts 5 years after I had them made.

I would say that Raja's is roughly equal in quality to mid-level HK tailors such as Ash Samtani or Sam's.

In terms of value, that's another story altogether. WW Chan turns out excellent garments, but the price is 3-4 times as much as you'd pay at Raja/Rajawongse.

How long does it usually take to get a suit done by WW Chan?

How long does it usually take to get a suit done by WW Chan?

I've had one done in 5 days (3 fittings). Customer is king in HK, so I'd be surprised if they can't accommodate your schedule.

They also make a couple of trips annually to the US.

I will be arriving Bangkok on a Thursday morning, and departing on a Sunday afternoon. Do you think this is enough time to get 2 suits and about 10-15 shirts made? I was hoping for Rajawongse based on the comments here.

In the past I went to "New International Boutique House":
http://www.nibh.com/html/

I would rate them as "so so". I am quite pleased with ths suit I bought from there about 6 months ago - but not that pleased. The 7 shirts are another story. The collars have gone all bubbly and I have thrown 2 of them out already, and the rest are on their last legs. Very disappointing.

I went to another tailor a few years back down near the Shangri-la and got a sports jacket made. Absolute disaster - the thing fell apart after a few months.

I will be arriving Bangkok on a Thursday morning, and departing on a Sunday afternoon. Do you think this is enough time to get 2 suits and about 10-15 shirts made?

I don't think so at Rajawongse. It usually takes about a week. (My experience is very recent -- I was there a week and a half ago)

I don't think so at Rajawongse. It usually takes about a week. (My experience is very recent -- I was there a week and a half ago)


I agree with Axey that it's unlikely you'll be getting two suits and 10-15 shirts made during those few days, but you will be able to be measured, pick out your fabrics, and likely be able to get a fitting on at least one suit and shirt. Then the finished items can be sent to you. A good portion of their business is in FedExing the finished garments to customers ... and they keep your measurements on file so you can call and have more things made and sent as well.

Does anyone know of any reputable tailors in Phuket?

Once you find a tailor, and he has your measurements on file, how do folks go about choosing fabrics for a new order of shirts?

Does anyone know of any good Chinese tailors in Bangkok? The ones listed in this thread (and most of the ones I see about town) are Indian tailors and I find that the cut is different. I've tried to get an Indian tailor to cut a suit with a similar shape to a Chinese tailor but to no avail. I first experienced tailored suits in Hong Kong and I'm trying to get something similar without having to fly to HKG.

There was a thread on FT talking about a Chinese-Thai tailor in Amarin Plaza. I tried there and initially had good experience when I was dealing with the 'main guy' but after a while he never seemed to be there and the service went downhill. I've not been back there since.

Any other suggestions?

There's actually one i've heard of in silom. I think he goes by the name Arts. I'm not entirely sure on this though.

I use Ah Song in one of the sois off New Road very close to the Oriental Hotel. Been very satisfied all the way around.

Has anyone had suits done by both of these places, and so are able to compare them? I'm considering an extended mileage run to BKK and would pick up some suits while I'm there, but am wondering if one is clearly better than the other. My understanding is that Rajawongse (Jesse & Victor) is on 130 Sukhumvit Rd nr Sio 4, and Raja's Fashions (Bobby) is 1/6 Sukhumvit Soi Nana 4......

(Raja's International on Soi 11 seems to be a third Raja's with less reviews).

ALSO - eutow or anyone else who has used Tramps - I'm wondering if you have a sense of the price difference between the Raja's and Tramps?

Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

I have been to rajawongse and made two shirts and I was quite dissapointed as they were rather boxy and unshaped to my size, in hope for something better, I asked for ladies dresses, and he said "I am not a ladies tailor" I was surprised as I believe that a "good" tailor makes both for men and women and if he was not a "ladies tailor" then why didn't he tell me before I got my shirts made? Very dissapointing. So I walked further into the Landmark Hotel Plaza, not too far from rajawongse and then I spotted Nickermanns, a tailor shop that makes both for women and men. I made a couple of dresses and suits and they were perfectly tailored to my size. My husband seemed to be very happy with his suits too and he has stopped using Rajawongse for Nickermanns. I will surely stop by to visit them during my next visit to bangkok.

This is actually the first time i've heard of rajawongse even doing ladies clothes. I thought they only did men's clothing anyways. How did you get them to do your stuff. Very puzzling indeed.

This is actually the first time i've heard of rajawongse even doing ladies clothes. I thought they only did men's clothing anyways. How did you get them to do your stuff. Very puzzling indeed.

They do advertise that they do clothing for women. And there's a Thomas Pink book in their shop with photos of women's clothing you can basically have copied.

I will be arriving Bangkok on a Thursday morning, and departing on a Sunday afternoon. Do you think this is enough time to get 2 suits and about 10-15 shirts made? I was hoping for Rajawongse based on the comments here.

In the past I went to "New International Boutique House":
http://www.nibh.com/html/

I would rate them as "so so". I am quite pleased with ths suit I bought from there about 6 months ago - but not that pleased. The 7 shirts are another story. The collars have gone all bubbly and I have thrown 2 of them out already, and the rest are on their last legs. Very disappointing.

I went to another tailor a few years back down near the Shangri-la and got a sports jacket made. Absolute disaster - the thing fell apart after a few months.


Unfortunately Rajawongse is going to be closed while I am in BKK (they are shut from Apr-9 to Apr-21) :(

I will be trying Raja's. Is the best Raja's the one at Soi 4? Does anyone have the actual address or email?

MD

Raja is located at 1/6 Sukhumvit Soi Nana 4, across from Nana Hotel, which is behind J.W. Marriott Hotel. I believe they open at 10:30 a.m.

Enlever Ses Vetements looks great and I think I'll visit them in May!
Does anyone have the address for TRAMPS? They're highly regarded in some publications I read.

Louis at Enlever Ses Vetement did some AWESOME work for me. He was kind of pricey ($500 for a nice suit w/ amazing shirt) but it was a really stylish cut. Highly recommended. Also mentioned in the Luxe Guides.

http://enleversesvetements.com/newsite/main.htm

I have had clothing made twice at Tom's International Collection (formerly Tony's Fashions)
12 Mahanakorn Road Mahaphruttaram
Bang-Rak Bangkok, 10500
Phone 02 236-1497 or 02 236-1766
They provide round trip transport in their van or taxi for all fittings. I have been happy with their service and quality. Last year I got 2 Armani style Italian wool suits, 4 extra pants, 6 cotton shirts and 6 off-the-shelf silk ties for THB40,000. They take credit cards. If you have a picture of something you want copied bring it. I found that they want to keep the quoted price constant but will bargain to throw in extra shirts, pants and ties. They also do women's clothing.

I will be wearing one of them that the 2007 Freddies if anyone wants to see the quality.

Does anyone have more information/ advice on having a tuxedo made in BKK?

Here is the situation:
My fiance and I will be getting married in July in the Caribbean, but we will be in Bangkok until the end of June. We were told by our wedding planner that there are not many options for tuxedo rental in the town where we will be married. So we are considering having three tuxedos (for my fiance, my father and the best man) made for the wedding while we are here, but my fiance is the only one who will actually be in Bangkok.

Is it possible/ advisable to have a tuxedo made based on measurements taken from a tailor elsewhere? I saw that it was mentioned earlier in this thread somewhere that a lot of tailors will make suits for customers whom they have already measured and fitted at some point, but can this be done for customers who merely send a list of their measurements?

Also, can anyone give me an idea of what a tuxedo should cost here? We obviously want something that will look good for the wedding, but the tuxedos need not be of the absolute best quality, as they probably won't get too too much use. We are students and do not have much money, so we'd like to spend as little as possible without wasting our money on something awful!

There seems to be a lot of discussions on this and other forums about suit materials, quality and prices, but very little about tuxedos.

I'd really appreciate any information and/or advice that anyone has to offer.

TIA :D

You'll have a list of tailors come up who can make tuxedo's in Bangkok for you. I think i'll summarize the list for you more or less:

Rajawongse www.dressforsuccess.com front of sukhumvit soi 4
Crown www.crowntailor.com sukhumvit soi 8
Rajas (dunno the website) in sukhumvit soi 4
WW Chan (in HK)
Tramps (no website) (someone will let you know again the location of this one)

I guess your fiance is going to be the main man in the wedding so its good HE's in Bangkok, so he'll be able to get a couple of fittings done.

If you just send the measurements of the suit to the people, you are more then likely going to have to make some amendments to the suit when it reaches you. Maybe take it in here, too tight here etc etc. If you can find someone you can do all that for you, then go ahead and order from them. You'll be able to find tuxedo's in Bangkok for much cheaper then where youre from for sure so np with that! :p

Gluck with your tuxedos' and congratulations on your wedding! (in advance :cool: )

Came back and visited Raja's Tailors. Here's the skinny:

Shop is very busy but coming in at 10:30am is a good option. I ordered the following:

1 Suit
4 shirts
3 pants

total bill was 26,000 bahts. Here's my take on the quality.

1. I think custom shirts are great buy as they are relatively cheap and really do fit you very well. What's the use of a good fitting suit if your shirt collar is too tight or if clothing will bunch around the waist. Shirts are approx. 4 for a $100 USD. I was very impressed with the stiching and attention to detail.

2. Make sure you let them know you want full inside lining. If you do not request it, you will not get it. I forgot to ask.

3. For a while there with the article, the owner was quite busy and turned away customers. I understand he can do the shirts in his own factory now and can turn those around quite quickly.

4. If you have the time, go for at least 2 fittings. What's the use of a tailor made suit if you don't go for the proper fittings. Also, give them enough time so that your order is not rushed.

5. Let them know what you like: looser waist, slim fit, pleats or no pleats. If you are not sure, you can always ask them to make you look slimmer :p

Mike

I am considering having a black suit made and/or maybe a tux made. Unfortunately I'm just transiting through BKK. Once tomorrow and once the following Sunday. Each time for about 6 hours. Is it realistic to go to Raja's (or some other place people suggest) the first time, get a fitting and come back 10 days later on a Sunday. Get a second fitting and then if needed come back 2 hours later, after a jaunt to Pantip Plaza, for the final acceptance fitting?

Acceptable. But you would have to be willing to let them send the Tux to you. WhY? Cuz you would have enough time for two fittings. I.e. Measure on your first trip. Fit on the second trip morning then in the evening of that same day after your pantip expedition. Then allow them to send it to you to your home.

Or, if you're lucky, one/two fitting sessions is enough and they measured and made your suit correctly then you can take it home right away.

Going to BKK in May, and both myself and my girlfriend are planning to get suits & shirts made while we're there.

Rajawongse sounds great, but the fact that they don't do women's clothing is a downer. I'd prefer someplace great that both of us can go to at the same time, and both be very happy with the final product's quality and value.

Any recommendations? How is Crown's for women's clothing? Tramps? If there is a very good women's tailor near Rajawongse, going to two nearby tailors would be an option, though clearly a pain (can't be measured at the same time, etc).

Thanks a lot! :)

What I could suggest:

Walk around to some recommended shops here on Sukhumvit. Rajas, Rajawongse, Crown. They arent TOO far from one another. Check out the men & women's prices then decide where you want to tailor your clothes.

Crowns for womens clothing are pretty good, as they are with men. But, as many people would agree with me, most tailors in Bangkok do better work for men overall. Dunno why that is, but it always seems to be the norm.

You'll have a list of tailors come up who can make tuxedo's in Bangkok for you. I think i'll summarize the list for you more or less:

Rajawongse www.dressforsuccess.com front of sukhumvit soi 4
Crown www.crowntailor.com sukhumvit soi 8
Rajas (dunno the website) in sukhumvit soi 4
WW Chan (in HK)
Tramps (no website) (someone will let you know again the location of this one)

I guess your fiance is going to be the main man in the wedding so its good HE's in Bangkok, so he'll be able to get a couple of fittings done.

If you just send the measurements of the suit to the people, you are more then likely going to have to make some amendments to the suit when it reaches you. Maybe take it in here, too tight here etc etc. If you can find someone you can do all that for you, then go ahead and order from them. You'll be able to find tuxedo's in Bangkok for much cheaper then where youre from for sure so np with that! :p

Gluck with your tuxedos' and congratulations on your wedding! (in advance :cool: )

I have some experience with various tailors in BKK. First off, Crown Tailors is absolutely horrible quality. I had a look at their sample suits there and they are the worst I've seen anyplace. Avoid this place at all costs. Nothing but a total ripoff.

Rajawongse and Raja's seemed to be pretty equal to each other. Just your typical BKK Indian/Sikh Tailor geared for tourists who don't really know anything about quality. If you don't know anything about good fabric and good suit construction, you'll probably be happy with them. I honestly cannot recommend them but there are obviously a lot of happy customers, though I doubt any of those happy customers really know about quality custom made clothes. Neither of them have a good selection of better fabrics. Of course they'll tell you they have good quality fabric, but just calculating the price they charge will tell you their fabric is nothing but cheap local fabric. You won't find any fine Italian or Swiss cloth in their shops. I'd also add Pinky's Tailor to this group, though some would say he's a bit better than Rajawongse or Raja. He does have a slightly better selection of fabric, though being he can't even tell you what the fabric is means he's highly suspect in my opinion. All of the Indian/Sikh tailors I've seen aren't really tailors. They are just someone who measures you and takes your order/money. They send all their work out and don't really know the true ins-and-outs of tailoring. I had to laugh when I saw how the plump Indian guy in Raja's was dressed when I went into there. His clothes were really awful and a terrible advertisement for his business. The taller gentleman was better, but still not impeccably dressed as I'd expect from a tailor I'd use.

The best I can recommend in Bangkok is either July Tailor or Art's. Both nearby to Sala Daeng BTS Station. July Tailor does a lot of work for the Thai Royal Family and is a highly respected tailor with the Thai upper class, not a typical tourist tailor. Likewise with Art's, though they do a significant business with Japanese tourists as well as well-off Thais. This class of tailor has a good selection of higher end fabrics and based on everything I've heard and experienced deliver a good product, but at a price that many tourists will probably find too expensive. You will pay here several times what you would from the tourist tailors, but naturally you will be getting a suit of much higher quality construction and fabric as well.

In tailoring, as with everything else, you get what you pay for. Buy an inexpensive suit/tux from a tourist tailor and you will get nothing but a cheap suit that will not look very good and likely will not last. Buy an expensive suit from a real tailor, using quality fabrics and you will get something that looks great and will last much longer.

Tailors in the tourist areas of BKK are an infestation. They are everywhere. Most all of them advertising ridiculously low prices and for some reason tourists seem to think they are getting a good deal. The fabric alone for a good suit costs much more than what they are charging, so immediately that should send up a red flag. They are merely taking advantage of cheap sweat-shop labor in Thailand which will make your suit for almost nothing. The "tailor" supplies the low-quality fabric and makes a very handsome profit as there is a huge markup over his actual costs. That's why there's so many of these tailors in BKK. Always lots of gullible tourists who don't know how to tell the difference between a good tailor and a bad/fake tailor, nor the difference between a good suit and a cheap bad suit.

Soju,

My guess is that you're possibly right.

The thing with us, either locals or expats, is that for us, suits that we wear to work don't need to be the most expensive and they need to last, say, a couple of years for the price we're paying.

I've often heard of Arts, July and even two other shops, 'prominent suits' and 'milano's' who do BEYOND exceptional suit work, where they take very long to craft their suits, BUT, it turns out Excellent. And I say this from a viewpoint that is shared by many.

Rajas, Crown, Rajawongse are very good tailors for people looking for suits probably anywhere from 5000 - 14000 baht tops. And I'm one of them. Someone who wears suits to work everyday and am not looking to invest 40,000 baht in one suit alone.

To anyone looking at making suits in Bangkok, I think its best you consider your budget and use of suits. If suits matter to you very much and you have ALOT of $ to spend, DO make sure you visit Arts, July, Milano or Prominent suits. I promise that they will all do excellent work for you.

On the other hand, if you are merely looking at suits that last a couple of years (probably if worn very often) or more depending on quality of stitching/time rush of work etc, then I'm sure Raja's Crown and Rajawongse meet your needs. The reason I say this is because there are not many shops in Bangkok that would do good suits for you with fittings and not give you really bad material, and charge you only 5-14 thousand.

I do find it strange that you say Raja, Crown and Rajawongse suits are not that nice. Probably cuz i dont know too much about tailoring, but to me, these suits are good enough/great cuz they last for me and I only pay that much :p

Soju,

My guess is that you're possibly right.

The thing with us, either locals or expats, is that for us, suits that we wear to work don't need to be the most expensive and they need to last, say, a couple of years for the price we're paying.

I've often heard of Arts, July and even two other shops, 'prominent suits' and 'milano's' who do BEYOND exceptional suit work, where they take very long to craft their suits, BUT, it turns out Excellent. And I say this from a viewpoint that is shared by many.

Rajas, Crown, Rajawongse are very good tailors for people looking for suits probably anywhere from 5000 - 14000 baht tops. And I'm one of them. Someone who wears suits to work everyday and am not looking to invest 40,000 baht in one suit alone.

To anyone looking at making suits in Bangkok, I think its best you consider your budget and use of suits. If suits matter to you very much and you have ALOT of $ to spend, DO make sure you visit Arts, July, Milano or Prominent suits. I promise that they will all do excellent work for you.

On the other hand, if you are merely looking at suits that last a couple of years (probably if worn very often) or more depending on quality of stitching/time rush of work etc, then I'm sure Raja's Crown and Rajawongse meet your needs. The reason I say this is because there are not many shops in Bangkok that would do good suits for you with fittings and not give you really bad material, and charge you only 5-14 thousand.

I do find it strange that you say Raja, Crown and Rajawongse suits are not that nice. Probably cuz i dont know too much about tailoring, but to me, these suits are good enough/great cuz they last for me and I only pay that much :p

5,000 Baht for a suit? Forget it! Sure there are many places that will make such as suit for you, but it will but complete garbage and a complete waste of your money. 12,000 to 14,000 Baht for a suit? Depends on what you're looking for. If you're someone who's happy with a low-end suit, then there are a few tourist tailors such as Rajas, Rajawongse, or Pinky's which will deliver for that price and you may very well be pleased. People that don't know how to tell the difference between a low-end, an average, and a great suit might be impressed with you wearing such a suit. If that is all you can budget for a suit, then by all means go to one of these tourist tailors. You certainly won't be able to get anything in that price range at Art's or July.

There is a reason why July, Art's or the high-end tailors take time to make a suit. It's because it's impossible to make a good quality custom fitted suit in the time that the tourist tailors will make one for you. For a new customer, it generally takes several fittings to get a suit right so that it looks perfect on you. July or Art's will take the time and give you as many fittings as you need. They won't be happy until you're happy. The tourist tailors will generally not give you enough fittings. They will try to pawn off an ill-fitting suit after one or even no fittings. Going back for many fittings might not be feasible for a tourist who's not staying in Bangkok for long, but if you try to skimp on this the lessened quality of the fit will almost certainly be noticeable. But anyways, up to you to get as good or as poor of a fitting as you want. If I didn't have the time to get a properly fitted suit, I'd personally do without. Or if I made frequent trips to Bangkok have the suit made over multiple trips rather than rush a suit and get one I'm not happy with.

One easy test how good the tailor is to tell them you're only in town for two days and if they can make you a suit or not. The tourist tailors will usually give you a line that you need at least one or two fittings, but when you really push them, they'll end up telling you they can indeed make the suit in such a short time, and they end up giving you only one or even no fittings. They'll often tell you they can deliver the suit to you at the airport. The reason for this is often not that they're being nice to accommodate your schedule, but more because if they deliver it to you at the airport then you can't try it on and complain about how it doesn't fit you well. Try to push the time envelope as much as possible and see how the tailor responds. A good tailor will tell you he can't rush the suit or reduce the number of fittings because he knows the quality will suffer. He will refuse your business because he knows making a bad suit is bad for his reputation. A bad tailor will do whatever he needs to sell you a suit, even if it means rushing the suit and giving you a very poor quality and poor fitting suit. A bad tailor is only interested in getting your money.

So if your budget only allows for one of the budget tourist tailors, then I'd personally say you're better off going to Raja or Rajawongse, or even better Pinky's. They're all pretty much similar quality from what I've seen, but Pinky's has a definite edge in a selection of better fabrics for which you'll pay a bit more. So at least you can look at the better fabrics first and then decide which fabric is best for you. Forget about Crown Tailors. Just go into their shop and look at their sample work compared to the others and it's very easy to see their quality is well below that of Raja or Rajawongse, yet their prices are about the same. Very bad value for your money in that you'll be getting the absolute lowest of quality but paying a premium price for it.

Whatever you do, do no settle for a suit if it does not fit you well. And don't listen to the tailor. A tourist tailor will generally always tell you how great the suit looks on you. Maybe they will take a quick look and tell you they need to make a few adjustments, but that'll likely be all. If you don't know how a suit should fit you, better to take someone along with you who can give you their honest opinion. Don't trust the tailor's opinion because he's most likely interested in getting you out of his shop as quickly as possible with as few fittings as he can get away with. Also know in advance what you want and be very specific in telling the tailor what you want. Many of them will just make a standard suit or standard shirt for you and only ask you a few basic questions about fit, style, etc. Some won't even do that. There are many details about a custom suit that you need to inform the tailor of or else you will be getting his suit and not your own suit. If you don't know, look at pictures and get him to copy the style of what you think looks good. And be sure to ask to see samples of his work. Look carefully at stitching, buttons, collars, cuffs, etc. A quick glance at a suit and it will likely look great to an untrained eye. But when you start to examine it carefully you'll start to notice things. Some things you'll like and some you won't. Tell the tailor what are all your preferences ahead of time, and even write them down yourself so that you can be sure you've told him. And don't forget to tell him precisely about how the suit should fit. Do you like a tighter fit, a normal fit, or a loose fit? Then at the first fitting check each of these points to be sure he's followed through with your wishes. Never settle for second best. Never pay the tailor the full amount up front. Give him as little deposit as possible so that he has a good incentive to deliver to you the suit you want. If he can't deliver what he promised then walk away even if it means losing your deposit.

One technique I like to use is to go into a tailor and ask what his lowest cost suit is and have a look at that. Pretend you're on a very tight budget and see how low he can go. A good tailor generally won't sell you anything at the very low-end because he knows you won't be happy with it and it will be bad for his reputation. A tailor who is willing to sell you a 5,000 Baht suit shouldn't be getting your business. Then ask him what his very highest price suit is and ask to see that and check out the quality of that. In knowing his full range of prices and looking at the quality of each you can generally get a good idea of what the tailor is all about rather quickly.

If you're interested in Pinky's, he's located at Phloen Chit BTS station, behind Mahatun Plaza, which is the big building where King Power used to be but was vacated the last time I saw it.

Wow, I think I had to read that a couple of times to understand everything! hehe ^ .

Anyways, you seem very knowledgable about your suit understandings and I shall take that into high consideration when choosing my next suit from MY budget (which is no more then 10,000 baht I'm sorry to say). Sadly, I spend most of my money elsewhere, which sucks I Know, but hey, I love what that spent money gets me!

I'm also sorry to say I probably won't give Pinky a try as he seems a little out of my budget too, but I will probably stick with Crowns and Rajawongse like I always have. What I will notice next time however, is the suit work you're talking about. Lets see if my "slightly more" trained eye will now notice the things you talk about! :)

Thanks for the help and I'll keep you posted if I notice anything (although I seriously doubt I will).

I could be wrong, but my recollection is that Pinky's suits start at 10,000 THB, unless he's raised his prices recently. So if your maximum budget is 10,000, you might still be able to get something from him. Ultimately, do whatever you're happy with. If you're pleased with the quality and price of a very low-end suit from Crown, then go for it. If a little better suit from Raja or Rajawongse pleases you, then by all means buy it. Being happy and confident when wearing your suit is certainly a very big factor in how you project yourself to others. I've seen guys wearing expensive designer suits but who are very obviously uncomfortable in the suit and it comes off meaning they lose their confidence and thus lose more than they are trying to gain by wearing expensive designer clothes. Other guys wear the cheapest of suits but think they got the deal of the century and think they look great, thus giving themselves lots of confidence.

There are a huge number of people who don't know how to tell the difference between a good suit and a bad suit. These are the people who keep the hordes of bad Bangkok tailors in business. Some of them go onto the internet seeking advice on where to go to get a good tailored suit and so my advice to them would be to go to Pinky's if they're on a budget of 10,000-20,000 THB / suit, and to go to Art's or July if they're willing to spend more. If they don't want to even spend 10,000 THB, I'd recommend they buy find a good bargain off the rack suit in their home country that fits them well. Do not buy any custom-made suit in Bangkok for less than 10,000 THB. It will simply look awful, likely not last, and you will have lost all advantages that a custom made suit should be giving you.

For first timers, go into the these recommend places as a starting point and have a look and see if the quality/price is what you're expecting. Then if you're not pleased, or just want to see what else is available, go have a look at the other places.

One final comment about the tourist tailors. Everytime I've walked past Raja's or Rajawongse, they are packed with customers. Pinky's is off the main road, so I don't just walk by there often, but when I've been in his shop he's had lots of customers. In other words, lot's of people are satisfied with them and give them repeat business and tell their friends to go there. Even though they typically sell low to mid range suits / fabrics, their high-volume allows them to probably buy a bit cheaper, offer a bit more selection of fabrics, and make a slightly higher quality constructed suit than their competitors. I've not ever seen any other customers in Crown. Likewise with most of the tourist tailors - they have almost no customers and so don't have the advantages that the high-volume tourist tailors do. They also don't have any reputation to protect. For high-end tailors, they aren't selling to the masses and so you wouldn't expect to see crowds in their shops, which you don't.

Hey Soju, Thanks for the recommendations!

Can you confirm that I have found the correct information for July's and Art's?:

Art'S Tailor Thaniya
62/15-16 Soi Thaniya Silom Road Suriyawong
10500 Bangrak
Bangkok

July Tailor
30/6 Saladaeng Road Silom
10500 Bangrak
Bangkok

and I guess this is Pinky's:

http://www.pinkytailor.com/

Hey Soju, Thanks for the recommendations!

Can you confirm that I have found the correct information for July's and Art's?:

Art'S Tailor Thaniya
62/15-16 Soi Thaniya Silom Road Suriyawong
10500 Bangrak
Bangkok

July Tailor
30/6 Saladaeng Road Silom
10500 Bangrak
Bangkok

and I guess this is Pinky's:

http://www.pinkytailor.com/

Yes, you have the correct information as far as I can tell.

I didn't mention before, but I was told that Art's only does suits, not shirts or any other clothing, so if you want a tailor to make your whole wardrobe you're better off skipping them or check with them in person to see if that's correct.

We ended up visiting Pinky's and tailoring there.

We had 2 suits, 6 shirts, 1 pants for 25k. However, the suits were of wool and cashmere blend, not 100% wool.

However, the suits were of wool and cashmere blend, not 100% wool.

Er, cashmere is wool (wool from a specific type of animal).

We ended up visiting Pinky's and tailoring there.

We had 2 suits, 6 shirts, 1 pants for 25k. However, the suits were of wool and cashmere blend, not 100% wool.

flyyyz - were you happy with the quality of the suits/shirts? Was Mr Pinky easy to deal with? Am heading over to BKK in early Sept and am keen to try out these guys... and Soju, great info - very insightful thanks!

Just like to add a comment about about whether Thailand tailors are a good value anymore or not. With the huge strength of the Thai Baht vs. the US Dollar and some other currencies, I think likely the price advantage of these tailors has all but vanished when compared to Hong Kong and other places. The THB has strengthened by 30% vs. the USD since the first of last year while prices have gone up. USD denominated customers are now paying a lot more than they would have two years ago for the same piece of clothing. Even for the top-end tailors, such as July or Art's, you can still get better quality IMHO in Hong Kong, but with the weak Hong Kong Dollar, I'd opt for a Hong Kong tailor if I had the choice at this point in time. I'm not sure what the price points are in Hong Kong for low-end custom clothing, but for higher end, which I'd be buying, I think
Thailand has now priced itself out of the market. W.W.Chan I think is the best-known higher-end tailor in Hong Kong who I'll be likely giving my business to for my next purchase of suits and shirts.

I will second or third the opinion about Herrmann Tailor in Bangkok. I just got a suit, some shirts, some slacks, and a sports coat there on my recent visit. I know I paid a high(er) price but my requirements in material were very specific and complex which made the material choice difficult so I won’t post the price. My assistant set up the appointment via email for me, they were waiting for me, kept in contact with me, had the fittings, etc… My initial order was less then what I listed above but I liked the material so much that I called in an order for additional slacks and they had it prepared right up no problem.

There are cheaper tailors in BKK, but I was happy with the service and material / design etc… that I would recommend them to anyone if you want to be taken care of. They were recommended to me by someone I trust and they are the third tailor I have tried in BKK (one of which are highly talked about on this thread but I had a bad experience with them but do not choose to bad mouth them I just had a bad experience with the quality of their material choice). I would not hesitate to recommend that anyone head off to Herrmann’s if in BKK, they are quick, do lifetime alterations, can take email orders once they have your measurements and you can set up appointments ahead of time around what you need to do in bkk.

http://www.herrmannsuits.com/index.htm

I just moved my clothes from one closet to another as my wife re-arranges here at home, and it was interesting to look at all of my sport jackets as I shifted them. The ones that have lasted the longest, both in style and in durability, have been the ones from the New International Boutique House in Bangkok. I got a compliment just last week on one, in fact, that I had made in 2003.

http://www.nibh.com/html/

They periodically make trips to the states and measure and fit their customers, but I have never gone to meet them when they do, as they usually visit ORD, ATL, and LAX, for instance.

I have some experience with various tailors in BKK. First off, Crown Tailors is absolutely horrible quality. I had a look at their sample suits there and they are the worst I've seen anyplace. Avoid this place at all costs. Nothing but a total ripoff.

Rajawongse and Raja's seemed to be pretty equal to each other. Just your typical BKK Indian/Sikh Tailor geared for tourists who don't really know anything about quality. If you don't know anything about good fabric and good suit construction, you'll probably be happy with them. I honestly cannot recommend them but there are obviously a lot of happy customers, though I doubt any of those happy customers really know about quality custom made clothes. Neither of them have a good selection of better fabrics. Of course they'll tell you they have good quality fabric, but just calculating the price they charge will tell you their fabric is nothing but cheap local fabric. You won't find any fine Italian or Swiss cloth in their shops. I'd also add Pinky's Tailor to this group, though some would say he's a bit better than Rajawongse or Raja. He does have a slightly better selection of fabric, though being he can't even tell you what the fabric is means he's highly suspect in my opinion. All of the Indian/Sikh tailors I've seen aren't really tailors. They are just someone who measures you and takes your order/money. They send all their work out and don't really know the true ins-and-outs of tailoring. I had to laugh when I saw how the plump Indian guy in Raja's was dressed when I went into there. His clothes were really awful and a terrible advertisement for his business. The taller gentleman was better, but still not impeccably dressed as I'd expect from a tailor I'd use.

The best I can recommend in Bangkok is either July Tailor or Art's. Both nearby to Sala Daeng BTS Station. July Tailor does a lot of work for the Thai Royal Family and is a highly respected tailor with the Thai upper class, not a typical tourist tailor. Likewise with Art's, though they do a significant business with Japanese tourists as well as well-off Thais. This class of tailor has a good selection of higher end fabrics and based on everything I've heard and experienced deliver a good product, but at a price that many tourists will probably find too expensive. You will pay here several times what you would from the tourist tailors, but naturally you will be getting a suit of much higher quality construction and fabric as well.

In tailoring, as with everything else, you get what you pay for. Buy an inexpensive suit/tux from a tourist tailor and you will get nothing but a cheap suit that will not look very good and likely will not last. Buy an expensive suit from a real tailor, using quality fabrics and you will get something that looks great and will last much longer.

Tailors in the tourist areas of BKK are an infestation. They are everywhere. Most all of them advertising ridiculously low prices and for some reason tourists seem to think they are getting a good deal. The fabric alone for a good suit costs much more than what they are charging, so immediately that should send up a red flag. They are merely taking advantage of cheap sweat-shop labor in Thailand which will make your suit for almost nothing. The "tailor" supplies the low-quality fabric and makes a very handsome profit as there is a huge markup over his actual costs. That's why there's so many of these tailors in BKK. Always lots of gullible tourists who don't know how to tell the difference between a good tailor and a bad/fake tailor, nor the difference between a good suit and a cheap bad suit.

Fascinating post...and very on target. The old guy (Raja) at the entrance to Nana Plaza can get quite nasty if after a few fittings the suit still doesn't look right. I was in there a few years ago and Raja was giving a "spin" (twirling the guy around in front of the mirror and telling him how great the suit looked)...and I started to feel bad for this Korean customer. The Korean guy was trying to say that the backside was too baggy and Raja was telling him it looked fine. He had no one with him and I tried to explain to Raja what the guy was saying. Raja was very upset about this. Bobby did get involved and calmed the situation down. These shops are owned by Indian Thai's who have a certain niche in Thai culture with these shops. They can get very nasty if they feel their territory is being invaded. Raja is all smiles until a problem develops....then he can over-react. It is true that in almost all of these places very low end sweat shops are actually used to produce the article with the chosen material. If you ever want to feel real bad about your suit...go take a look at some of the manufacturing facilities (defined as sweat shops). This is where the Thai's come in......trying to make a small living from this end of the process. Sometimes your suit, pants and shirts are made at different places...by different people. So, one shirt fits great, another not so good......maybe a tear in some fabric...a burn mark......this is the lowest end of suit making. Raja's is not what it is cracked up to be...or maybe it is...to the average tourist who thinks he is getting a great deal. The poster quoted above really knows what he is talking about.

Thanks vivrant for the informative links.

I was in BKK this month, and went to Rajawongse. As a bonus, I got to spend my time there with a former president (http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1639/img4080au6.jpg). Very memorable experience. Very satisfied customer.


Kewl photo.....did the old guy go out straight to Sukhumvit...or did he make the quick exit into Nana Plaza? If I were him....I know where I would be spending my afternoons/evenings!!;)

I'm going to be in BKK only for one day next week. I'll then be in HKT for 3 days one week after my BKK stop. I'd like to get measured up in BKK and have my suit sent to my HKT hotel or stop by a phuket tailor for a fitting. At that point they can ship it back to me no problem.

Anyone have experience with this..or have people just gotten measured and then fine tuned it in their home city?

Alternatively I'll just buy shirts as I'd imagine they can get those pretty close wiht only a measurement.

Any advice?

I'm going to be in BKK only for one day next week. I'll then be in HKT for 3 days one week after my BKK stop. I'd like to get measured up in BKK and have my suit sent to my HKT hotel or stop by a phuket tailor for a fitting. At that point they can ship it back to me no problem.

Anyone have experience with this..or have people just gotten measured and then fine tuned it in their home city?

Alternatively I'll just buy shirts as I'd imagine they can get those pretty close wiht only a measurement.

Any advice?

I'm in BKK now and have gone back to Herrmann suits www.herrmannsuits.com for about the 5th time after trying a few others over the years. No issues, I prefer to get two fittings at least if not three but they are always right on (for me) and never had an issue on the 2nd or 3rd fitting except change style (hidden collar buttons, change collar collor, etc...) They keep my measurements and ship me items via mail as well and they are spot on still. They also travel and can update their measurements while they travel. Good folks.

I never looked for a tailor in phuket so can't help you there.

I'm going to be in BKK only for one day next week. I'll then be in HKT for 3 days one week after my BKK stop. I'd like to get measured up in BKK and have my suit sent to my HKT hotel or stop by a phuket tailor for a fitting. At that point they can ship it back to me no problem.

Anyone have experience with this..or have people just gotten measured and then fine tuned it in their home city?

Alternatively I'll just buy shirts as I'd imagine they can get those pretty close wiht only a measurement.

Any advice?

Tom's International in Patong. Their main store (called Tony's Fashion House) in Bangkok is located on Rangnam Road. Get measured, fitted and refitted at Tom's in HKT.

Tom's International in Patong. Their main store (called Tony's Fashion House) in Bangkok is located on Rangnam Road. Get measured, fitted and refitted at Tom's in HKT.

Thanks for that. How was your experience, good suit, good prices?

I hadn't heard much on Tony's up to this point.

I did not get a suit from Tom's in Patong but a colleague I was accompanying did and they (he got two suits plus extra pants) looked nice. The selection and quality of material and price are about the same as in the Bangkok main office (where I got shirts and pants). I couldn't remember what he paid for nor do I remember what I paid either. The price depends on the stock so you should know your materials. Also, don't get carried away by the sales pitch.

Remember the person selling you the suits are professional salesmen and order takers--and not tailors. So, you should not walk in any shop without first having done your due homework--such as asking for real buttonholes on the sleeves, width and cut of the lapel, colored lining, etc.

Hey everyone--as a frequent traveler to BKK, I promised my fiancee he could have his wedding suit made in BKK.

We tried a few places mentioned, but we didn't need a big pacakge. We really wanted a suit and a few shirts.

We went to Armani Tailors (ironic, eh?!) at 162/1 Between Soi 6-8 Sukhumvit Rd (at the Nana BTS stop--right up the road from the Landmark hotel) and was treated well.

They initially started with a package of a suit, sport jacket, trousers, five shirts, and five ties for 16,000B. We haggled for awhile--and got the suit, sport jacket, trousers, and two shirts for 10,000B. We dealt with Kenny.

The service was great. We picked every aspect--pleats, cut, length, liner, etc. We ordered it on a Thurs, had first fitting on Friday. Second was scheduled for Monday--but we ended up taking it with us then--that fast!!!

There are a lot of tailors on this Soi-we went into several to compare prices. Our biggest thing was we didn't need lots of shirts, ties, etc.

Happy shopping! Now, if only I'd remembered to take my wedding dress for alterations!

I read any article in Men's Vogue that talked about Raja's. I wanted to know if anyone has ordered from the US only? I know half the experience is the fittings, but my wife went to school for fashion design and can do the intial measurements. I would really love to get some suits, shirts and ties made. Has anyone had this done without going to BKK?

Here is the Men's Vogue article on Raja's (Soi 4!):

http://www.mensvogue.com/clothing/threads/articles/2008/02/bangkok

I just ordered some shirts from them. Scheduled to go try one on on Thursday - will let you know how they fit!

Dear All:

I wholeheartedly reccomend Rajawongse Tailors on Sukumvit between Soi 4 and 6. Jesse and his son Victor have been taking care of my needs for 6 years now and they are wonderful!

I first learned about them from buddies at the US Embassy... that is wher they all go to get suits made. The first President Bush is a frequent client of theirs and they have been written up in newspapers around the world. They recently had a wonderful article written about them in Conde Nast Traveler. it is a small shop and they are always busy but they take care of most of the well-known folks in BKK and beyond. The great thing is they treat everyone like a VIP.

A couple of caveats. They do not take credit cards so you can either write them a check or they take cash as well. :-)

Also they close around New Years for a holiday and also around Songkran for a holiday as well.

I think their website is www.dress-for-success.com but don't hold my feet to the fire on this one. They are at 130 Sukumvit Rd...

Kevin

Hi All,

I have been reading and digesting all the good info for quite some time now. My wife and I will be in Bangkok in June for 6 nights, along with 5 elsewhere in the country. I would like to have 4 high quality tailored suits made, spending around $2,000 US for the whole lot. I have narrowed my choices down to the following:

Tramps
AH Song Tailor
Yorkshire (in Peninsula Plaza)
Tanika
World Group
A Song Tailor

If anyone can advise me as to whether these folks will carry high end fabrics (loro piana, holland & sherry, scabal, etc...) and whether I am being reasonable in my pricing assumptions for good quality work (i.e., floating canvas, pick stitched lapels, working buttonholes, etc...) I would certainly appreciate the advice.

We will be staying at the Peninsula, and avoiding the Sukhumvit Road area for tailoring is a plus, as it saves me multiples trips there for fittings, when I can just cross the river to Oriental Hotel and find my tailor easily.

Thanks again!

My gf and I were in BKK recently to tailor our shirts and in a nutshell, Pinky tailors ruin the whole trip for us. This is my fourth tailor; I have tried crown tailor, tony fashion house and one more at phuket.

If you are a big spender, pinky will grin from ear to ear at you and offer you everything. But otherwise, do beware. We spend a total of 11,900 baht which is not a whole lot but to us, it is a decent amount (8 shirts and 1 pants) to start off with, especially with a new tailor.

I was eager to visit his shop as some friends recommended him to me. However, it soon became clear that he was not really interested in making you feel welcome or at the very least not making our trip unpleasant. After 45 minutes of looking around the shop for fabrics, he s......ed and told us that we were taking 30 months to select the fabrics and that he will take less time to tailor the shirts. Being a sucker for his wide selection of fabric, I tolerated that and felt that perhaps I was indeed taking a long time. Brushing it aside, we went ahead to get fitted by him. I expressly instructed him to incorporate French cuffs for my five shirts and I instructed him twice. When we returned for the fitting the next day, he insisted that I did not instruct him on the French cuffs. I distinctly remembered that I told him about it twice and each time he would respond with a dismissive “yes”.

Everyone has their “must-have” items in a tailored shirt. For me, these are French cuffs. The first item I would ask from a tailor are French cuffs. In fact, I requested him to add my initials to the French cuffs as he was charging, on average, 1500-1800 baht per shirt (which may seem low for some but to me, it is a little on the steep side). He refused saying that it is extremely troublesome. I dropped the idea since by then, I could sense hostility and that he was un-cooperative. I was prepared to be contended with just French cuffs.

As mentioned, Pinky insisted that I did not instruct him and did not even entertain the possibility that he could have failed to jot it down. According to him, it was impossible that he could have been wrong. He went on and complained to me about how customers (including me) want their shirts done this way, that way and how customers wanted what was on their friend’s shirt . Forgive me for missing something here but all I requested were French cuffs. In fact, I brought a shirt sample for him to follow. You may disagree with me but I really do not think that that is demanding. I had to pacify him in the end since my shirts were still in his hands.

He finally spoke his mind and wanted 200 baht extra for each shirt for the hassle of “changing” the normal cuffs to French cuffs. Again, I may be wrong here but I believe that when customers turn up for the first fit, only the first shirt is done up, not the rest of the shirts. In fact, he wanted us to do a fitting only on the last day, not the second day. We nevertheless turned up on the second day as I had to fit my pants.

I ended up paying 70 Singapore dollars for a tailored shirt (which to some may still be cheap) which was so “good” in fit that I had to bring it to my local tailor to make further alterations.

In short, if you are a big spender (20 to 30 shirts onwards), by all means, go to Pinky. He might even scrub your back for you. If you are budget spender or if you are just not willing to splurge on a tailor the first time or if you believe that a tailor should at least listen to his customers , please beware. His attitude sucks. I do not believe that a tailor should bend over backwards for his customers (although it would be nice) but please try not to make the customer feel as if he needs to appease the tailor. No prize for guessing who, in my humble opinion, deserves the title of “Worst tailor in Bangkok”.

Recently have not been happy with Raja's. I realise there are two Raja's - I'm referring to the one directly on Sukhumvit, next to the Skytrain station.

Poorly made clothes (no rush order!), poor service in getting it fixed, no replies to emails, and even an un-mentioned (and in my view dishonest) increase in the price of an order already done and confirmed a couple of months earlier 'because of the lower US dollar'.

I don't think I will be returning there again.

How would these tailors respond to an order of only 4-5 dress shirts? It sounds like they are much happier (understandably) when you put in a huge order with suits, pants, etc but I don't need that custom made and I don't have the space for it in my bag. To be honest, last time I was in asia and bought dress pants from G2000 they were perfect. I just have a problem finding properly fitting shirts (in terms of the collar, sleeve lengths and shoulders matching). I guess I'm wondering whether I should try BKK for shirts (only have a few days there) or wait until I'm in Hong Kong, where I was going to find a tailor originally. I just went to the WW Chan website and his prices are very high. Would I be better off finding an almost perfectly fitting shirt and just having that tailored? Thanks!

How would these tailors respond to an order of only 4-5 dress shirts?
Most are perfectly happy, and indeed many advertise packages of 4 shirts for US$100 or what have you. (Fabrics will, of course, be limited.)

Most are perfectly happy, and indeed many advertise packages of 4 shirts for US$100 or what have you. (Fabrics will, of course, be limited.)


Sounds good - thanks!

First, I think this whole "quality" thing equates with paying far too much to get some extra perceived quality.

Second, there seem to be at least a thousand tailor shops in Bangkok--yet all the postings here talk about a very few. Is this some kind of sneaky advertising board? There are little family ones in out-of-the way places who will be very happy to hand-make you anything you want--and they are probably as good of quality as a "famous" one that sends out to sweatshop anyway.

Also, you all seem to pay way too much. Don't you people try to negotiate? I like to start out talking about one or two suits, and then ask if I can get four more for half price each (the same with shirts, pants, etc.). This is only fair--they can make the others a lot faster so I should pay a lot less.

I'm very happy with Max's Fashions on Sukhumvit Soi 3 and some other places I've tried.

I'm in Cleveland Ohio. I feel like the only person who wears custom-made clothes here. I'm already one of the best-dressed people here even if I bargained and got a good price.

By the way, I suggest buying fabrics here like denim and flanel (like at Jo Ann Fabrics)--also creative prints (like cotton that says "Democrat" all over in different designs) and take that to Bangkok and have a denim jacket, winter flanel shirts, and other creative things made. A lot of the obscure little shops will make whatever you want--and it's fun!

My gf and I were in BKK recently to tailor our shirts and in a nutshell, Pinky tailors ruin the whole trip for us. This is my fourth tailor; I have tried crown tailor, tony fashion house and one more at phuket.

If you are a big spender, pinky will grin from ear to ear at you and offer you everything. But otherwise, do beware. We spend a total of 11,900 baht which is not a whole lot but to us, it is a decent amount (8 shirts and 1 pants) to start off with, especially with a new tailor.

I was eager to visit his shop as some friends recommended him to me. However, it soon became clear that he was not really interested in making you feel welcome or at the very least not making our trip unpleasant. After 45 minutes of looking around the shop for fabrics, he s......ed and told us that we were taking 30 months to select the fabrics and that he will take less time to tailor the shirts. Being a sucker for his wide selection of fabric, I tolerated that and felt that perhaps I was indeed taking a long time. Brushing it aside, we went ahead to get fitted by him. I expressly instructed him to incorporate French cuffs for my five shirts and I instructed him twice. When we returned for the fitting the next day, he insisted that I did not instruct him on the French cuffs. I distinctly remembered that I told him about it twice and each time he would respond with a dismissive “yes”.

Everyone has their “must-have” items in a tailored shirt. For me, these are French cuffs. The first item I would ask from a tailor are French cuffs. In fact, I requested him to add my initials to the French cuffs as he was charging, on average, 1500-1800 baht per shirt (which may seem low for some but to me, it is a little on the steep side). He refused saying that it is extremely troublesome. I dropped the idea since by then, I could sense hostility and that he was un-cooperative. I was prepared to be contended with just French cuffs.

As mentioned, Pinky insisted that I did not instruct him and did not even entertain the possibility that he could have failed to jot it down. According to him, it was impossible that he could have been wrong. He went on and complained to me about how customers (including me) want their shirts done this way, that way and how customers wanted what was on their friend’s shirt . Forgive me for missing something here but all I requested were French cuffs. In fact, I brought a shirt sample for him to follow. You may disagree with me but I really do not think that that is demanding. I had to pacify him in the end since my shirts were still in his hands.

He finally spoke his mind and wanted 200 baht extra for each shirt for the hassle of “changing” the normal cuffs to French cuffs. Again, I may be wrong here but I believe that when customers turn up for the first fit, only the first shirt is done up, not the rest of the shirts. In fact, he wanted us to do a fitting only on the last day, not the second day. We nevertheless turned up on the second day as I had to fit my pants.

I ended up paying 70 Singapore dollars for a tailored shirt (which to some may still be cheap) which was so “good” in fit that I had to bring it to my local tailor to make further alterations.

In short, if you are a big spender (20 to 30 shirts onwards), by all means, go to Pinky. He might even scrub your back for you. If you are budget spender or if you are just not willing to splurge on a tailor the first time or if you believe that a tailor should at least listen to his customers , please beware. His attitude sucks. I do not believe that a tailor should bend over backwards for his customers (although it would be nice) but please try not to make the customer feel as if he needs to appease the tailor. No prize for guessing who, in my humble opinion, deserves the title of “Worst tailor in Bangkok”.

Sorry to hear about your miserable experience man. I just got back from Pinky last week and it was my second trip there. I kinda do notice Pinky seem to be in a pretty foul mood compared to my 1st trip there and he was much more chirpy then.

However, I chose to deal with another guy called Noom. The service I get from him on both visits are excellent and he's a pretty patient guy. Being much more sure of what I want this time round, I fired out a barrage of demands like medium spread collar, matching stripes, rounded double cuffs, no gauntlet button, etc. The only thing he had to charge me extra was 200 baht per shirt for pearl buttons after discount. The shirts came back to me exactly what I want and they are pretty lovely. Frankly I wasn't expecting to make any shirts, just pants. But when I saw some of the lovely fabric they had, I just gave in to my weakness.

One thing about tailoring in Thailand is that the old adage holds and that is you get what you pay for, especially fabric wise. They are still cheap in a sense, as you get a made to measure shirt though someone did say the material and labour costs are steadily rising in Thailand, and its harder to make a tidy profit. Dude, if you ever go back to any tailors again, do allow enough time for at least 2 fittings for shirts, and even more for suits.

I think the real value tailoring is in Hong Kong. I hear many people rave about Jantzen, though I've had no opportunity to check them out yet. Check out their site: http://www.jantzentailor.com/

After having read a number of posts, I am now considering having my shirts made in HKG instead of BKK!

I want to get a winter overcoat made while I on summer vacation, and will in be both HKG and BKK long enough to have it made- any suggestions for this kind of tailoring in BKK, as well as for the shirts- thinking of 8-10 shirts at this stage.

After having read a number of posts, I am now considering having my shirts made in HKG instead of BKK!

I want to get a winter overcoat made while I on summer vacation, and will in be both HKG and BKK long enough to have it made- any suggestions for this kind of tailoring in BKK, as well as for the shirts- thinking of 8-10 shirts at this stage.

HKG is a better value now IMHO with the exchange rates and such. But I still get items done in BKK as I have a tailor I like. You can get your coats and shirts made at either BKK or HKG, it's up to you to find the shop with the selection and service you want.

I'll be heading to Bangkok for two weeks in late August staying at the Chaophya Park Hotel (247 Rachadapisek Road, Dindaeng, Bangkok 10400, Thailand). Does anyone know of any good tailors near this hotel??

I'll be heading to Bangkok for two weeks in late August staying at the Chaophya Park Hotel (247 Rachadapisek Road, Dindaeng, Bangkok 10400, Thailand). Does anyone know of any good tailors near this hotel??

I stayed there two years ago, I think there was one on site but could have moved out and my memory might be wrong. But you are near the MRT and take that over to Asoke station, and walk up towards Nana area or take the BTS over to Nana and you will find 100's of tailors. Very simple. The transport in BKK a child can figure out, fast, clean and cheap. I wouldn't look for a tailor near your hotel, I'd go out and find a tailor that you like. Won't take long, and they are open late if you work all day long.

Plus... I'd be willing to bet that you could find one close to that hotel (I just happen to go to my same tailor on Sukhumvit) as you can find a tailor in every corner in BKK even in the electronics mall called Pantip there is a decent tailor.

I'll be heading to Bangkok for two weeks in late August staying at the Chaophya Park Hotel (247 Rachadapisek Road, Dindaeng, Bangkok 10400, Thailand). Does anyone know of any good tailors near this hotel??
Hi guys,
Has anyone tried Moon River ?
This post has too many of the same tailors doing the same thing.I was referred to Moon River by one of my cousins in Bangkok last year in June,As far as I know the shop has been there since the past 20 years doing grate work,It has been taken over by VJ the current owner since the past year and a half.
Out of 100's of tailor shops including the likes of Rajas,and pinky's he is the only one with in house tailors.so fittings were a breeze and the actual cutters were always there to see my fittings.
The shop has a large range of fabrics to select from the tourist 5000 baht to the real Italian Zegna fabrics for 48000, He is very informative and recommended me to try my first suit with a reasonable quality of 11,000 bats.
once we got the fittings right and I used the suit for 6 months,I was confident of trying out 2 more suits with the higher quality ones from 14,000 baht,did a perfect job,:)
I was more informative and wanted working button holes on the sleeves and a proper hand stitch on the lapels.really liked the finishing and fit.I also had 5 shirts for 5500 baht and got what I was looking for.next time I will try for some of the better imported wrinkle free cottons,as they are very expensive in the US.
The new owner does road shows to the US twice a year as well,check out his web page www.moonriverbyvj.com

Can someone recommend some places to have shoes made?

I've used An An at corner of Soi 1 & Sukhumvit--but they never fit right--and I'm tired of dealing with him. Last time, he made two pairs--and one pair was too big (I don't understand how they can be made at the same time yet different sizes).

Also, are there any bargains for real leather belts? Or is it better to get these in U.S.?

I heard that for leather, Argentina is the place to go.

Can someone recommend some places to have shoes made?

I've used An An at corner of Soi 1 & Sukhumvit--but he always seems to make them too small--and I'm tired of dealing with him. Last time I told him over and over again to please make them bigger than the last pair (and I took the pair with me and left them) and he still made them too small.

Also, are there any bargains for real leather belts? Or is it better to get these in U.S.?

I heard that for leather, Argentina is the place to go.

Leather Home, Pattaya 2nd Rd. and Pattaya Tai....actually just south of this intersection on the right side as you walk southbound. There are actually two shops next to each other with a hobby shop in the middle. The one you want is on the left side, looking at the building. Ask for Somsak. Tell him exactly what you want...and you will be happy. He doesn't always meet deadlines, but this is Thailand. Also, a nice side item is that you can see the shoes being constructed if you stop by each day....the workers are friendlies.

Leather Home, Pattaya 2nd Rd. and Pattaya Tai....actually just south of this intersection on the right side as you walk southbound. There are actually two shops next to each other with a hobby shop in the middle. The one you want is on the left side, looking at the building. Ask for Somsak. Tell him exactly what you want...and you will be happy. He doesn't always meet deadlines, but this is Thailand. Also, a nice side item is that you can see the shoes being constructed if you stop by each day....the workers are friendlies.

Is that in Pattaya or Bangkok? I'm looking more for a place in Bangkok.

My partner and I are spending three-and-a-half days in Bangkok this fall (an early morning arrival on a Thursday, then an early afternoon departure to Siem Reap on Sunday). Is that enough time for fittings if we're both getting suits and shirts made (and is the weekend an issue for this)? After Siem Reap, we're headed to Phuket for four days, so we could have the final products shipped there if needed. But if that is NOT enough time, I saw one post on here from last November suggesting an initial fitting in Bangkok then final fittings and picking up the product in Phuket. That poster suggested Tom's International in Patong (the poster reported that their affiliate store in Bangkok is called Tony's Fashion House and is on Rangnam Road).

Suggestions? Other shops with Bangkok/Phuket branches? Or is my time in BKK long enough anyway? I'm looking for a cut above the usual tourist tailor and I'm willing to spend accordingly.

I'd also prefer someone who treats their laborers with respect (not the usual sweatshop set up) and am likewise willing to pay accordingly. Or is avoiding sweatshop labor for this sort of thing a fantasy (or does it put me back at U.S.-level prices for custom tailoring)?

My partner and I are spending three-and-a-half days in Bangkok this fall (an early morning arrival on a Thursday, then an early afternoon departure to Siem Reap on Sunday). Is that enough time for fittings if we're both getting suits and shirts made (and is the weekend an issue for this)?

Gregg -- if you choose someplace Thursday morning, they could have something for you to try on by Friday noon & you could pick things up Saturday night (most are closed Sunday). However, beware.

My partner and I had suits made in Bangkok in January: a total of 8 jackets, 5 pairs of pants, 8 shirts and 3 ties from 2 different tailor shops. None of them fit very well. One tailor (the famous Rajawongse) only offered 1 fitting and didn't make any of the changes I requested. The sleeves are too long, there's a ton of unnecessary stiffening in the chest so it doesn't drape right, etc. He grudgingly agreed to fix the 3 suit jackets and ship them to me after I refused them at final pickup. The versions that arrived in the US were still not very good. He promised the shirts with the too-big necks would shrink too. Not true. The Rajawongse suit fabric also has some slubs in it and is starting to pill after about 8 wearings. Very low recommendation there.

The other place (Raja's on Sukhumvit down & across the street from Rajawongse) offered us a fitting every day for 4 days in a row, and those jackets fit slightly better. But the big problem for me on any suit jacket is the collar & they nobody adds the collar until the last second anyway. By then it's too late to fix -- the jacket's done & your plane is leaving. My Raja's collars never sit up at my neck in the back -- they always slide down a little, leaving a gap and forcing me to constantly tug on my lapels to keep the top of the jacket against the back of my neck. Annoying.

I have a suit that was 90% off at Macy's that fits better and cost less than the clothes we had made in Bangkok. My off-the-rack Joseph Abboud suits all fit like a glove in comparison. So I'd never do it again. Both those shops keep prices down by giving every customer the same suit and refusing to fix anything, especially if it would mean recutting fabric and starting over.

Remember too that since everything is made by hand, no 2 are ever alike. Two of my 3 Rajawongse shirt collars are fine; the other is 1/2" too big. One of my Raja's suit jackets fits better than the other. Even things like the depth of the breast pockets in the jackets varies significantly -- one is so deep I can barely fish out my Blackberry; the other is so shallow there's an unsightly bulge when the jacket is buttoned. So even if you do succeed in getting 1 garment right, your others will all be different and will never fit the same.

Caveat emptor.

David

The best I can recommend in Bangkok is either July Tailor or Art's. Both nearby to Sala Daeng BTS Station. July Tailor does a lot of work for the Thai Royal Family and is a highly respected tailor with the Thai upper class, not a typical tourist tailor. ...

Thanks for this. We'd been to Raja's (as in Jessie and Victor) before and had been pretty pleased, but this time my son went to July Tailor to have a very specific style of shirt made. It was far more than Raja's (a little over $100 US), but they were excellent. A vice nice selection of fabrics too.

I'm in BKK now and have gone back to Herrmann suits www.herrmannsuits.com for about the 5th time after trying a few others over the years. No issues, I prefer to get two fittings at least if not three but they are always right on (for me) and never had an issue on the 2nd or 3rd fitting except change style (hidden collar buttons, change collar collor, etc...) They keep my measurements and ship me items via mail as well and they are spot on still. They also travel and can update their measurements while they travel. Good folks.

At the recommendation of KosraeTV I decided to try Herrmann for my first experience of tailored clothing. I had a few BKK stopovers in the last month so it seemed like a good opportunity. I decided to get a suit, two pair of pants and two shirts. For the additional pants, I had some pleated dockers that I really liked which had worn out so I took them with and asked that they be copied. For the shirts, I wanted one of them to have French cuffs so I could finally use the cuff links I bought in CMB 2 years ago.

The first visit to Herrmann's was on a Friday. We discussed concerns I had with regards to travel in hot, humid climates and what fabrics would work best. I was measured and fabrics were selected.

The next day, on Saturday, I had a fitting with the tailor, rather than salespeople, where I tried one of the extra pants, the two shirts, the suit jacket sans sleeves and the suit pants. At this point we identified that due to the different material being used for the extra pants they didn't fit quite like the dockers. I was hesitant to make a change assuming that it would work out in the end as I wear them a few times.

On the following Saturday I was able to try everything on. We were now down to the final bits of fine tuning. I was very happy to find that they had made adjustments to the extra pants that I hadn't asked for to ensure that they fit better. The collar of one of the shirts was too tight and it had a bit of extra fabric at the nape of the neck. The suit pants were missing suspender buttons which I'd asked for. Everything was noted and on Monday I went it to pick everything up after ensuring that all the fine tuning was complete.

I spent the next week test-driving the new threads and am very happy with how they turned out. Price-wise, all of the items together came out the same as the mediocre-quality, off the rack Men's Wearhouse suit which I bought last year. Now to have an extra pair of the suit pants made so that I can wear the jacket a few days in a row when traveling. Who said FlyerTalk is about points and miles? It is clearly about the shopping! ;)

What was the total cost of all the items you got, yosithezet?

What was the total cost of all the items you got, yosithezet?

20K THB and I'd be happy to hear opinions on the price.

I get all my business clothes tailored in Bangkok. Good quality clothes are available but you have to be willing to pay a reasonable price. My tailor charges US$250 for a suit. If you go to a tailor who offers a suit plus three shirts etc for ninety nine dollars, then you really have only yourself to blame.
Recommend :Savilerowfashion Inside Rose hotel.
Wilson USA

Gregg -- if you choose someplace Thursday morning, they could have something for you to try on by Friday noon & you could pick things up Saturday night (most are closed Sunday). However, beware.

My partner and I had suits made in Bangkok in January: a total of 8 jackets, 5 pairs of pants, 8 shirts and 3 ties from 2 different tailor shops. None of them fit very well. One tailor (the famous Rajawongse) only offered 1 fitting and didn't make any of the changes I requested. The sleeves are too long, there's a ton of unnecessary stiffening in the chest so it doesn't drape right, etc. He grudgingly agreed to fix the 3 suit jackets and ship them to me after I refused them at final pickup. The versions that arrived in the US were still not very good. He promised the shirts with the too-big necks would shrink too. Not true. The Rajawongse suit fabric also has some slubs in it and is starting to pill after about 8 wearings. Very low recommendation there.

The other place (Raja's on Sukhumvit down & across the street from Rajawongse) offered us a fitting every day for 4 days in a row, and those jackets fit slightly better. But the big problem for me on any suit jacket is the collar & they nobody adds the collar until the last second anyway. By then it's too late to fix -- the jacket's done & your plane is leaving. My Raja's collars never sit up at my neck in the back -- they always slide down a little, leaving a gap and forcing me to constantly tug on my lapels to keep the top of the jacket against the back of my neck. Annoying.

I have a suit that was 90% off at Macy's that fits better and cost less than the clothes we had made in Bangkok. My off-the-rack Joseph Abboud suits all fit like a glove in comparison. So I'd never do it again. Both those shops keep prices down by giving every customer the same suit and refusing to fix anything, especially if it would mean recutting fabric and starting over.

Remember too that since everything is made by hand, no 2 are ever alike. Two of my 3 Rajawongse shirt collars are fine; the other is 1/2" too big. One of my Raja's suit jackets fits better than the other. Even things like the depth of the breast pockets in the jackets varies significantly -- one is so deep I can barely fish out my Blackberry; the other is so shallow there's an unsightly bulge when the jacket is buttoned. So even if you do succeed in getting 1 garment right, your others will all be different and will never fit the same.

Caveat emptor.

David

Very nice post. The Raja on Nana soi 2 (next to Nana plaza Entertainment) just up from Rajawongse can become very nasty and vile (the old man, not Bobby)....when things don't go his way. When the suit looks horrible and he is told the reasons why...and what must be done to fix it....he gets very upset (re; profit loss)....as he sees the suit having to be returned to the sweatshop for more alteration. The place is well known amongst BKK expats.....but watch out if you need more adjustment to make things right. I wrote a story earlier about how he was trying to really rip off an Asian tourist....by giving him a quick spin and telling the guy that the suit looked great. I don't like this place at all...especially when there are so many better venues. This is of course a YMMV situation.:td:

i've had similar problems with Rajawongse (Jesse and Victor) near the Landmark Hotel. very nice people, salesmen really. it was apparent that their busines has been growing on the back of word-of-mouth. lots of traffic in and out the few times i went in the store.

the sleeves on the shirts they made for me were too long and the collars too big. 'it will shrink with washing' jesse tells me ... riiiiight. also, the sleeves are too long and since the cuffs are quite rigid, the end the sleeves disappear behind the cuffs making it look like i'm wearing bracelets or something. icky. i had one suit made just to try it out (several of my friends of recommended it to me), and was thoroughly disappointed. the stitching around the edges of the sleeves are uneven and embarrassingly visible when i wear a light coloured shirt.

no more rajawongse for me.

no more rajawongse for me.

I have posted I go to Hermann suites on the corner of Soi 3 and Sukhumvit, right as you cross the street from the nana side you run right into the door of their shop.

I am not saying the are the cheapest; they use the same sweat shop to do the rough cut as everyone else does but their finishing tailors are better. They have some good female tailors for the ladies clothes and for my clothes they get special material for me all the time. They adjust and revise and revamp them to make them fit how I like. I take custom clothes in to them (I had some special travel shirts from Travel Smith that they don't make anymore and these folks reproduced them perfectly in much better fabric and a custom fit) to make for me and I take photos of items I do like as well to them and they do it.

I will also say that I've alter my body somewhat, I've lost over 100 lbs and they've adjusted all the clothes I've had made from them without an extra baht paid or complaint or anything. I will take in shirts to them to add items like hidden buttons on the collar, no cost.

While they can be the typical pushy sales folks at times, you get the old man (manit) and the son (saran) and the two ladies there to go over how you look in fittings and such and you get honest opinions and adjustments and options.

That's my experience. I've have about 20 people go there that I know about, two FTer's and so far so good. Not a bad experience yet from folks I've had go there. That is not including many ladies I've had go there for evening dresses, work suits, and such and they are more difficult then men are most of the time. What I really like is they can be creative in design and hidden security pockets and such. Every time I change my phone or what I carry I can have them change my coats to have the pockets fit perfectly or such. The security features (I travel in bad places) and the special fabric I need are worth the few baht I pay them.

Cheers...

has anyone ever used Narin Couture on sukhumvit soi 8 - soi 10? he was recommended on styleforum.net as one of the best in bkk. never heard of the place. suits for around $500.

has anyone ever used Narin Couture on sukhumvit soi 8 - soi 10? he was recommended on styleforum.net as one of the best in bkk. never heard of the place. suits for around $500.

I used to live on Soi 8. From what I understand he is a thai / chinese and trained in paris and is Zegna Certified. Very high priced and more of a limited selection in fabrics in stock but he can pull fabrics out. He was trained in womens clothing in paris from what I know.

All in all, high quality and I heard he does his own cutting. Most shops are just measurers, they measure where others do the cutting. I hear he does or did it. He's more near Soi 10.

We'd like to have a wedding dress tailored in BKK. Any recommendations?

In terms of timing, how many days and/or fittings are required? We're thinking of going in on Monday, having a first fitting on Tuesday, going up to REP for two days, going in for more fittings on Thur and Fri, and taking off on Sat morning. Is this timeline realistic?

Regarding wedding dress I would recommend savilerow tailor bangkok inside rose hotel.During our visit my wife had a wedding dress made at very reasonable price

Whenever I send to the Rajas email (rajas@ksc15.th.com) the email is rejected by the server. Is Rajas on Soi 4 still in business? I want to order some shirts.

Would the government internet crackdown have anything to do with this?

Whenever I send to the Rajas email (rajas@ksc15.th.com) the email is rejected by the server. Is Rajas on Soi 4 still in business? I want to order some shirts.

Would the government internet crackdown have anything to do with this?



02-2538379 - Raja's Fashion, Soi Nana

I think they have changed their e-mail. Their suits are typical "BKK sweatshop" quality, as has been discussed earlier in this thread. They have some connections and know how to post on the internet....not a top shop. Try Hermann across Suk.

Has anyone had any Thai Silk shirts made recently? I bought some about 10 years ago made from a heavy twill silk and also matmid (patterned) silk and want to know if anyone recently has any good experiences with tailors in Bangkok - with good quality fabric.

Since I am ordering from abroad and Raja's has my measurements, recommendation for other tailors doesn't help much. Other commenters have said Herman's relies on sweatshop labor. Does anyone have the email for Rajas?

There hasn't been much mention of Narry off Soi 11 in this thread. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

TKM

Has anyone been to Enlever Ses Vetements recently?

Has anyone been to Enlever Ses Vetements recently?
Is that next to Couchez Avec Moi in Nana Plaza, by any chance? :p

I have been using the service of Excelsior tailor near Patpong for a while and the quality has always been good.I was recommended to Excelsior after a college of mine Visited them and was overjoyed that somebody could had him Fitted.
I visited them 2 months back.
The measuring process was intense. They took lots of measurements
and recorded them by computer program along with my style feature requests – peaked lapels, double vents, two button, hacking flap pockets and a ticket pocket. My prior experience (and this is not criticism but just a difference in the way tailors work) was a few measurements written on a form.
They also suggested a shirt and we picked a blue two-ply superfine 100's from his “executive collection” end-on-end with a true split yoke (I think he did this just for me after our discussion of the value of a split yoke).
The suit was beautiful! The fabric is even more outstanding than the swatch (think of the shirt/tie combinations with a navy fabric with light blue and burgundy pin stripes) and the fit is perfect. The hand work and details are outstanding.

Never having that feeling of a perfectly fitting suit I must say it is really a joy. Now I know what you guys are talking about.

And the shirt (with French cuffs) is very impressive. It fits perfectly too!!! I’m really pleased with the features and the fabric.

Worth the try at Excelsior.

Welcome to FlyerTalk, Jackieholmes!

So what was the damage?

Last week i happened to dropped by at tailorpro fashion inside somerset lake point hotel located in sukhumvit soi 16.Judge them on the end result and not on the fabric or material they have to work with in comparison to the price the shops are asking. The average price the shops are asking for a suit is between $80 and $150. The outcome result was good as compared to the other tailors .

I have been reading through this thread know. Am I correct that for quality fabrics like Dormeuil, Zegna, Holland & Sherry, Corneliani, Lanvin etc, I should go to Moon River, July Tailor, Art’s or Herrmann? Any other recommendations? How much will it cost for a suit with these fabrics?

I will also get some shirts in high quality fabrics. How much should I expect to pay? Would it be better for me to buy these in Hong Kong? How much should I expect to pay?

Welcome to FlyerTalk, Jackieholmes!

So what was the damage?

Hey yosithezet,
My budget was not that much so i paid only 200 dollars for a medium range wool.
They got over lots of swatches that you can look through.
i have just ordered 2 more suits and 6 more shirts via email and they send me with DHL.
Its great quality. I would pay around 800 dollars for this kind of quality back home.
Check them up when in Bangkok.

I have been reading through this thread know. Am I correct that for quality fabrics like Dormeuil, Zegna, Holland & Sherry, Corneliani, Lanvin etc, I should go to Moon River, July Tailor, Art’s or Herrmann? Any other recommendations? How much will it cost for a suit with these fabrics?

I will also get some shirts in high quality fabrics. How much should I expect to pay? Would it be better for me to buy these in Hong Kong? How much should I expect to pay?

Normally I would have said go to Hong Kong, but with the shut down the airport and the economy (for US Dollar that is) the tailors in BKK have been dead and just wanting customers. You can get some really good deals. I use Hermann and I could get cheaper for sure at other places. So shop around especially right now. During the airport shut down I got some really nice shirts at a tailor at the end of the 3rd floor at MBK of all places..... Can't remember the name but was wasting time and picked ups some super nice but CHEAP shirts there...

I got a suit, sport coat, and 2 shirts made at Herrmann this week, 12000 THB, negoitated down from 16000. I pick them up today, and will report back on how they turned out.

Hey yosithezet,
My budget was not that much so i paid only 200 dollars for a medium range wool.
They got over lots of swatches that you can look through.
i have just ordered 2 more suits and 6 more shirts via email and they send me with DHL.
Its great quality. I would pay around 800 dollars for this kind of quality back home.
Check them up when in Bangkok.

Was the suit and shirt $200, or just the suit?
Did you notice if they made women's business suits?

I think bangkok has great tailors. Some with more than 40 years experience in tailoring. Can't recommend all of them but I can recommend Savilerow Custom Tailors in Rose hotel. I've been there a few times and have always felt welcome. The staff are friendly and I've never felt unwanted, no matter how little I spent.savileorwfashion@gmail.com

Hi guys,
I have been to Bangkok on several occasions and have had clothes made by moon river at asok sky train. last year I was dragged to one of the tourist tailors. I swear I made a big mistake.... cheap price will always get cheap products. This time I went back to Moon river, as always I was attended to very well and the end product was something that I will wear for a long time,
I had 1 Suit (2 pcs),5 shirts and 3 Pants from good fabrics for 28,000 bhats all 10 pieces (823 USD). I know I could get cheaper but not the same quality.
Why change a winning formula?
I know he does a lot of clothes for women too....

Last week i happened to dropped by at tailorpro fashion inside somerset lake point hotel located in sukhumvit soi 16.Judge them on the end result and not on the fabric or material they have to work with in comparison to the price the shops are asking. The average price the shops are asking for a suit is between $80 and $150. The outcome result was good as compared to the other tailors .

This place (Tailorpro Fashion) is total crap! Don't waste your time. Notice the post is made by someone where that was his first post. 99% of the time such instances are the owner or friend of the owner of the tailor shop trying to drum up business because he can't make it without lying about his product. I'm not saying that's definitely the case here but I've seen it countless other times. Crown Tailor was caught doing this a while ago. The owner would go to various internet boards and post about how great his shop was when the same like this one, it's total crap. Be very careful about internet recommendations. Most of them are of this nature or made by people who know nothing about tailors. Unless you're sure or want to waste your money, stay away from Bangkok tailors of all kinds. You're much better off in Hong Kong.

This place (Tailorpro Fashion) is total crap! Don't waste your time. Notice the post is made by someone where that was his first post.Always good to hear from an experienced FTer like yourself right :p? Sorry, I just had to.

F.R.

Always good to hear from an experienced FTer like yourself right :p? Sorry, I just had to.
With so many one-hit wonders on this thread, perhaps we should try to get a minimum post count instituted in order to post here. :D

Thanks for this. We'd been to Raja's (as in Jessie and Victor) before and had been pretty pleased, but this time my son went to July Tailor to have a very specific style of shirt made. It was far more than Raja's (a little over $100 US), but they were excellent. A vice nice selection of fabrics too.

I had a very good experience with July Tailor, located close to the Dusit Thani hotel.

However, I did not receive any Christmas Card from them - which I certainly do from our Hong Kong tailor ;-)

I had a very good experience with July Tailor, located close to the Dusit Thani hotel.

However, I did not receive any Christmas Card from them - which I certainly do from our Hong Kong tailor ;-)

Is it not better to save paper and send electronic greetings? Any ways talking about tailors , It is always a better experience to use shops with in-house Tailors, July ,Narin,Moon River, Art. and avoid sweat shop users like Rajas Rajawongse,...
The level of satisfaction is far greater.;)

and avoid sweat shop users like Rajas Rajawongse,...
The level of satisfaction is far greater.;)

I have had great luck with suits made by Victor and Jesse (Rejawongse). Come to think of it, I'm wearing a dress shirt made by them right now, as we speak!

I just came back from Moon River (yes, despite the ads on this board :p), I had decided to get two suits done for work. There seemed to be some flow of western business at the shop when I was there, not just suits but other apparel as well. If there were other customers in the shop you'd be offered a cup of tea and a style or fabric book to keep yourself amused.

The owner, VJ, is rather approachable, and is certainly willing to discuss fabrics and styles. I asked him about what the materials contained and he seemed to know what he was talking about. He seemed to have in his mind what a good suit looked like, some people might find this a put-off but personally I liked the discussion, he got his way sometimes when he could convince me, I got mine other times. There was a selection of the work in the shop to look at and try on, I liked what I tried on. VJ wanted 2 fittings but I insisted on 3, although after the 2nd fitting, the suit was coming along nicely that I decided to hop over the 3rd fitting. He was more than willing to accomodate my schedule regarding fittings and placing them around other things in my schedule. It took 6 days to get two suits done, although that was pushing it for him a bit and a day or two extra would have given a bit more breathing room.

I should also say that one of my arms is slightly longer than the other, so I am a challenge to the lower class tailors to get right but I am happy with how VJ dealt with this.

In the end I got 2 suits done, 5 shirts for 25k THB, he is rather inflexible on price unless you order 3 suits exactly the same. I guess given the discussion previously about what a "good" tailor is, I certainly received value for money since the feel of the suit is certainly better than what I would get at home (sweden). Moonriver is certainly not in the same class as say Narin (who I did visit but was out of my price range for a work suit) or those near Sala Deng (who I didn't visit but assume from the earlier post), but he is not in the bottom rung of tourist tailor, certainly a step up from many of the tourist tailors and I do not mind recommending for the price range that I was in. The durability of the suit, well time will tell, ask me six months :p.

At the end of the day, for a relative beginner, I was happy with moon river. I guess really good tailoring is about attention to detail and I will happily admit that there are small details that could have been better but I am still pleased with the result of my suit and the value. I have worn my suit to work and received compliments from quite a number of people who like it.

Was the suit and shirt $200, or just the suit?
Did you notice if they made women's business suits?

Hey Rider,
i paid 200 dollars for a suit and 900 Baht for additional shirt. They do make women's business suit too.
In the end of the day after going through this forum all tailors in Bangkok are hit and miss depending on how busy they are.
Need to look for good service and quality and price the most important that is what shopping is all about.
I have been happy with them.
Cheers,
jackie

As promised above, I have some more input regarding my suit, sport coat, and shirts from Herrmann.

I wore the suit out to a dinner in Tokyo about a week ago and was extremely satisfied. The tailoring was very well done, the stripes in the fabric line up well and despite having been in my suitcase for 3 weeks, the material held up very well and needed only minimal touching up.

The tailoring process took a few days. I came in on a Monday morning, had a fitting every day until Friday when the suit and coat were finished. I picked a "sale" fabric so as to stay in my somewhat limiting budget. I know I could have gotten significantly more shirts and pants elsewhere for the same amount of money, but the suit speaks for itself.

The suit jacket and sport coat are the same cut, but different fabrics. The inside had plenty of pockets and was nicely lined. I did not specify what sort of pockets I wanted, but I am satisfied with the default tailoring.
I will certainly be back to Herrmann on my next trip to BKK.

Summary:
1 2-piece suit
1 sport coat
2 shirts

Total: 12,000 THB (~$350 US) [some haggling required to reach this price]

Just a few words about Herrmann suits. I went to Bangkok over new year and I heard about the good prices for tailor made suits. So I walked around Sukhumvit road where all the Indian tailors are and I found Herrmann suits. To keep it short and simple. The older lady (mother of the owner) is able to convince an Eskimo to buy a refrigarator. I ordered 2 suits, a coat and 10 shirts. I asked her regarding the prices and she told me it is 10.000 Baht each for a suit or a coat and around 20 Euro for a shirt.

In total (without any expecetd discount) this would have cost 40.000 Baht. She asked me how much money I am willing to spend in total because I asked her what I can get for 44.000 Baht (after telling me the prices for the items).

I really try to keep it short :-) She tried to cheat by telling me what I can get for 44.000 Baht and when I was calculating the single items I always would have paid more than if would have bought the single items. Also when asking for a discount because I was going to buy several items she always told me about the "very good quality". No way to bargain with her. At the same time when I had my fitting sessions ome guys entered the shop and bought 5 shirts for the same prices as I did. At any other Tailor shop where you get way better quality!! you can negotiate about the price when buying more than one item (found that our too late though). I admit that it was my own fault not going to somewhere else. Afterwards I received my suits and found that the stitches were made so poorly and cheap that I believe I could have done this better by myself.

Sorry to be that emotional about this but Herrmann really sucks. It is all about the money there. Take care of that old dragon, she is driving a hard bargain and will cheat by any chance.

Rather try any other tailor or go to Shanghai where you get a suit (exactly same quality!! I brought my suit from Herrmann and better stitches) for 1/4 the price in Bangkok.

Normally I would have said go to Hong Kong, but with the shut down the airport and the economy (for US Dollar that is) the tailors in BKK have been dead and just wanting customers. ...


I thought of this post this morning when I got an email from my tailor in BKK. He usually sends me an email right before I head back to Thailand. But, this time he asked if I needed anything sent to me in the US before I made my next trip! I have never had that before from him, and was too shy to ask how business was!

Welcome to FlyerTalk, schelle!

I've been very happy with the 2 shirts, 2 pants and suit I had made at Hermann's. Sorry to hear you were not happy with what you had made.

Hey folks,

anyone bought a suit at Top-Ten collection? How is the quality there?

MC

Do not shop at the following in Bangkok

James Fashion
Moonriver

James Fashion is infamous for hiring tuk-tuk drivers to take you there after telling you they know a really great tailor. Google the name, hundreds of complaints of cheating.

Relatives of James (Thai-Indians) are Moonriver. They are infamous for spamming the Internet with fake reviews and comments. Easy to spot always give themselves 25 points. Google their email/addresses to see more or less exactly the same reviews all around the Internet.
Moonriver is banned from the web's biggest travel forums TripAdvisor for continually spamming fake reviews, comments.

I got a suit & 3 shirts made there.... Do no do business with the owner of the stall, Roger (A Thai Indian). He ripped me mates off big time when he came over to Sydney. Asked for a 20% deposit and when the jackets arrived we pay the rest, never made it or sent it, refused to refund back deposit. They are located at
The Boss Tailor
95, A1 Soi Rambuttri
Chakkraphong Rd
Bangkok

Beware there is another tailor around the corner call "Boss" which is a different one. I think I will try out a tailor in HK when I head over there this July. If anyone else has been to HK would recommend me a tailor please do so.

What ever you do, don't go to Narry off Soi 11. Bought 2 x pairs of trousers off them in May 2008. Both are falling apart after only being worn once every two weeks since then. Also they didn't include an additional requirement I had which was a fob pocket accessible from the outside. Unfortunately I didn't notice this until I got home.

Give Narry a miss.

Hi this is jhen from the US. Texas.
I have been to Bangkok many times and have used moonriver on several occasions, He is not a relative of James , does not employ spammers and Taxi drivers to get him business, and in no way connected to james...

He has quite a good flow of expats in his shop, goes out on his mail orders and is also highly recommended by the Bangkok guide,and the American expat community in Bangkok. as far as I know, He definitely asks all his clients to spread the news about him,so you see many posts about people recommending his services.
It is very obvious that GMT is jealous of the good name Moonriver has and is trying to destroy his credibility. he has only one post until now and he joined the forum on the same day solely for this purpose.
well , you do not need to believe me, just walk into moonriver and look for yourself, you will know who is bluffing and spamming.

I am a long time lurker here on the Thai. board. Most of the information is fantastic. Thank you.

I wanted to make a comment about jhen. This guy has 4 posts and all of them promote the same taylor. He claims to be a Unived Silver in his profile but..There is no United Siver status.
I don't know about you but for me I will never even step inside this moonriver place. WE should make those kinds of posts counterproductive.


Hi this is jhen from the US. Texas.
I have been to Bangkok many times and have used moonriver on several occasions, He is not a relative of James , does not employ spammers and Taxi drivers to get him business, and in no way connected to james...

He has quite a good flow of expats in his shop, goes out on his mail orders and is also highly recommended by the Bangkok guide,and the American expat community in Bangkok. as far as I know, He definitely asks all his clients to spread the news about him,so you see many posts about people recommending his services.
It is very obvious that GMT is jealous of the good name Moonriver has and is trying to destroy his credibility. he has only one post until now and he joined the forum on the same day solely for this purpose.
well , you do not need to believe me, just walk into moonriver and look for yourself, you will know who is bluffing and spamming.

Been disappointed in Bangkok several times. The quality just doesn't seem to be there.

I did have a pleasant conversation with the tailor at the Oriental hotel (can't remember the name). Very willing to talk about his work and not pushy at all. Nice fabrics too (Zegna et al). Of course, the prices are likewise much higher.

Has anyone had any suits made there?

I am a long time lurker here on the Thai. board. Most of the information is fantastic. Thank you.

I wanted to make a comment about jhen. This guy has 4 posts and all of them promote the same taylor. He claims to be a Unived Silver in his profile but..There is no United Siver status.
.
Tokyorich,This is my 5 th post, I also told you the reason I patronize moonriver. He always asks his clients to spread the word in a way to thank him for his good work. I appreciate other tailors too and I don't appreciate some. If you do not want to use him its fine with me,(makes no difference) All I want to say is one should not judge a tailor without looking at his service.

regarding united I was premier ( which is the same as Thai- silver) if you like to pick on me. since I put all my travel with Thai they have now made me a normal member http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon9.gif

It is very obvious that GMT is jealous of the good name Moonriver has and is trying to destroy his credibility. he has only one post until now and he joined the forum on the same day solely for this purpose.

Very obvious??? This is a total assumption on your part. :td:

GMTexpat is NOT jealous at all. He is a regular contributor at another board and goes by the name max_expat (see link below). I know that for a fact because I am the one who alerted him about the original spam here by Moonriver. Our mod wisely removed that spam post and so did the other board's mod:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1734258

And to follow on from what Kalboz said, let's hope that jhen's posts get deleted too and we can all get back on topic.

Anyone been to the Oriental hotel tailor (the one inside, next to Jim Thompson, not the one in the Oriental mall)?

And to follow on from what Kalboz said, let's hope that jhen's posts get deleted too and we can all get back on topic.

Anyone been to the Oriental hotel tailor (the one inside, next to Jim Thompson, not the one in the Oriental mall)?

Does anyone the number for the Dee (Nickermann's Tailor) landmark Hotel in bangkok. I always make suits there and I am trying to reach her.

Does anyone the number for the Dee (Nickermann's Tailor) landmark Hotel in bangkok. I always make suits there and I am trying to reach her.

The email address is provided at post # 12 on page 1 of this thread.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thailand/412098-bangkok-tailors.html

Nickermann's @ Landmark Hotel Basement 138 Sukhumvit Road +66-2-252-6682

Anyone bought fabric and taken it to Bangkok for tailoring? Any idea where you can buy top shelf fabrics yourself?

Hi everybody,

I am going to be in BKK for 5 days next week. I would like to get 2 new suits tailored.

The suits should have a european style cut (tighter / more slim cut than american style).
I would like to have working button holes at the sleves and a good quality in general.

Could you recommend a specific tailor for this job?

Do you think it is a good idea to bring a sample suit so the can copy the style?

Thank you for your feedback!!!

Do you think it is a good idea to bring a sample suit so the can copy the style?


Not Thailand specific, but this seems to be the underlying theme when getting suits made in the Middle East and Asia. Bring a favorite and get it copied. Rent a tux and get it copied. Buy & bring them a $2000 suit and get several more made.

Not a bad idea, if you ask me.

Not Thailand specific, but this seems to be the underlying theme when getting suits made in the Middle East and Asia. Bring a favorite and get it copied. Rent a tux and get it copied. Buy & bring them a $2000 suit and get several more made.

Not a bad idea, if you ask me.

So I probably will bring the suit.

Any idea on a specific tailor? Rajas, Burlington, Herrmann or Nickermann????

Be prepared to leave the suit with them a few days.

As for suggestions, this whole thread is filled with them.

Anyone bought fabric and taken it to Bangkok for tailoring? Any idea where you can buy top shelf fabrics yourself?

Over 3 trips, I bought fabrics at JoAnn Fabrics and took to Bangkok to have casual shirts made, and one seersucker sports jacket. I was happy to be able to browse at my leisure on many visits to JoAnn Fabrics, and love the shirts. For example, flannels for winter, and thin plaids for other shirts. You'd be amazed at what your fabrics will look like in finished form. Make sure you buy enough yards! I was short on some, and had to settle for short-sleeves when I wanted long.

Another strong vote for Pinky tailors. Had one suit and 3 shirts made. After I saw the results I had anther 2 suits and 2 shirts made.

Very good service that held the promised deadlines! ^

This summer I spent about $2,200 at NIBH reloading my blazer arsenal.

Result: Six summer-weight, two-button single-vent blazers, good linings, all the pockets

As usual the cut and fit is very good. My last visit two years ago was for just a couple jackets, and the blazers from five years ago are all wearing nicely despite wearing them on five continents and through almost constant travel. One of my requirements is that my jackets be very durable to stand up to all the time on airplanes, trains, taxis, hotels, airports, etc.

I did the original measuring and picked out the fabrics on a Friday upon arrival in BKK, stopped over to do a final fitting and adjustment on the dummy on Saturday, and they delivered them to my hotel on Sunday. This is the fastest they have ever delivered for me - business is pretty slow these days. In the past they have mailed the completed jackets to me in the states, or else I have come back later in the trip to pick them up.

http://www.nibh.com/html/

As usual, I enjoyed my visits with them, and Roger was very hospitable and provided good guidance.

Just adding my two cents.

I was in BKK 5 years ago and used Rajas Tailors - They did a very good job (not excellent, but very good) and did manage to turn my order around in 72 hours. I got 2 suits (each with 2 pair of pants) and 4 shirts.

I forget how much the total price was, but I regularly get my suits from the itinerant Hong Kong Tailors (Maxwells (http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/) - also good IMHO) this was about 1/2 the price.
I'll be back in BKK in February and I will likely return to Rajas or to Rajawongse around the corner.

I have been very happy with Max's on Soi 3 for the last 6 years. The suits and shirts I've purchased over the years are fitted and stitched very well. He always has a decent selection of fabrics. I have gone about every two years and he still recognizes me when I drop by despite the long time in between. Great personal service and done on time!

Would someone please post their recent prices? I'm looking to buy a suit and the prices seem to be so different from what I expected. I got a great suit a couple years ago and it was 300 for 1 suit, 3 shirts, and 3 ties. The suit was italian cashmere.

I just got quoted 500 USD just for the suit this time around. I didn't bargain the guy down, but I'm feeling it's a "foreigner" price. Thoughts? What's the fair price? Just suit... not a complete package of shirts and ties.

Thanks

Would someone please post their recent prices? I'm looking to buy a suit and the prices seem to be so different from what I expected. I got a great suit a couple years ago and it was 300 for 1 suit, 3 shirts, and 3 ties. The suit was italian cashmere.

I just got quoted 500 USD just for the suit this time around. I didn't bargain the guy down, but I'm feeling it's a "foreigner" price. Thoughts? What's the fair price? Just suit... not a complete package of shirts and ties.

Thanks

It depends on where you go. For the mid range places....currently 220 Euro would get you very nice material and a decent fit. The cheap places give you low quality Thai fabric (maybe marked "England") and a bunch of low quality shirts for a lot less. The expensive places....those with top quality licensed material (like Zegna) and a great fit will be over your price of 500 US. (and yes, you are always fighting the foreigner price)

While staying in BKK for several months in the 2002-2004 time frame I had a lot of stuff done at Tramp: roughly 30 shirts, 12 trousers, three sport coats. Mr. Ky's materials were quite varied (though not the most extensive selection I saw in the city), and in them were first-rate ones such as Huberross and Holland and Sherry. I have sent a half dozen other people there and everyone was quite satisfied. There is no website, but the shop is in the shopping plaza behind (away from the river) the Oriental Hotel.

Two huge ^^ for Raja's Fashions. Visited Bobby and his sister who made us feel at ease. I told Bobby that one of my clients referred me to him and he remembered him like he was in his store yesterday (my client visited Bobby at least 3 years ago, if not longer). Between my wife and I, we got 12 shirts for about 1100THB each.

As others have mentioned, Bobby does a lot of business with the expat and American executive community. His store is chock full of pictures and letters of Bobby with various elected and military personnel. It appears that Bobby, his brother, and wife are always invited to the US Marines Annual Ball in Bangkok held at the JW Marriott which is just outside his store.

As a side note, Bobby has several family membes in the midwest -- if you are from the midwest, be sure to mention this.

He's a super nice guy, and honest to god, we felt so much at ease in his store that we almost wanted to extend our BKK vacation by a couple of days just to take in the sights he's recommended.

Sounds great ChiTownAbs.

If you don't mind, could you tell us what you bought and what the damage was? it gives the rest of us a sanity check.

I got 8 shirts for 1,100 THB each, and my wife got 4 shirts made for 1,100 each as well. So that comes out to about $33-35USD each, which is an incredible deal considering these are custom made shirts.

I didn't buy any suits because I have 3-4 at home, and I wear them about 2-3x a year. However, the costs of suits range from 8k-12k THB (or roughly $250-$370USD) depending on the materials.

Admittedly, I have not worn these shirts yet (just got home on Friday) but they fit great during my fitting. I did ask for some minor modifications, and he was able to accomodate me. I did originally order 5 shirts, and after I went to pick them up, I decided to order another 3 more. Bobby was able to find somebody that could make these shirts in less than 8 hours.

I do have his business card and several pictures of his work and his store. If you would like this, please contact me and I'll send them your way.

I got 8 shirts for 1,100 THB each, and my wife got 4 shirts made for 1,100 each as well. So that comes out to about $33-35USD each, which is an incredible deal considering these are custom made shirts.

Prices sounds ok. What was the turnaround time for the first 5 shirts?

Not totally sure on the turnaround time required, but we gave him 6 days and our shirts were ready by the time we returned to Bangkok. (We spent 2 nights in BKK, then 5 in HKT, then another 1 night in BKK -- picked up the shirts on our last day in BKK)

I came across an article in Conde Nast Traveler on Bobby Gulati's (of Raja's) shop.

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/10496?pageNumber=2

Also, his business card can be found here (http://www.lat42.com/rajas.pdf).

I tried Raja's once and it was the worst clothing purchase I ever made in my life. I would have been much better off buying shirts off the rack. I was wearing a shirt that I liked and fit me well so they could see what I wanted. They ended up making a shirt that was way too short and continually pops out from under my belt. They said they couldn't change it because the shirts were already made. The material was horrible and did not last long. They sewed their company logo tag on the inside of the pocket where it was visible if the pocket opened slightly. I never asked for them to do this. Overall simply a horrible tailor I wouldn't recommend to anyone. I only went there because of seeing lots of recommendations but don't know what to think now of those giving the recommendations. I guess they have an entirely different opinion of what custom clothing should be than I do.

I have used George on Soi 13 of Sukhumit for over 10 years now but I find that after all is said and done, I do not know if he is that cost effective vs, buying back home. He works me everytime on the price and instead of lowering the price, he throws in taylored shirts or ugly ties. So I get 10 shirts and when I get home i look at half of them and wonder what I was thinking.

Three suits I purchased over the years, I aboulutly love but I just donated a suit I never wore because of fact he used some cheaper fabric and another just doesnt look and feel right.

So last year month I was in BKK and said hello to George but did not buy and saved myself some time and energy.

I find that I have to really write down what I paid the last trip (in Baht), as my tailor always tries to overcharge me a nice 20-30%.

Also, I would highly recommend that you not tell the the exact day you're leaving. That way, if anything is wrong, there is still time to get it fixed. Two years ago, he shorted me a shirt, and then send another of the ugliest pattern out of all of them. This time, half the shirts were too tight. I sent them back, and I honestly don't know if he changed any of them.

My shirts are larger than normal, and I paid 11500 baht for 13 shirts. Before the dollar went south a few years back, it was about 700 baht, which was quite a bit less since 40B=$1.

These days, I look for fabric/patterns I like, and then go with that shop. I usually end up at the same shop, though. In the past, I'd pick out stuff that on later reflection, I should have never chosen. Shirts that were too fancy, strange patterns, or just not my style in the least.