ricski64

Just returned from HK last weekend and visited an old friend, Nelson Lin of The New Shanghai Custom Tailor shop. Been 17 years since I last saw him for tailored suits and Ladies outfits for my wife.
As always he teated us to 2 meals out and convinced me to try chicken legs !
We originally received his card thru a Canadian airlines pilot who used him back then.
He still works with the same "cutters" as before and told me they have a +35 yr relationship.

His address is #108, 1st floor, Far East Mansion 5-6 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Phone #2368-1225

He does not do the "touts" on Nathan Road. He is old school tailor with values, good fittings =great suit.

His shop is off the MTR at Middle Road and above the 7-11. Easily accessed if your staying at the Intercontinental Hotel. ^^

Andrew14302

So may I ask what you bought and his prices are?

Shuttle-Bored

Placed an order last week with Jantzen for 5 shirts, for HKD1850. Will report back later this week when I have them.

Also getting a suit tailored at E.Italian, over in Kowloon. Got them via a recommendation from a chap at work, back with a few solid online write ups. HKD5000 for jacket, two pairs of trousers.

ricski64

sorry for delay.

All prices HK$;
suits 2950-5500
shirt 385-650
silky shirt 450-750

He tells me to make sure you look for "NEW" Shanghai Custom Tailors as there is also Shanghai Tailor on the main floor with a Nelson, too !!

I bought 3 suits w/ trousers
and 14 shirts
that should do for now

flymao

I am in the process of emailing a few of the recommended tailors for prices but the spread seems to be huge, ranging from $2,850 to upwards of $11,000 (WW Chan) for the same cloth. Can someone tell me why the huge difference in price, other than workmanship?, and can I be assured that I am getting exactly what I ask for at the lower end of the price scale?

Kettering Northants QC

Are you sure it's the same cloth? The quality of the cloth and who actually manufactures it will make a difference. I can't see you getting a Super 180 wool suit or something made from Ermenegildo Zegna material for 2850 HKD.

Some places will take more time to fit the suit for you and similarly some will have higher overheads (location, advertising). Also the way the suit is stitched or glued together may vary

TRAVELSIG

Agreed. Material from top producers such as Holland&Sherry etc will cost more than that (2850 HKD) for the material alone- so not possible at that price. I also wouldn't bother to get a suit made unless it is very nice material- just not worth it.

nologic

All I can say is that you get what you pay for. First of all, I doubt you are speaking about the identical fabric: one tailor's Super 150 cloth is not the same as another tailor's, particularly if the cloth is from a branded manufacturer. Otherwise, the difference in workmanship is huge. Most shops don't have their own tailors and use a common factory in China. WW Chan has their own in-house Hong Kong based tailors. Many/most tailors use glue to fuse their suits; WW Chan and a few other top shops only use hand stiching. I agree that the "value" is with the high end tailors using high end fabrics, like Loro Piana or Zegna. Holland and Sherry also offers nice fabrics which will be less expensive that LP or Zegna (2/3rds). None of the shops have high overhead, and WW Chan may have among the lowest. Rent would be one of the most expensive overhead items, except for the cost of labor. Hotel/mall storefronts will have higher rents than places like WW Chan. I would presume they have the same cost for fabrics. You might be able to save money if you ask for remnant fabric where they may be down to their last pieces. I seriously advise against the low to middle end shops: you may find yourself throwing away the clothes like I once did. You truly get what you pay for.

TRAVELSIG

Very well written and good advice- I agree!

I also usually don't bother with fabric from Loro Piana for example that often as the cost can be very high on the cashmere blends- easily up to 10 000 HKD- but again I think it is important to know the fabrics you like, the weights and blends you want (for example sometimes I like a bit of silk in the blend), and balance classic designs with some "fashion" elements.

WW Chan is a good option.

I would stay away from anyone who is gluing- and you will know by looking at their finished products if they are- as if you are going to buy a glued suit better just to go to Zara and spend 10% of the cost.

flymao

Thanks for your helpful replies. Having dug a little deeper I asked for more specific prices based on WW Chan's recommendation of Loro Piana Super 130s priced at $HK9,800 (jacket only). Unfortunately the WW Chan quote is still a bit out of my price range (up to $6k) - so from the following responses below, Who offers the best quality/VFM? And from experience do any of them Hand stitch rather than glue?

Danny's - Very polite and helpful, most responsive via email and gave lots of options. Price was approx $5k, but seems like a little room to manoeuvre.
E.Italian (Edward Tam) - price was $5.5k, but he gave me 3 similar options straight off the bat from 4-6k, in Zenga too, and again was very helpful.
Sam's - Polite, but didn't give specifics (which to me was worrying) but told me Loro Piana jackets start from $2,750 and suggested I came in to look at fabrics.

nologic

You seem to be approaching it right...the thing that's pretty tough to gauge is the workmanship. But I would ask them more about the details.

Kettering Northants QC

Sam's is a lottery in my opinion. Some of the tailors are good, some not so.

I was very pleased with James Chen at the Mandarin Oriental a few years ago

TRAVELSIG

You could also talk to WW Chan and ask about a different fabric. Loro Piana, while beautiful, is a very expensive (uppermost tier) fabric choice. Ask for example about a suit made with fabric from Zegna or Holland & Sherry. This may drop the price to your range.

nologic

Switching gears...any good tailors near the Grand Hyatt, or do I have to scoot down to Central?

nologic

IME, Loro Piana and Zegna will be the same price at WW Chan, based on the type of fabric. Holland and Sherry would be less. But, they also have non-branded cloths which are very nice (as do others), although I trust WW Chan's non branded cloths to be good and I am not sure I trust other tailor's' branded cloths to be legit, although some will be).