My Hong Kong Itinerary
Jan 31, 2007, 8:26 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 3,208
Jan 31, 2007, 10:04 am
#18
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: From and of Boston.
Posts: 4,973
Sam's is an average tailor. I've had far, far better shirts made at David's (around the corner fron Sam) and WW Chan (Same building as Sam, but 1 flight up). David's is probably the best quality, but David does seem to believe that all his customers have amahs to wash, startch, and iron their clothing.
Jan 31, 2007, 5:43 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: NYC (Formerly Tokyo)
Posts: 231
I emailed Sam's, and they said they could deliver shirts to my hotel Saturday night, if I stopped by for measurements Saturday morning. I know more fiittings are better, but I thought they could do a pretty good job on shirts with just one fitting. Do the other tailors need more time?
Also, has anyone been to Jantzen for shirts? They were mentioned a lot on the site that slickalick suggested, but I haven't seen much about them here.
Also, has anyone been to Jantzen for shirts? They were mentioned a lot on the site that slickalick suggested, but I haven't seen much about them here.
Feb 1, 2007, 8:55 am
#21
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: None any more
Posts: 11,017
This really isn't hard!
http://www.samstailor.com/
http://www.wwchan.com/
http://www.jantzentailor.com/
also I would recommend
http://www.taipanrow.com
http://www.samstailor.com/
http://www.wwchan.com/
http://www.jantzentailor.com/
also I would recommend
http://www.taipanrow.com
Feb 1, 2007, 5:58 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Here, There & Everywhere
Programs: OZ Diamond, Miles & Smiles *G, PC Amb
Posts: 659
My two cents...
As for Sam telling you that he can deliver the shirts in 12 hours without any fitting - my tailor would simply refuse to make the shirts for me - Too little time he would say. It doesn't surprise me that Sam's would offer to make them though.
My current tailor du jour is Punjab House (www.punjabhouse.com.hk) and have been pleased by the results. Their master tailor is a Chinese guy called Luke - Have him take your measurements and do your fittings - don't bother with the Indian guys as they simply don't know one cut from the other. A good quality suit with British superfine 120's is around $2800 and Zenga/Scabal suitings go for around $7000. And i've been to their workshop which is in the same building.
This really isn't hard!
http://www.samstailor.com/ - Overpriced and to be avoided.
http://www.wwchan.com/ - Excellent for shirts. Not so much for suiting.
http://www.jantzentailor.com/ - Average quality, below average pricing. Shirts only.
also I would recommend
http://www.taipanrow.com - Not experienced personally but have heard good things from others.
http://www.samstailor.com/ - Overpriced and to be avoided.
http://www.wwchan.com/ - Excellent for shirts. Not so much for suiting.
http://www.jantzentailor.com/ - Average quality, below average pricing. Shirts only.
also I would recommend
http://www.taipanrow.com - Not experienced personally but have heard good things from others.
My current tailor du jour is Punjab House (www.punjabhouse.com.hk) and have been pleased by the results. Their master tailor is a Chinese guy called Luke - Have him take your measurements and do your fittings - don't bother with the Indian guys as they simply don't know one cut from the other. A good quality suit with British superfine 120's is around $2800 and Zenga/Scabal suitings go for around $7000. And i've been to their workshop which is in the same building.
Feb 1, 2007, 9:44 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,554
Nor do I. But the OP does have enough time to go to a good tailor, get a reasonable fitting for shirts, and have the shirts sent to his home. The shirts won't be as nice as if the OP had gone for a 2nd fitting, but they'll be pretty darn good.
Sam's is an average tailor. I've had far, far better shirts made at David's (around the corner fron Sam) and WW Chan (Same building as Sam, but 1 flight up). David's is probably the best quality, but David does seem to believe that all his customers have amahs to wash, startch, and iron their clothing.
Sam's is an average tailor. I've had far, far better shirts made at David's (around the corner fron Sam) and WW Chan (Same building as Sam, but 1 flight up). David's is probably the best quality, but David does seem to believe that all his customers have amahs to wash, startch, and iron their clothing.
Cheers
Feb 2, 2007, 1:03 pm
#24
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Peoria, Ill.
Programs: UA, AA, WN
Posts: 239
I've ordered a number of shirts from Sam's and been very satisfied -- for the price (about $40-50). David's probably is a better shirt but is significantly more expensive.
You might try Jantzen Tailor. Price is about like Sam's, turnaround time is 24 hours and the reports I've heard about them are very good.
You might try Jantzen Tailor. Price is about like Sam's, turnaround time is 24 hours and the reports I've heard about them are very good.
Feb 8, 2007, 7:26 pm
#25
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFOSJCOAK
Programs: AA-EXP & 1MM+, AS, MR-LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 7,574
While the OP is doing the markets, be sure to keep passport and wallet secured.
Feb 17, 2007, 11:39 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: NYC (Formerly Tokyo)
Posts: 231
I got back from Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, and wow, what an amazing trip! I'm a die-hard New Yorker, but Hong Kong *might* begin to rival NY in my book 
Without boring you with all the details, here were my impressions.
Hotel/Access
Arrived Friday night, and took the Airport Express to Kowloon, and then a cab to the Langham Place. The Airport Express train is fine, and certainly easy enough, but if doing this again, I'd spring for the extra few bucks, and just take a cab to the hotel. Because of the Langham's location, the airport express and then a cab, winds up being only a little cheaper than a cab all the way from the airport.
The hotel is really very nice. I had booked an executive room, and got upgraded to something a little nicer with monster windows overlooking the harbor. The view was nice, but between the smog and being set back from the waters edge quite a bit, the views aren't stunning. Without ruining it for anyone planning to stay there, my hotel room had a number of really slick tech touches. For example, it had a 42" plasma screen, but also had a very discretely mounted wall plate so that you could plug in your laptop, and watch your laptop on the screen. Not terribly useful, but very cool.
I think the hotel is tremendous value, and while I really like the location, I can see how it's not for everyone. It's very close to the night markets, but a little far from the southern Kowloon area (Star Ferry Terminal, etc.) and obviously across the bay from Hong Kong Island. Cabs are pretty cheap, and usually easy to find, so getting to/from the hotel isn't a problem at all. I walked down to the star ferry terminal one morning, which was fine because it was early and the streets were very quiet, but it's a long walk--particularly when the crowds come out.
Tailoring
My first morning I went to William Cheng to get measured for shirts. They had a lot of fabrics to choose from and shirts are a fixed 250HKD no matter how many you buy. I'm not sure who helped me, but he was more than willing to do whatever I asked for, and said they would have them done by 3 PM.
I picked up the shirts that afternoon and they really did come out very well. They may not be on par with a $200 PINK, but for the price, it's hard to complain. I'll definitely get more if I go back.
Walking around Kowloon though, on almost every corner, I was stopped by someone who wanted to make me a suit. It was really amazing how many tailors there are there, and I was surprised that they're able to stay in business considering that most internet resources suggest you avoid these guys.
Peak Tram
After placing my shirt order, I took the Star Ferry across to HK Island. I really like boats, so I'm a little biased, but the ferry is a blast. I actually wound up taking it 4 times while I was there
The peak tram station is well marked from the Star Ferry terminal, but it's a little circuitous getting there. It's a nice walk through downtown HK, but I kept wondering if I was lost, because it felt like I was walking a lot farther than it looked on the map.
Anyway, the tram is really a lot of fun, and very steep! While waiting in line, I wound up meeting a group of people from the US who were in HK in business, and they invited me to join them for lunch. We wound up having a really wonderful lunch at Cafe Deco at the top of the peak. The food was okay, but the people I was with had reserved a window table, and we had an amazing view over HK!
I'd highly recommend Cafe Deco, but there was also another restaurant at the Peak who's name I don't know that also had amazing views but had outside tables. If the weather cooperates, you might want to look into that.
I had wanted to take a bus or taxi down, because I heard it was a fun ride, but the people I was with had taken the bus before, and they said that the swaying is considerably less fun if you've been drinking So, we opted for the peak tram again!
Stanley Market
I didn't think Stanley Market was anything special. Most of the stuff I saw was really cheaply made, and I didn't wind up buying anything. However, the ride over there was awesome! I just wish our driver had slowed down in a few spots, or stopped so I could take some pictures, but it's well worth the trip for the views even if markets aren't your thing. Taxi fare from the Star Ferry area was about 150HKD if I remember correctly.
Felix
Against suggestions here and on other sites, I went to the Felix at the top of the Peninsula. I don't regret going, but it wasn't as great as I imagined it would be. The bar area is really small, and was quite crowded when I was there. Also, they have blinds on the windows which were opened so you could see HK Island, but the view was quite obscured. The urinals in the mens room are pretty cool, but they face up towards Kowloon. I can't confirm this, but I think the ladies room faces down towards HK Island, and probably has the better views.
I heard Dragon-I is the place to go in HK, but can be hard to get into. Anyone have any comments on that?
Causeway Bay
The street cars are really slow, but a lot of fun, and very easy to ride. I rode down to Causeway Bay, and explored some of the shops around there. There were definitely some good buys, but nothing that was so ridiculously underpriced that I had to buy it.
Ladies Market/Night Market
The markets are a riot. I had a great time wandering around, but it was so crowded, and I didn't want to draw any extra attention to myself, so I unfortunately didn't get any pictures. The knockoffs were surprisingly good quality, and I couldn't believe that they just had catalogues from the various watchmakers and handbag makers out for you to thumb through!
There's so much more to say, but this is already getting to be quite long. If you look back, you'll see that I had planned everything almost to the minute, and as I expected, once I got there, it all pretty much went out the window. I've been living in Tokyo for 6 months, but HK is completely different, and even if you don't have a schedule or list of places to see, I found just wandering around to be very cool.
I can't wait to go back, and thank you again to everyone here for your tips and hints!
Alex
Without boring you with all the details, here were my impressions.
Hotel/Access
Arrived Friday night, and took the Airport Express to Kowloon, and then a cab to the Langham Place. The Airport Express train is fine, and certainly easy enough, but if doing this again, I'd spring for the extra few bucks, and just take a cab to the hotel. Because of the Langham's location, the airport express and then a cab, winds up being only a little cheaper than a cab all the way from the airport.
The hotel is really very nice. I had booked an executive room, and got upgraded to something a little nicer with monster windows overlooking the harbor. The view was nice, but between the smog and being set back from the waters edge quite a bit, the views aren't stunning. Without ruining it for anyone planning to stay there, my hotel room had a number of really slick tech touches. For example, it had a 42" plasma screen, but also had a very discretely mounted wall plate so that you could plug in your laptop, and watch your laptop on the screen. Not terribly useful, but very cool.
I think the hotel is tremendous value, and while I really like the location, I can see how it's not for everyone. It's very close to the night markets, but a little far from the southern Kowloon area (Star Ferry Terminal, etc.) and obviously across the bay from Hong Kong Island. Cabs are pretty cheap, and usually easy to find, so getting to/from the hotel isn't a problem at all. I walked down to the star ferry terminal one morning, which was fine because it was early and the streets were very quiet, but it's a long walk--particularly when the crowds come out.
Tailoring
My first morning I went to William Cheng to get measured for shirts. They had a lot of fabrics to choose from and shirts are a fixed 250HKD no matter how many you buy. I'm not sure who helped me, but he was more than willing to do whatever I asked for, and said they would have them done by 3 PM.
I picked up the shirts that afternoon and they really did come out very well. They may not be on par with a $200 PINK, but for the price, it's hard to complain. I'll definitely get more if I go back.
Walking around Kowloon though, on almost every corner, I was stopped by someone who wanted to make me a suit. It was really amazing how many tailors there are there, and I was surprised that they're able to stay in business considering that most internet resources suggest you avoid these guys.
Peak Tram
After placing my shirt order, I took the Star Ferry across to HK Island. I really like boats, so I'm a little biased, but the ferry is a blast. I actually wound up taking it 4 times while I was there
The peak tram station is well marked from the Star Ferry terminal, but it's a little circuitous getting there. It's a nice walk through downtown HK, but I kept wondering if I was lost, because it felt like I was walking a lot farther than it looked on the map.
Anyway, the tram is really a lot of fun, and very steep! While waiting in line, I wound up meeting a group of people from the US who were in HK in business, and they invited me to join them for lunch. We wound up having a really wonderful lunch at Cafe Deco at the top of the peak. The food was okay, but the people I was with had reserved a window table, and we had an amazing view over HK!
I'd highly recommend Cafe Deco, but there was also another restaurant at the Peak who's name I don't know that also had amazing views but had outside tables. If the weather cooperates, you might want to look into that.
I had wanted to take a bus or taxi down, because I heard it was a fun ride, but the people I was with had taken the bus before, and they said that the swaying is considerably less fun if you've been drinking
So, we opted for the peak tram again!Stanley Market
I didn't think Stanley Market was anything special. Most of the stuff I saw was really cheaply made, and I didn't wind up buying anything. However, the ride over there was awesome! I just wish our driver had slowed down in a few spots, or stopped so I could take some pictures, but it's well worth the trip for the views even if markets aren't your thing. Taxi fare from the Star Ferry area was about 150HKD if I remember correctly.
Felix
Against suggestions here and on other sites, I went to the Felix at the top of the Peninsula. I don't regret going, but it wasn't as great as I imagined it would be. The bar area is really small, and was quite crowded when I was there. Also, they have blinds on the windows which were opened so you could see HK Island, but the view was quite obscured. The urinals in the mens room are pretty cool, but they face up towards Kowloon. I can't confirm this, but I think the ladies room faces down towards HK Island, and probably has the better views.
I heard Dragon-I is the place to go in HK, but can be hard to get into. Anyone have any comments on that?
Causeway Bay
The street cars are really slow, but a lot of fun, and very easy to ride. I rode down to Causeway Bay, and explored some of the shops around there. There were definitely some good buys, but nothing that was so ridiculously underpriced that I had to buy it.
Ladies Market/Night Market
The markets are a riot. I had a great time wandering around, but it was so crowded, and I didn't want to draw any extra attention to myself, so I unfortunately didn't get any pictures. The knockoffs were surprisingly good quality, and I couldn't believe that they just had catalogues from the various watchmakers and handbag makers out for you to thumb through!
There's so much more to say, but this is already getting to be quite long. If you look back, you'll see that I had planned everything almost to the minute, and as I expected, once I got there, it all pretty much went out the window. I've been living in Tokyo for 6 months, but HK is completely different, and even if you don't have a schedule or list of places to see, I found just wandering around to be very cool.
I can't wait to go back, and thank you again to everyone here for your tips and hints!
Alex
Feb 18, 2007, 9:26 pm
#28
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Here, There & Everywhere
Programs: OZ Diamond, Miles & Smiles *G, PC Amb
Posts: 659
My first morning I went to William Cheng to get measured for shirts. They had a lot of fabrics to choose from and shirts are a fixed 250HKD no matter how many you buy. I'm not sure who helped me, but he was more than willing to do whatever I asked for, and said they would have them done by 3 PM.
I'm glad they worked out for you.
Walking around Kowloon though, on almost every corner, I was stopped by someone who wanted to make me a suit. It was really amazing how many tailors there are there, and I was surprised that they're able to stay in business considering that most internet resources suggest you avoid these guys.
From what i gather they mainly get their business from 'older' tourists who are not so tech-savvy and dont manage to read forums etc.
I heard Dragon-I is the place to go in HK, but can be hard to get into. Anyone have any comments on that?
Dragon-I is ok.....but if you're flying solo then it can be pretty difficult to get into. Volar and FINDS is also a good choice to hang out at.
The markets are a riot. I had a great time wandering around, but it was so crowded, and I didn't want to draw any extra attention to myself, so I unfortunately didn't get any pictures. The knockoffs were surprisingly good quality, and I couldn't believe that they just had catalogues from the various watchmakers and handbag makers out for you to thumb through!
Did you manage to go up into some of their store rooms? You'll be able to get LV footballs, and Gucci dustbins.
I'm glad they worked out for you.
Walking around Kowloon though, on almost every corner, I was stopped by someone who wanted to make me a suit. It was really amazing how many tailors there are there, and I was surprised that they're able to stay in business considering that most internet resources suggest you avoid these guys.
From what i gather they mainly get their business from 'older' tourists who are not so tech-savvy and dont manage to read forums etc.
I heard Dragon-I is the place to go in HK, but can be hard to get into. Anyone have any comments on that?
Dragon-I is ok.....but if you're flying solo then it can be pretty difficult to get into. Volar and FINDS is also a good choice to hang out at.
The markets are a riot. I had a great time wandering around, but it was so crowded, and I didn't want to draw any extra attention to myself, so I unfortunately didn't get any pictures. The knockoffs were surprisingly good quality, and I couldn't believe that they just had catalogues from the various watchmakers and handbag makers out for you to thumb through!
Did you manage to go up into some of their store rooms? You'll be able to get LV footballs, and Gucci dustbins.
