yosithezet

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?

garyphil

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.

Nobby

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!

garyphil

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.

Tailorman

I have found that many of the shops while there are few customers walking in to shop the tailor shops do a lot of business in Europe and the US. I am a reseller in US and I do a lot of business with shops in both Hong King and Bangkok. I am adding a shop in Korea very soon. The qulaity is excellent and I make a lot of money brokering custom made suits in US. Also some of the shops do uniforms for US companies as well.

I am always looking for a good tailor. if you know of any I'd like to get the information. Thanks.
Tailorman

view

One tailor I used in Patong once does trips to Norway twice a year. He'll be in Oslo 2 days/nights, taking customers at pretty much all hours. He e-mails all his clients and former clients in Norway beforehand and asks everyone to come to his hotel and also recommend him to all friends and family. He gets a lot of customers, he'll dotrips to other cities as well.

3-6 weeks later the orders arrives by mail, of course marked as "gift" thus bypassing Norwegian customs and the 25% VAT.

No fittings this way though, there will only be fabric samples and pictures to look at.

Flying Lawyer

A friend of mine owns one of the better shops in Bangkok. I asked him the very same question. He smiled and explained that it is all about

• getting customers at the beginning
• doing lots of mailorder

and it is all about margin. They subcontract plenty of their work to sweatshops but run an own workshop with five little Indian tailors. They pay about 8000 Bhat each a month plus certain bonus' for the work done of 100 to 400 Bhat for a suit or 10 Bhat for shirt. I really do not want to know what the pay to the sweatshops. So remember what you pay for your suit, what the fabrics cost and soon you will know that running a tailorshop in Bangkok (not: being a tailor in Bangkok) is one of the better jobs you can have there.

garyphil

100 baht for a suit?! No way!..really?!

Flying Lawyer

That is what I was told. 100 Baht bonus buys you five to seven trips on the river boat or a pretty good meal in a local food stall.

And I do not believe that a cheap qualitiy suit takes them very long. And it is 400 Baht bonus for a good one.

Last time I was there I had a seven hours stop over. I visited my friend in his shop and we went for dinner. When we had starters I told him I could need some pair of jeans in different colors. When we finished the meal (it was Indian with quite a few courses) five pairs of jeans were delievered. Totel manufacturing time including traffic in Bangkok: 2 hours.

Soju

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.

garyphil

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

Soju

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.

garyphil

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).

Soju

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.

Chewie

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/