bangkok bespoke?

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

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spitfire
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:02 am
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:41 pm

I'll be in thailand this christmas with family, and would like
recommendations for tailors in bangkok. Can anyone here recommend somebody? I've found Jesse Rajawongse via a conde nast article. Any good? Can he do a soft suit?

http://www.dress-for-success.com/

Also, is there anywhere I can get shoes made while i'm in town? I've got very difficult feet
to fit (slightly different sized feed, 48W)

Hope to hear from you guys soon.
pchong
Posts: 287
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2005 1:48 am
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Wed Nov 15, 2006 1:34 am

while I am not familiar with the link you posted, I am familiar with Bangkok.

My advice is to stay away from them if you want a good bespoke effort, with floating canvass. None of them do this kind of work...their suits will have very little handwork. Thailand does not have a suit tradition, many of the tailors along the mainstreets in Bangkok are cloth merchants (they are Indians, not Thais...nothing wrong with that, but emphasizes that Thais do not have a suit tradition). The person who acts like a cutter only knows how to take measurements and is usually the owner, but the suits are made in a factory, and the real cutter who does the fitting, adjustments go from shop to shop on a motorcycle.

Shoes in Thailand are imported, especially the better ones...and the country does not have a maker of any distinction.

When you are there, do buy Thai silk. Jim Thomson is a good source - either at their own store or department stores countrywide. The pocket squares, ties, dressing gowns, et al are great.

Another good buy in Bangkok are croc belts and accessories. Chose wisely, and don't get folled by street vendors selling crocodile stuff - none of them do. Croc and aligator should only be purchased from reputable stores if you are keen on the genuine article.

Gemstones, if you know how to select are another good buy. Bangkok is the Gemstone capital of the world. Rubies, Sapphires, and diamonds abound. But you will need to know your stuff if you don't want to get cheated.

And finally, get a massage. Thai Traditional massage is the best I have ever experienced in the world. A full course covering from head to toe is 2 hours. And you'd expect to pay no more than B400 which is about US$10 for 2 hours. Tip 25%. Its heavenly. After you have tried the traditional dry massage, you can try the oil, or foot reflexogy. Both of these are adapted from other massage techniques. The Traditional Thai dry type or herbal types are indiginous to Thailand. Look for "Traditional" in the name of the shop...to ensure there is no hanky panky. In particular, skip the barber shops offering massages - unless you are looking for some other form of amusement.
spitfire
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:02 am
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Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:47 am

http://www.dress-for-success.com/accolades.htm

From the reviews they're not half bad and they've made suits for presidents. I'm willing to give them a try. The worst that can happen is I get a bad suit.

As this will be my first bespoke I'll bone up on the little technical details
before I go to make sure I get exactly what I want. As for shoes, that
was just a stab in the dark. No real loss to me.

Does jim thomson still do silk clothing fabric? I looked on their website
and everything looked like it was for furniture... or do I have
to go in store to find their other products?

For street vendors, I assume it's all knocked off anyways. I'll only be picking up the odd movie or something tacky for people back home.

Tell me more about this gemstone business? I know nothing about
gemstones. Except that diamonds work well on drill bits.oh
and something to do with supervillans and "la-zers".

Negatory on the hanky panky at the massage parlour. I can get that without paying for it. But I'll certainly get a massage somewhere.
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