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| Author | Message |
| Skimonkey flashpacker Posts: 40 |
#1 Posted: 1/8/2009 - 13:12 Posted from within Vietnam (why do we highlight this?).Has any one used a Tailor in Hoi An and would they recomend them? as there seams to be more Tailors here than Pubs in your average town in the UK. Thanks. |
| BruceMoon mahout Posts: 1941 Located in: Australia  |
#2 Posted: 1/8/2009 - 14:20 Skimonkey Sometimes, something just jumps out and the mind goes 'whoa, hehehehe'. Your misspelling of 'there seams to be... 'seams' as in joining two bits of fabric.... Sorry, couldn't help myself. I found that the 'tailor' retailers in Hoi An use factory style garment makers who are located away from the shop. So, it really doesn't matter who you choose to make clothes for you, the clothes will be made in a sweat shop somewhere away from the Hoi An retail area. When looking at the various retailers, ask to see the quality of the garments. This will be instructive. Let me explain. I got a skirt made for my wife (we were both there). I started out life in the clothing industry (my father was a 5th generation tailor), and I believe I have a bit of knowledge on garment manufacturing. Given this, I believe that the skirt we had made was of poor quality. Simply, the quality presented by the Hoi An garment manufacturers is very ordinary. I don't know whether the price I paid was competitive for Hoi An. I think it was 'in the ballpark of being OK'. My take on the pricing of the Hoi An garments is that they are now very overpriced. As you can see, I live in Australia. The point here being that I believe that I can buy better made garments (out of China), and of fabric that is more up-to-date fashion (than available at Hoi An), and at a better price from Australian discount stores than what I can in Hoi An. - - - That I've 'bagged' the Hoi An product quality and pricing, does not suggest you should avoid buying a garment. I suppose what I'm suggesting is don't be fooled to think that you are getting a bargain - you are not. But, do go and get a piece (or 2) made in Hoi An: maybe a shirt or skirt (etc). You'll then be able to tell friends, I got a tailor make this for me when in Hoi An. That's a statement few can make these days. Cheers ------------------------------ An Australian Veteran globetrotting... |
| anhluc flashpacker Posts: 32 |
#3 Posted: 2/8/2009 - 11:49 I typically don't like to respond unless I have personal experience - but, I am going to be in Hoi An in September and my tour operator, whom I trust very, very much has told me to see Ms. Trinh at Tailor Nguyen 29 Le Loi Street. Now my diatribe - listen to Bruce and get the souvenir not the entire wardrobe. I have read postings on TripAdvisor where people have had horrible experiences. Funny though, one guy had all these complaints, even posted pictures of shrunken shirts, it appeared the only thing that tailor did wrong was forget the stitch in the 'dry clean only' labels. Much of the problem with Hoi An tailors and many of the others around the country is the turn around time. Can you really expect a custom suit in 24 hours? Well can you really expect it to look all that great? I had two suits made for my then 10 year-old son in 2006. The old guy told me 'two weeks', and he wasn't all that busy. No problem, I had the in-laws post them for me. When we got them, they were impeccable. The old guy had made dress uniforms for US army/air force personnel forty years ago, and he knew his stuff. If you can find one of these old guys - your in good shape. The old guys normally have signage out front or in their shops that say 'Veston'. When you go in, it will have a real retro feeling to the place, just another indicator that they have been around awhile. Not sure if 'Veston' was a particular style, or what, but they are normally associated with the old guys who still tailor themselves in their own shops/homes. Another thing Bruce hit on - the sweat shops. There will normally be several store fronts taking orders for one particular sewing shop. Also, because a place has a book of swatches that say Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Canali etc. you may get an almost identical fabric, maybe even spot-on, but you won't get a hand basted lapel, you won't get fully lined slacks, you may not even get a lining that compliments your jacket, all in-all you will get what you paid for. Please though, if you get a good place there in Hoi An, let me know as I am certainly going to get my souvenir, for no other reason than what Bruce said, so I can say I did it. |
| kiwibc backpacker Posts: 18 |
#4 Posted: 3/8/2009 - 17:58 We were there several weeks ago and got a ton of stuff made - shoes, suits, jackets, pants, shirts, skirts. All of it was well made and cheap (other than my partners shoes which she wasn't happy about!). There is a lot of info at the below link. I posted advice based on the below forum which summarised the lessons I learned - it's somewhere down the list of posts. In summary don't get something made off a picture, see something made in the shop you like and get a copy. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298082-i9204-k150579-l19029342-Hoi_An_Tailor_recommendation-Hoi_An.html |
| Skimonkey flashpacker Posts: 40 |
#5 Posted: 3/8/2009 - 21:51 Posted from within Vietnam (why do we highlight this?). Brucemoon kind of an ironic spelling error, and I can't even claim it's a typo. Thanks for the tips fellas, along with that and what I found out myself, regarding silk/ synthetic fibres (silk burns/ polymer silk replicas melt when set alight) I got a sample of the silk from the tailor and took it outside to try this. Checked the stiching on the garments at first fitting, then did some funky Jackie Chan style manouvers with them all on. I guess only time will tell if they are any good or not, but will let you know in due course. Mind you I sent them home and won't be back untill christmas so my conclusions may take a while........ |
| laallee flashpacker Posts: 35 |
#6 Posted: 4/8/2009 - 16:49 Posted from within Vietnam (why do we highlight this?). hi, ive just picked up my gear from Yaly, they have a few shops but i used the one nearest the river 358 nguyen duy hieu. it looks like the yaly hq, all the tailoring is done on-site. its reassuring to actually speak to the tailor and the sales assistant at the same time. its all pretty good kit but im no expert! the only disconcerting factor is you do have to be a little forceful to get them to make the kit perfect, not just me but i noticed other customers insisting on minor alterations when the assistant seemed to be saying things were ok. its the only place ive used but id recommend it! lee. |
| TravelSenseAsia newbie Posts: 2 |
#7 Posted: 5/8/2009 - 01:37 Posted from within Vietnam (why do we highlight this?). I expected my trip to Hoi An so much to have my clothes done there. And because I had a friend in Hoi An, he then took me to the store that he can "trust". I have a suite and a skirt done in 24h. And honestly, i never wear it cause they made me look like a 35 year-old-lady - and i am only 28. So i assumed every store will be the same quality, though the garments will be different quality... |
| missmessy longtail driver Posts: 8 Located in: Australia  |
#8 Posted: 8/8/2009 - 05:40 I concur with the sentiments regarding silk and the test via burning or melting. 'Vietnamese silk' will melt, so it's as natural as Pamela Anderson's knockers! I would recommend taking a few favourite items of clothing and having them copied. I've done this a number of times and each time, successfully. In terms of quality, everything in moderation is my mantra. A few items that won't blow the budget will definitely be worthwhile. |
| violets hippy Posts: 76 |
#9 Posted: 10/8/2009 - 11:24 The quality is very variable, even from the same shop because they can outsource to someone else. The problem is mostly with the cutting, though fabric quality is not great either. It seems to me they have greater trouble fitting people with bigger busts and less Vietnamese figures. Over a decade, as demand has grown I've noticed quality worsen. Many of the people now are not tailors. Even my Yaly garments (much better made but also more expensive) don't quite sit right across the bust, and I had several changes made and spoke to the actual tailor there. I've had better made garments done at Hadong silk in Hanoi, though the fabric quality is poor, but they are now much more expensive. |
| wanderlust13 backpacker Posts: 11 |
#10 Posted: 5/9/2009 - 12:07 Posted from within Vietnam (why do we highlight this?). Hello! I'm in Hoi An right now, so I wanted to add my two cents to this thread. My boyfriend and I got a lot of differnet things made at different stores and predictably the results were mixed. Unfortunately we didn't do our due diligence and check the forum, otherwise we could have easily avoided some rip-offs. The good: Tailor Nguyen 29 Le Loi Street - my boyfriend ordered a wool coat and it is just superb! It fits great, the stiching is impeccable, the wool and inside lining are of high quality, and she used a good metal zipper as opposed to the plastic ones most people around here use. The jacket cost $40 and could easily retail in the US for $150 or more. Ting Ting on Le Loi Street (just a few doors down from Tailor Nguyen) - I had a wool jacket made at this place. The fit is excellent but the wool and lining are of slightly poor quality. Correspondigly the price is considerably lower so I'm still happy because it was a good deal. 50 Le Loi - we ordered a bunch of button down shirts. The fabric selection was spectacular (lots of interesting prints) and the tailoring is excellent. It cost about $15 per shirt and I know we could have gotten a better price had we bargained more. Howerver tailor-made shirts start out at $100 in US, so knowing this fact we just didn't have the heart for it. The bad: Impressions on Tran Hung Dao - this place is mentioned on a different thread and boy do I wish we had seen that post. We got shoes made at their shoe store called "Happy Soles." The quality is awful. My boyfriend ordered brown suede shoes with green stiching and the shoes came with white stiching and don't look like the model. They are redoing them now, but I don't have high hopes. I got black leather boots that are so ugly and poorly made, that I just want to leave them here and not lug this crap back all the way to the U.S. We also were charged waaaaay too much for what we got.. but this was the first store we visted and we didn't yet know the appropriate bench marks. My boyfriend also got jeans form their clothing branch not realizing the two were related. The denim used was of good quality but the stiching and fit were sloppy. He paid 38 for them and that def too high by Hoi An standards, however is pretty decent for the U.S. (We are from San Francisco, so everything is bloody expensive.) So my advice is to avoid Impressions at all costs and definitely visit Tailor Nguyen. Also, like someone mentioned, don't order from a picture. Order from the sample in the store and you'll have a much higher likelihood not being dissapointed with the end result. |
| wanderlust13 backpacker Posts: 11 |
#11 Posted: 5/9/2009 - 13:37 Posted from within Vietnam (why do we highlight this?). Update: He just got back with the shoes and they were nit fixed at all. Now they say they can only do white stitching, not green like they (twice) promised. I can't argue with them as we have a bus to catch in an hour, something I wish I hadn't told them because now they can use it against us. The whole experience doesn't make us wish we had gone somewhere else; it makes us wish we had never tried getting shoes made at all. |
| anthonycali newbie Posts: 1 |
#12 Posted: 30/1/2010 - 08:45 Sun Silk Shop- Hoi An Tailors(located at 273 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Hoi An, Website : [url=http://www.sunsilkhoian.com/] ). Sun Silk is one of the best tailors that should definitely recommended. They didn't ask for a deposit, and we only paid when we were happy with the clothes.I had 3 suits and 11 shirts made which were all perfect copies of ones that I took with me and the shirts were only $8 each. They did everything overnight and then called me in for a fitting and they were then ready by the following day. They even delivered our stuff to our hotel as we had so much between us. Highly recommended. Excellent tailors. They made a very good quality of suits, nice style with our own requirement or copy in the Catalogue. Quick and in time(they even did it over night to meet customers' need) to have very nice suits for us. They have good experience with tailoring and customers. |
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