My dad wants to get some jackets custom tailored when we are in Bangkok. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we need to do when we get the measurements made, what to look for in materials and finished garmnets? Are there any major pitfalls to watch out for? Any recommended tailors? Thanks for any and all replies.<BR><BR>Royboy

This has been dealt with a couple of times before - you may want to search for several posts that even list names of recommended tailors.<BR><BR>My tips are as follows:<BR><BR>* The prepackaged deals (e.g. 3 suits, 2 jackets, and 2 shirts for $100) are usually not much better quality than average off the rack.<BR>* People debate about whether or not one can really save money, but I think the central issue is what you'd compare it to in your home country. If your father would typically pay US $50 for a comparable jacket, he could get one for less money but the quality would probably not be as good. On the other hand, I had a copy made of a suit that would have cost upwards of $600 US - the result was FABULOUS, and for about $250, I was able to customize details of the suit, have it tailor made for a perfect fit, and get an additional dress and skirt.<BR>* Typically, the expert tailor is not the one who makes the garments. He'll take extensive measurements and notes, then send it off to a sweatshop type tailoring factory. They are quite skilled, however. Just be sure to allow enough time for a couple of fittings. They can DO almost anything in 24 hours, but if the jacket comes back with no pockets and you asked for pockets, you'll be stuck.<BR>* Spend some time thinking about what you want (in detail, like what kind of collar, what kind of buttons, etc.), and bring pictures if you find an example you like (this is particularly important for women - the shops have books of examples, but far fewer examples for women). Don't be shy telling them to customize - some shops will try to push you towards their more standard patterns because they're easier to make ("Are you SURE you want a cuff - they're going out of style?").<BR>* Don't forget to tell them to make the buttonholes on the jacket sleeves real - the sign of a real tailor-made jacket.<BR><BR>Good luck!

What does a woman wear for measurements. I wear my clothes very fitted and would prefer to be wearing very little when measured.

Can someone give me the approx. cost to have a dress or skirt made? This may sound i absurd but does the style of skirt make a difference? For instance, is an elastic waist skirt cheaper than a zipper and button closure?

A couple of comments:<BR><BR>Re-reading my original answer, I want to change my phrase &quot;sweatshop type factory&quot; to &quot;assembly line type factory&quot;. I didn't mean to imply that the tailoring is done in sweatshops - I just meant that the tailoring is often done &quot;in bulk&quot;. Someone in an earlier post had mentioned that many people have visions of the master tailor carefully making your garment by hand, when it's often actually shipped out to a larger factories. (In my experience, however, the final quality was still excellent).<BR><BR>Another tip I forgot to mention is to check the suits they have on display for hand sewn buttons - these will have the thread sewn in an &quot;x&quot; instead of two parallel lines. Be sure to ask for this too, as it's another sign of a tailor-made garment.<BR><BR>Beth, you can wear whatever you want. If the weather is warm, just wear some layers so that your bottom layer is something like a tank-top and whatever you'd feel comfortable with on the bottom (you might want to bring something like exercise shorts if it's important to you). The tailors are accustomed to measuring over clothes, though, and are pretty good about listening to what you want. If you have several days, you'll have time for several fittings, so it should be no problem.<BR><BR>Sue, my experience is that you get the best deal when you have more made. That is, if you're having just a skirt made, if you have an entire suit made with trousers also, you'll get a better deal than if you just order one thing. I could be wrong though - I've never tried to order just one thing.<BR><BR>Cost is usually more a factor of the type of cloth you buy, although all silks, for example, will be similar in price. Hopefully someone else can answer your question, since I don't really know what just one piece would cost. (That's significantly more than a woman's silk shell would cost, though). Probably the best thing for you to do would be to just go into a shop or two and ask. Many are really, really high pressure, though, so tell them something like your husband is paying at a restaurant down the road and you've just popped in to check, and that you'll be back later.<BR><BR>In my experience, if you're ordering multiple items, they won't charge you for the negligable difference between a zipper and a button, but they might if you're only ordering one thing (it should still be a very small difference - less than $2). It's really how much cloth (and what type) you're using that's the biggest factor in price.<BR><BR>Good luck!<BR><BR>P.S. Don't forget to bring pictures from magazines with you on what you have in mind, even if it's 2 pictures and you want some features from one and some features from the other. They have relatively few pictures of women's clothing.

We got some custom suits made in Bangkok last month. We went to an excellent tailor called the Chinese Tailor. Email me if you want the exact details. <BR><BR>The quality of the material is very important and we really trusted this store. We paid about $300 CAD ($200 US) for a four piece suit. While it wasn't the cheapest tailor in Bangkok, the quality was excellent. Also, you could never get a custom made suit like that in Canada for that price so it seemed worth it to us. <BR><BR>I think you don't get the quality material with those bargains you see (e.g. $99 US for four suits!). <BR><BR>Lisa

we like jack at monet II tailors in the plaza in the front (street side) of the bangkok marriott resort and spa (on the river)--shuttle boat from river city shopping (free) on the 1/2 hour<BR>he has made a number of things for me over a 6 year period...all stand up well, especially the shirts<BR><BR>leave plenty of time for fittings--usually 2-3 fittings to make sure things are the way you want them...he is reasonable...currently a shirt special--6 for $90...<BR>bring pictures of what you want...he also has books there and a huge selection of fabrics...wools are not as good as in europe and the usa, but they are available... he is on the 2nd floor...they have another location but i can't remember where it is...one of the major hotels...banyon tree maybe??<BR><BR>we also like JS Thai silk on the ground floor of river city shopping center, next to the sheraton orchid (on the river)...they have made shirts for me and lots of silk stuff for my wife...shop is small and just opposite info booth near escalators at sheraton end of building...<BR>many of the tailors in that building are very aggressive..i will warn you, but it is a great shopping place...<BR><BR>go see jack..however..tell him bob from boston sent you