live42day: pls see my comments from May 10 '10 6:47am (US Eastern time) addressing HK vs BKK. The 2 HK tailors that I mention there do women's clothing.

I've had clothing made in both Hong Kong and Bangkok. I had very different kinds of clothing made in the two places. My tailor in Honk Hong was able to get heavy Italian made silk crepe I needed and several Bangkok tailors I tried were not. The tailoring in Hong Kong is finer and significantly more expensive. I used Maxwell's In Hong Kong. On the other hand, I used a tailor in Bangkok to make silk brocade jackets which are just stunning.

the tailoring in HK is probably better but way more expensive generally

thanks guys.
I suppose Bangkok would be easier in the long run so will stick with the original plan

Kathie who did you use to make the silk brocade jackets?

I used a woman in a tiny shop in River City. A friend of mine used Cotton House to make her jackets out of brocade she had purchased in Japan years ago. If you ned the name of the place in River City, I'll look for her card. They had a wonderful array of heavy Chinese silk brocades.

i had a suit made about 20 years ago at Perry's in Bangkok. it was a recommendation from a friend who was working in hong kong! it was however a suit of raw thai silk from fabric of the country. i still wear it , but as it is pale blue i don't get much use here in victoria bc.
cheers
AndrewDavid

ps i was under the weather for one of my fittings and they accommodated me by coming to the oriental hotel where i was staying

I had a colbalt blue thai silk jacket made in Chaing Mai five years ago and just love it and still wear it alot. I would like to get another made in Bangkok but a different color. I also had a navy wool suit and would like another of those made and maybe some shirts too.
I was going to check out Cotton house when I am there. I will be staying at the Legacy Suites when I arrive and then the Chatruium suites when I come back from Laos for my fittings.

For the men I just had Monet Sarto custom tailor for me 2 suits using Zegna Trofeo fabric which is 85% Italian wool and 15% silk. They came our superbly fitted despite the 8000 mile distance. I had to change the waist measurement, yes getting older things drop, and shorten the sleeves 1/4 in. from my profile.I wore one for a meeting in NYC and went into Barney's and asked a fellow who has been in their made-to-measure suit department where I had purchased suits some time ago and he confirmed the fabric is one of the finest money can buy. He said by by yard it cost in the US equal to loro piana superfine 220-250 superfine's.
So if you are inin Bangkok give Jack a shot. His suit prices run from $250-$425 based upon fabric selected. An eextra pair of slacks for the suit is only $80.

i also use jack and my wife does too

I will do that .Great to read , yet again , of the quality from Monet .

rizzuto; I was taking the word of highly experienced people in the US men's garment industry i.e.fellow selling suits at Barney's-NYC so I found an opportunity through an aquanyance to bring 1 of my new Zegna suit jackets to Consumers Union in Yonkers, NJ.(I live 23 miles awy in NJ).one of their "experts" sourced a sample of Zegna Trefeo 200 Superfine fabric-buckeye weave similar weave to mine and under microscope evaluation, heat and water testing called my froed to tell him my material was the "real deal". the only thing i can say is maybe Zegna mills make inferior fabrics for their rack suits sellin for $2000 and up. I was and now am even more convinced the Monet sarto's best fabrics are genuine and not of inferior to HK or anyewhere else for that matter. Maybe Jack's $250 suits are of lesser quality but for $350-$425 I am getting $2000+ suits with hand tailoring.

Stan, have you had suits made in Hong Kong, too? Any idea what I can expect a suit like you're describing to cost in Hong Kong -- the ones that you say cost $350-$425 in BKK?

Also, what would be the "best" fabric (this is information for my son, who will be starting his professional career) to look for?.

Do you possibly have a recommendation for a HK tailor?

Has anyone heard from Jack (Monte Il Sarto)lately? He has not been answering his emails for the past month! My hubbie needs to re-order. What to do?

I don't suppose you considered trying the telephone.

I must admit Jack has disappointed me on my last order. He was going to make me 1 suit and 1 sport coat from Scabal 150's fabric and it has been 2 months and no communication. I do know he had been traveling in Germany taking orders in January because a friend heard he was in Munich but I think he may have forgotten about his former customers who used him originally in BK. Not good business. The phone did not get me to him either, rizzuto. You must think everyone else but you do not much about how to deal with merchants. I would only say: "Know thy self", before you make terse comments or ill informed comments to others.

Bummer. I guess we can wait a little while longer or go to Bangkok and find another tailor!

I never tried either of the Raja brothers who compete and have no idea of the quality of their work or for that matter their fabric. But Conte Nast magazine wrote them up about 2 years ago as being the "real deal".

Jack is back! I just heard from Jack of Monet Il Sarto. He is in Bangkok and taking orders.

i heard from him about a month ago and he was in india...

Actually Jack is in France for final fittings and will return to Bangkok May 14. He visited mills in Italy: Vresace, Scabal, Loro Piana and one other I do not remember from his email and ordered fabric to be shipped to him by the end of this month.

DonTopaz you are absolutely correct. Original Italian, French and English fabrics are subject to big duties in Thailand. There is no way, absolutely no way, people are buying super 150's wool/cashmere or Scabal or Holland and Sherry fabrics/suits at $350 etc. Not maybe, not perhaps, it is categorically not possible.
There is little to no cashmere in Bangkok. The classic line is "wool/cashmere" blend. Just go online and check out the price of a real wool/cashmere blend (just the fabric) and you can see for yourself. Almost all of the fabrics sold in Thailand have fake selvages saying things like super 150's wool cashmere etc. Just take a lighter to the fabric and you will see. Black smoke, plastic smell etc.
There are some tailors that do sell good, real fabric and these are the places where you can get some amazing deals. But can you get a $2000 suit for $350, absolutely not, real fabric costs real money!
As for comparing Hong Kong to Bangkok for suit making, when comparing Hong Kong tailors with Bangkok tailors people often compare the big, expensive high end tailors of Hong Kong such as Ascot Chang to some small hole in the wall tailor in Bangkok. That is obviously not fair. But compare a reputable bangkok tailor with them and you will see the quality and choice selection is very similar. The big difference is price. Bangkok is much cheaper. This is for two main reasons. Labour is cheaper bangkok, and the big one is rent. Rental prices are huge in Hong Kong when compared to Bangkok so overheads are much higher.
It is important to realise that almost all fabrics used/bought in Hong Kong and Thailand come from the same source. China. So fabrics, prices and selection are similar.

So to sum up. There are some excellent tailors in Bangkok and great suits, shirts and more can be made at a fraction of the price you would pay in the west. However, It is important to realise the truth and make an informed, smart choice as to where and what you buy.

The only qualifier may be is that the Ar,mani or canali 150 Superfine on the rack in the US at $1500+ is made from the same wool blend fabric used by Jack at Monte sarto or the Raja brothers.

StanKase,
I hate to sound like a party pooper but unfortunately there is absolutely no way you are buying an armani or canali 150 Superfine for $350-$425 as you mention. Just go online and have a look at some prices of fabric. check out http://www.johnfosterdirect.com/fine...etails/en/1614

the fabric alone without shipping and no tax and no mark up from the tailor is over $400!!!! You need to realise that almost all the big bolts of fabric you see in Thailand have fake names/selvadges on them.

If you are in the NJ/NY metro area and arewilling to put up $1000 we can have an independent person judge the suits my friend brought back in August.I checked so that's the only reason I would put up that kind of money. And he paid $1400 for 3 suits.

I know this is an old thread but I found it so interesting. I even found my sister-in-laws post regarding Monet Tailors. So now that it is 2013 do you all still recomment Jack at Monet?

We will also be in Hoi An so where should we have clothes made.

Quality is MUCH better in Bangkok than in VN.

Never mind the quality, feel the width! - It is not just materials, it is the quality of the work....and quite frankly mostly it's a joke. Thailand is not known for tailoring western clothes; there is no tradition of it......I often see people sporting their tailor-mades here and at home and they are really just an embarrassment. If you have tailor-made at home - and for a good many years I had to - you will immediately see that the product on sale in Thailand is not anywhere near the mark......unless of course you pay the full price, in which case you will just as likely get something not quite as good as at home.

Check up on stitching and cutting before you go to a tailor's and then compare the thai product with the real thing.