Good reasonble Tailor in HKG
Apr 22nd, 2005 | 02:59 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
Good reasonble Tailor in HKG
Hy, in 2 weeks I'm of for 5 nites to HKG.
In June is my sis's wedding, I would like to wear a dress and a long coat over it. In German the dress ist called "etui-dress".
Can anyone name me a good tailor for a reasonable price in HKG - our hotel is the New World Ren.
Thank you for the help - greetings from sunny, but very cold Vienna.
Silvia
In June is my sis's wedding, I would like to wear a dress and a long coat over it. In German the dress ist called "etui-dress".
Can anyone name me a good tailor for a reasonable price in HKG - our hotel is the New World Ren.
Thank you for the help - greetings from sunny, but very cold Vienna.
Silvia
Apr 22nd, 2005 | 03:29 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Greetings from sunny, and a bit warmer, Zurich. I can recommend a good, but not necessarily inexpensive, tailor in Hong Kong. The days of really cheap tailors in Hong Kong are gone, you can get good work done, and of course cheaper than you could in Europe, but the price may still be more than you think. If you want seriously cheap tailoring, you need to go over the border to Guangzhou, however, the quality of tailoring there is not nearly as good, in my opinion. If you will be in Bangkok or elsewhere in China you might find cheaper tailors.
The tailor I would recommend is:
Maxwell's Clothiers Ltd.
7A Han Hing Mansion
38-40 Hankow Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
website: maxwellsclothiers.com
e-mail: [email protected]
tel 852-2366-6705
fax: 852-2366-6658
Maxwell's is located in the Nathan Road area of Kowloon, where you will find a ton of other tailors. There is a map on their website showing their location. They have an astonishing selection of fabrics.
Most tailors are located in Kowloon, not on the Hong Kong side where your hotel is. However, it is easy to get over to Kowloon from your hotel, and fun if you take the ferry
Some suggestions on using tailors.
1. You can bring a piece of clothing you like to have it copied. They will not take the item apart to copy it. They may not even keep it, and may only take a brief look at it and take some measurements.
2. They can copy from a picture; however remember that you need front, back and side views; esp if it is a dress with a low back or similar feature. If you don't have pictures from all sides, you should be prepared to describe features that are not included in a photograph. You can choose to use a different fabric if you like, but do consider their recommendations as to how different fabrics will hang and wear, etc.
3. It would be advisable to make an appointment, eps with better tailors. You won't be rushed or pushed aside for other people coming in. In my experience, they all speak English; it would be most unusual to find a tailor catering to Western tourists who does not. The level of English in Hong Kong is generally excellent. The days of a suit being made in 24-hours is mostly a thing of the past. You should allow for two or three fittings to get the job done right. So make sure your tailor is the first stop on your itinerary.
4. Some tailors will have a posted price list, but you can bargain, esp if you are ordering a large number of pieces. SARS really affected the economy and even established tailors with more "fixed" prices are willing to bargain. Custom work and copying from pictures or your existing clothing will cost you more than using one of their designs. Do some serious shopping at home so you know whether what you are being offered is a bargain. Nothing is really cheap in Hong Kong anymore and you get what you pay for. To me the advantage of a tailor is be able to choose the fabric, using a good quality fabric or a luxury fabric like cashmere and getting a custom fit; none of which is cheap nor should it be.
As an aside, you can have custom-made shoes and handbags made at Mayer Shoes in the Mandarin Hotel. (It is in the shopping arcade attached to the hotel, on the second floor. Tel: 852-2524-3317) They have a huge selection of leathers and will design the inside of a bag as you want (with a phone pocket, eyeglass pocket, etc). I love this place. Not cheap, shoes start at about $150-200 dollars as do bags. They will copy a bag if you bring it in. They have copies of many designer bags, including the Hermes and Kelly bags, starting at about $350. You need about a week to have a bag or shoes made; you could order at the beginning of the trip and pick up at the end of your trip if you are coming back through Hong Kong. You could have them sent them to you (of course you have to be sure you like it). They have been in the Mandarin for years and are very reputable.
The tailor I would recommend is:
Maxwell's Clothiers Ltd.
7A Han Hing Mansion
38-40 Hankow Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
website: maxwellsclothiers.com
e-mail: [email protected]
tel 852-2366-6705
fax: 852-2366-6658
Maxwell's is located in the Nathan Road area of Kowloon, where you will find a ton of other tailors. There is a map on their website showing their location. They have an astonishing selection of fabrics.
Most tailors are located in Kowloon, not on the Hong Kong side where your hotel is. However, it is easy to get over to Kowloon from your hotel, and fun if you take the ferry
Some suggestions on using tailors.
1. You can bring a piece of clothing you like to have it copied. They will not take the item apart to copy it. They may not even keep it, and may only take a brief look at it and take some measurements.
2. They can copy from a picture; however remember that you need front, back and side views; esp if it is a dress with a low back or similar feature. If you don't have pictures from all sides, you should be prepared to describe features that are not included in a photograph. You can choose to use a different fabric if you like, but do consider their recommendations as to how different fabrics will hang and wear, etc.
3. It would be advisable to make an appointment, eps with better tailors. You won't be rushed or pushed aside for other people coming in. In my experience, they all speak English; it would be most unusual to find a tailor catering to Western tourists who does not. The level of English in Hong Kong is generally excellent. The days of a suit being made in 24-hours is mostly a thing of the past. You should allow for two or three fittings to get the job done right. So make sure your tailor is the first stop on your itinerary.
4. Some tailors will have a posted price list, but you can bargain, esp if you are ordering a large number of pieces. SARS really affected the economy and even established tailors with more "fixed" prices are willing to bargain. Custom work and copying from pictures or your existing clothing will cost you more than using one of their designs. Do some serious shopping at home so you know whether what you are being offered is a bargain. Nothing is really cheap in Hong Kong anymore and you get what you pay for. To me the advantage of a tailor is be able to choose the fabric, using a good quality fabric or a luxury fabric like cashmere and getting a custom fit; none of which is cheap nor should it be.
As an aside, you can have custom-made shoes and handbags made at Mayer Shoes in the Mandarin Hotel. (It is in the shopping arcade attached to the hotel, on the second floor. Tel: 852-2524-3317) They have a huge selection of leathers and will design the inside of a bag as you want (with a phone pocket, eyeglass pocket, etc). I love this place. Not cheap, shoes start at about $150-200 dollars as do bags. They will copy a bag if you bring it in. They have copies of many designer bags, including the Hermes and Kelly bags, starting at about $350. You need about a week to have a bag or shoes made; you could order at the beginning of the trip and pick up at the end of your trip if you are coming back through Hong Kong. You could have them sent them to you (of course you have to be sure you like it). They have been in the Mandarin for years and are very reputable.
Apr 22nd, 2005 | 06:10 AM
#3
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
Baron Kay Tailors. Sorry don't have address (somewhere in tsim sha tsui) but you can likely google it. He's well known, expect to go back for fitting everyday 2 or 3 days in a row, but each fitting was quite fast as I remember (may be 20 minutes?) and you would see progress. My husband who usually wears armani suits got some pants done there and he was happy with the result for the price.
Apr 22nd, 2005 | 06:50 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
By the way, I used Maxwell's when I was in Hong Kong last year (on Cicerone's recommendation) and they did a fabulous job. A friend of mine was going to be in Hong Kong for a limited time later in the year, so she contacted them and they were there to do the measurements for her on Sunday so she could get her suit made.
