Hi
Read in quite a number of postings about Cotton House and JS Thai by glorialf. Can someone pls provide me with their email addresses. Will be in Bangkok later this month and would like to make an appointment with them. Thanks.

I think I have cotton house at home. Will post it tomorrow. However, you really don't need to make an appointment at either of them -- especially not now which is the low season. Just walk in.

Hi Gloriaf, thanks for your reply. I would prefer to email them and get a quote for the skirts I would like them to tailor. Want them to view the pictures first.

js thai silk does not have e-mail...just walk in they are there from 9 or 10 AM until 8PM or later...there are 4 of them to help you....you do not need an appointment...
you will be very pleased with their stuff...

Hi rhkkmk, thanks for your reply too. Have no intention of making thai silk clothes. I already have the fabric and the design of the skirts. I just need a fitting. I need to know whether I can get my stuff within 4 days. Will be there next week and do not want to hunt high and low for a tailor. I need someone who charges reasonable rates for labour. So far most of them are quite high. Thanks.

[email protected] -- at least that was their email a couple of years ago.

one of the reasons they may be "high" oin price is because they expect you to buy the fabric from them, which is part of their profit...
i have nott seen tailors, like the tailors you might find in the west who just do repairs, cuffing, etc...you usually find that at a laundry/dry cleaners...

they are not the dressmakers which you find in the west either...they are usually full service clothes makers who supply fabric and workmanship...that may be the reason you are finding high prices...

speaking of prices, what are you being quoted...?
my wife had one shirt/jacket made from our fabric in june...it was $20 for the workmanship and she was thrilled with that price....what are you being quoted??

I've also always felt the prices were wonderful in bangkok -- especially for the quality of work. I have also often bought fabric at Jim Thompson and had the work done at JS or Cotton House and while the price might be a bit higher than if I had bought the fabric from them it was still very very reasonable.

Hi gloriaf/rhkkmmk
Jack quoted me $43 for workmanship for a skirt using my own fabric. He told me my skirt has 2 layers ? Its actually a pencil skirt. He later quoted me $17 if I make a simple skirt. That was a good price.

Don't know whether you heard of Julie Thai Cotton & Silk, they quoted me $25 for labour. Its ok but they told me I had to wait for a week and will mail the skirts to me with additional charges. Was not too happy about that bit.

Have to disagree that the tailors will charge a lower price if you bought the fabric from them. The quotes from Julie were really high if I used their fabrics. Moreover, they did not have some fabrics for one of my skirts.

I used Julie Thai Cotton and Silk once and was not particularly happy with the work. I've found cotton house to be extremely reliable and reasonable.

I have to put a vote in for Jack at Monet Il Sarto. Extremely reasonable prices and excellent tailor. His e-mail is: [email protected]. Men's suit: $150, 6 men's shirts for $80, skirts, with lining about $17. hope that's helpful!

don't know what you are used to but these prices all seem very reasonable to me...

i will tell you that they prefer to deal with you in person and will make concessions based on the amount of product you purchase from them....your time (in bkk) is extremely limited and this affects the price as well....if it can be worked on over a two week period then the pricing can perhaps be more relaxed...

to look at it a different way, would you make that skirt yourself for $17, 25 or even $45?????

Thank you all for your replies.

Mad : I did email Jack from Monet il Sarto, he quoted me $43. When did you make your clothes recently or years ago ? You only paid $17 for a skirt ? Would go for it if that's the price. How was the material of your shirts ? Were they cotton ?

Glorialf : thanks for your advice on Julie's. How much did you pay at Cotton House ?

Rhkkmk : I'm willing to give the tailors more time if they charge me reasonable postage. $43 is really too high, would rather buy off the rack. Quite a number of mid label brands have good stuff for that price.

readi-made is nice, but what you are paying for in bkk is covered buttons, extra tucks here and there, small style items, and the custom fit to your body...you do not find that with liz, versace,gap, etc....
i do not ever post anything from bkk except for jewerly as the costs are prohibitive and often there is not reliable service (theft)....

with jack i inquired about shirts by mail and he quoted an outreageous price for the postage based on his past usa experiences so now i just visit bkk more often to save on postage---hows that for economy...

jack's shirts were 6 for $120 in may...for the same standard shirt in usa i would pay $50+ each....and that's without monograms and small personal items like a pen pocket within the brest pocket...

i'm curious why you would not want anything made out of thai silk??

Forgot to tell you that I actually live in asia therefore I can't wear thai silk as its too humid back home. I work in an air conditioned office but it would be humid when I go outdoors for lunch.

I have a few shirts tailored in Bangkok before. I did not go to the tailor personally. Not too impressed by the details. It was ordinary. It might have to do with the price.

Cotton House has a lot of light (non Thai) silk as well as light cotton for hot weather.

Glorialf : do you remember how much you paid for your clothes ? Have you bought any Karen tribe silver in any of your trips ? Where can I buy it or should I just shop on Ebay ? Thanks.

kb9855-
I honestly can't remember because I had multiple things made and often it included fabric. But I remember last time spending $800 and getting 5 or 6 pants suits, 2 pair of slacks, one two piece silk pants and top (not jacket),a two piece silk dress and one blouse. And that included the fabric.

I have bought a lot of Karen jewelry both in Chiang Mai and in Bangkok. I bought some pieces from the store Golden Triangle which used to be in River City. It closed last October and isn't going to reopen until 2005 I gather. However, there are several stores in River City and in Oriental Place that sell them.

kb9855-
I just checked ebay for karen jewelry and realised I may be leading you astray. The stuff I bought at River City and Oriental Place were hold and more expensive (although still cheap) than what is on ebay. The ebay stuff looks to be newly crafted for commercial purposes.

Just reread a recent post of Bill's and it sounds as though JS still does predominately thai silk. So I'd go directly to Cotton House. They generally open at 10AM.