Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothing and tailor

Call it "Tailor Tourism"

rileyray3000 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:52:19 -0800

I'm thinking about taking a suit holiday. As in, going to a country where not only can I have a fun vacation, but I can get a bunch of suits made for a good price. Where should I go? When I was teaching in Korea back in 2001 I got a few suits made for me on a lark. Some were the kitschy kind of fun suits that you get made when they're 70 bucks American and you think "what the hell." In my case that was one red satin number and five iridescent sharkskin suits in colors ranging from blue to yellow to brown - all as shiny as a marine's dress shoes.

Goodfellas was one of the only American movies I saw over there. I think it left a mark.

But in addition to those suits I also got one charcoal gray suit made and one light brown one. Those two have been my standby suits ever since. I get compliments every time I wear them, they fit me perfectly and I worry about the day they finally fall apart.

Thus I've been considering a "Suit Holiday." Something where I go somewhere like South Korea, have an exotic trip, and get a bunch of suits made to take home and last me another decade.

But I'm wondering if South Korea IS the way to go here. Maybe Hong Kong? Or Taiwan? Or the Philippines? Or Indonesia? I'm totally open.

Where is the place I can get the best bang for my buck and get 5 or ten suits made to take home with me? Where would YOU go on a Suit Holiday?

Need a new jacket lining that is hopefuly not stripey pink. In London.

ElmerFishpaw — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:03:07 -0800

My leather jacket needs a new lining. Im in London. Where should I go and what should I expect to pay?

A more suitable tailor?

B-squared — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:42:55 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good men's tailor in the Upper Valley region (between VT and NH)?

Where to get custom made suit in Bay Area?

Nickel — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:47:43 -0800

Recommend a tailor in the Bay Area to create a custom made suit. I am a 25 year old female about to finish grad school and enter The Real World. I would like to have one good quality power suit for interviews but department store shopping is frustrating and fruitless. I can't find anything that flatters my body type, is a complementary color, and is good quality. I've decided to scrimp and save and use my tax refund to buy a custom made suit that I can use for years. So...where do I go?

Can you recommend any tailors in the Bay Area (Oakland/Berkeley preferred, but I'm willing to travel for quality) with experience in female business suits?

Hello and welcome to QI, these are my whimsical cufflinks!

cowbellemoo — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:22:53 -0800

I'm a big guy and I'd like to get a dress shirt with French cuffs. Are there great online sellers for shirts like this, or perhaps you know of a better brick and mortar shop around Maryland/Washington, D.C. that can help me out? The local big guy store's French cuff selection is limited to Italian Mobster chic (striped lavender), while I'm going for more of a Stephen Fry look – a cream or white shirt to go with my dark gray corduroy jacket. I'd like it to be long, too, so it stays tucked into my pants without fuss.

No pressing deadline or budget, so maybe that opens up custom-made shirts from a tailor? Fit and comfort are much more important than style or formality, for this shirt.

Measurements, in case that's helpful:
20 neck, 36 sleeve, 60 chest

How will my tailored coat turn out?

whataboutben — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:18:02 -0800

Tailoring question: Tell me what to expect if I have my wool coat altered. Details and pictures inside. I have very little experience with having clothes tailored, so I have no idea what is possible and what isn't.

I own a wool peacoat. I would like the sleeves to be 1 inch, possibly 2 inches longer. I asked two tailors if it could be done, and they both said yes. I'm assuming this would be done by taking out the hem and using the extra fabric that is already there (about 1 inch).

Here are pictures of the sleeves:

Outside detail
Inside detail
Outside and inside

Is this a common task that tailors perform? How good of a job can I expect them to do on this? Will the sleeve edges look exactly the same as before on the outside? How about on the inside? Will there be crease marks where the hem used to be?

Now, lets say I wanted to lengthen the sleeves by greater than one inch -- since it doesn't look like the hem is more than one inch, should I assume this is not possible? Or are there some magic tailoring tricks I am not thinking of?

Give me any details you can think of -- don't assume I know anything just because it's obvious.

Thanks.

Best New York tailors for alterations?

detune — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:26:09 -0800

Best New York tailors for alterations? I've looked through the (many) previous AskMes on tailors in NY, but most of those posts are a bit old or are not specifically asking about a tailor for alterations. What I'd like to do: have two off-the-rack suits tailored to fit me better, and have 3-5 shirts tailored to cut down the sleeve length and, if possible, cut the back so that it doesn't balloon out so much. What are my options? And, just so I can know roughly what to expect, about how much should I expect to pay?

Thanks, all!

Good tailor/seamstress in west downtown Toronto?

Dasein — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:44:33 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for a good tailor around Queen and Spadina in Toronto. Nothing fancy - I just need some dress pants hemmed - but recommendations any places you personally know to be good/not too expensive would be appreciated.

Clothes make the me.

pseudostrabismus — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:13:54 -0800

Suggest a good tailor in Toronto? Looking to get some ladies' clothing altered to fit-
a semi-formal dress taken in, and darts put into women's dress shirts.

Seeking a reasonably-priced tailor in Toronto, ideally on the TTC line.
(although fat lot of good that'd be this week, stupid strike!)
Thanks in advance!

Ill fit suit...

roygbv — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:23:25 -0800

What are your experiences with tailors in Portland, Oregon? I'm looking for a place I can trust with expensive garments, and preferably on the west side of the river. Thanks!

I want to have tailored shirts

reenum — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:21:52 -0800

I want tailored shirts. Where can I find a good tailor? I currently live in Kansas, but would be willing to make a trip out to one of the coasts if needed. I have a few questions:

1. How much can I expect to pay?
2. How long do the shirts last?
3. Is it worth it to have a local seamstress make them for me?

I saw this thread about tailored clothes, but that one didn't have enough shirt specific info

Recommend a Tailor in Seattle

matildaben — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:25:04 -0800

Can anyone recommend a tailor in Seattle or the Eastside? I need alterations done on several pieces of women's clothing, somewhat more complicated than just doing hems, so I would like a real tailor, not a dry cleaning shop that does alterations. I've already Googled, but would much prefer a referral to someone whose services you have actually used.

Fabulous Maine Area Dry Cleaner and Tailor?

suki — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:02:49 -0800

I'm looking for a good dry cleaner in Northern New England. And an excellent tailor as well. Any recommendations? I have had too many dresses ruined by local (Portland, Maine) dry cleaners. I'd like to find a place that is used to dealing with delicate, vintage pieces, where they'd have no problem telling me when something cannot be dry cleaned (instead of returning it to me as a bag full of shreds).

I'd also like to find a great tailor.

For the right place, I'd be willing to drive a couple of hours. I am desperate!

Please help me find shirts which are interesting not just for their pattern!

dance — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:45:33 -0800

It would be great if people could share their favourite suppliers/retailers/tailors for affordable, quality shirts. I'm talking about shirts which are either interesting, different or vintage. I'd be especially keen on those with detachable collars - this was in fact the reason for my asking the question. I've been looking around at Vintage Shirt, and what they have is wonderful, including all the related paraphenalia, but it's very expensive. Surely they are cheaper vendors of the same thing? I'm not averse to eBay. I'm in the UK and would appreciate UK retailers (or others - with a focus on international sales!) Thanks very much, I appreciate any help.

Reverse-engineered clothing

ackptui — Mon, 29 May 2006 13:11:03 -0800

Anyone know of a service or business that will reverse-engineer an existing piece of clothing, and either produce a pattern, or be willing to copy it in a different material? Oh yeah, and for not an exhorbitant fee. When I was young, I seem to remember places in Hong Kong that would do this, but I can't seem to find anything now. I have some shirts and pants that fit me well, and want them copied in materials of my choice. I think if I had a pattern I might be able to tackle the sewing, but don't think I can get to that point by myself.

Hong Kong Bespoke

subtle-t — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:36:29 -0800

Your experience with Hong Kong Tailors. Please share your experiences with Hong Kong Tailors, who do you recommend? Who should be avoided? Is someone better at one thing (shirts) than another (suits)? What should I know before going in? I'll be there this summer, and thus am not just looking for someone who does US tours for measurements and ships the work back.

I did search Askme, it seems that although it's been mentioned several times, it's always been tangential to a general bespoke question, or a HK tourism question. Thanks!

Would it be weird to have a tailor clone my favorite pair of shorts?

picea — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 10:12:41 -0800

My favourite pair of shorts is about to die. They're the best shorts I've ever owned and seem to be irreplaceable in this age of cargo-style saturation. How bizarre, difficult and pricey would it be to approach a tailor/seamstress and ask them to dissect the pattern and clone the shorts with new material?

How can I find a good tailor besides trial and error?

SpecialK — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 15:57:29 -0800

ClothingFilter: I need to find a tailor to make some alterations to an expensive sportcoat. The retailer I bought it from only does alterations to new items, and their tailor works for them... I've always had good experiences with that tailor, but the other things I've gotten done (through the place that dry cleans my clothes) really sucked. How can I find a good tailor besides trial and error? Also, does anyone know what the standard turnaround for getting some shirts laundered is? I just started having to wear all this professional stuff regularly, and while I know how to dress and how to select clothes, I'm finding I'm really clueless on the maintenance part. The cleaner in my neighbourhood wants 3 days to wash, starch, and press shirts...

Any other dry cleaning tips would be appreciated. I already know little things like not to leave the plastic tabs in your shirt collar when you send them out to get them cleaned... but like I said, other than that, I'm clueless.