Bespoke Suit and Jacket Assistance required.

[El Presidente]

Di and I are heading off to Vietnam in a few weeks for a break (don't worry...I will be working from there and Lisa will be taking over the ship here ).

I have lost some weight over the past 6 months coming down from a high of 110kg to around 90-91 now. That is all good I know but the wardrobe (by need) is undergoing a major refurbishment (Don't worry Ken, loud shirts are being restocked ).

None of my suits or jackets fit any longer.

So in Vietnam I am going to have a pair of suits made and a pair of jackets (one formal/one fun).

I am flat out this week, in the warehouse next week and fly out that Saturday so little time for research.

If anyone knows of a great tailor in Ho Chi Min or Ho Ann Vietnam, let me know

What I need more than anything right now is some ideas!

If you have a great suit or jacket....post up a pic of you in it!

if you have found a cracking suit or Jacket online that you have had your eye on....post up a pic!

If there are do's and don'ts of bespoke suits....let me know please

The only requirement I will have will be three special pockets on the inside of the jackets for a cutter, lighter and three individual tubos.

let me know your ideas/input. I come from the land of beaches and shorts. Formal here is dress trousers, light jacket and no tie .....so this realm is not my strong point

[tmac77]

Get yourself one of these Rob

[El Presidente]

Get yourself one of these Rob

.....I am liking it

[OZCUBAN]

No pic as yet as I have not had a chance to where my new Ted Baker jacket purchased in Sinapore cannot get back in Perth

I like TED BAKER well made gear with attention to detail

Plus a bit hot here to wear

Cheers Steve

[mrsgucia]

You have lost 20kg in 6 month! How come you didn't register for FOH Fat Bastard competition ? You could have won it! Congrats!

[Dara]

What about a linen suit Rob? (Sure to be handy in the heat). I saw a lovely Canali light blue linen suit last summer but couldn't justify it with the Irish weather :-(

[tmac77]

You have lost 20kg in 6 month! How come you didn't register for FOH Fat Bastard competition ? You could have won it! Congrats!

10kg of it was his haircut

[El Presidente]

You have lost 20kg in 6 month! How come you didn't register for FOH Fat Bastard competition ? You could have won it! Congrats!

Cheers! I wanted to change a few things permanently so have avoided comps/diets etal.

[torsion]

Rob, I'm big on suits and wear one 5 days a week. If you're looking for something formal get navy blue. I don't have experience with Vietnamese tailors and I'd tread with caution however really depends what your budget is, there's various levels of made to measure and bespoke.

Here's an example of what my preference is, Italian style, soft shoulder construction, wide lapels and tapered leg trousers

Btw I have no affiliation to the guys I've just posted and just an example!

[wea1959]

Advice: bring your own shoes and ask for extra material on the seams for adjustments.

[El Presidente]

Rob, I'm big on suits and wear one 5 days a week. If you're looking for something formal get navy blue. I don't have experience with Vietnamese tailors and I'd tread with caution however really depends what your budget is, there's various levels of made to measure and bespoke.

Cheers for that. Within reason budget is not a constraint. Simply wish the best i can get as I rarely wear a suit

[Ken Gargett]

10kg of it was his haircut

the other 10kg was his ego.

[El Presidente]

the other 10kg was his ego.

Give me a break....I haven't lost any ego

[merc]

A lot of tailors will say they are good enough that they can do it with 1 fitting, and have your suit to you in 24 hours. Don't believe them.

- Make sure you insist on multiple fittings.

- Take along photos of what you want

- Avoid fabrics that have too much sheen (or are generally shiny). They look pretty in the store, they wont look as great on you.

- For your build, I would ask for natural shoulders/minimal padding - this isn't the 1980's anymore and big shoulderpads are out

[LGC]

Don't know about Vietnam, but I couldn't find good fabric in China. I bought my own material, liner, and buttons in the states. I sent them materials to copy the suits, after I had the final suit finished.

I would count on at least 2 fittings to get it right.

Do bring pics of every single detail that you are after.

[Fuzz AI]

Asked a friend who travels to Ho Chi Minh City several times a year, and she suggested the following stores:

Cao Minh - District 3, 47 Tran Cao Van St

Tricia & Verona - District 1, 39 Dong Du St (Di can get a matching dress)

Dung Tailor - District 1, 241A De Tham St (good for linen suits)

Some tailors will not allow you to use anything but their own fabric, so check before you go to the fabric markets. And when choosing fabrics, you need to drape, stretch and crumple the fabric to understand how it will look and behave once it gets sewn. Fabric at the markets are not pre-washed, so they may shrink a little, so make sure the tailor leaves material for later adjustment.

Don't forget to get some tailored shirts to go with your suit. And if you want, some tailored shoes too.

[WarriorPrincess]

Apparently shoes are not that great in Vietnam so part of shopping is not going to happen

But......handbags are great over there so I will have room to buy handbags to match "some " of my shoes

can't wait

[Fuzz AI]

Don't buy pre-made shoes from a store, get them tailor made. Plenty of cobblers around to choose from.

[PapaDisco]

If you have a tailor you trust to do the work right, then the biggest issue in Vietnam is fabric and idiosyncratic issues with fitting non-asian body types. Of what I've had made here (mostly dress trousers) the fabric has always been a big disappointment; soft in the hand but scratchy once you get it on and not wearing terribly well. The truth is that there's quite a big difference between Super 120's wool twill from different mills. The tailors here do have a wide selection of colors and material, but I always notice that they're missing Loro Piana and that says something about the quality of what's available in Vietnam. Also, with all the materials being imported it puts the price up at $1,000-$1,200 per suit; not the great bargain that myth would have us believe.

If you have a source for fabric in Brisbane, I'd pick it up there and bring it with you. You'll need 3-4 yards for a suit. The labor to make it here will be $100-$200, so it's really the fabric that runs up the price. Also, strangely enough, they don't have a wide selection of silk blends for men (plenty for women though), which are great for hot weather sport coats. For the wool suits, get 120-130's Super worsted wool twill, it will be light enough to wear in the tropics and lasts a long time. I've got a few suits in Super 150's, which is even nicer to wear, but the material just gets too delicate to travel well.

In Vietnam they'll do a good job making custom pockets and such, but you want to make sure that they make the regular pants pockets deep enough (they often come out too shallow), and that the lining in the trousers is long enough (they frequently cut it too short for taller body types so the end comes just above you knee, producing an uncomfortable wool-on-knee experience when sitting).

[El Presidente]

Superb information gents. Much appreciated

[CigarDarr111]

1. Buy a two piece darker color (2 or 3 button) narrow thin pin stripes (subtle pins), thin pins give a slimming effect and are very versatile with any color shirt tie combo. plus coat can be warn with jeans and simple open collared white shirt for casual atire 2. Three piece greyish in color, zenga has great fabrics that drape well over the shoulders and chest. Make sure to "skirt" the coats from the arm pits to waist to give a slimming effect (V taper for broad shoulders and slim waist look). Three piece is perfect for dressy occasion and vest can be worn without the coat on hot days and still be dressy. The best thing about having 2 different color suits is you can mix match the vest, coat and pants.. the possibilities are endless and you will have many different outfits for many different occasions with only 2 suits.. dont forget the spend a lil extra on a nice fabric it just as important and a oily wrapper on the perfectly constructed cigar.. the cut of the fabric is as important as the fabric so find a master tailor, the garment will last you 10-15-20 years if the right tailor constructs these pieces. *Ps Just go to Saville Row in London if you wanna do it right*

[Skyfall]

just make sure your initials are on your french cuff....baller!

[Ken Gargett]

leaving all the crap aside, if you are serious about this, winemaking kiwi mate of mine (yes, i have them) from central otago, who is known for clothes that would even embarrass you, was there recently. came back with the best clobber you've ever seen. a matching suit, belt and shoes (possibly shirt - my eyes had given out) in snakeskin. sensational!

i can get the details.

he looked like he'd been swallowed by a black and white python.

[ChanceSchmerr]

Rob, go to Cao Minh in Ho Chi Minh City - I went there in 2008 with a couple of friends on a recommendation and we all got suits there that we love. I'm looking for a good photo to post but havn't found one yet - exams this week so I've got that on the brain.

My suit is a Dark Blue Silk pinstripe suit, very well made and it's held up extremely well, paid a very very reasonable price (under $200 US, can't remember exactly now, but I remember being shocked at how low for the quality). I also sprung for an Egyptian Cotton Dress shirt to go with it, with French Cuffs, also very reasonably priced with it. Cao Vinh will stitch your name inside, I'm sure they can help with your inner pocket requests, and they will keep your measurements on file so you can have additional suits made as well if you're happy with the initial purchase.

Hope that helps! I think it took a day or two to have them made. I agree with the fabric comments made earlier - I went through a lot of fabrics before I found the one I wanted, some are less than adequate (if you look closely you can tell), so do check it out closely or bring your own.

[PapaDisco]

Cao Minh is a great example of what I'm talking about. I priced a suit there this year (prices have run up a lot in HCMC since 2008) using the same Loro Piana wool that Hickey Freeman uses in their off-the-rack suits and the price at Cao Minh was $1,200. You get a custom versus a tailored rack suit, but it's 'supposed' to be cheap-as-chips to get bespoke in Vietnam (Pakistan, India, Thailand, you fill in the blank).

Cao Minh can make a suit for less, but it all comes down to the material you pick, as it's very expensive here for them to import fabric (lots of duty and the currency doesn't work in their favor). Stuff that feels good in the hand doesn't always work as well on the body. Probably with someone knowledgeable about alternative british and italian mills (the Vietnamese tailors stock a lot of the fabrics from these) one could make it all work out; but as yet I've been unable to crack the code on this one!