At thirty-one years old, this is the first time I’ve ever needed to buy a suit. Lucky for me, I was traveling through Vietnam where I knew I would be able to find a good tailor in Hoi An.
Working remotely as a graphic designer for a company in France I have never needed one. A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend came home with an invitation to a wedding. She then asked me what I’d be wearing!
I’ve attended a few weddings in my time and seemed to fit in just fine with smart long pants, a long sleeved shirt and good shoes. My girlfriend shook her head at this description and told me (in her own charming way) that it would be a good idea to pop over to Hoi An and order a suit.
But where to begin? I had to start thinking about how to find a good tailor in Hoi An.
How To Find a Good Tailor in Hoi An: Research
The idea of running the gauntlet with the Hoi An cloth shops filled me with horror. I’d seen some of the suits my friends had had made and had been surprised by their quality! So, I did some research into finding a good tailor in Hoi An.
As I did my research, scrolling through the seemingly endless number of web sites and TripAdvisor reviews, I made some key discoveries.
It seems that lots of the tailors in Hoi An offer a ‘personal service’ – where they use an existing shell and modify for the fit. But, through my research, I discovered there is only one which offers a ‘bespoke service’ and that one is PAUL Tailor. They also do all their tailoring in-house. This means every part of the process is made by their committed staff who have a keen eye for quality.
Making A Bespoke Suit At Paul Tailor
As I enter PAUL Bespoke Tailors from the hot street I immediately feel at ease knowing I am in safe hands. The smart looking assistant shows me to the seating area and offers me complimentary bottled water. A stack of stylish men’s magazines sit on the table and I take a look through.
I meet the very charming Nhat Anh, the house designer. Nhat bubbles with enthusiasm while we discuss lapel sizes and whether I want single or double vents for the jacket. Using the pictures in the magazine as a helpful guide Nhat advises me to take flat front trousers and a slim cut leg with ankle skimming trousers for a modern look. Suddenly, I feel completely confident in my choice of PAUL Tailor and know my research has paid off and I have found myself a very competent, very good tailor in Hoi An.
PAUL Tailors are famous for their strong sense of fashion and incredible tradition of bespoke tailoring – craftsmanship, attention to detail & quality fabrics.
Whilst I don’t want a suit that is “this year’s must” or super traditional, I do want a suit that will reflect my age and casual lifestyle. I am delighted to find that I can have both a Saville Row quality suit and an on trend look. Nhat tells me that PAUL Tailors was founded by a Saville Row trained tailor. They now have six stores throughout Vietnam.
The Process Of Making A Tailored Suit
My measurements are taken by the tailor and diligently written down by his assistant. We then move on to look through fabric swatches. I have my heart set on navy blue as I figure a navy blue smart/casual suit will carry me through many occasions from the wedding I am about to attend to a dinner out on the town with my girlfriend. I choose a high quality English fabric which is 100% wool and is made by Huddersfield Cloths of England.
Nhat tells me that when choosing a suit you should look at it as an investment. I had heard this before from a tailor in England when I visited London to attend my friend’s wedding. My friend took me along to his tailor on Savile Row. I was staggered to hear his Savile Row suit had cost four-thousand pounds (GBP) and that my friend had to wait four months to receive it! I feel so lucky to have found a truly good tailor in Hoi An to re-create this Savile Row experience at a fraction of the cost in almost no time at all.
The 3 steps To Making A Savile Row Quality Suit At PAUL Tailors
Step 1 Choosing the style, having measurements taken, choosing the cloth.
Step 2 Having the fitting. This usually happens three days later. (They do offer an expedited service if necessary.) At this stage clients are usually completely happy with their bespoke suit but if any changes are needed it is at this point that those details are taken.
Step 3 Final fitting (if needed). This is the final fitting and happens around three hours after the first fitting. Your suit is now ready to take away with you.
