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Old 03-02-2008, 23:04
Evil Penevil's Avatar
Evil Penevil Evil Penevil is offline
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About 99% of the tailor shops in Thailand are "measurers," not tailors. The clothes you order are actually sewn in off-premise central sweat shops. But there are a few real tailors in Bangkok. One is Narin Couture on Sukhumvit Road 180, between Soi 8 and Soi 10 (it's closer to Soi 10). The owner, Peter, is Chinese Thai and has European training (worked in Paris before). He is a Zegna-certified tailor and all his stuff is sewn on the premises under his supervision. Becoming a Zegna-certified tailor is very difficult, sort of like winning a gold medal in the Olympics. Farang diplomats and business execs, as well as high-powered Thais, use his services.

The best fabrics in the world come from Italy - Ermenegildo Zegna or Loro Piana - and Peter does suits in both. They aren't cheap, expect to pay a minimum of $700 for a suit from Narin, but it is top quality fabric and tailoring and would cost at least US$2,000 in North America. He requires a minimum (that's minimum) of three fittings (he'll want five for a Zegna suit) and it takes 4-5 days to finish, assuming he has the fabric on hand.

One sign that he sells on reputation and quality is the absence of any touts for his shop.

Evil
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