How to buy a custom tailored men’s suit (in Itaewon)
November 12, 2007
This past summer I decided to retire my standby charcoal gray suit. I bought it off the rack in grad school a few years ago, but over the summer I pretty much wore it out. While I do have other suits, none of them are really suitable as the cornerstone of a business wardrobe like a charcoal grey, Navy blue, or just plain black suit is.
I read a lot on the Style Forum and random websites, but particularly helpful was the GQ Magazine website, including the ‘GQ Rules: How to Amp up your Style in 30 Days’ class. I’m only about halfway through the 30 very brief lessons, but all of the suit-related topics are in the first week or so.
I also scoured Korea’s expat websites and pestered my long-term expat friends for recommendations on where to buy a suit.
[Tip: If you can fit into Korean clothes, you can get very good deals buying off department store sales racks (check out the top floor) and then taking the suits to be altered]
Acting off of a tip, I headed out to Paris Custom Tailor in Itaewon. Before I left, though, I schooled myself on a few of the finer points of suit style:
1) Material: wool (pretty standard. Cashmere and worsted are good bets), cotton (think summer), polyester (think “Two for 200,000″ deals…), tweed (winter), corduroy (hipster), etc.
2) Jacket: length, sleeve length, shoulder fit
3) Style: Buttons, pleats, cuffs, belt loops, lapels, vents
Material
I decided that since this suit is going to be the basis of my business wardrobe that I shouldn’t skimp on the material. I opted for the nicer Super 180 Cashmere Wool. The material you choose dictates the final sale price, so this is the time to negotiate. If you want the nicer material, I recommend hemming and hawing about the fabric and throwing in comments like, “Well, I didn’t really want to spend more than xxxx.” I agreed to pay 500,000 won. I suspect that with some hardcore negotiation I might have gotten it down to 450,000.
Jacket
For a good fit, you have to make sure the jacket is the right length (with your arms straight, you should easily be able to tuck your fingers under the jacket). Also, in order to be stylish, ¼ inch of your dress shirt should show at the bottom of your sleeve. When you go to buy a suit, wear a dress shirt that fits you well and insist that a bit of the shirt shows.
Shoulder fit is also critical. The shoulder pads should come to exactly where your shoulders drop off. If you’re getting the suit tailor-made though, you won’t really be able to tell until the jacket’s almost ready to go. It’s a good idea to mention it to the tailor as your being measured and fitted though.
Style
You actually have a lot of style choice when it comes to your suit. A more conservative suit would be strictly two-button, belt loops, notch lapel and a center vent. If you want to be a little more stylish, there’s the mini-peak lapel, one button, no-belt-loop suit with side vents (It’s currently out of fashion to wear a belt with your suit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the loops). On the other hand, if you’re trying to max out the elegance factor, go for the full peak lapel, three-button (never button the third button unless you’re starring in an NBA press conference) jacket with double pleated and cuffed pants. I think that double-breasted suits are pretty much out of fashion for anyone except pipe-smoking sea captains.
It’s really up to you. I went with no cuff and a single pleat in the pants. Supposedly a pleat makes you a bit slimmer, even though I’ve heard that these days flat-front pants are a bit more in-vogue. Also, P.Diddy likes pleats:
My jacket will have side vents, notch lapel (I wanted a mini-peak but decided to keep it a little conservative since I hope to have the suit for years to come), belt loops (I considered going without but, again, I want the suit a bit impervious to fashion whims), and two-buttons (I had a three-button before and I don’t recommend it for your go-to suit. Maybe on some kind of 2-suit package deal I’ll get another one).
Dress Shirt
Its worth mentioning shirt style since, if you’re getting it custom-made in Asia, there’s a good bet that shirts will be part of the package. There are a few different collar types, but with my massive 19 inch neck I can’t pull of a spread collar (usually worn with a Windsor knot, which doesn’t look good on me either), and I hate button-down collars, which leaves me with a pretty standard collar the name of which I can’t remember right now.
I also chose a pretty standard shirt cuff, though I was tempted to go for the French cuff just for variety.
As a quick aside: Last summer I had four shirts made at three different chains around Seoul all at the same time (I couldn’t find four designs I liked for short-sleeved Button-up shirts in one place). Of these, Luare came back as the clear superior choice and STCO is to be avoided at all costs. I don’t know why they even bothered to take my measurements.
Curveballs
There are three things that will inevitably factor into the negotiations with your tailor. They’ll try to sweeten the deal by making it a package and throwing in shirts, ties and so-called “bargains” on extra pants.
Don’t let them lure you with the extra shirts. Finding places to get a decent shirt custom made in Korea is about as easy as it is to find a good samgyupsal restaurant. Think of them purely as “icing on the cake” but don’t accept the package deal just because of them.
On the other hand, if the topic of shirts never comes up in the negotiations, you could always try the classic negotiation tag-question. While you’re getting measured (or somewhere after it’s clear that you’re happy with the price and will move forward with the deal, but haven’t yet paid) innocently ask; “Now this comes with a [couple] shirt[s], right?”
The shirts generally come out alright, but I’ve always found the ties atrocious at these places, so in my opinion they’re not worth worrying about.
Extra pants will also come up. This pretty much depends on how much wear and tear you put your suit through. While no one wears their suits roller-blading, do consider the stress of getting out of taxis, running to catch a bus, etc. The very reason I finally had to retire my trusty 3-button charcoal grey suit was that the pants wore out. I got them fixed once, but the very next time I wore them, the hole in the crotch opened right up, bigger than before.
The Tailor
Finding a good tailor is critical. I had a bad experience with a Bangkok tailor (never trust taxi and tuk-tuk drivers for fashion advice- they get a kick-back on your purchase), as well as a so-so experience (got a recommendation for a good place, but now that I’ve learned quite a bit more, I’m noticing some imperfections). Given the pushiness of the random dudes hawking custom suits on the street in Itaewon I was very reluctant to go there.
I tried places in Shinseagae Department store but was turned off when only one of the shops were interested in talking to me (even though I was inquiring in Korean), and they outright lied to me about their company’s history (Cambridge Members is definitely NOT a New York City company trying to break into the Korean market. Quite the opposite, actually, though I heard the place does have a good reputation).
Finally I found Paris through a thread on Galbijim.
I went there a couple months ago just to scope the place out and found them to be friendly and not pushy, so when I was ready to finally do it, I knew where to go. I’m going to hold off giving the place my full recommendation, though, until I see the final product. If you want to check it out on your own, from Itaewon station, go to the subway exit closest to Coffee Bean (there used to be a Burger King there), and walk East. It’s the very next shop after KB Bank. Look for the big red sign that says “Paris Custom Tailor.” I’ll get the exact subway exit when I pick up the suit.
The key is patience. Take your time, ask around, and while you’re doing that, educate yourself about what you want. Don’t be afraid to look at the styles in the ads of lifestyle magazines like GQ and Men’s Health. Heck, pay attention to movies and TV shows you like and notice how stars with a similar look/body type are outfitted.
Price
I initially negotiated a final price of 500,000 for a suit with no shirts, but the salesman told me that extra pants cost 100,000. He just mentioned it in passing and wasn’t giving it a hard sell, which was greatly appreciated and made me trust him a little more, leading to me actually consider the extra pants. I decided to give it a shot and got one extra pair of matching pants.
I also recently watched the movie Lions for Lambs (the movie made an excellent point but felt like it was thrown together in Redford’s spare time), which features Tom Cruise looking fantastically sharp in a suit vest sans jacket through much of it. Considering that I always look like a slob when I take off my suit jacket, I recalled the times I’ve worn tuxedos and was always impressed by the way I looked in a formal vest. A vest was another 100,000 on the price. Definitely expensive, but I was considering adding the pants and the vest at the same time so my girlfriend put on her best cutsie face and pressed the salesman to throw in a couple shirts. He agreed and that nudged me over the edge. 700,000 won for a three-piece cashmere wool suit, extra pants and two shirts. After my next paycheck I may buy a couple more shirts at Luare and a couple ties from Andrew’s Ties, which I’ve always been impressed with.
I’ll also say that stitching my name on the inside of the jacket and on the shirts is a nice touch by Paris.
All in all, I’m fairly confident in my purchase. It really helped to know what I wanted before I walked in, if only for the reason that I knew I wasn’t going to get talked into something I didn’t understand. I should have researched the specific fabric I chose a little more, but since I just walked in and told him a list of what I wanted, I don’t think he would have tried to put one past me.
FYI: A random shopkeeper in a high-end men’s clothing shop off Rodeo in Apgujeong that I dropped by said that a Korean chain called Ettoui (에뚜와, I think, in Korean) does good work with quality materials. I didn’t think anything of it at the time because I had no idea where I could find one of those, but have since noticed one not far from where I live, so I’ll probably go there next Spring when I’m in the market for my first real summer (cotton) suit.
The Waiting Game
The suit will be ready for me to pick up at the end of this week. I’m anxiously awaiting the results and will definitely post more about this later.
In the mean time, what do you think? 700,000 is definitely more than I intended to spend, but I’m hoping it’s worth it. Did I get ripped off?
Do you have a place to recommend that gave you a great deal, or had a superior quality end product? How about a good place for a woman’s suit? Let’s hear about it in the comments section!
in 2002 I bought a suit there. Its been the most veritile thing in my closet. I love it and it doesnt wrinkle it ran me about 400 US dollars.
Steve do you have Paris’s address I need to purchase a suit also I had some customs shirts made about in the vicinity although I cant remember the name they are on the corner of the same side of the street. the sign says custom shirts, I would love to order some from they too. Any help would be great
Shane
Thanks for writing! I waited to respond because I was going to look at the card at my house last night, but I forgot and didn’t want to make you wait anymore.
Paris really isn’t that hard to find though. And I just found a pretty great map of Itaewon!:
http://www.enjoyitaewon.com/map/itaewonmap.html
It’s exit 3 from Itaewon Station and I think it will be building number 8 or 9 after that.
Hahn’s, on the other hand, is out of Exit 4, then walk all the way to the end of the street. I’m pretty sure it would be either building 31, 32, or 33. I’ve never actually been there myself, but I know Suji’s is in one of those buildings.
Also, I’ve recently heard from several sources that Hahn’s is hands down the best place in Itaewon to get bespoke clothes made. It’s underneath Suji’s restaraunt. I don’t really know how to explain where it is other than it’s past the McDonald’s.
Also if you’ve got a bit of a higher budget (around 1.5 mil to spend on a suit), the best taylor in Korea is supposed to be in Intercontinental hotel at COEX.
Hey it’s crazy to find this as I’m looking to get a suit now too! Hope it goes well, I may get copycat if it works out!
I had Hilton make me a dress shirt, it fell apart in the wash. Guess that was my lesson to only dry clean dress clothes haha.
Do suits wrinkle? I’m thinking of shipping mine to Vietnam in a month.
Good luck.
Suits certainly do wrinkle. If you purchase higher quality material and get a fully canvassed jacket (has an inner lining to make the suit hang better), it will be more resistant to wrinkling.
For traveling, you can always just carefully pack it by laying it over the top of everything else in your bag, and then when you arrive, immediately pull it out and hang it up in the bathroom and leave the shower running as hot as possible.
OR, you can just get a travel bag for the suit (most tailors give them for free, but of course if you spend money, you can get really nice ones) and take it as carry-on.
I don’t think you have to always dry clean your shirts. Ask the tailor first. One tip I picked up somewhere was to always dry clean dark-colored dress shirts so they don’t fade.
Also make sure never to dry clean your suits more than once a month (though you can have the cleaner press it for you), unless absolutely necessary. The chemicals used in dry cleaning will be hard on the suit if you do it too much.
there’s a good discussion going on over on Dave’s about this right now:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=33604&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=abbbceae58084201085bea8921574d32
For dress shirts, I recommend Hamilton shirts or Hahns. Hamilton is in Itaewon, about halfway between Hahn’s and the subway station. There’s another location between Yeoksam station and Seollung station in Gangnam though. If Gangnam’s convenient for you, I’d go there because there’s 4 times as much space and half the people crammed in there.
I’ve been to quite a few tailors over the 6 years I’ve been here, and I’ve finally chosen a permanent tailor.
I learned a lot about suit construction, fit, quality, and cost and I can wholeheartedly endorse and recommend Mr. Lee at Manchester Tailor in the International Underground Market, past Starbucks near the entrance of Itaewon on the Right Side of the street. All of the suits are completely handmade, have a full canvas, have real silk linings, and warranty workmanship for years. The price is almost unbelievable for the quality you get (I was quoted at least 100,000 won more for the same suit with the same fabric at other tailors, and you can’t really guarantee quality until you have the final product in-hand.)
It’s little things like good pick stitching, working sleeves, a true buttonhole on the lapel, custom linings (they special ordered a whole bolt of a royal blue paisley print silk lining for my future orders at no cost to me!) A comfortable and good looking fit, a flowing drape of the fabric, and attention to detail everywhere you can possibly think of looking that really sold me on this shop.
You can check out their website at www.manchestertailor.com, but it hasn’t been updated for years. The contact info is still good, though.
I would most definitely steer clear of Sam’s Tailor and HOLLY WOOD tailor - They’re all machine made with almost no attention to detail, fused canvas, irregular stitching, and baggy and non-form fitting. In at least one of the suits I got from HOLLY WOOD I was told it was wool, but I came home and snipped some extra material from the inside of the pants and did a burn test, and it was most definitely polyester. I did buy it 5 years ago (when I was still young and in the military) and I don’t even know where his shop is-he came on base with a suitcase.
Paris, Han’s, and Seville Row are all highly regarded shops, and you will pay a premium (well worth it) for the reputation.
Capital Town (Mr. Kim, Byung Hak- 797-7697 http://www.capital.wo.ro/) and Alpha Tailor (Steve or Jason, 793-0164) also have a good reputation. I have friends who are happy with their purchases from both. The construction quality and attention to detail is very high, and you won’t pay as much as at the aforementioned tailors.
Another note- If a tailor doesn’t schedule a second fitting, walk out of the shop.
As for shirts, Hamilton can’t be beat. They have the best selection of quality fabrics, and once you order from them once you can get an online account and build shirts online! HS76.com is their website, and they just opened up a gorgeous shop right next to their old one.
If you want more info about how a suit is properly constructed, take a look at http://www.englishcut.com/archives/000020.html
You can’t get true bespoke (where the tailor draws the pattern directly by hand [versus using a premade pattern], you take 30-40 measurements, 3-4 fittings, and it takes 2-3 months to finish.) tailoring anywhere in Itaewon. I looked and looked. BUT if you are an informed consumer, you can get a superb suit that will last you for years for a very reasonable price.
Quick note: On the left hand side of itaewon, near hamilton, are other tailors named “Hollywood” (not HOLLY WOOD) and “manchester” with a small M. These are not the tailors above referenced and I am not familiar with them. The Manchester tailor that I use has been there since 1979.
Awesome tips Jeff!
You put my advice to shame!
I have purchased from Hahn’s Tailor in Itaewon for a number of years. Mr. Yun is the person that I deal with and he is very professional and is a true Korean gentleman. The suits are completely hand tailored and the prices are very reasonable, his fabrics are all imported from Europe. All of his dealings with me have been upfront and honest. While you may pay slightly more at his shop, the quality is much better than anything you will receive in most shops in the area. I have sent many friends to his establishment and they have all been pleased with his work. He is at the very end of Itaewon (near the gate) and does not have someone out front begging for business.
I order some shirts from Hamilton shirt and I have gotten no response. Are they still in business? They do not repond to phone number on their website, fax or email. If anyone has insight please email me
Brian,
It seems like you maybe placed your order online? I’m noticing that the Hamilton website hasn’t been updated in ages. It’s possible they don’t really work online that much anymore, so I’d suggest stopping by one of their shops in person.
c brown,
That’s great. Thanks for the comment!
I’ll hopefully get the chance to try out Hahn’s myself in the next
month or two, depending on how my finances play out.
I am in new york and don’t plan to be back in town for a while. Is there any other way to contact Hamilton shirts besides info on the web site or walking in? Does any one have other phone numbers or email addresses? Thanks
I’ve purchased four suits over the years from Hahn’s Tailors. He is a little pricier than others but I have finally worn out my first suit I bought from him almost 10 years ago (a worsted wool charcoal grey suit) . My job requirements have changed and I no longer go to Seoul. Anyway if anyone could send me his snail mail and email addresses (website although I don’t remember him having one) I would be most grateful. I haven’t changed much since my last fitting and I hope he has my measurements on file. I would like to see what he can do via an overseas job! Thanx.
There’s a little place called Lee’s tailor, if you turn left at the Hamilton Hotel and continue a bit. He’s not pushy but suggestive, in the kind of way that made me really think about what I wanted. He had plenty of ‘look books’ so we could check out different styles. His suits are handmade and have the canvas lining (I didn’t even know what this was until long after I had purchased my first suit from him). His style is very Korean and a bit more conservative, but well-fit and very classic. I’m thinking of getting a slim-style suit from him for my next one, though I am interested in checking out these other places, especially Hamilton for shirts and Manchester for suits.
Mr. D.W. Lee’s prices were 300 for a two piece and 40 for shirts. The shirts I have gotten from him have been excellent, very comfortable fabric and well-fitted. personally I don’t blame him for a slightly loose fit: it’s the typical business style, and I didn’t ask for a skinny style.I am going to see if he can slim the silhouette, sleeve, pants, and shirts for me though.
Anyway, I had some A/S alterations from him for no charge when I wanted the waist to sit a bit lower. Two friends have not had a good experience with him, though - one is my girlfriend, who is still looking for a place that dopes a modern, sexy ladies suit well (not Mr. Lee’s specialty), and one friend was looking for a very stylized, super-high collar arty/mad scientist kind of thing and Mr. Lee ended up giving him an extended Mjandarin collar, so my friend wasn’t too happy with that and still hasn’t picked up the suit or paid the extra half for it.
In all, the detailing on my suits is excellent, the fit is near perfect (I say near because I have no idea what a perfect fit is, it’s not like I’ve ever been custom fitted in a Corneliana shop or anything, but I did examine some 2,000USD Armani suits the other day very closely, and the stitching and details in my suits are every bit as good, so take that overpriced designer labels!). I wear Mr. D.W. Lee’s suits every day for work (public high school).
The only thing is this - I had no idea about functional jacket sleeves and lapel buttonholes, etc, so I never asked and have come to realize that this was an oversight. I did ask last time I went in to get some matching vests made (110 per)and was told it would be no problem. I can’t say I’m too disappointed, though I do love details. Whenever I roll my sleeves up, it’s time to ditch the jacket anyway.
To get there, go out the Hamilton exit at Itaewon station and turn left, so you’re walking away from the Hamilton but on the same side of the street as the Hamilton. D.W. Lee is a short, older gentleman and in my experience he’s been quite nice.
Well first off thanks for this site and the video that’s posted, its helped a lot and the comments have given me a lot to think about. I’m looking into buying a suit next month and am interested in going to Manchester Tailor but I clicked on the website and it’s not working so I was wondering if it was still in business. if you what is the phone number or a different website.
thanks
Hi Ron,
You can reach Mr. Yun at Hahn’s at: hahnstailor@hotmail.com - they do not have a website. I am sorry I do not have a street address for him. The phone number is: +82-02-793-0830. Tell him that I sent you back -
Last month I purchased two suits, a dinner jacket and a trench coat. One of my colleagues purchased two suits. I have purchased 10-15 suits from him over the last several years and they are all excellent quality. I am glad to hear that I have another 7 or so years left to wear them!
C Brown
Hi,
Does anyone have any info on tailors in either Daegu or Busan? I need a suit and some shirts but I really do not have the time to make the 8 hour round trip to Seoul.
Thanks!
I too have dealt with Mr. Lee at Manchester tailors many times over this past year. I have been quite happy with the quality and workmanship. The attention to detail is great! I usually got a shirt and 2piece suit package for around 300k won. Sometimes 2shirts… But they are quite cheap elsewhere. I havent had any problems and the suits are great. Do the wrinkle test with the fabrics there… it makes sense… that way you dont have to burn a hole in them ironing!
i have sent many friends to him, and they have all been happy!