So, what should you do if you are in desperate need of some new threads while in Asia? Definitely head to Hoi An and get yourself to a tailor!
The
streets of the small centre of Hoi An are lined with tailors offering to create
just about any outfit imaginable. Mannequins stand in shop fronts wearing tops,
trousers, dresses, menswear, coats and jackets; we even saw one sporting a seriously
snazzy gold sequinned catsuit!
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| Tailor shop, Hoi An, Vietnam |
To
decide which tailor to visit you can stroll looking for outfits you like (they
all have examples of their work in and around the shops) and request they make
the same in your size. This is perhaps the safer option as it keeps
communication to a minimum (since miscommunications with tailors can be
disastrous!) and you don’t risk a particularly complicated design going wrong.
Or you can do a bit of research on Tripadvisor before arriving and see which
tailors have good write-ups in the weeks before you go, taking all reviews with
a pinch of salt (we all have different ways of seeing things, afterall). This
is how we decided on a tailor.
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| Fabrics at a tailor shop in Hoi An, Vietnam |
We
went prepared with some photos of the clothing we wanted. The tailor examined
them and measured us. Alarmingly the measurements were cried out across the
store to a girl noting them all down, but fortunately in Vietnamese. We then
selected the fabrics we wanted and were told to return the next day for a
fitting.
On
our next trip to the store we were gobsmacked by the amount of work that had
been completed overnight. Incredibly, 12 men’s work shirts, two dresses, five
tops and a skirt had been put together. We tried them on and the tailor noted
necessary adjustments.
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| Trying on clothes at a tailor shop in Hoi An, Vietnam |
We
revisited again the next day and were very happy with the results. The tailor
was very particular about the finish of the items however and wouldn’t let us
take them with us. She insisted they check every detail of the work first and
deliver the clothing to our hotel later that day.
We
made sure we visited a tailor on the first day of our stay in Hoi An, as we
expected it may take a few days to make the clothes. As it turned out it was
really the tweaking of the clothes that took the time. In total we made three trips
to our tailor over three days. So, if you want to get some clothes made while
you are in Vietnam, make sure you are prepared to make a few visits to the
tailor and allow them time to change things.
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| Trying on clothes at a tailor shop in Hoi An, Vietnam |
Two
tops were made so small we could not close the zip, which must be an error in
the reading of the measurements (because the size was so clearly wrong), and
this was quickly remedied. Otherwise the garments were all made beautifully and
precisely to our sizes. We went to Wall Street Tailors at 667 Hai Ba Trung and
would happily use them again. They made a silk dress for me that I have worn a lot.
This
was my first experience of having clothes made specifically for me by a tailor
and I wasn’t disappointed. The dresses and tops I had made are fantastic
quality, fit me perfectly and the total price was less than half the price I
would have paid for similar items in Europe or Australia.
What
would you like to get made at the tailors in Hoi An?
