Job Discussion Forums

[s10czar]

Hello,

I'm flying in this week to start the CELTA course and would like to upgrade my wardrobe while I'm in town. I need a few pairs of slacks as well as several shirts and ties.

What I would like to do is travel light and get all my business attire (minus shoes of course, I'll be bringing those) on Sunday afternoon prior to starting the course on Monday.

Doable? I'm a fairly big guy, being about 6'1" 200 lbs.

thanks

[I'm With Stupid]

I'd suggest you bring one set of clothing and get the rest made at the tailors when you get here. Obviously that'll take about a day.

[tefl peasant]

I've used tailors for years in the two cities in Vietnam.

I used to swear by them. But now I honestly believe if you want good quality and good value buy your clothes in the US, or west and bring them.

Tailor made clothes here - even high end fabric - just don't last very long, and are too sensitive to colors fading, and threads hanging.

The collars for tailor made shirts are the worst. I do not understand.

The collars bend and contort, and the collars often fray.

The last couple of years (sad to say) I bought teaching shirts that looked very professional off of the rack at the basic lower end mall store like Meryins, etc and not only are they cheaper but they last a lot longer than that tailor made clothes I used to buy here.

[s10czar]

Thanks

Stateside I've been buying all of my business attire at The Men's Warehouse and have noticed the same thing...my shirts don't last through the year before becoming faded and threadbare. A few years ago you could count on a shirt lasting 2 years at the least. That's why need to revamp in HCMC.

So what do the tailormade shirts and slacks cost?

[hot_rock]

Extremely cheap...but in my experience he's right about the lack of durability.

I think shirts (fitted, obviously) cost about $12...maybe less actually. Trousers about $25, and there are some ridiculously intricate silk ties for under $5. You can basically buy a whole new extensive wardrobe (minus suit jackets, which you won't need), including a couple of pairs of shoes for $300.

But yes, durability is a problem. A couple of shirts I've bought have been fine, but with one the colour drained out of it, and the collar sort of it and the collar sort of curled up and became unusable. My advice is to buy the cotton, rather than silk, shirts, with a SOFT collar rather than hard (with plastic inside; this is what disintegrated).

I've never heard of the menswear stores mentioned in the thread so far but to be honest they sound low-grade and I wouldn't be surprised if durability was as much of an issue with them as with VN tailors.

I've always found that if you really want a garment to last, you have to buy designer; in Vietnam we have many Pierre Cardin stores. Like a lot of brand-name clothing, this stuff is made in VN and sold here much cheaper than its western RRP. The Cardin garments are IMO by no means as stylish as the top designers (e.g. Armani, Boss), of course, but the material, stitching, collar etc. are of similar quality. I think the stuff in there is about 2-3 times the price of stuff in the tailors; still cheap, especially for a world-renowned brand.

A lot of the big-brand stuff is the same price, if not dearer, in VN than in the West, but there are other VN-made brand items to look out for if you want a bargain. On Pasteur (street) in D1 is an "Adidas Outlet" store which I've bought a lot of sports gear from e.g. shorts, trainers, tennis polo shirts. Its all made in VN but either with a microscopic fault in the stitching or simply an item that they've made too much of. Very cheap for what you're getting; avoid fake goods (esp trainers) like the plague because they will fall apart.

[tefl peasant]

[I'm With Stupid]

I've had no problems with off the rack shirts. I bought a couple of Mattana ones and a brand called Novelty, which is sold in the supermarket in those plastic packs. Trousers, on the other hand, have been very dubious. Nothing compared to the cheap brands back in the UK in terms of quality.

[hot_rock]

Why would you buy off-the-rack in VN when you can get them tailor-fitted in 24 hours?

Obviously the durability thing...but you didn't know that.

[blateson]

[DNK]

Yeah, I have to second the tailor-made stuff not holding up well. The stitching is really weak stuff (and the tailors don't always get the dimensions right). The silks here also don't hold up well, and I'm not sure a lot of laundry places handle them correctly either. That said, silk shirts are extremely pleasant to wear in the heat, and as they don't cost that much (about the same as a decent tee in the States), I suppose getting a few tailored couldn't hurt.

I've seen a few "Ralph Lauren" stores in the area selling full length cotton work shirts for about $10. Not sure how they'll hold up (tbh, their polos I've bought in the US were pretty weak despite their high price, so I don't have high hopes, but the patterns are a lot better than the typical Vietnamese stuff). There are a couple of those SW of CMT8 on Nguyen Dinh Chien (something like that) in D3.

The big local brands, An Phuoc and P. Cardin, seem perfectly fine and at the very least are a good step above the generic, cheap brands in the US. I really dislike their shirt patterns, but their slacks look solid.

Shoes seem to be the big issue anyway if you have normal size feet. Good luck with finding those.

[tefl peasant]

[hot_rock]

An Phuoc and Pierre Cardin are one and the same. The latter is the name throughout the world and the former in VN.

I think perhaps the Americans among us are used to slightly cheaper garments at home (cheaper prices in menswear stores). I'm from the UK and to be honest, the tailored stuff here is still by far the best value. The stuff in the Uk for the same of slightly higher price is tacky, absolutely devoid of character or class. And i really enjoy picking the fabric and having it fitting perfectly.

But yes a lot of the tailored stuff doesn't last. Its has to be said, its often aimed at tourists. But it does look great for a couple of months ... and a tailored shirt for less than an hour's work is good in my book; I enjoy replenishing my wardrobe.

[tefl peasant]

[Flashman]

Cheers for this thread OP. I'll be bringing my Jermyn Street collection with me on the basis of this!

[tefl peasant]