Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cdninkorea]

[tator]

Freddy, I was going to PM you but I don't have 25 posts yet. How much does that Manchester place charge for custom shirts? I will be coming to Korea in the next month or so, and am very interested in picking up some nice shirts when I get there. Would you recommend any other places for custom shirts (I'm not ready to buy a suit just yet)?

[cwflaneur]

I too prefer custom-made (preferably full bespoke) instead of off-the-rack suits, but I will never again spend money on Asian-made clothes outside of Hong Kong. I recommend Chan Tailors of Hong Kong, who happen to travel to many major cities worldwide; they produce a real bespoke garment.

I'm happy for the op that he found a tailor he's happy with, but my only experiences were so bad I can't be bothered to try again. Much of the problem is in the communication, I think; the bespoke experience is something that requires good communication between tailor and client, and even when it wasn't exactly a linguistic problem, I just couldn't get through to them that I wanted some details this way instead of that way. For what it's worth, I gave it a try twice. It was tedious and passable at one tailor, and scandalously substandard the other. (Mind you though, I'm the sort who cares about things like button positioning, the weight of the canvassing, moderated shoulders, the shape of the jacket's pockets, the particular size shape and length of the trousers, lapels of an exact size and shape, the origin of the fabric, so...)

But honestly, you can find find suits of better quality on ebay for the same price as the average Korean custom experiment.

On this note, has anyone ever been to a country where the men look as terrible in suits as they do Korea? Mainland China is the only place that comes to mind. Even the businessmen of India have a somewhat better idea of how to suit up. I found three categories of suit wearers in my time in Korea:

1. Mr Ajjossi. The shoulders on his jacket extend about 3 inches too far on both sides. The jacket sleeves are so long they completely cover his shirt cuffs and go down to his thumbs. As for the trousers, they are so frickin long that they bunch up into a deep and unsightly puddle of cloth around the ankles, a truly dispiriting sight to behold.

2. Mr Silverfish. He's always in his 30s for some reason. I give him this name because his suit is evidently made of some metallic silvery substance. I have concluded that there is some sort uncanny time tunnel connecting 1980s Los Angeles with 21st century Seoul; maybe these guys are being spat out through that tunnel directly from the Koreatown of the Eighties. (Be sure to carry sunglasses at all times in Korea, because you will need them when the reflective glare from one of these suits comes into view.)

3. Mr One Button. The younger crowd, for the most part. His picture appears in most recent dictionaries that have an entry for the term 'fashion victim', and also for 'famine victim'. His chief identifying marks: The one-button jacket with peak lapels: a feature which, while not always a disaster on its own, combines for bad effect with the strangulatory fit of the jacket on his already slender frame; and from the back, the shortness of the jacket guarantees a good show for onlookers of a voyeuristic persuasion. Note: there are some slightly older and less emaciated guys in this category; the tightness of the fit, in their case, causes a 'wrapped-sausage' effect instead of the famine victim / androgyne thing. This suit is black, not silver, but like the previous, it is constructed from some material related to the metallic alloys that are used in Hyundai's sedans.

All three of the above suits are worn with neckties that are primarily of a pale fluorescent hue, decorated with magic glitter and sparkle dust.

[cwflaneur]

Oh and the shoes... square-toed duck-bill shoes straight out of the 1990s on 1. Pointy-toed elf shoes made of stiff plastic on 2 and 3.

[SeoulNate]

[TDR]

[freddy teacher]

hey, was wondering if anyone had the pleasure of going to manchester. i'd like to know your experience so i can report back to him and tell him how to improve.

im planning on going today to get another suit and some shirts, ill let you know how it goes.

edit: i bought 2 more suits and 2 more shirts today. i will be going next weekend to get my first fitting if anyone cares to see the process and possible pull the trigger on one.

[calendar]

[freddy teacher]

[calendar]

[freddy teacher]

[Hello]

I was looking for a new place to get shirts and pants instead of going back to Hamilton Shirts and this thread was... "interesting".

I couldn't find prices anywhere but decided to go have a look anyway this morning.

I'm getting a shirt 45,000 won and a pair of pants 135,000 won for a total of 175,000 won (I guess I got a 5,000 won discount somehow!).

Since it was my first time there, they took my measurements and, unlike at Hamilton Shirts, asked me to go back for the fitting before they finish the clothes. They never did that at Hamilton; they just measured once and that was it.

I still have to wait and see the final product, but so far the guy at Manchester gave me a good impression.

[freddy teacher]

[bbud656]

Anyone get to Manchester Tailors besides the OP? I'm going suit shopping next week. I have a coworker that has a really nice looking suit and has glowing things to say about a place called New York Tailors or something like that, kind of near the McDonalds in Itaewon. Ill check out both places. I dont doubt that either place can do the fitting well enough. My only concern when buying a custom suit like this is if the material is actually what they say it is.

[Died By Bear]