Buying a Suit in Hong Kong

We will be spending three nights in HK after our cruise. I have been to HK once before, and remember that just about every storefront in Kowloon had touts trying to get me to come in and get a suit made. It turned me off.

But this trip I will need a suit. My current suits seem to have shrunk somehow, and my granddaughter is getting married not long after the cruise. I rarely wear one since I retired, but I'd like to get a well-fitting conservative suit for the occasion.

Has anybody had this done? What can I expect to pay?

I have had several suits made in Hong Kong. The quality seems to be good and the suits are made very fast. You can get a suit made for US$100.00 but most seem to be right around US$200.00. Prices can go higher depending on the material you select and how skilled you are at negotiating the price.

In any case it is much cheaper than US pricing.

I have had several suits made in Hong Kong. The quality seems to be good and the suits are made very fast. You can get a suit made for US$100.00 but most seem to be right around US$200.00. Prices can go higher depending on the material you select and how skilled you are at negotiating the price.

 

In any case it is much cheaper than US pricing.

What do you get for $200. The fabric alone should cost $200+. Any decent HK custom suit will likely go for $500-700.

What do you get for $200. Any decent HK custom suit will likely go for $500-700.

The only one who pays $500 to $700 USD is someone who has tourist written all over them. Again Hong Kong has two prices for everything Tourist and Locals.....and if you know the system and how to negotiate you pay the prices I said. A US$ 200 dollar suit in Hong Kong is a $2000 dollar suit in the United States.

Can you pay $400, $500, or more for that $ 200 dollar suit absolutely if you don't know the local rates.

What do you get for $200. The fabric alone should cost $200+. Any decent HK custom suit will likely go for $500-700.

We paid $1800 about 5 years ago for 3 men's suits and a ladies trouser suit 6 shirts 3 silk ties and a three quarter length men's leather coat. The suits where all cashmere and wool all fit really well and we went into the tailors at 2pm went back for a fitting at 5.30 and they where delivered to our hotel by 4pm the next day.This was with Nita fashion in Hong Kong.

They still are the same. You can find them everywhere.

Get there the first day you arrive so that you have plenty of time to get this done with more than one time trying it on before the final product is ready.

Keith

Stay away from the footpath tailor touts in Nathan Road . Genuine old style family Chinese tailors to be found in Hankow Road a couple of streets back from Nathan Road and parallel to Nathan Road in the bottom end of Kowloon midway between Tsim Tsa Tsui MTR station and Star Ferry terminal . In Hankow Road one shop that is a combined Tailor & Jewellery we have been going to since 1969 for excellent mens tailoring including shirts .

I just watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's "The Layover" that was set in Hong Kong. He had a sharkskin suit made at Simpson Sin, and it looked good. Maybe that's the place for me. I was budgeting $600, so it sounds as if the price is right.

As a local, I have used Simpson Sin Tailor with good results. It has been around for over 40 years, and the original founder, Sin, passed away two years ago and the business is carried on by his partners.

 

The telephone: (852) 2723 6068. Web site: simpsonsintailor dot com dot hk

 

I pay about USD 600 for a suit. You can ask for two fittings, if your time allows. They will deliver to your hotel room. You can pay by credit cards, but locals usually pay a deposit in cash (about 50%) and the balance in cash when the goods are picked up. Cash will get you a slightly better price.

 

The shop is in the middle of Tsimshatsui, on a first floor, between Holiday Inn Golden Mile and the Hyatt Regency.

My husband had a suit, a blazer, and two pair of slacks made when we visited Hong Kong for the first time. I want to make a point about Sky Shield's comments that I've highlighted: Please take the time to schedule two fittings.

At the first appointment, you will be fitted in a muslin suit and the basic pattern will be adjusted. At the second appointment, your actual suit will be fitted. If you're going to a good tailor, the amount of adjustments needed for the second appointment will be small but they really will make a difference in the appearance. The difference between the muslin and the wool version reflects the way the wool drapes on the body. In fact, because the blazer was made from a different type of wool compared to the suit, the adjustments were somewhat different for each of the jackets even working off the same muslin pattern.

My husband was so happy with his custom-made clothes that he ordered two more suits some months after we returned home. These two suits never fit quite as well as the one purchased in Hong Kong. His weight hadn't changed since the original suits fit just as well as always. However, without an in-shop fitting, the new suits just lacked the perfection of the first garments; their fit was closer to a well-fitted off the rack suit.

Finally, a good tailor will be able to recommend some details in fit/design that are simply unavailable when buying off the rack clothes. Our tailor told my husband his jacket length needed to be shorter to show more leg making him look taller. (He's 5' 9") I forget some of the other tweaks, but we came away from the experience confident that we had not bought a a one-style flatters all suit.

The only one who pays $500 to $700 USD is someone who has tourist written all over them. Again Hong Kong has two prices for everything Tourist and Locals.....and if you know the system and how to negotiate you pay the prices I said. A US$ 200 dollar suit in Hong Kong is a $2000 dollar suit in the United States.

 

Can you pay $400, $500, or more for that $ 200 dollar suit absolutely if you don't know the local rates.

A $200 suit is absolutely not that same as a $2000 suit in the US.

A suit is made up of the fabric, the style and the tailoring or fit. If you want a high quality wool you will need to pay $400 or more just for the fabric.

That said $200 is the standard price for a well tailored decent quality wool suit. The fabric will be Men's Wearhouse level, but the fit will make it look great.

And give yourself time to try on the suit. Often things work out but sometimes they don't and you need the time so if it doesn't fit properly they have time to get it altered again.

Keith