Best Shirtmaker Co. (Store Visit)

Nestled up an old walk-up building in Central, Best Shirtmaker Co. has been around since the 1960’s (although this was not their original location). Our first attempt to visit however, was a failure. Despite us calling ahead to check his business hours, he still closed up shop earlier than he stated.

First impressions are not impressive as there are stacks of fabric and shirting materials stuffed around the already cramped shop and the renovation is definitely more reminiscent of a workshop than a storefront.

The proprietor was up for a chat and obviously he is a man that takes pride in his work. Taking an apprenticeship in his teens and working his way up, he’s been in the Hong Kong tailoring scene far longer than most of us have been alive.

After a lengthy discussion with him, we were willing to try a softer collar not often seen on Hong Kong shirts. Always a gamble to try something new from just a reference photo, but we thought it would be worth a shot.

Our choices for fabric selection were considerably more comprehensive than most. They stock local, Japanese, and other European fabrics such as CISTES. An uneventful measure up later, we were on our way with a one week turnover time promised.

We liked that he was friendly and seemed knowledgable but the untidiness of the shop was off-putting. For a shop with so much history, they could do much better in displaying their heritage and presenting their products.

The owner mentioned that he had already downsized multiple times due to rent increases but we felt there was a lot of potential if a little TLC went into it. A definite shame as just from a quick glance at the shirts scattered around, their quality seemed high.

+ Knowledgable frontman

– Presentation

 

More Info:

1. Turnover time 1 week with phone call
2. MOP buttons at no additional cost, but no thickness options
3. $550 and up for 2 ply cotton fabrics

Address: 1/F, Fortuna Building, 63-69 Wellington Street, Central

British Textiles Tailoring Co. (Shirt Review)

Learning from our mistake last review, we remembered to pick a shirt we could assess pattern matching as well as the general fit and craftsmanship.

Overall, the general fit from the frontal view is good. Noticeably the shoulders fit well and the cut was as we requested – not excessively slim. Unfortunately, a recurring problem with our shirts are the diagonal lines that run from neck to arm pit.  Possibly a shoulder angle issue?

Side view is very clean with almost no blousing and a correct sleeve pitch.

Another clean view from the posterior. No unsightly pulls or creases but just a minimal amount of excess fabric near the shoulders.

When investigating the stitching in different locations, the result is not pretty. In full transparency, other shirts we review commonly have this issue but this case seemed especially noticeable.

Pattern matching at shoulder is correct.

In contrast to the shoulders, the pattern matching at the sleeves and side seam are lackluster.

A satisfying collar shape with a soft roll at the buttoning point.

Our impression of this shirt changed the deeper we dove. We were impressed by the fit initially but certain details left this shirt ‘incomplete’ for us. An average consumer might have left quite happy with this shirt as all appearances point towards a decent value. However, poor needlework, flawed pattern matching and the same plastic buttons you would see on a $200-300 shirt dragged this one down. In this price range though, we have yet to find a better shirt with suitable attention to detail.

+ Good fit and details in esthetic zone satisfactory

– Disappointing craftsmanship in less obvious areas

British Textiles Tailoring Co. (Store Visit)

Going off a friend’s recommendation we decided to try British Textiles Tailoring Co. next. Confusingly enough there was another ‘British tailoring’ shop in the same building (Peter So British Tailors) and also another British Textile Company Limited located in Central. Hutchinson House itself seems to be a hotspot for tailors as well – on the same floor there are five shops.

The shop is cozy but tidy. Typical to most of the tailoring shops we’ve been to there were random sewing machines and fabrics strewn over the space.

The shop is lightly staffed and luckily there were no other customers when we went. They hold a large number of swatches from The Regent Silk Co. Ltd but also have the option of costlier shirting fabrics such as Thomas Mason. We decided to stick to the basics.

The staff gave JL a very very careful measure-up. Possibly the most detailed and careful measuring process we have experienced and ever will experience. We appreciated the time he took to confirm his measurements and hoped that this would mean a good fit for the finished product.

Aside from the measuring, he also went through the shirt detailing step by step to make sure we knew what options we had. We liked this much more than shops that assume you want their ‘default’ shirt.

We felt confident that they would be able to deliver a decent product at the end of the one week turnover. Given how detail orientated the staff was, we inferred this would translate to a high quality bespoke shirt. The entire experience was pleasant and enjoyable but we knew not to raise our expectations as good service does not always mean a good result.

+ Meticulous

– Limited shirting suppliers

More Info:

1. Turnover time 1 week
2. MOP buttons at an additional $50 (3mm thick)
3. $550 for Regent material, Thomas Mason available at additional cost

Address: Shop 113-A, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong.

 

 

William Cheng & Son (Shirt Review)

As almost with most of our tailored shirts, one week later the shirt was ready for pick up. Upon inspection there were no major errors that needed changing so we proceeded to wash and iron the shirt for review. One factor we noticed immediately was that the fabric felt rather thin and insubstantial but we accepted that as a compromise for house fabric at a reasonable price.

From the frontal view the flaws were not too unsightly. The most obvious critique from the front would be the sleeve pitch and (minimally) longer length.

The right chest area has some bunching which can be seen at this view. Furthermore, the incorrect sleeve pitch creates some twisting at the upper arm. There isn’t any excess fabric or restricted movement though, which results in a good ‘slim’ fit.

The posterior view is clean showing no blousing. More evidence of incorrect sleeve pitch visible.

Correct shoulder width resulting in a harmonious fit. Twisting of the right sleeve fabric is ants at the picnic.

2mm plastic buttons were expected at this price range, but their 1mm MOP buttons at additional cost looked even worse.

Reasonably tidy buttonholes.

This shirt was a pleasant surprise. As our first shirt from this maker, the fit was unobjectionable. They come off as a strong contender to Lee Baron (a favorite) and they are similar in terms of construction, details, and house fabric quality (or lack thereof). Where Lee Baron tends to lean towards a ‘comfort’ fit, William Cheng delivered a ‘slim’ fit down to a tee. They are definitely a good entry-level option for bespoke shirts.

+ Well fitting shirt at decent price

– Incorrect sleeve pitch

 

 

William Cheng & Son (Store Visit)

William Cheng & Son is another well established tailor shop nestled in TST. When we made the visit, it was seemingly very popular amongst the expat/tourist crowd and people were streaming in and out of the door continuously. We decided on this tailor when we came across glowing reviews from a repeat customer.

A clean and bright space housed a number of staff, who were all hard at work but still attentive to our request of one single shirt. We were directed over to shelves that contained a significant number of shirting fabrics roughly organized into colors and patterns. Although the selection was sufficient, there was no mention of quality, specifications or source.

Although we were given ample time to decide our fabric choice, once chosen, the service instantly became a little rushed. He briefly showed two collar styles which he claimed were ‘common’ to let us pick from. Inquiring only further about whether or not we wanted a pocket, he moved onto the measure up.

Only after the swift measuring process and our insistence on asking more questions, he un-enthusiastically divulged more information. Begrudgingly and without elaboration. Finding out about button options and cuffs was like pulling teeth.

We jotted down our information on a contact form and a one week delivery time was given. So ended our very brief first visit with the staff at William Cheng & Son. While the service was curt and the staff were obviously uninterested, we still wouldn’t say they were rude or unprofessional. At this point, it was hard to say whether or not we were turned off to the idea of repeat business until we saw the finished product.

+ Efficient

– Presents fewer options than are actually available

 

More Info:

1. Turnover time 1 week, but most likely could be shorter if need be
2. MOP buttons at an additional $20 (1mm thick)
3. $340 for a shirt of house fabric

Address: 8/F, Han Hing Mansion, 38 Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

 

 

PYE (Shirt Review)

Two weeks following our store visit the shirt was ready to be picked up. A relatively long wait time considering the size of their operation and the fact this is not a fully bespoke shirt with an existing pattern.

The same issues that plague a lot of EC’s shirts showed up in this one too – rumples down the front. From this view we could also see the shoulder width was just slightly insufficient but the sleeve length was satisfactory. Apologies for the ‘washed out’ lighting in the photo.

Quite ‘clean’ when looking from the side although there is blousing at the back.

Obvious ‘ballooning’ of the shirt from the posterior view and a complete lack of shape.

Oversized collar (which was expected from the first visit’s trial shirt).

Another view to show the lack of waist suppression in their ‘Regular’ fit.

Poor pattern matching seen at the shoulders.

Another aspect of the shirt showing a lack of pattern matching with the horizontal stripes.

Reinforced side seams to extend the ‘life’ of the shirt, often considered by many as the sign of a well constructed shirt.

Split yoke by ‘default’ in their shirts to give added comfort to the wearer. Another nice touch?

We’ll avoid talking about the fit of this shirt too much. It’s obviously not a bespoke item so criticizing this aspect seems unfair. The overall craftsmanship of the shirt is decent, but when considering the price we would say it simply meets expectations. The split yoke and reinforced side seams at face level are positive and seem to imply that PYE cares about quality, but their lack of pattern matching reveals their true colors. Perhaps these added details are included just for show. At this price ($1580) we’d like to simply remind the reader that there are plenty of good bespoke options for shirts.

+ Comfort

– Unjustifiable price?

 

 

PYE (Store Visit)

Seeing as this new shirting store is already opening up their second branch in Central, we wanted to give them a whirl and see what the fuss was about. PYE burst onto the Hong Kong shirting scene in 2013 and has been steadily growing since. Although not a bespoke shirt maker, we thought we could still assess their process and quality (and EC had a gift card).

Every aspect of their store had obviously been designed and thoroughly thought out which cultivated quite a nice ambiance. The store was well staffed and they were attentive to our needs and very willing to answer any of our questions. Strangely enough, although this was a ‘dedicated’ shirting store they sold umbrellas and miscellaneous glassware too – a curious diversification strategy.

As far as we could understand it PYE offers three lines of shirts: ‘Casual’, ‘Classic’ and ‘Infinity’. The latter is their premium cotton with a 170’s thread count. They also offer three different fits: Slim, Tailored and Regular. We had a choice of buying ready-to-wear or made-to-order, MTO would give us the choice of picking the fabric, collar, cuffs, plackets, pockets and monogramming.

Since we had a gift card, we decided to splurge for the MTO. The staff gave EC different shirts to try to get an idea of which cut would be appropriate. We had originally wanted their Tailored fit but at the correct collar size the body of the shirt was too tight. There was no choice but to take their Regular fit, but in order to get the body of the shirt to fit adequately a larger collar size still had to be chosen.

We were given an approximate time of three weeks for the shirt to be ready and the staff told us to expect a phone call. We predicted that because of their vertical integration (all the way down to their own cotton plants and factories) that their fabric should be of high quality. Just from trying the shirts in the store during our visit, we knew the final fit would be a far reach in comparison to bespoke or even MTM products.

+ Good customer service

– Shirt fits are more for ‘Asian’ builds

More Info:

1. Turnover time 3 weeks
2. MOP buttons default
3. $1580 for a shirt of house fabric from their own cotton farms

Address: Shop 111, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

Lee Baron (Shirt Review)

We didn’t take them up on their three business day turnaround time and we picked it up one week later. The first noticeable detail on the shirt was that the collar didn’t appear to be the one we asked for. We had requested a semi-spread collar but instead received a spread collar – we let this one slide and decided to review the shirt anyways.

Our first impressions of the shirt fit were very good, especially when considering the price. The shirt was slim but not too snug. Exactly what we wanted. When looking at the shirt from the front there were still some diagonal rumples running down the shirt but this was not too unsightly.

The lateral view shows clean shoulder/sleeve transition. There is also no excess fabric at the shoulder blades. The sleeve length is good and the sleeves themselves are not too baggy or tight.

From the back we can see a nice shape born from the waist suppression. There’s no pulling at the armpit area which also means there’s sufficient room in the upper back for movement.

A decent shirt length allows for less un-tucking during movement. There’s clear tapering out from the hip area to account for the buttocks.

Pattern matching is satisfactory with only a slight mismatch from one shoulder area. Some loose stitches are visible which is similar to our shirt from Jantzen but nowhere near as extreme.

Satisfying pattern matching with the sleeve placket, an improvement from previous Lee Baron shirts.

We noticed they changed their button stitching from a parallel stitch to a cross stitch. Judging from this and the improved craftsmanship, we suspect that they may have changed workshops.

To put it simply, we liked this shirt. We liked it even more when we remembered how little we paid for it in comparison to some of the more expensive tailors. It satisfied all of our criteria when it comes to fit and craftsmanship – at least to our personal standards. If we had to nitpick, the only mistake was the collar style (which is still an easy fix). Starting at a mere $280, they beat the competition with quality, service and efficiency. Lee Baron may not be the Styleforum sweetheart anymore but it won us over with this shirt.

+ Value for money

– Prone to mistakes

Lee Baron (Store Visit)

Determined to find a good ‘value for money’ proposition, we knew we had to review Lee Baron – the (former) Styleforum darling known for its solid quality. A few years ago both of us had suits and shirts made here with satisfactory results but as we wanted to explore the tailoring scene we hadn’t been back in a long time. Did they still maintain their standard at competitive prices?

The messiness of the shop was just as we remembered it, with rolls of house fabric haphazardly stacked. Obviously Lee Baron had not built their reputation on glamour and fancy decorations.

The staff were friendly and casual, recognizing or at least pretending to recognize us. They pointed us towards the fabric choices but were not pushy in any way about what to order. There was plenty of variety with the house fabrics but for those who want more some nondescript fabric books had fabrics priced $500+. The house fabrics had two pricing ‘tiers’ of $280 or $380. We ended up choosing a $380 house fabric.

Peter Lee himself was at the shop and amicable as usual. Although we knew we could request his expertise for measurements,  one of his staff was able to confidently measure JL up and take the prescription for the shirt, familiar with shirting terms and preferences. After taking our order we were informed the shirt would take a mere 3 working days to be ready – a pretty amazing feat in itself.

+ Fast 3 day turnaround time

– Shop is cluttered and claustrophobic

More Info:

1. Turnaround time 3 days
2. MOP buttons offered for an additional $50 HKD
3. $280/$380 for house fabrics, more expensive options available
4. First time customers have a minimum order of two shirts

Address: 33 Ground Floor, Far East Mansion, 5-6 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Sun May (Shirt Review)

Exactly one week later (as promised) the shirt was collected. The condition in which it was delivered was so stiff it could have served as a frisbee. Hoping one round of washing and ironing would help the fabric look and feel a little better led to…just disappointment.

‘Drapes’ un-aesthetically. Creases running diagonally across the entire shirt with added prominence on the right side. Wrinkles on the sleeves are just from wearing.

Relatively clean from the side profile. Sleeve length and width are good. Creases from the front still visible.

Posterior shot shows no excessive fabric and no tugging/pulling near the armpits. Sleeves look tight which is likely due to the lack of measurement at upper arm. Not as uncomfortable as it may look.

Can’t help but criticize the poor quality of fabric and craftsmanship. Extreme puckering of the fabric at the placket and the back seam.

Irregular cuff shape show low level of care during cutting.

Collar is poorly defined and again shows inattention during cutting of the fabric. Lack of overall shape and finish is unsightly.

A comfortable fit could not make up for the fact that the fabric’s characteristics were lackluster. The price of the shirt was low and the value of the fabric and finished product matched it entirely. While comfortable, the shirt does not look pleasing due to the diagonal folds running down the front (any ideas why?). This shirtmaker is a difficult recommendation – for the same price range we’re going to try Lee Baron and see how they fare.

+ Fits comfortably

– Third-rate craftsmanship, crude fabric