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.

 

 

Jantzen (Shirt Review)

After a week’s wait and one fruitless visit to the store, finally the shirt was received and tried following a washing and ironing. At the first visit we had specified a ‘moderately’ slim fit shirt and the result was close to our expectations.

Slim but pulling especially at the armpit. Good sleeve length. Clean shoulder lines.

High armhole placement with tugging seen from the front. Excess (?) fabric seen from the back.

Excess fabric in stark contrast to the frontal view. Enough fabric to cause blousing near the waist.

Distinct lines leading to the armpit.

Posterior shot of the fabric pulling near the high armholes.

Snug but comfortable collar.

Thin and unappealing buttons.

Loose and spaced stitches (low stitches per inch) .

Tight cut and pulling from the posterior leading to highly restricted (and uncomfortable) arm movements.

Very narrow cuffs means you can’t raise your arms without testing tensile strength of buttons.

Overall, a shirt showing a dichotomous fit which left us scratching our heads. The combination of the tightness at the armpit and the narrow cuffs meant you can’t raise your arms past the shoulder. The poor construction and fit is consistent with pricing which means not amazing value for money but acceptable. If you don’t need to raise your arms.

+ Collar and shoulders fit

– Inconsistent – excessively slim in areas but ‘blousey’ in the back and waist

Jantzen (Store Visit)

Hello, World. This marks our introductory post into what will hopefully turn into a resource for people interested in Hong Kong tailoring. As you can tell by our title, this site stems from a desire to find some order in the chaos that is the Hong Kong tailor scene – there are literally too many tailors. We aim to provide some insight to the quality, service, pricing and also to find the style that each tailor brings to the table. As our site grows we hope you can use it to have more predictable/successful visits with the tailor you have in mind.

Our first post is our visit to Jantzen, a Hong Kong tailor who are known mainly through their online reputation. We found our way to an older commercial building in Central where a very unassuming entrance stood. First impressions of the premises were confused – had we incorrectly stumbled into the Jantzen back-office? Hesitantly we entered and realized that this was indeed the right location, but instead of a typically decorated retail shop, a sea of samples and mannequins were haphazardly kept around the space all under the cold sterile lighting of low-cost energy efficient bulbs. We had joined the conveyor belt of the Jantzen tailoring machine.

The owner and a handful of staff were present but made no acknowledgement of us as we entered. Upon approaching we were quickly directed to a large number of swatch books to pick a fabric while they continued their own work. Customer service was apparently not their strong suit (no pun intended). Once a fabric had been decided on, the measurements quickly and efficiently followed. This was obviously where they excelled – they knew exactly how to measure you to gather the data necessary to get you into one of their products.

Using the measurements, the staff found an approximate ‘trial’ shirt and pinned until they were satisfied. Simply by including this unique service, the customer would definitely feel an extra step was taken to ensure a correct fitting of the final product. Once finished, a folder containing all the design details possible for a shirt were given (no samples) and again, you were free to decide all the customizable options for your shirt.

Overall, a lack of customer service was definitely felt during our time there. The owner was present but obviously disengaged from the entire process. Surprisingly enough, he even mentioned within earshot when we were leaving that we had only ordered one measly shirt. Jantzen’s online reputation was correct – “bang for buck” was where they stood, the more you ordered the better service you would receive. Also, the amount of options for fabric and shirt details might be overwhelming for your typical customer, but surely all the iGents out there would have no problem in this area.

+ Fast shirt ordering process

– Poor customer service

More Info:

1. Turnover time 1 week but no designation of time or AM/PM
2. No confirmation call to receive shirt
3. $350-400 HKD per shirt using house fabrics

Address: Room D-E, 5th floor, On Lok Yuen Building, 25-27 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Edit: Idiots that we are, we forgot to mention we’ll review the finished product in a separate post

Edit 2: A style forum member informed us that Jantzen actually has samples of collars and cuffs you can request to see. Apparently, Jantzen staff just didn’t volunteer that information to us