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.

 

 

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

Brown’s (Shirt Review II)

When we returned to Brown’s for the shirts, we found that JL’s shirt was strangely ill-fitting. Not only were the sleeves over an inch short, he could fit an entire hand in the collar. Surprised that this was the fit they produced, we simply had to insist on changes. Here are the results after adjustments were (begrudgingly) made.

Same issue with lines pulling from collar to armpit.

Clear lateral lines visible from posterior neck area towards the shoulder.

Familiar creases at the armpit. Difficult to keep shirt neatly tucked with short length.

Comically short shirt length.

A longer collar length was requested but as the height was not adjusted accordingly, the result was collar flaring reminiscent of the 70’s.

Collar fits snugly now after revisions.

Significantly tidier buttonholes compared to EC’s shirt.

We had to stand strong on our revisions at the fit appointment in order to get the changes we wanted. Felix had advised both of us that the short sleeve lengths were trendy (?) and seemed adverse to revising to the length proportional to our arms. Furthermore, when we wanted changes to the spacious collars, he educated us on giving a more “precise” collar size when we came in for measurements – a lesson he felt necessary because the collars had to be remade in their entirety.

+ MOP buttons at no additional cost

– Tried to persuade us to accept a shirt that was ill-fitting even by RTW standards

 

Brown’s (Shirt Review I)

This shirt took a long time. A call came in 11 days after our store visit, just as we were wondering if they had completely forgotten all about us. If the effort they put into the shirts could match their store’s interior design efforts all would be forgiven though.

Our initial results were far from satisfying on our fit visit, so after our comments and another 21 days (which brings us to 32 days total), these were our results.

Frontal fitting view showing diagonal pulls leading from collar to armpit. Initial sleeve length was short by one full inch, revisions improved length but still short of showing cuff with a jacket.

Side view showing a close fit when stationary.

Right armpit shows obvious crease.

Loose fitting collar.

Tension of the stitching causing some bunching after just one wash and iron.

Nice thickness of the MOP buttons at 3mm.

Sloppy button holes.

High armhole placement causing a lot of restriction during movement (again).

The time it took for Brown’s to make our shirts was bordering on the ridiculous. Whilst the fit for the finished product looks reasonable enough, the overly high armhole placement ruined it. The revisions and the sheer amount of time it took to produce left us underwhelmed. For one of the more handsomely renovated tailoring stores in Hong Kong, the final product was disappointing.

+ MOP buttons at no additional cost

– Time time time

P.S. Review of JL’s shirt from Brown’s coming soon

Brown’s (Store Visit)

Brown’s is a new tailoring shop that’s only been open since 2013 but has quickly gained favor in Hong Kong’s online forums. Although it’s located in a rather rundown commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui, the store was surprisingly well renovated and had a rather tasteful atmosphere to it.

We spoke to a staff member (not Felix the owner) about their two shirting brands and to test the waters we decided on the local house fabric instead of the higher quality Thomas Mason fabric. An ample selection of fabric swatches were given to us and we were left to our own devices.

Once a fabric was selected the staff together with the tailor proceeded to measure us. Chaotically. The two of them together couldn’t reach a consensus on certain measurements and seemed to question each other’s measuring points at each turn. After a number of eyebrow raises it was clear that they were not experienced in taking measurements and whether this suspected lack of experience extended only into shirting, we could not be sure. At this point even if the measurements were 100% accurate, our confidence in the fit of the final shirt was waning. The only extra step they took which stood out was to take reference photos of us.

A refreshingly varied selection of both collars and cuffs were available, but of course the staff tending to us had no suggestions or knowledge to impart onto us. Aside from the samples of collars and cuffs which we chose from there was also a checklist of options which he completed, mostly without our input. What items he checked off will remain a mystery. At this point communication seemed to be a clear issue, whether it be between staff or with customers.

Ending on a positive note, we were given mother of pearl buttons at no extra cost just by asking, although the default button is a plastic one. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so make sure you ask.

+ Good selection of house fabrics

– Staff training falling short of expectations

More Info:

1. Turnover time close to 2 weeks
2. $500 HKD for a shirt in house fabric
3. $800 HKD for a shirt in Thomas Mason fabric

Address: Unit E, 2/F, Comfort Building,
88 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon,
Hong Kong

Simpson Sin (Shirt Review)

Eager to see if the finished product from Simpson Sin would be as good as their service, one week later we picked up the shirt. To cut a long story short, either someone was not honest about the number of jelly donuts they ate over one week…or the shirt was cut far too tight.

Severe tugging at the shoulder initially. Noticeable improvement seen after refinement (brighter photo is the before shot).

Tugging more clear from the back. Again, significant improvement can be seen after refinement.

Small imperfection in the front piece of the fabric. Looks like random stitching.

Shirt is fairly tight, most evident in the armpits. Twisting of the fabric in the upper sleeve restricts movement.

Bunching around the armhole.

Distinct diagonal lines leading from the middle of the back to the right armpit due to the high armhole placement.

Shirt did not account for the size of my gluteus maximus butt which leads to obvious pulling at the lowermost button and also diagonally from chest to waist.

Some specific requests we gave seemed to give them trouble. The buttons on the shirt were wrong as despite specifying both sleeve buttons and MOP buttons we came away with neither. Another point to note was that during the store visit we discussed an unfused construction for the collars and cuffs, again the final shirt had neither. In conclusion, a shirt that was finished too slim which needed fixing and some misses in terms of construction. Not to say that we wouldn’t go back, their friendliness and openness to errors we pointed out made it an easy working relationship – a necessity for finding a good tailor.

+ Improvement following refinement

– Completely missed out certain features we asked for

Simpson Sin (Store Visit)

Tucked away in Tsim Sha Tsui, Simpson Sin has been on the scene for decades. In the vicinity of the store it was hard to miss the numerous signage directing potential clients to the doors of Simpson Sin. Stepping through, it was also hard to miss the barrage of photographs hung on the wall of celebrities that previously attended the shop to get the ‘classic’ Hong Kong tailoring experience. Apparently the signage works then.

The ambiance inside was warm and comfortable, and upon entering we were quickly greeted by a staff (Tony, co-founder) and tended to. Once we briefed him on our needs – the rather extensive list of two shirts made with house fabrics, we were given the shirt fabric swatches, some water and allowed our time to decide. Their house fabric selection seemed to be oddly familiar, and checking back it appears that it was provided by the same company that provides house fabric for Jantzen.

Moving forward, an English speaking tailor measured us up efficiently and confidently, then walked us through the different shirt details that we could pick from. Not only was he able to explain all the different options but he also had different shirt examples on hand from different clients which he pulled out to show us when we were unclear. A selection of collar samples were also set up on the wall for clients to see the different selections – a nice touch in comparison to Jantzen where old poorly printed pictures of collars were all that was available.

Once satisfied with our selection and design, we were told the shirt would be ready in one week for a fitting. We walked out of the store happy and grateful that we had such a good first visit, especially contrasting to the cold service we received at Jantzen. Both Tony and the tailor were truly a pleasure to work with and being fluent in English was a huge positive in our eyes.

+ Excellent service with friendly staff

– Price for shirt in house fabric on the expensive end

More Info:

1. Turnover time 1 week
2. No confirmation call to receive shirt
3. $550 for a shirt in house fabrics

Address: Block B, 1/F, Lip Seng Mansion, 15-19 Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.