Beijing Tips: #3 Get a Tailored Suite

Some things are better about Beijing.  Some things are worse.  And some things are just different. 

I try to cope with what's worse (air quality and respect for pedestrians, for example) without getting too upset about things I'm not going to be able change by myself.  Restaurant food is a much, much better value than in the United States, especially at the mom & pop sit-down places.  Even so, about once a week I go to the TGIFridays near where I'm staying or one of the ex-pat friendly spots, usually when I'm feeling lazy and just want something I'm used to.  The stuff that's simply out-and-out better (like the subways), I try to take advantage of at every opportunity.  For instance, for the first time in my life I paid a tailor to make a suit for me.

I picked out a tailor from this list at Beijinger.com, an ex-pat website because I knew I'd need some English-language proficiency, which you always end up paying extra for.  You can go to one of the fabric markets and pick out your own, but most tailors have a selection of fabrics on site and books of samples to choose from.  Some tailors make housecalls by appointment, but I visited mine three times-- once to choose the fabric and get measured, again for a fitting to make sure the tailor was on the right track and a final time to pick up my suit.  This can be done within a week, too.  The suit in the photo cost about US$250.

Before I engaged a tailor to make me a suit, I had a shirt made, which cost less than $30.  I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with their business before I committed to a suit.  They actually didn't do such a good job on the shirt and I had to go back 3 times before they got it right.  But they were nice enough each time that I decided to go forward with the suit, which they hit a home run on, getting everything perfect the first time.

Several of the tailors on the list I've linked to specialize in women's clothing, so Beijing is a place where anyone can get a bargain on fashion that fits like a glove.

Comments

[Avi Schwab]

James Withrow, show me your palm:

http://bit.ly/hZQ0ot

[withrow]

Hah! I thought I look like an even more despicable character-- Aage Kruger from Von Trier's The Kingdom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBJBTD3cPXQ) Having trouble finding a good photo of him, though.