Why don't you post pictures of your tailor's suits for us all to admire?

Ronnie, if we all promise not to say a word about your suits, could we please see you in one. 

Since you obviously knows so much more about tailoring than everyone else, I think the experience would be beyond instructive.

Hurt ego's?  Sorry, but someone had to say it.

l don't know much about tailoring at all; l'm just going on the examples my tailor has shown me of poor tailoring. Badly made collars don't lie, the results are there for all to see and study. My tailor shows me shoddy tailoring, and then he shows me how to do it correctly. He even sworn me to secrecy over his specialised collar making method; not that he has to worry, most of it went right over my head.

He is a truely talented guy. He has developed his own tailoring methods through years of experience. He has a natural ability. He learnt from a great maker and further improved on that.

Shoo,

To be fair, a tailor would be called on the carpet to show his wares. Though, jaeger seems a little too eager, so I understand your decision to err on the side of caution. My recommendation: If your tailor has a website where he is advertising his wares, just point the respondents, there. If he wants to remain a "best kept secret" and advertises only through word-of-mouth, then continue as you are.

I don't doubt that you have a strong working relationship. In fact, I like this tailor's style if he's ripping down garments in front of you - that's what I do. And, I encourage tailors to adopt the same practice with their clients, too. It warms my heart that he speaks about progressive cutting & making systems and is passionate about his work and sharing knowledge.

RE: Durban. I'm apparently going to have to track down a few of these and rip them down for analysis, so I can understand what your tailor likes. Any lead on the manufacturer's website? Google tells me there are a few specialty stores in Tasmania where these can be found. I'm interested in seeing what type of distribution this brand has and maybe calling the owner/designer for a chat?

Umm....I'm in Hong Kong and my company  distributes, sells and owns the company which makes durban suits..... They have the same construction as a whole bunch of other suits as well (made under the same company)...

Let me take a look the next time we have an internal sale,

Last edited by Toiletduck (2007-07-11 20:39:34)

Shanghai is one of the last repositories of hand tailors from the Hong Kong tradition. Hong Kong patternmaking, in my opinion, is one of the best systems around - it's based on the acupuncture system of body measurement. This is the system I was first taught and I find myself relying on it almost exclusively, any more.

Hong Kong construction, however, is largely influenced by the Tailor & Cutter standards, so the 'guts' of jackets look very similar to garments you would find 'on the Row'. With the exception of a more efficient assembly process, comparing garments for their technical execution reveals few discernible differences.

It used to be that Chinese wool weaving was sub-par. I have a manufacturer friend who attended a fabric show in Shanghai, recently. He tells me I really need to get there to check out the goods for myself. He says wool weaving in China has come a very long way and that it is competitive with a lot of the Italian mills. In fact, the dirty secret is that some Italian mills are now only finishing the wool so they can attach their labels. The precise names of these mills was withheld from me.

Both China and India are becoming generally frustrated with American garment production because it's a race to the bottom (e.g. WalMart). Rumors within the industry are these countries are likely to reach a consensus, soon, and begin only working with EU companies because the Consumer (and, the Retail business model) have different values (i.e. quality over volume). As an example, I heard through the grapevine that one of the well-known factories in Shanghai "bumped" one of the Surgical appliance lines in order to focus on an EU client who was paying better rates for lower volume.