My latest travel jacket - Linen Safari Jacket made in Hua Hin, Thailand

I do apologise for not updating in here more often but I have been busy with other stuff. Business meetings, automotive events, trying out all sorts of vehicles including trucks and buses and other leisure stuff. But today I've decided to wrtie a little about something I got made in Thailand on a recent trip over there.

Most of you would know that Thailand is one happening place to be. It has everything that you think you want (and more). It is also infamous for cheap and ridiculously quick tailoring. I have one or two experiences and can offer you a tip or two. The main tip that you need to follow is that there is no such thing as commissioning a proper suit if you have less than a week. Follow this and you will save some money. You could give them a jacket to follow but if you're looking for bespoke stuff, I'd suggest you don't. 

A short sleeve shirt collared polo shirt on the inside

Anyway, I was over in Hua Hin recently and got a safari jacket made. It turned out to be quite nice actually. I was there from monday evening and left early friday morning. On Tuesday I went to the tailor which I thought would be the best in the area surrounding the Hilton which I was staying in. I chose the one which was one of the oldest looking in terms of fixtures and shop decor with a lot of house fabrics for me to choose. Why oldest? If it had been around for so long, it would probably manned by some experienced shop keepers. I wouldn't call the people manning the shops tailors, or managers as most shops are manned by the Burmese here in Hua Hin (as I found out from the 'tailor' in the shop). In fact, most tailoring houses in Thailand are run by the Punjabi, Indians, Burmese and the Chinese with the Thais in the background working in centralised workshops. So again, I think even though it does not matter whether the shop is new or old, the workshops are the same. But I still think that a shop's length of existence has some merit . 

Called Hollywood Tailor, it is located on a small lane just across from the Hilton. Having some experience with tailors in Bangkok I was basically aware that it would be easier to make shirts of any kind without getting too many things wrong. But since I have shirts to last two months or so without sending any to the wash I think I could do with something different. Basically, their shirt tailors can do a decent job compared to their jacket makers - lower armholes, fused 100% and since you usually want a suit in less than a week, less fittings mean a bad fit. Maybe for sports jackets in colours that you will never let your tailor make is a good option when it may only cost you less than RM500 for a pink and yellow coloured sports jacket that you always wanted but cannot warrant spending RM3,000 for one. Use their jacket tailors for experiments I say and nothing else. 

I decided to make a travel jacket. Something to throw on and carry the phone, card holder, camera, passport, etc with ease on travels. I had it made along the lines of a safari jacket by their shirt maker so that there is less risk. Safari jackets have no lining and it basically cut like a shirt with four pockets up front but they have the length of a suit jacket. They also make good travel jackets because of the pockets, are lightweight and is suitable for our warm and humid weather. I found some nice heavier grade of linen at the shop in a nice chocolate brown to have one made. Not the usual cotton poplin stuff that is usually used in these jackets. Linen, whilst crumples easier is actually more comfortable to use as an outer layer in the tropics. And the choice of a safari jacket also suits things a little bit more. 

Here I am weating it with a long sleeve cutaway collared long sleeved dress shirt

So for this safari jacket I made it easy for the tailor to understand. 

1. Use your shirt tailor;

2. Safari Jacket style but with some small changes - no shoulder epaulets or waist belts, four patch pockets with flaps, normal shirt collar (fully fused and stiff), 4 inch slits at the side instead of a large vent, single button shirt style cuff, jacket length, contrasting buttons of a lighter colour;

3. No other details so that the Thai tailor who is the one doing the cutting and the sewing would not get confused;

4. The only other detail was the time for fitting and that I was off to Bangkok by Friday morning.

And so, with one fitting on wednesday nite, it was all ready to be used on Thursday night for the gala dinner (business casual which actually meant a dress shirt and a pair of trousers. Going with the safari jacket on was already considered as having extra). It actually turned out very nicely for me. Fit was good. The workmanship was good too. The machine sewing was neat unlike the time I had some shirts made in Bangkok. I asked the chap who ran the place and he said that things are not done like in Bangkok. Slow tailoring works here in Hua Hin unlike Fast Tailoring over in Bangkok. Of course there are normal tailors in Bangkok. But the majority are those that do rush jobs. More tourist profiteering rather than just tailoring. Whilst Hua Hin is still mostly tailors, bars, pubs, bistros, hotels and other hospitality industry stuff, things are more slow paced in the town where the King's summer palace is. 

So the moral of the story is.... You can make shirts in Thailand and at the very most, a nice linen Safari Jacket. Or garish sports jackets to try out if you really need to scratch that itch.