Acquiring tailor made clothes is one of the joys of visiting Bangkok. This alone could make this city a destination point as the tailoring here is the most prolific in the world. This said, there is very little information on tailors in Bangkok and which ones are best.

On two previous trips an evaluation was made of one particular tailor, Lucky Man Fashions, in the Ambassador Hotel. While their work was at a very acceptable level an evaluation needed to be made of the best quality tailors. Of  special concern was: Would paying more at the highly touted houses yield a significant difference in quality.? To evaluate this, three other tailors were used and in particular one that was very often mentioned in the forums for having the highest standards.

For a man's tailored shirt of the same egyptian cotton the cost  was 667bht ($20) at Harry's Boutique (199 Sukhumvit Road), 800 bht ($24) at Peter Clothiers (Ambassador Hotel), 1000 bht ($31) at Lucky Man Fashions (Ambassador Hotel) and 1,500 bht ($46) at Nick's International Boutique House (Sukhumvit Road, Soi 11). To the untrained eye the quality was the same with all of these three. The quality was pretty good.

When buying suits you will find the same type of price difference.  Nick's proved useful for the experience of a "high end" suit. This shop has all of the qualities to deliver a "bespoke" suit. You may want to consult Andy's Encyclopedia of Mens Clothing for what a bespoked suit entails. This information is free at their website (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/) but you can order the complete encyclopedia cd for $25. The problem with Nick's is that while the tailor is present to do the measurements and cuttings, it seems he is unable to fit the suit to your personal anomalies. As a result the received suit had a dynamite look, but it was not comfortable. Three fittings did little to increase the comfort.

For this type of service you would expect to pay twice as much. And that is about what Nick's charges. It was generally concluded that suits from the other tailors that used a copy plus minor changes were more comfortable. This technique worked well with these suits costing 7000 bht ($214). Keep in mind that this is for your higher quality wool fabrics. For lighter weights they were generally 25% less than this.

Apparently there is no high-end tailor in Bangkok. (Their trade probably will not support this statement.) As a result you must study a resource such as the Encylopedia of Men's Clothing in order to instruct the tailor in details of shirts and suits. An example: All of the tailors evaluated were using cheap plastic buttons on their shirts. You have to find a store that sells mother of pearl buttons, buy them yourself and take them to the tailor. It makes a huge difference in the look of the shirt. Another item was edge stitching. All of the tailors said that this was more labor intensive, but they all agreed to do it at no additional charge. Yet another item was to have one ply or two ply cuffs and collar. Their was a big difference in the two ply from one shop as compared to another.

All of the shops will want to make the whole batch of shirts you order at once. It is strongly recommended that you get a model first. In that way you are certain to get changes made which you have once they have made the shirts. This may be a ploy to get you to buy another set of shirts with the changes you want.

Your own critical thinking is a good thing to maintain - maybe especielly in the Sukhumvit area. Look at some of the signs that blare at you from tailorshop windows: Get 3 suits 4 shirts for nickels and dimes - delivered in 10 hours. Or something like that. Now stop and think. Can any tailor anywhere make quality clothes in 10 hours? Of course not. These are fake tailors that take your measures and send them down the soi to some sweatshop where some hapless person knocks out clothes at top speed. Whether they fit your body or not isn't that important to the seller. The 10 hour deadline is important - to him.

A competent tailor shop in Sukhumvit area (and anywhere else) will book you for two fitting sessions, or more depending on your time span. One for measuring you up, another for checking the result halfway. However, a fitting after that is still recommened for a perfect fit. After the first buy they have your measures and need only 3 days to make the second suit. The first one will take about a week.

The price should be no more than 12.000 baht (in 2008) for a three piece suit of high quality plus two shirts. Seek up Nickermann's Boutique & Thai Silk at the Landmark Hotel & Plaza, 138 Sukhumvit Road. Do not use their online shop (unless you feel daring and adventurous today, and have your measures taken by a professional tailor). Go to them in person. Why? Because they make fine clothes and already have a large and steady clientele of Scandinavian, British and German diplomats and business people. And because their prices are very reasonable - 7000 to 9800 baht for a three piece suit, depending on the quality of the cloth material.

Secondly, look up the other 3 recommended shops in this forum, including Crown Tailors on Sukhumvit soi 8, Rajawongse on soi 4 and Rajas on soi 4. Take a look at what they all have to offer (in terms of fabric selection as well as finished suits/shirts) before concluding your decision. All three, plus nickermanns are based not more than 5 minutes away from each other. Spend the extra 20 min for a tailored suit that you're going to feel happy and proud wearing.