Would like to ask if anyone has used merino wool for a suit before? How's the feel like?

I read that it typically takes 3 weeks for a suit to be made at ALT. Is there a faster turnover time? I will be back in Malaysia for only 2 weeks and I am thinking of getting his services for a suit.

Appreciate an answer from the ALT regulars, thanks.

Can the sifus here advise what to look out for during the first suit fitting? Will be going for mine in the next few days.

Collected my first bespoke suit a couple days back. I'm still at the beginning of the sartorial learning curve, appreciate constructive comments on the suit.





I know my shirt sleeves are too short. Any advice on the jacket construction? I had the jacket length shortened by 3/4 of an inch during fitting, going by the knuckle rule it would be short but I have long arms and I think the arse is covered just nicely.

Shoulders seem uneven in the pic, probably due to camera angle or wrong posture.

Also notice a slight bulge in the front at the tummy area, is balance an issue? TBH my tummy's pretty flat so not sure what's causing this. The quarters seem to open up a bit, it gets better if the lower button is buttoned up (though I know it is not meant to be).

Thanks for the comments, will keep them in mind for my next commission. The suit is a product of a single fitting session due to my rather short stay. Picked the charcoal grey worsted as I wanted my first piece to be on the conservative side. I'm based in the land of my forefathers where winters tend to be cold. Any suggestions on what cloths to use?

You have a sharp eye for ALT's work, may I know what gave it away? Or do you happen to be one of the stakeholders there

Anywhere between -10 and 15 degrees C (an overcoat/feather jacket plus long johns are a must).

Uniqlo has wool suits going for roughly RM420 where I am. Very worth the money but alas sleeves are too short on me.

It says 9am-7am on his business card. They're closed on Sundays.

Got a suit made recently by one of the fabric store tailors in the Chinese capital. They are not the cheapest around here, but still at OTR prices (think G2k), it's a bargain.

Fabric is a medium grey chinese wool with Bemberg lining. Fit is 'copied' from my ALT to minimize the risk of multiple alterations and the hassle that goes along.

The end product turned out ok (at least to me), though workmanship is not top notch (expected for a factory job). I might stick with them for office suits, comments on the suit would be appreciated.





By the way, I came across one tailor who does fully canvassed suits for slightly less than RM1k (excluding the cost of wool)

I noticed the slope problem too, it is far more obvious on my right shoulder than the left. I wonder if it's because of my dropped right shoulder. How does the tailor compensate for a dropped shoulder? Initially he wanted to make the shoulder padding thicker but I resisted.

There was an unfinished jacket (basted suit?) in the display window with visible hand stitchings, so I asked the owner how much it would cost to make one of those (due to my limited knowledge of chinese tailoring terms I told him 'suits that do not use glue'). That particular shop seems to offer a more personalized level of service compared to the fabric store tailors, I might try them when I get my own cloth.

Stitchings were on the canvas.

kotmj, will try to digest what you posted. Thanks.

Full canvass CMT at a grand price of...the labour ALT charges for his half canvassed suits. What do you think?

This post has been edited by deriku: Mar 29 2011, 10:53 PM


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From what I can see, the jacket is not too long at all. However your sleeves may be too short, too much cuff is showing. Are you sure that's a 34S? For your height and weight I'd expect 34 to be a really tight fit, I mean, really tight.

Try taking a better picture.

Aka hermes man. Has his own thread in SF, don't play play.
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=231419

This post has been edited by deriku: Mar 31 2011, 11:15 AM

My latest commission, a 3 piece in midnight navy. Cloth acquired from Howard on eBay, tailor is the one who had the FC piece on display. His fittings are a notch above other tailors here (many who do not have the most basic sense of fit), perhaps on par with Ah Loke.

I may get an FC from him next if budget permits..

Sorry, tripod's not with me so no other pics at the moment. Fabric is wool gaberdine which I got for cheap, and Bemberg lining.

I gave minimal instructions to the tailor. He basically nailed the jacket in the first fitting. Only thing I requested was for the pants to be tapered. Not sure about the vest as this is the first one I'm commissioning, but I probably won't be wearing it often anyway. Same goes for the pocket square; I wore it once to my company's annual dinner, was the only one having one and received many funny questions about it.

Nope this is a different tailor. I'm quite certain the previous one was a mass-produced factory job, but this guy cuts the cloth himself. I didn't even show him my ALT suit.
His suits have been discussed in SF with generally positive reviews, which is what led me to him.

Sorry guys, this tailor is located in Beijing, so unless you're planning a trip here...
I think he does accept mail orders, so if you're really interested please drop me a pm.

A rough calculation shows that you would be able to cover your flight ticket from KL if you're making 4 suits or more

Agree that the right shoulder and panel (pic was taken facing a mirror) could be better. Don't mind the lapel width although it's slimmer than trad.
Thanks for the comments. I learnt a lot from the sifus here.

Location yes, quality perhaps. But I daresay the cost of my tailor is at least half that of Dave's. I have heard good things about Dave but being the poor expat I tend to check out the less glamorous and less costly options