Try Tokyo's tailors on for size.

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• Caymanian • Japan Times • Tokyo •

When off-the-rack won't cut it, try Tokyo's tailors on for size.
Richard Smith has the story all sewn up.

Excerpts

Size matters, especially to foreigners who have to travel out of the country to find sleeves that reach their wrists, larger shoes or pants to fit the non-Japanese figure. If you think made-to-measure items are the prerogative of city fat cats and starlets with wardrobes chockablock with couture, think again. Dotted around the city are tailors and artisans waiting to whip out their measuring tapes to size up the man or woman on the street for a perfect fit.

Everything from a three-piece suit and handmade shoes to monogrammed baseball caps and accessories can be tailored to your personal style and shape. And although special-order items often have a price tag comparable to their fashion quotient, there are other affordable options you may not be aware of. Department stores offer made-to-order suits and shirts from top-notch designers and will make alterations on garments purchased in store, and some tailors have even gone high-tech, serving their customers from cyberspace. While your neighborhood needlepusher can handle hemming pants or letting out a waistband, nothing beats a well-cut suit from an experienced clothier.

An experienced tailor can give you exactly what you want down to the smallest detail.
 

Distant cut

Tailoring has embraced the Internet age and gone high-tech with remote tailoring online.

Hong Kong based Vijay Wadhwani of NobleHouse questions the wisdom of long distance tailoring. "In custom tailoring it is advisable to meet the customer in person, so they can select the fabric from samples, be carefully measured and discuss the style," Wadhwani says, adding "It is also most important for the tailor to see the body form of the individual. What shape are the shoulders? Is there a slight hump in the back? These and other questions are vital when crafting a suit and can only be answered by seeing the customer."

Wadhwani began tailoring for people in Toshiba's Hong Kong branch and through their introduction, started coming to measure-up their Tokyo colleagues in 1976. Word began to spread that there was this great tailor taking orders for customized suits at astonishingly low prices. Today, a man or woman's suit ordered from NobleHouse usually only costs between ¥ 50,000 - ¥ 70,000, which compares very favorably with ready-to-wear, let alone tailor-made suits. After sizing up his Tokyo customers, Wadhwani heads back to Hong Kong and sends the suit in about a month and paper patterns are kept on file for future orders. If small alterations are necessary, NobleHouse will reimburse clients for any local alterations that are necessary.

Whether you opt for a local tailor or the long-distance approach the criteria for selecting a good tailor is service. Knowledge of the body form and how fabrics hang, attention to workmanship and detail, and access to the latest fabrics and styles are the key to finding the perfect tailor. And ultimately, it's the fit that counts.

Phone: +852-2302-4444  -  Fax: +852-2302-4477

Vijay Wadhwani's latest Travel Schedule is posted at noblehouse.us

NobleHouse
Visits for Aug to Oct 2010