Tailored garments in Pattaya
Most visitors come to Pattaya, or Thailand even, for the sun, the beaches, the culture, the food perhaps and of course those famous Thai smiles, but not many imagine going home with several extra three piece suits in their luggage. Now what on earth would you need these for on holiday. And the answer is, the save yourself a great deal of money. Put more clearly, local tailors offer exceptional value for custom made garments, and many visitors end up getting talked into a whole set of dress clothes for less than the price of jacket back home.
Pattaya’s tailors are just as numerous as its hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. As a matter of fact, Pattaya has three times as many tailors as the much larger city of Bangkok. With so many tailoring options to choose from, it can be difficult for visitors to decide on the best place to purchase the suit or dress of their dreams. The most highly recommended tailors are located on Beach Road or Walking Street. Although these tailors are among the most expensive in Pattaya, their prices are still much cheaper than Western boutiques for top quality garments.
North Pattaya’s Maharaja Tailors have been in business since 1975. Suit prices begin at 4,500 baht, and unlike many other tailors, they offer a money back guarantee to customers so you don’t loose out if you aren’t satisfied with the quality of their product. Suit prices at Canali Tailors, which has two locations on Jomtien Beach Road, begin at 5,000 baht.
Lord’s Tailors was also originally established in 1975, when American soldiers frequently visited Pattaya during the Vietnam War. The shop remains one of Thailand’s oldest and most reputable tailoring establishments, and has become a household name in Pattaya. Lord’s Tailors employs more than 35 workers who travel to Europe four times a year to personally measure customers unable to travel to Thailand. The tailors of Picaso Fashions also regularly visit Europe and deliver orders directly to customers’ doorsteps.
Although Kumar Boutique has only been in business since 2004, its small and creative team of tailors has more than a decade of experience behind them and opened a second branch, named New Sanya’s Fashion, in 2007. Not only will Kumar Boutique’s tailors provide friendly advice at their two Pattaya locations, they will also gladly consult with customers by telephone or e-mail. However, unlike many other Thai tailors, Kumar Boutique’s staff do not stand outside their shops trying to hustle customers inside, believing their work speaks for itself. Among Kumar Boutique’s specialities are polo shirts that customers can order with specially designed logos.
The tailors at Nini Fashions, located near the end of Walking Street, speak Thai, English and German. Nini Fashions also sells a variety of fabrics, exports custom orders and accepts all major credit cards.
Another Walking Street establishment, Paul’s Tailor, stocks over 1,500 fabrics, including cashmere, wool, Spanish mohair and Italian silk. Paul’s Tailor also duplicates suits created by the world’s most famous fashion designers, and the staff speak Thai, English, French, German and Italian. Prima Fashion has been in business for over a decade and specialises in uniforms, safari clothing, suits, and evening dresses.
Nini Fashions, Paul’s Tailor and Prima Fashion all provide a unisex measurement form customers can fill out, print and mail or fax if they are unable to travel to Pattaya, but all three businesses recommend professionally taken measurements.
These are among Pattaya’s most famous and highly recommended tailoring shops, but no matter where visitors choose to purchase their one-of-a-kind personally tailored outfits, caution must always be exercised. Research carefully beforehand and get recommendation from locals whenever possible. Avoid tailors who promise a finished product within 24 hours or at unusually low prices. Above all, if anything sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Most tailors are happy to provide samples of their work for visitors to examine. Different coloured lining, small inside hand stitches and sleeves which fall well are all examples of high quality tailor made garments.
If a tailor only measures a customer once before their garment is ready, chances are the clothing was made in a factory. Factory made clothing should not cost as much as tailor made clothing, and most tailor made garments require customers to be measured more than once to guarantee a perfect fit.
The more carefully customers plan beforehand to choose their ideal tailor, the more likely they’ll be able to return from their holiday in Pattaya with the one-of-a-kind tuxedo or dress of their dreams.
