Getting Dressed for Success

Hong Kong is known for inexpensive tailors who make excellent fitted clothing.  I decided to give one of them a try and have some shirts made.  I went to the best-known shop among them called Sam's Tailor.  On the shop's website you can see photos of its famous customers (including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Andrea Bocelli and Rod Stewart) visiting the shop and shaking the hand of the owner, Manu.  This friendly and respectful Indian seemed all business at first.  After I negotiated the price (it's all about haggling), I was measured by a Chinese tailor and I pre-paid my shirts with a credit card.  After that, Manu asked me where I was from and what I did for a living and we had a nice chat.

The shop itself is a little hard to find for the first time.  Since most taxi drivers in Hong Kong do not speak English, ever-so-helpful hotel staff will tell the driver a destination in Chinese.  I was dropped off in the right area but I had to search around before I found the place hidden in a hallway.  Unlike its fame, the shop is surprisingly small.  The tiny shop was full of Westerners but the wait wasn't long.  The process of selecting fabrics and cuts was simple and efficient.  I was told to come back and pick up my finished shirts three days later.

Now that the shop has my measurements, I can reorder more shirts in the future and have them mailed to me in New York.

Bill Clinton

Natalie Cole

Naomi Campbell

Kevin Spacey