Tips for Getting Tailored Clothes in Hoi An

By words of mouth going around here and there, Hoi An is home to the cheapest tailored clothes in the world. However, after spending a good amount of money on flight tickets to Vietnam, you do not want to damage your budget staying here. So, hopefully, travelers will avoid first-time tailoring mistakes, learn how to find the best shops for clothing, and leave with their wallets intact with the tips as follows:

Decide on a budget before booking flight tickets to Vietnam

It’s easy to get caught up in the purchasing madness of custom tailoring in Hoi An. For this reason, it’s best to set limits. Know exactly how much cash can be parted with before heading out to the shops. It makes avoiding the impulse purchases, and the inevitable buyer’s remorse a whole lot easier.

Shop around

Most tailors in Hoi An are good. Some are truly great. With so much talent in such a small place, it’s tough to go really wrong. Still, diversifying purchases is a good idea. It distributes business, and it increases access to textiles, fabrics and leathers, too, since each storefront has its own supply to work with. Diversifying also helps to avoid disasters. Only a couple of items are being produced at each shop, so should a tailor turn out to be a major miss, all is not actually lost.

Consider using more upscale tailors with fancier show rooms and a wide selection of wool and silk materials for suits and career clothes. Opt for more standard-issue tailors that offer interesting fabric selections for less expensive items.

Know what you want

Rather than window-shopping, know what you want and need before arrival; otherwise you’ll quickly find yourself drowning in a sea of silk. It’s very important to have the right knowledge and strategy before even walking into a tailor shop. If you go the tailor unsure of what you want, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. The first step is to research what clothes you want. Then, it would have been really helpful to have done a little research on things like fabric types, hemlines, double-stitching etc. so that you didn’t have to rely so heavily on the tailors opinions and expertise. Finally, don’t forget to print out pictures before visiting Hoi An with flight tickets to Vietnam.

Splurge on at least one item

Stay cheap on standard items like dress shirts, skirts and pants, but go for broke on at least one big-ticket item and it’s unlikely you’ll be sorry.

Be prepared to bargain

Prices are rarely marked in the shops of Hoi An, so it’s all about the barter when it comes to getting a decent price. Some tailors offer bigger discounts the more you buy, but most are eager to drop the price at a mention of a better deal down the street. With so many options, shops are in constant competition, which is a serious advantage for consumers.

Also, be sure the tailor is using the best exchange rate. The cost of items is in USD and, depending on where you go, they may pad the price a bit by using a less favorable exchange rate. Everyone has a calculator and will type in the numbers, but just show you the end amount. It’s okay to refigure it using the exchange rate that’s posted at banks and go from there.

Allow enough time

The most important thing is to leave yourself some time. Although there are a bucket load of tailors who will turn around items in 1 or 2 days, it is much more risky and the craftsmanship may not be as good.

Even they measure you properly; there are always the possibilities to fix it here and there. So, it can be disappointing when you try your items for the first time and they are not right, but that is quite common and the purpose of the fitting process. To get the most out of the tailoring process you need enough time for multiple fittings by letting the tailors know when you have to leave the town and checking with them at least few hours before you have to go.

After your flight tickets to Vietnam, getting custom made clothes in Hoi An is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Basically what it comes down to is the more prepared and assertive you are, the better your end product will be. Have fun shopping!

Sources:

http://nomadcapitalist.com/2013/07/25/the-cheapest-place-in-the-world-for-custom-suits/

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-08/custom-clothes-in-hoi-ann.html

http://runawayjuno.com/runaway-tales/how-to-successfully-getting-tailor-made-clothes-in-hoi-an-vietnam/

http://xotours.vn/blog/2013/08/18/custom-made-yes-please-a-guide-to-custom-tailoring-in-vietnam/

http://gogirlguides.com/shopping-2/how-to-get-custom-made-clothes-in-hoi-an-vietnam/

http://twenty-somethingtravel.com/2011/02/wardrobe-lose-mind-hoi/

http://indianajo.com/2013/07/tailors-in-hoi-an.html