A New Tailored Coat

Wow, it's really been a long time since the last post. We took a break from China to visit home for the Christmas holidays and after that we kind of spent some time getting readjusted to China life. Now things are clicking again and a conversation with friends recently reminded me that I need to post something to keep things fresh....so here you go...here's something...to keep things fresh.

Merry belated Christmas everyone!

I've been wanting to go have a sport coat tailored ever since Shayne had some maternity dresses made in Shanghai. I got some references for a good place in Suzhou and made it happen. Mr. Gu is a tailor in Suzhou New District and he has a card in the Expat Association's taxi card pack. His shop is located very near the Yushan Lu stop on subway line one and that might be the quickest way to get there from SIP. He seems to be liked by the expat community because he speaks pretty good English.

If you go there, it's best to know what you want - and specifics are important. Knowing I wanted a sport coat wasn't enough. You've got to know specifics such as the style, the fit, the color, the pocket and lapel style...do a little research to make the process smooth. The customer service was a bit rushed brief so it helped a lot to bring in this picture and say "I want this but not plaid."

Mr. Gu took a look at my picture and said "what about the back?" I guess it's best to also know about the back, we discussed a little and decided on one slit and I assume he knows enough to fill in the blanks. After looking at the picture, we had to pick a fabric and I found a navy blue I liked in 100% wool. Then he took my measurements and said "500RMB, 200 now and the rest in 10 days when you pick up."



I went back after ten days and tried on my new coat. A very good slim fitting jacket, exactly like I wanted. And for around $80 it is hard to complain about being rushed through the first visit. It certainly beats driving all the way to Shanghai to work with a tailor I pick out randomly. I might go back and get one in dark grey...or maybe a full suit.