Guides
How to check a tailored suit in Bangkok before you pay
Five checks before you pay for a suit in Bangkok: inside the jacket, the lapel, the seams, the fit at each fitting, and what to ask.
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Checking a tailored suit before you pay takes five checks: inside the jacket, the lapel, the seams and buttonholes, the fit at each fitting, and the questions you put to the tailor. A fused jacket is a construction choice, not a fraud. The warning is a fused suit sold as bespoke, and these checks show which one you are holding. This guide takes the checks in the order a made-to-order suit allows them, and names the one a rack suit cannot offer: the fit at each fitting.
01
The checks, in order
The five checks to make on a tailored suit in Bangkok are these, each tied to a moment in the making:
- Test inside the jacket at a fitting to learn whether the chest is canvassed or fused.
- Look at the lapel at collection for a soft, curved roll rather than a flat, pressed crease.
- Inspect the seams and buttonholes at collection for tight, even stitching with no loose ends.
- Check the fit at each fitting, while the suit can still be changed.
- Ask how the suit is made and what the quote includes at the order, then compare the answers with what a cheap suit saves on.
Check 5 comes first in time, at the order. Checks 1 and 4 happen at the fittings, and checks 2 and 3 at collection.
02
Inside the jacket
The inside of a jacket shows whether the chest is canvassed or fused. A canvassed chest has a layer of stiffened cloth stitched between the outer cloth and the lining. A fused chest has that layer glued to the outer cloth, and a fused front can bubble. A half-canvas jacket has canvas in the chest and is fused below it. To check with your hands, use the pinch test, which is set out on its own page. Fusing is a legitimate way to build a jacket. The fault is a fused suit sold as bespoke, so ask which of the three you are being quoted before you order.
03
The lapel, seams and buttonholes
The lapel, seams and buttonholes show how a jacket is finished, so they are checked at collection, and the table below sets out what to look at, a good sign and a warning sign for each.
| What to look at | A good sign | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Lapel roll | A soft, curved roll where the lapel folds back | A flat, pressed crease |
| Seams | Tight, even stitching with no loose ends | Loose or uneven stitching, loose ends |
| Buttonholes | Tight and even, with no loose ends | Loose or uneven buttonholes, loose ends |
A flat crease at the lapel can also point to a fused front, so read it together with the check inside the jacket. Look at the trouser side seams as well: a reserve of fabric there leaves room for later alteration.
04
The fit, at each fitting
The fit is checked at each fitting, while the suit can still be changed. At the first fitting the suit is deliberately unfinished. Look at how it sits across the shoulders and chest, where the collar meets your neck, how the sleeve hangs and where the trouser breaks. Nothing at this stage is permanent, and a shoulder can be opened and moved rather than eased. Wear the shoes you will wear with the suit, because trouser length is set against heel height. The tailor marks corrections in chalk while you stand in the jacket. At the second fitting, check that each correction was made, then run the pinch test. Leave the lapel, seams and buttonholes for collection, when the suit is finished. The page on how a suit is made lists the steps between the two fittings.
05
What to ask before you pay
The questions to ask a tailor before you pay are about the pattern, the construction, the fittings, the timing and the terms. Whether a suit is bespoke or made to measure depends on the pattern, so start there.
- Is the pattern drafted for my body, or adjusted from an existing block?
- Is the jacket fused, half canvas or full canvas?
- How many fittings are included, and when do they happen?
- How long does the suit take, and what changes in a rush order?
- What does the quote include, and what is due at the order, at the fittings and at collection?
- Can I have the deposit terms in writing?
Hold every tailor in Bangkok to the same list, and compare the answers. The questions about the money are set out under deposits and payment.
06
Checking a suit at The Loft
You can check a suit at The Loft Bespoke Tailor against three facts: it is cut from a paper pattern drafted for you, the jacket is canvassed, and two fittings are standard. That is how we make our bespoke suits in Bangkok. A suit takes two to three days, or twelve hours when you are flying out. In the express, the pattern is still cut for you and a fitting still happens. We are inside BTS National Stadium station, at Exit 3 and Exit 4 on Rama I Road. We alter suits in two to three days. For the deposit terms, ask us for them in writing.
Our work
Questions people ask
- What is a fused suit?
- A fused suit is a suit whose jacket front has its inner layer glued to the outer cloth instead of stitched to it. Fusing is a construction choice, not a fraud, and fused fronts can bubble. The warning is a fused suit sold as bespoke. Ask which construction you are being quoted, and test the chest at a fitting rather than after collection.
- How can you tell if a suit is good quality?
- You can tell a suit is good quality by running five checks: inside the jacket, the lapel roll, the seams and buttonholes, the fit at each fitting, and the tailor's answers. A canvassed chest, a soft curved lapel roll, tight even stitching with no loose ends and a reserve of fabric in the trouser side seams are the good signs. Each one can be checked at a fitting or at collection.
- What can you check at each stage of a bespoke suit in Bangkok?
- You can check a different part of a suit at each stage: the construction and the fit at the fittings, and the lapel, seams and buttonholes at collection. At the order, ask how the suit is made. At The Loft Bespoke Tailor in Bangkok, a suit is cut from a paper pattern drafted for you and fitted twice as standard. Ask for the payment terms in writing, so you know what is due at each stage.
Visit the shop
BTS National Stadium Station Exit 3 & 4, Rama I Rd, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330.Open 10am to 9pm, every day.