Hello everyone, and welcome to another of my reviews. In this article, I’ll review a new suit commission from the Bangkok tailor Paul’s Fashion.
I’ve heard great things about Paul’s Fashion over the years, especially from Singaporeans who raved about them being great value for money. When I first started reviewing Bangkok tailors, some friends reached out, suggesting that I give Paul’s Fashion a shot. So when I heard that they had just moved into a new showroom in Intercontinental Bangkok, I figured this was the best time to try them out. Let’s see if they are any good.
Paul’s Fashion – the Video
For hands-on footage of my experience with Paul’s Fashion, do watch the YouTube video below:
Paul’s Fashion – the Experience
As mentioned above, Paul’s Fashion is located in Intercontinental Bangkok, which is located next to the exit of Chit Lom BTS Station.
There are a couple of tailors located in Intercontinental Bangkok, so it’s easy to get confused if this is your first visit. Look for a showroom tucked away in the right corridor with a black facade.
I was pleasantly surprised by the spacious and upscale nature of the showroom, especially given Paul’s Fashion’s affordable pricing.
Paul’s Fashion feels like a proper tailor store, with rows of fabric lining the walls. Again, this is in stark contrast to most Singaporean tailors, who don’t buy fabric in bulk.
Interestingly, the store is adorned with multiple anime figurines from varying franchises, such as Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Demon Slayer, etc. Viewers of my house tour video would know that I’m quite an otaku myself, so this was definitely a plus point.
Upon entering the store, I was greeted by Krish, who promptly brought out a few suiting fabrics for me to peruse.
As this was my first visit to Paul’s Fashion, I told Krish that I was looking for an affordable suiting fabric, something priced below 10,000 THB. I ended up perusing a bunch of the mixed wool “house fabrics”, which were conveniently in full rolls instead of small fabric swatches.
Krish informed me that these fabrics are priced at 10,000 THB/S$400. For that price, the mixed wool fabric felt surprisingly decent—I would wager that it’s close to 50% mixed wool. The fabric felt light to the touch and lacked the shiny sheen that often accompanies polyester-heavy cloth.
That being said, I wasn’t too keen on the colours, so I asked Krish to show me more similarly priced fabrics. And as this was my first suit from Paul’s Fashion, I wanted to go for something versatile, such as navy or grey.
Seeing that I was undecided between navy and grey, Krish offered to drape both fabrics on me so I could visualise them on my body better. Instantly, I could tell that the navy was the better choice—the charcoal grey fabric felt a tad too mature for me.
After deciding on the fabric, we moved on to choosing the lining. As the navy suiting fabric is on the conservative side, I decided to opt for a bolder, poker-inspired patterned lining.
Next, Krish gave me a few button choices. Given the versatile nature of the navy fabric, I decided to opt for faux horn buttons—a failsafe combination.
Last but not least, Krish brought out a few shirting fabrics for me to look at. He shared that the fabrics are easy-iron and pure cotton. Here, I decided to go with another trusty colour pairing—a pink shirt to match the navy suit.
With the various choices decided, it was time to get measured. Here, Krish stepped away for Dave (pictured above).
It was clear that Dave has extensive experience measuring clients. I later learnt that he has been in the trade for over 15 years (since he was 18).
Dave also took the initiative to ask me about my preferred fit, such as if I preferred my trousers to be slim fit or roomier. This is not always the case with more affordable tailors, who often simply provide clients with their “house style” unless told otherwise.
After dutifully jotting down my measurements, Dave asked me for my preferred jacketing options. As I wanted a versatile suit, I decided on standard-width notch lapels, double vents at the back, and side adjusters for the trousers.
I return for my basted fitting the next day. For those uninitiated with tailoring, a basted fitting process is where the tailor will let you try on a skeleton jacket, held together by temporary white basting stitches. To learn more about the basted fitting, read this educational article here. Personally, I believe that a basted fitting is essential to a true tailoring experience. To quote a line from the aforementioned article: “It’s the difference between flying first class and flying on a private jet.”
Dave supervised the fitting, using chalk and pins—quintessential trade tools —to denote the necessary areas for alteration.
As always, my back was the most problematic area. Here, you can see Dave (in the above photo) pinning up the right side of the jacket, taking in the excess fabric to accommodate my sloping shoulders. This exmplefies why a basted fitting is often paramount, especially if you’ve atypical body proportions – it’s what differentiates tailor-made clothing from off-the-rack.
Next, Dave attached the jacket sleeve. In Bangkok, tailors often attach the jacket sleeve separately to achieve the best possible sleeve pitch, which is often hard to nail as the sleeve pitch is dependent on one’s posture.
I was very impressed by the sleeve pitch – it was pretty much perfect. Again, this highlights the importance of a basted fitting, which allows the tailor to adjust for the individual’s body posture.
However, the basted fitting is also dependent on the experience and expertise of the tailor overseeing it. At Paul’s Fashion, it was immediately clear to me that Dave has a great eye for detail. He fussed over every aspect of the fit, immediately picking up problem areas like my sloping shoulders. This meant that the fitting session took longer than usual (around 30 minutes), but it was definitely time well spent. Just look at the basted jacket in the photo above – it drapes beautifully.
Before I left, Dave retook my shoulder measurements to ensure that the shoulders fit perfectly. This is crucial, as the shoulders are one of the areas of a jacket that cannot be altered after it has been completed.
The following day, I returned to Paul’s Fashion to try on the finished suit.
Once again, Dave poured over the suit’s fit. To be honest, I thought that—though not perfect—the suit fit well enough, especially given its affordable price point of 10,000 THB/S$400. However, Dave noticed that the sleeve pitch was still slightly off and insisted on rectifying the fit. When I told him that I was flying off early tomorrow morning (and thus wouldn’t be able to pop by the store), he offered to meet me at the airport with the suit.
Dave made good on his offer and met me (with the altered suit) at Suvarnabhumi Airport the next morning. I have to commend Dave for his top-notch service and his commitment to his craft – he’s someone who will go above and beyond for his customers, which is rarely the case with affordable tailors.
Paul’s Fashion – Suit Review
Let’s now take a closer look at the finished suit from Paul’s Fashion.
Firstly, the front fits well, with the shoulders lying perfectly flat without any fabric wrinkling or bunching. There’s also slight tapering around the waist, though it’s not as aggressive as my suit from Patrick & Co. The jacket is of the right length, too, ending near the base of my thumb bone.
I’m hugely impressed by the sleeve pitch—it’s perhaps the most perfect sleeve pitch of all the Bangkok tailors I’ve reviewed thus far, with the sleeve draping beautifully without any wrinkling. Furthermore, the jacket lies flat on the shirt without an unsightly collar gap.
As for the back, I would say that the fit is good but not perfect. Paul Fashion’s has clearly taken some steps to accommodate my arched back and sloped shoulders, but there is still noticeable wrinkling on the left side of the back.
Lastly, the trousers drape decently, with a lovely quarter break. The cut is on the slimmer side here, giving them a more modern look.
Apart from the better-than-expected fit, I was also pleasantly surprised by how lovely the “house fabric” is. From afar, the suit looks to be a regular solid navy suit. However, up close, the subtle checks of the fabric reveal itself, providing the suit with a quiet sense of refinement and visual interest.
The 3-inch notch lapel turned out nicely, providing the look with a more “under the radar” feel. Counteracting the modesty is the inclusion of an in-built pocket square, which provides the wearer the option of some pizzazz if deemed necessary. Unfortunately, we don’t get a Milanese buttonhole here.
Like the rest of the suit, the tone-on-tone blue buttons provide restraint. However, I would have liked to see some semblance of a lapel roll here, which would give the suit more dimension.
Similarly, I would have liked for the sleeve buttons to be functional, which isn’t the case here.
When I was commissioning this, I intended it to be a “go anywhere, do anything” type of suit. Given its jack-of-all-trades sensibilities, it felt only fitting to go for a lining depicting the Jack of Hearts and the Jack of Spades. Its bolder design also serves as a nice juxtaposition to the otherwise unassuming suit.
As always, I went with side adjusters for the trousers, which results in an eminently cleaner look compared to belt loops. However, I would say that the design of the side adjusters is a tad basic – we don’t see the tabs that are present from higher-end tailors, such as my previous suit from Galaxy Tailors.
Interestingly, Paul’s Fashion offers customers the option of having their initials monogrammed on the chest. This is a first—I’ve not encountered this at any of the tailors I’ve visited (both in Bangkok and Singapore) before. I think it turned out well and is a fun alternative to the usual cuff monogram.
As for the overall style, I would say that Paul’s Fashion’s house cut is closer to a British cut. It’s not as slim-fit and bold as the Italian-leaning cut of Patrick & Co or Narry Bespoke Tailors, but it’s also not as reserved as the American-leaning style of Boss Apparels or Michael Tailors. The versatile cut reminds me of Universal Tailors or even Rajawongse – it’s a suit that can be worn for both work and weddings.
Overall, I’m happy with my maiden suit from Paul’s Fashion. The fit and fabric definitely punch above its price tag – I was mightily impressed by how the suit fits, as well as the quality of the “house fabric”. While there are aspects of the suit that can be improved (the lack of a lapel roll, generic side adjusters, non-functional sleeve buttons, no Milanese buttonhole, etc.), it’s important to remember that this is a 10,000 THB/S$400 suit that was made in four days, so expectations have to be managed accordingly.
Conclusion – so Paul’s Fashion “shiok” or not?
I had a great first experience with Paul’s Fashion. A large part of this positive experience can be attributed to Dave, who fussed over the fit of the suit during the fittings. I could sense his enthusiasm and dedication to delivering well-fitting garments, as well as his commitment to service. This was clear when he actually met me at the airport during the wee hours of the morning instead of simply mailing the garments over (and charging me an additional shipping fee) as most tailors would in similar situations. The result was perhaps the best-fitting suit that I’ve had for under S$400, crafted from a decent fabric to boot. If you’re in Bangkok and searching for an affordable tailor, then I suggest paying Paul’s Fashion a visit.
Those interested in commissioning a suit from Paul’s Fashion can quote the promo code “WAHSOSHIOK” or flash this article in-store to enjoy a free shirt (worth 1000 THB/S$40) with every suit purchase. Suits from Paul’s Fashion start at 7500 THB/S$300, with my particular ensemble (suit and shirt) costing 9900 THB/S$400. And as the icing on the cake, Singaporean customers get a further 5% discount if they pay via SGD in cash.
Book an appointment with Paul’s Fashion here.
Paul’s Fashion’s Location: 973 President Tower Arcade Lobby, Phloen Chit Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
P.S: Check out The Shiok Store here – it serves as a curation of my favourite products from my favourite brands.
P.P.S: Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.P.P.P.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
