Yes, you do need a wardrobe!
Published/Last edited on 21st September, 2017.
Hoi An has become synonymous with tailoring and it seems every other shop in the UNESCO old town is devoted to selling you new custom duds. The tailoring process can be overwhelming. Where does one begin? Here’s our guide to tailoring in Hoi An.
Flashback to 2009: Hoi An’s reputation as a tailoring mecca was already flourishing and eye-catching samples of pretty frocks adorned storefronts. We wanted to make a dress. We did our research, went to the best, most reputable tailor shop in town armed with a photo, picked out the fabric and plunked down more money than a week’s worth of accommodation in Vietnam. It would be worth it, we told ourselves. The first fitting wasn’t quite right but it was fairly close to what we wanted. The second fitting was a regression – it actually looked worse and something was very off. At the third fitting, the staff assigned to us was anxious to get it done. Suddenly the salesperson who had been so sweet and eager when we started became bored, then argumentative and pushy, and with her help we reluctantly became convinced the dress was okay. We carried the dress around in our backpack for months and when we returned home, we never wore it.
We’re older and wiser and now understand that a lot can go wrong with getting clothes made in Hoi An. The first question you should ask is “How much do I care if it’s not perfect?” If you just want a button down shirt and not an exact replica of a hot off the runway outfit, then practically any shop will do. But if you are more ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 1,500 words.)
Log in to Travelfish
Please sign in to read the rest of this page. The full text is around 1,500 words.
Become a Travelfish member
Choose from $5 week-long through to a lifetime membership.
Reviewed by
Cindy Fan
Cindy Fan is a Canadian writer/photographer and author of So Many Miles, a website that chronicles the love of adventure, food and culture. After falling in love with sticky rice and Mekong sunsets, in 2011 she uprooted her life in Toronto to live la vida Laos. She’s travelled to over 40 countries and harbours a deep affection for Africa and Southeast Asia. Between jaunts around the world, when in Southeast Asia, she calls Laos and Vietnam home where you’ll find her traipsing through rice paddies, standing beside broken-down buses and in villages laughing with the locals. Cindy is a widely published travel writer who has featured in leading international publications including TIME, The New York Times, and the Australian.