Where To Buy A Tailor Made Suit In Bangkok

***This is NOT a sponsored post. I am simply a satisfied consumer, very happy with the quality of the products I received. Since suit buying is a popular topic for travelers to Asia, I think it’s my duty to give my opinion and possibly give business to my new friends.

Modeling my S Twenty-6 made suit in Shinjuku, Tokyo at the Love sculpture.

There are three sentences that I guarantee every male walking around popular Bangkok areas like Sukhumvit, Khao San Road and Patpong will hear: “Hey sexy man, you want massage?” is one; “Hey sexy man, you need a girlfriend?” is another; and “Hey, my friend, you want a suit?” is the last. Your answer to all three questions can determine whether you feel burnt (especially to the second question) or whether your money was well spent.

As I have matured, especially when it comes to traveling, I’ve learned that it’s best to ask people you trust for advice. I knew before my trip to Bangkok that I wanted to get at least two suits made. I knew what my budget would be and I perused through enough GQ, Esquire and Details magazines to know what style of suit best fit me. My problem was that I’d be going to Bangkok unaware of where to actually go for a suit but fully aware that there would be 100′s of options for me to choose from. Thus, the odds were, I’d end up settling for the place that gave me the best sales pitch and had the best mannequins rather than a place that probably would do the best work. To eliminate that problem, I reached out to a friend.

Johnny Ward at onestep4ward.com was the friend I called upon. Within a week of my trip, he connected me with a good friend of his- AJ- who owned S Twenty-6 tailor shop with her mother. Not only that, she was also well traveled and a great photographer, so we hit it off immediately as we talked about what I was looking for in a suit. She forwarded me to the shop’s Facebook page and I began looking at the photographs of suits they designed, as well as suit ideas they had based on the current season. By the time I boarded my flight to Bangkok from Tokyo, all arrangements were made for when I’d come for my measurements.

The inspiring pin board you'll see when you enter the shop.

I already had a blue pinstripe suit that Ewan McGregor was sporting sharply in the latest issue of GQ. I knew that was the suit I wanted. Fast forward to my fourth day in Thailand and I am at the tailor shop. Quick backtrack. The tailor shop is a few kilometers away from Khao San Road but I was staying all the way on Soi 20 in Sukhumvit. If you’ve been to Bangkok and have been in a taxi than you will know that unlike other major world cities, a lot of taxi drivers in the city only know a small area of the city they operate in. Give a driver an address and he will give you a dumbfounded look. The first taxi I took from my hotel, we made it half a block before I immediately asked him to pull over and let me out. First off, he would not turn on the meter. Secondly, he asked me again where we were going. I walk back to the hotel and the doorman sees my anger. He apologizes and immediately makes it his business to get a taxi driver that will take me where I need to go and with a running meter. Mission accomplished!

(come on, what Follow Your Hart blog post would be normal without one of my mini rants? Ha ha)

AJ is on vacation, so when I arrive at the tailor shop, her mother- the owner- greets me with a friendly smile and a warm welcome. After some small talk, we immediately get down to business as I show her the suits I want (one the aforementioned blue pin stripe in GQ, the other from a photograph on their Facebook page). After discussing color schemes, fabric (wool of course), design (two buttons), shirt styles, ties, etc., my measurements are taken, price is given and we go through the details of when I can return for my first fitting.

I selected this suit after seeing it posted on S Twenty-6's facebook page.

If you read posts about buying suits in Bangkok, many of them tell you how to not get ripped off or how to recognize when you’re being schmoozed by over zealous salespeople. I got none of that at S Twenty-6. It was like walking into a tailor shop on Rodeo Drive; first-class service all the way. Not only that, but every suit, shirt, tie, bow and pocket square are made by the employees of S Twenty-6. Your measurements aren’t sent to some mega factory across town where 100′s of other tailor shops in the city are sending their suit orders. You’re an important customer to them and you feel that during the entire process.

After my measurements were taken, AJ’s mom asked me if I was hungry and took me to a very good local place for a real authentic Thai dinner.

My fitting came the day I returned from my day in Sukhothai. Most tailor shops will give you an initial fitting. Here is where you really need to be honest and tell them what you want and how things should look. Remember, they are a tailor shop, so nothing you say should be too out of the ordinary. My initial fitting went well. I decided that my suits would be slim fitting on me and give me a more svelte look.

Several days later it would be time for me to leave Bangkok and after a quick second fitting, my suits and shirts were ready to pick up. As you can see from the pictures that follow, I am very happy with my choice to go to S Twenty-6 Tailor Shop.

If you’re want quality, you have to pay for it. Sure, I could have went to any tailor hounding me as I walked by and gotten 3 or 4 more suits for the price I paid at S Twenty-6. But from the products I’ve seen coming out of some of those shops, I would have gotten what I paid for. A good suit is like a good bottle of wine or a good woman: It should last for years and turn heads. I feel very confident in the suits I had made. It is why I recommend that if you are in Bangkok and looking to get a suit tailor made, you visit the lovely professionals at S Twenty-6 tailor shop and let them know Follow Your Hart sent you.

One phone call away.

From the pages of GQ...

...to the body of Follow Your Hart.

Stylin' and profilin' on the streets of Tokyo.

I'm a gentleman of leisure.

At Mercedes Benz Connection, Tokyo.

Nice when a suit makes you look and feel like you've lost weight.

The sculpture describes how I feel about the suits.

Might as well face it, you're a sharped dress man.

Time for success!

Thank you again for reading Follow Your Hart. If you like the page, well help me reach 200 followers on Facebook and like my Facebook page. More photographs, anecdotes, opinions and travel tips await you.