Tailor Shops and Ancient Homes

What could possibly take us away from the sun and sand at Cao Dai beach?  Tailor-made clothes, that's what!  We had an appointment for a follow-up fitting back in town.

The Ancient Town portion of Hoi An is filled with tailor shops.  Seamstresses are ready and willing to make anything you could possibly want.  If you know what you're looking for, any of the shops will make an exact copy from a picture you found online or in a magazine.  For those without a game plan, shop keepers are more than happy to show you examples.  Each shop contains at least a dozen mannequins showing off dresses for women and suits for men.  If you're still not sure, next up are the binders filled with magazine and catalog examples.  Whether you think you want a dress, suit, coat, evening ware or office attire, there's a binder for you!

After picking out an item (or seven) to have made, it's time to start thinking about fabrics.  Once you have materials, a tiny woman starts taking measurements you didn't even know you had.  For Neil, the woman looked like she was reaching up for hugs when his shoulders and collar numbers were taken.

Twenty-four hours later, you need to head back to the shop for your first fitting.  I don't think the Hoi An magic sewing elves get to sleep at all.  Another 24 hours later and you have a whole new wardrobe.

On our first full day in Hoi An, we decided to start shopping around for tailors.  We were quickly met with a weird situation though.  It appears that one of the girls from our hotel's reception desk informed her sister that we were on our way from the hotel to the Ancient Town and looking for a tailor.  We were intercepted on our walk by a girl looking for two Americans wearing clothes matching our outfits.  After an excited greeting, she led us for several blocks until we reached the tailoring stall in the city's market where she works.  After several minutes of looking at samples and being very confused as to how we got there, we decided it was time to move on.  We were looking for somewhere a little more professional.  Plus we didn't want to pay the customary marked-up price that would be the receptionist's commission for sending us to the stall.

Instead, armed with our tablet and determination to find some fashion, we continued our journey to find a proper tailor.  We asked a couple more shops about prices and materials before deciding on the one officially recommended by our hotel (no sister-commission necessary).  Unlike most other shops, this one had a strict no bargaining policy.  Even though we didn't get a rock-bottom price, we knew the quality was much better than other shops we visited.

They agreed to make a copy of a navy blazer I found online, and Neil decided on a three-piece suit with a white dress shirt he found in a binder photo.  We knew we were in good hands there, and we're almost entirely confident our clothes won't fall apart after the first wearing.

Sharp-dressed man

While wandering around Ancient City over the next days, I was talked into two more dresses and a copy of a pair of brown leather riding boots I found on dsw.com.  While the boots turned out perfectly, the dresses resemble home sewing projects if you look too closely at the stitching.  I don't think they'll be winning any Grand Champion ribbons at the Hamilton County 4-H Fair any time soon (trust me, I know my way around non-winning sewing projects).  They do look nice, but I definitely am afraid of them falling apart.

Whole new wardrobe 

To be fair to Hoi An, there is much more to the city than tailor shops and a lovely beach. The Ancient Town is hundreds of years old with buildings to match.  The entire area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its importance as a historic port city.  It's a great place for a long stroll and some people watching.  It helps that all the people you're observing are blindly happy about their fashion purchases too.  To make things even better, cars and scooters are only allowed to drive in the Ancient City for a few limited hours each day, so walking here is far less treacherous and quieter than most Asian cities.

For a very low fee, vouchers can be purchased to visit several culturally significant sites around the town, including ancient homes and assembly halls once used by various guilds.  Select homeowners open their doors to visitors to step back in time.  I can't say I envy some of the land owners though.  Each year the Thu Bon River, which flows through Hoi An, floods to varying degrees.  With some frequency the waters rise as high as the homes' first floor ceilings.  One home that backs up to the river has markings on the wall showing the heights of the worst floods in recent decades.  They also show off their pulley system for moving heavy furniture up to the second floor for preservation.  I'm not jealous of that task.

Assembly hall courtyard

House's backdoor overlooking the river

Even though we spent five days in Hoi An (longer than anywhere else on this trip so far), we easily could have stayed longer if we didn't have other places to be.  The small city is just a pleasant place to visit.  I don't know how well our suitcases would have dealt with a longer stay though.  I may have failed to mention a pair of last-minute sandals made to replace another pair that had recently broken.  It was a complete necessity!  I swear!

How do you say no to a display like that?