The Old Money Book

One of the highlights of our trip to Bangkok was my visit to Dan Bespoke Tailors.

It had been awhile (years) since I had invested in a sport coat, dress pants, or suit. I already owned two blue blazers, a couple of pair of grey wool slacks, a stack of cotton pants, and an array of dress shirts and sweaters. Throwing together a presentable look in an increasing casual world was easy enough.

Still, life in Paris sometimes requires a little more than the standard the Old Money/prep school ensemble of blue blazer, khakis, button down shirt, and brown shoes. Over the past year, I’ve found myself being invited to more formal events more often. Even ‘casual’ events are elegant here. It was becoming obvious that I needed to update my wardrobe to accommodate my new social situation.

As my wife and I firmed up our plans to visit southeast Asia (Bangkok, Vietnam, Hong Kong), I began to seriously investigate the bespoke tailoring options in. I knew that it was possible to have a suit made very quickly and relatively inexpensively in the three countries, but I had also seen pictures online of the men and the suits they’d had made during their visits. I wasn’t really that impressed with most of the clothing.  The suits were cheap, and they looked it.

One exception was Dan Bespoke in Bangkok. I looked at his website online and read reviews on tripadvisor.com. Dan’s house style is a Neapolitan cut, with soft shoulders and nothing too blousy and nothing too severe in the cut. Just timeless, understated elegance. This caught my eye more than any possible ‘good deal’ I might get as a result of a favorable exchange rate and lower labor costs.

I booked an appointment.

On our second day in Bangkok, I walked in to Dan’s shop (a few blocks from the Ritz Carlton). Dan and his brother Dave offered my wife and I bottles of water (very welcome in the hot weather) and put us at ease. Conversation drifted from what I was looking for garment-wise, as well as what I liked in terms of style, fabric, and details.

We decided to start with a navy blue suit. I wanted a double-breasted with wide lapels, cuffed pants, cut in a silhouette that would never ‘go out of style’.  While Dan began taking measurements, Dave presented a seemingly endless variety of fabric choices, all from world-class mills, for my wife to begin reviewing.

We quickly agreed on a medium-weight wool, and then it was off to races: considering options for pants and jackets. Throughout the process, Dan and Dave struck a wonderful balance: they listened to me, understood what I wanted, and then made sure to offer their expert advice about the possible options. They were eager to please and diplomatic, but confident when they thought I might be better served with one option (pants construction, namely) over another.

I listened, and I benefited from their good taste and wisdom. The result was that I got a great suit, two sport jackets, three pair of pants, and four shirts, all bespoke, all well-made, that fit like a glove.

The Thomas Mason fabrics used on the shirts feel like a dream. The construction is flawless and the fit is perfect. All of my preferences (high collar, two-button cuff, etc) were implemented. I started with a variety of light blue solid-color dress shirts and one pink stripe dress shirt, but I think some bengal stripes from Dan are in my future.

A few of the details I love on the suit, jackets, and pants: working buttonholes on the cuffs (de rigueur for bespoke jackets, but still a joy to behold); pants with an adjustable waistband, accommodating those inevitable fluctuations in waist size that all of us gents experience); and very deep pockets in the inside breast pocket of jacket (for the wallet, passport, airplane tickets, etc.) and deep pockets in the pants (if you’ve ever had keys or coins fall out of your front pants pocket when you sit down, you can appreciate the thoughtful design.)

Make no mistake: you definitely get the value for the money with Dan. But I’ll order more clothes from him and Dave because of the craftsmanship and the service. And Dan and Dave are nice guys, and that counts for a lot with me.

So if you’re planning a trip to Bangkok, book an appointment in advance with Dan Bespoke. Top quality, timeless style, at a fair price.

If you want more details or an introduction, let me know. And don’t forget that he makes clothing for women as well.

(FYI…I don’t receive any compensation from Dan. I just had a great experience.)

• BGT