Tailor Made Suit

Before being in Bangkok and being taken to a tailor shop partly against my will by an eager Tuk Tuk driver the thought of having a tailor made suit had never crossed my mind. I mean, I had always wanted one but it had been more like a "when I grow up" type of desire.

Suddenly, however, out of the blue I thought this seemed like a good opportunity to get one! I mean, I was going to have to work again at some point, maybe a having a new suit at a job interview would give me a boost of self confidence?

Either way, I wanted one. Since I didn't have time to make it happen in Bangkok I took the chance and made it happen in Phuket where I stayed for two weeks, more than enough time to get it done. So one night when Pete and I had had a few beers and were wondering down random streets in Patong we saw a tailor shop and decided to have a quick look.

After about five minutes of looking through the latest Hugo Boss and Armani catalogues and feeling the cashmere and silk fabric mixes I was sold! Well, not before some serious price negotiations of course. I ended up agreeing on THB 7,500 or £160 for a beautiful grey skirt, trousers, and jacket combo; the last time I bought a two-piece suit I paid well over £300 and that was on sale!

"Make the jacket this long, with two buttons, in a little from here, out from
there, curve the edges like this, make the skirt a bit longer, more pencil
shaped, a bit higher, no a bit lower, no no higher again..."

Getting measured was an interesting experience I'm not sure I enjoyed very much. I felt very self conscious, didn't know how I was meant to stand, and wished for the life of me I had been wearing trousers rather than a skirt. They measured absolutely everything, even things I really didn't think were important. But I now know how far apart my nipples are.

I had a fitting two days later when I got to try on the half ready clothes to see what adjustments needed to be made. Now this I enjoyed! I loved being able to decide the exact shape and length of the skirt, design of the jacket, and fit of the trousers. Got me so excited I decided to get a shirt made, too!

Having to wait for another two days before my suit and shirt were done felt like two weeks, but it was worth the wait. They delivered the clothes to my hotel room and I had my very own catwalk show on the balcony, as you'd expect.

Step aside bitches, the job is mine.