The Hoi An tailor experience
Day two in Hoi An. I spent most of the day running from one tailor to another for fittings of the clothes I ordered yesterday.
First off, I went to check on the blouse I’d ordered from Lana Tailor Shop. At the first fitting, it was quite large, but they took it in for me and it was perfect by the afternoon when I picked it up. While I was there, a pretty silk fabric caught my eye, and I impulsively ordered another blouse in that fabric as well.
Next, I went to Kimmy Tailor Shop to check on my three shirts and my blazer. At the first fitting, all of them had the shoulders in the wrong place. The women there worked some magic, and when I went back in the afternoon, two of the shirts were perfect. The jacket still needed work, and one of the shirts seemed to have mysteriously shrunk by two sizes in between the first and second fitting. But there, too, they assured me all would be fixed by nightfall. The quality of the clothes seems a bit lower at Kimmy, and one of the shirts took four or five adjustments before it was right. But overall, I was quite happy with the final fit. And I was very impressed with how well they copied the jacket I gave them. It’s not an exact replica, but it’s a fairly reasonable facsimile thereof.
I killed some more time at the pool at my hotel, taking a dip to cool off and having lunch at the poolside. It was oppressively hot and humid again today, so staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day was paramount. By the afternoon, clouds had rolled in, and a late afternoon thunderstorm broke out late in the afternoon, as they tend to do in these climates. Too bad it didn’t do anything to reduce the humidity.
Early afternoon, I went to the third shop, Hanh Hung II, to check on my suit and my skirt. The suit was what I’d been the most nervous about. It actually turned out really great, except for one thing: The pants were about three inches too short. Since I’m five foot one, having pants be too short (as opposed to miles too long) is a rather novel experience for me. They looked rather like flood pants, and even the woman at the shop was giggling a bit. By the time I went back to pick everything up, though, the pants were the right length, and they’d made the other minor adjustments that I’d requested. Hahn Hung was my favourite of the three shops that I frequented; the women there were really helpful and not at all pushy, and the quality of the clothes turned out top-notch in the end. (I didn’t buy at these, but I’ve also heard good things about Yaly and about Mr Xe, in case anyone is scouring this post for recommendations.)
For anyone considering ordering clothes in Hoi An, I’d say not to be put off by the negative stories. Just shop around until you see what you like, and take a chance. The prices are so good that it’s well worth it. The only thing I’d say is maybe to leave more time than I did. They’re really very quick here and they can have everything done in a day or two, but you get more of a chance to perfect the fit if you have an extra few days. Not only that, but it gives you the chance to test out a shop by ordering something small to assess the quality before ordering more items.
Even so, though, I’m quite happy with everything I got, and it’s been a fun experience. It’s exciting for me to own a jacket that isn’t too big in the shoulders, or trousers that aren’t miles too long. People who fit easily into most clothes in stores might not understand this, but for me, it’s pretty awesome.
Cooking up a storm
This evening, for something a little different, I took a Vietnamese cooking class. I went to a restaurant near the waterfront and Sue, the chef, taught us bunch of gastronomically-challenged westerners how to make spring rolls, grilled mackerel in banana leaves, and beef salad in a bamboo basket. Well, in my case, the beef was substituted with tofu, and the spring rolls were vegetarian, but you get the idea. Sue demonstrated all the traditional techniques, and we got to slice and dice the ingredients, grind everything up with a mortar and pestle, and help put it all together. It was all good fun.
Afterwards, we had a nice dinner of our cooked food, and I must say it was all the more delicious knowing that we helped put it together. Does this mean I’m going to start cooking Vietnamese food at home? Well, probably not. The recipes are complicated and the techniques involved are a bit too much of a hassle for me. But it was a great experience.
I leave Hoi An tomorrow morning to catch my flight from nearby Da Nang south to Saigon. The weather there is supposed to be even hotter than it is here. Ack! Wish me luck.