Friday, January 21, 2011

A Tour of My Tailor's

It was about time I put a face to the tailor behind all of the projects this blog has been witness to. I spent many an afternoon hanging out at my tailor's when I was home for the holidays, and I thought of snapping some photos around the shop to share with you, my dear readers.

With a crown in the logo and the words "haute couture", my tailor's storefront is what I'd call humbly bold.

Mang Jun is master cutter and owner of Toppers, and is the only person I deal with when having my kooky clothing concoctions created. He is ace at fitting, but don't hesitate to go down to the smallest detail with him to have your garment look exactly the way you want it.

Mang Jun with the same comical smile he flashes when I haggle with him for discounts

And for a little tour of the shop:

swatches of suiting material

bolts of shirting fabric in different shades of white

and even more fabric to be fashioned into anything you imagine. I've got my eyes set on that green sandwiched between two blacks.

alteration notes over age-old clippings for inspiration

a shirt with a note to "put botton hole"

Mang Jun at work

Inside the workroom:

sewing machines and alphabetized shelves for every customer's last name

Mang Jun's wife, a head seamstress, at work

an exquisitely embroidered Barong Tagalog (the Philippine national costume) freshly finished

looking out onto busy Katipunan Avenue

The scene outside:

the auto repair shop right beside my tailor's

sleepy dogs and plants potted in plastic bags

I had been calling the shop's poorly-attended line to follow up on orders that were a little late, and after a bit of persistence, finally got them to deliver the last few pairs of pants they had to finish. I came home with this:

What they might lack in punctuality and refinement, they make up for with a down-to-earth and almost cheeky sense of customer service.

I love my tailor and it's high time you find the one you'd adore yourself.

Toppers Gent's Haute Couture
2277-D Katipunan Rd.
Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Philippines
telephone: +6324367938

For my tips on getting things tailor-made, check out The Dandy Project Guide to Getting Things Tailor-made.

5 comments:

Brandon said...

Your tailor = THE reason to live in Manila.

Matthew Spade said...

nice to see the other side, we don't have this on this sort of scale.if you move nearer a city yea but we don't do anything creative. though i do have chap who does me ok for the basics

Gabrielle Poshadlo said...

this gives me a great idea for my column, only I'm pretty sure Indianapolis doesn't have a tailor this cool.

hauteintheheartland.com

Franc said...

OMG ... I seem to remember that my dad also went to "Toppers" years & years ago (when I was really young and before our family moved here to the State permanently) to have his barongs and suits made ... I always used to look forward to coming with my dad to pick up his treasures and be the first to see what new stuff my dad had made ... Like you, my dad had nothing but great things to say about the place ... These days, here in L.A., I can only dream of finding a place like this ... Thanks for unearthing this memory.

Izzy said...

Franc: It's my pleasure to bring back such good memories for you. Hopefully you could make a trip to Toppers if you visit Manila soon!

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