Hello everyone, and welcome to another of my reviews. In this article, I’ll review a new suit commission from the Bangkok tailor James Paul Bespoke.
I stumbled across James Paul Bespoke by sheer chance. I was staying in Thaisun Hotel during my recent trip to Bangkok (rooms are surprisingly affordable, despite being new), and was surprised to find a tailor right next door. After quickly checking their Google review rating – an impressive 5/5 – I decided to give them a try. Let’s see if they are any good.
James Paul Bespoke – the Video
For hands-on footage of my experience with James Paul Bespoke, do watch the YouTube video below:
James Paul Bespoke – the Experience
James Paul Bespoke is located on the premises of Thaisun/Hopeland Hotel (sister hotels that share the same premises), and is a five-minute walk from Phra Khanong BTS station. Phra Khanong is a few stations away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown Sukhumvit district, but still relatively close to popular shopping malls such as EmQuartier and EmSphere, as well as “hipster” neighbourhoods such as Ekkamai (where Phed Mark is located).
Those looking for James Paul Bespoke should look out for a black and yellow signboard. It’s also located next to a massage parlour, where clients can get a cheap foot massage after their visit.
Though not the biggest, the showroom does have a wide variety of fabric books available.
There’s also a limited amount of fabric rolls on display, in case clients can’t find what they like in the books.
Awards are also prominently displayed on the walls, giving potential clients an added sense of assurance.
I stepped into the showroom and explained my situation to James: that I was a tourist staying in Thaisun Hotel who stumbled across his tailor shop, and was looking to get a suit done within 3-4 days. James shared with me that Phra Khanong is known to be an expat-heavy area of Bangkok, and that most of his regulars are expats who have settled in Bangkok. While this means that he usually works on a longer timeline with multiple fittings, he was nevertheless happy to accommodate my tight schedule.
James promptly brought out an array of books for me to peruse. While James Paul Bespoke does carry more affordable fabrics from mills such as Luciano and Cavani, premium mills such as Drago and Dormeuil are also available.
As I mentioned in a previous review, “branded” fabrics from European mills are hard to come by in Bangkok. Sure, you might find VBC, Reda and Guebello at decent tailors, but the cream of the crop (such as Drago, Dormeuil, and Ermenegildo Zegna) are much harder to come by. The reason is simple – most tailors in Bangkok cater to tourists, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a tourist who’s willing to drop $2-3K on a Dormeuil or Zegna suit. Tailors that carry these labels tend to focus on expats, who are the ones who will shell out for a truly premium suit.
Case in point – while I appreciate Dormeuil and Zegna as much as the next sartorial gentleman, I was not financially prepared to part with anything above 15,000 THB, especially when trying out a new tailor. Furthermore, I saw a few light coloured fabrics amongst the “house fabric” books that caught my eye. I communicated both my budget and my style preference to James, who relayed that he had just the thing.
He proceeded to bring out a roll of baby blue checkered fabric, which I resonated with immediately. I’ve always been a fan of blue, but I have not made a light blue checkered suit yet. Upon feeling the fabric, it felt like decent enough mixed wool, and would make for a great smart casual suit.
After deciding on the suiting fabric, we then proceeded to the lining. James broke out a myraid of lining books, but I suffered from decision paralysis and eventually told James to decide on the lining for me.
The same occurred with the buttons – there were too many to choose from. Once again, I told James to surprise me with the button choice.
With the suit decisions settled (or rather, left in the hands of James), it was time to move on to the shirt. Like the suit, James Paul Bespoke carries a wide range of shirting fabrics, including those from iconic mills such as Liberty London.
However, given the budget nature of the suit, I decided to opt for a standard white, easy-iron shirting fabric. You can’t go wrong with a classic white shirt, especially when paired with a bold suiting fabric.
With the shirting fabric decided, we shifted from consultation to measurement. For the measuring process, James made way for his brother Nirut. It’s interesting to see specialisation of skills being employed here – James handles the consultation process, while Nirut oversees the measurement.
From the outset, it was clear that Nirut was highly experienced at measuring clients as he manoeuvred the measuring tape expertly. I noticed he was intentionally accommodating for allowances when he measured (see photo above), to ensure comfort for the wearer. This makes sense given James Paul’s focus on expats, who likely commission suits as daily wear (James shared with me that the bulk of his clients are bankers, lawyers, professors, etc).
After two days, I returned to James Paul Bespoke for my basted fitting session. For those uninitiated with tailoring, a basted fitting process is where the tailor will let you try on a skeleton jacket, held together by temporary white basting stitches. To learn more about the basted fitting, read this educational article here. Personally, I believe that a basted fitting is essential to a true tailoring experience. To quote a line from the article mentioned above: “It’s the difference between flying first class and flying on a private jet.”
During the fitting session, Nirut identified that the jacket was a tad loose around the sides, and asked if I wanted to take it in. As I don’t plan on wearing this suit super often, I decided that it was worth it to sacrifice a tad of comfort for a sharper look.
As always, my concave back caused the most problems. Here, Nirut paid great attention to the drape of the back and quickly identified that my sloping shoulders were causing unsightly wrinkles on one side. He used chalk to denote the necessary areas for alterations, with James also snapping a few pictures of the back for visual reference.
Afterwards, Nirut attached the sleeve to the basted fitting jacket. In Bangkok, the sleeve is often attached separately to ensure the best possible sleeve pitch.
Throughout the basted fitting process, Nirut wielded chalk and pin – quintessential tools of the trade – with confidence (even holding pins between his lips), as he quickly took note of my body’s idiosyncracies. I then learnt that both James and Nirut have been in this industry for over two decades, having first gotten their start in Phuket in the 90s, before moving to ply their trade in Bangkok during the pandemic.
After another two days, James messaged me to inform me that my suit was ready for collection. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to try it in-store, so he kindly packed it up and sent it to my hotel.
James Paul Bespoke – Suit Review
Now that I’m back in Singapore, let’s take a closer look at the fit and finishing of the suit.
Firstly, the front fits great, with the shoulders lying flat without any wrinkling. One can also see clear tapering around the waist, a direct result of Nirut taking in the sides during the basted fitting session. Lastly, the jacket is also the right length, ending near the base of my thumb bone.
Secondly, the sleeve pitch is good as well, with the sleeves largely draping smoothly without any bunching or twisting. It’s of the right length too, exposing about half an inch of shirt cuff. Furthermore, the jacket rests neatly on the shirt collar without an unsightly collar gap.
Thirdly, I’m pleased to report that the back fits amazingly – perhaps the best fit amongst all the Bangkok tailors that I’ve visited thus far. It’s highly impressive that James Paul Bespoke nailed the fit of my concave back in just one fitting, and it speaks volumes about the expertise of Nirut and his team.
Lastly, the trousers drape well, with the ends of the trousers just touching the tips of my loafers.
Moving on to the fabric, the mixed wool fabric is pretty decent and breathable – definitely more wool than polyester. I also like the checkered pattern, which includes subtle golden stripes for a luxe touch.
Stylistically, I like the wide peak lapels, as well as the subtle contrasting lapel hole. And as mentioned in my previous review, I’m a fan of the convenience provided by an in-built pocket square.
Unlike most Bangkok tailors, James Paul Bespoke prioritises the lapel roll, which gives the jacket visual dimension. As for the buttons, James picked a navy blue horn button for the jacket, which I felt complemented the baby blue fabric nicely.
They say that the devil’s in the details, so I was pleased to see James Paul Bespoke paying attention to the pattern matching of the jacket pocket.
James Paul Bespoke also offers functional sleeve cuffs at no extra cost. Also known as surgeon’s cuffs, functional sleeve cuffs are typically seen as a sign of quality workmanship. Once again, the last buttonhole features contrasting stitching for enhanced visual interest.
On the inside, James had chosen a striking red lining depicting the world map – he felt it was appropriate, given that I was in Bangkok as a tourist. I like the bold choice, which fits the striking nature of the suit. I also like the pipe stitching running down the sides of the lining, which is another sign of detailed workmanship.
As for the trousers, James not only gave me my standard side adjusters, but also opted for a double-button extended waistband for a sartorial twist.
With regards to James Paul Bespoke’s house cut, I would classify it as modern British. It’s definitely not as slim-fitting as the Italian-leaning cut of Patrick and Co, but also not as conservative as the American-leaning cut of say, Michael Tailors. I would say the cut is closer to Rajawongse Clothier, who also balances comfort and style well.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the fit and finish of my suit from James Paul Bespoke. Despite the short timeline only allowing for one fitting, James and Nirut nailed the fit of the suit, with the drape of the back being the best out of all the Bangkok tailors I’ve visited thus far. The workmanship of the suit is commendable too, with several sartorial elements elevating the style of the suit. I also like the baby blue checkered fabric – it will make for a great event suit for me, and is viable (for others) as a day wedding option as well.
Conclusion – so James Paul Bespoke “shiok” or not?
At the risk of sounding cliché, James Paul Bespoke is a hidden gem. I’m delighted that I came across this humble tailor shop in Phra Khanong, because they delivered one of the best suits that I’ve had tailored in Bangkok so far. To be honest, I was a tad skeptical that a nondescript tailor situated on the premises of a budget hotel (where rooms go for $30-50 a night) would carry fabrics from luxury mills such as Dormeuil, Drago, and even Zegna. However, after experiencing their tailoring, I can see why their regulars trust them with $2-3K suits – they clearly know what they are doing. The suit fits great, the finishing is good, and the design elements are eminently striking without being ostentatious – I’ll definitely be returning for another suit.
Suits from James Paul Bespoke start from 6,900 THB, while shirts start from 1,000 THB. My particular suit costs 15,000 THB. Those interested in commissioning a suit from James Paul Bespoke can quote the promo code “WAHSOSHIOK” or flash this post in-store to enjoy a free shirt with every suit purchase. For the level of expertise, I believe these prices are a steal.
Book an appointment with James Paul Bespoke here.
James Paul Bespoke’s Location: 1110 4 Soi 46/1, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand
P.S: Check out The Shiok Store here – it serves as a curation of my favourite products from my favourite brands.
P.P.S: Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.P.P.P.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
