Hoi An Cocktail Cuff Shirts?
CRC007
Posts: 31MI6 Agent
Good Afternoon Bond Fans,
Finally getting back into posting on this forum again after a couple of years, and I think this topic may be of interest.
Last year I quit my job and in true Bond Style I suppose, I went travelling around Asia with my girlfriend for two months before settling in France to find work again as a Product Designer. I am still working on that bit.
We visited China for a month, and then Vietnam for another four weeks. We had a really awesome trip and we stopped by the old UNESCO old town of Hoi An.
Hoi An was the main producer of silk and fabrics in Vietnam. Naturally it is home to many tailors and clothesmakers. The tailors of Hoi An are becoming known for producing tailored clothing that can compete with many others worldwide, only cheaper, and faster.
I decided that I wanted to get a couple of shirts made there as I had never had clothes tailored before. On reflection I would definately have had a suit made if I had had the room in my luggage.
Because of tourism and the reputation the town has for its clothes making, I took great care in choosing the right tailor, especially as there are so many that take advantage and pose as tailors even if they are not. I chose BeBe Tailors. They are known as the best in town and have three different shops there.
I won't go into too much detail about the shop itself but the choice of fabrics, styles, and knowlege of the staff was, to me, pretty impressive.
I already knew exactly what I wanted before I went in. The Connery style Cocktail cuff shirt. Originally I wanted either one or two shirts but at the price of 20 USD each in fabrics of my choice, I opted for three of them. Light blue, navy blue, and pink. All lightweight cotton.
The staff took my measurements, my fabric choices, and I carefully explained to them my requirements for the cuffs, to which they had never dealt with the cocktail style before. I left them with a photograph of the style currently offered by Turnbull and Asser, and off I went back to exploring the city. The shirts were ready within 24 hours and after a fitting to make sure they were ok, they were then delivered to my hotel later that day.
The Verdict...
I own multiple cocktail cuff shirts from Mason and Sons and I have been a really happy customer of theirs for years. The fit, the quality and the service is absolutely unrivalled for me and it will always stay that way. In fact, most times I wear their shirts I will often get compliments on them.
But for 20 USD I cannot really complain about the three shirts I bought from BeBe Tailors in Hoi An. They fit like a glove, the quality is good, and the cuffs are perfect in my opinion. yes they are a little different in shape to the ones I have from Masons and Sons but thats because they were going off the Turnbull Asser style which unlike the Mason ones are less Screen accurate. The fabrics are a nice quality and I enjoy wearing them especially when the weather is a little warmer, they also give a more casual look I think.
I thought I would share this on here with you guys in case anyone plans to visit Hoi An in the future. Three Cocktail Cuff shirts for 60 Dollars, you cant go wrong. They made nice souvenirs from my trip too.
Finally getting back into posting on this forum again after a couple of years, and I think this topic may be of interest.
Last year I quit my job and in true Bond Style I suppose, I went travelling around Asia with my girlfriend for two months before settling in France to find work again as a Product Designer. I am still working on that bit.
We visited China for a month, and then Vietnam for another four weeks. We had a really awesome trip and we stopped by the old UNESCO old town of Hoi An.
Hoi An was the main producer of silk and fabrics in Vietnam. Naturally it is home to many tailors and clothesmakers. The tailors of Hoi An are becoming known for producing tailored clothing that can compete with many others worldwide, only cheaper, and faster.
I decided that I wanted to get a couple of shirts made there as I had never had clothes tailored before. On reflection I would definately have had a suit made if I had had the room in my luggage.
Because of tourism and the reputation the town has for its clothes making, I took great care in choosing the right tailor, especially as there are so many that take advantage and pose as tailors even if they are not. I chose BeBe Tailors. They are known as the best in town and have three different shops there.
I won't go into too much detail about the shop itself but the choice of fabrics, styles, and knowlege of the staff was, to me, pretty impressive.
I already knew exactly what I wanted before I went in. The Connery style Cocktail cuff shirt. Originally I wanted either one or two shirts but at the price of 20 USD each in fabrics of my choice, I opted for three of them. Light blue, navy blue, and pink. All lightweight cotton.
The staff took my measurements, my fabric choices, and I carefully explained to them my requirements for the cuffs, to which they had never dealt with the cocktail style before. I left them with a photograph of the style currently offered by Turnbull and Asser, and off I went back to exploring the city. The shirts were ready within 24 hours and after a fitting to make sure they were ok, they were then delivered to my hotel later that day.
The Verdict...
I own multiple cocktail cuff shirts from Mason and Sons and I have been a really happy customer of theirs for years. The fit, the quality and the service is absolutely unrivalled for me and it will always stay that way. In fact, most times I wear their shirts I will often get compliments on them.
But for 20 USD I cannot really complain about the three shirts I bought from BeBe Tailors in Hoi An. They fit like a glove, the quality is good, and the cuffs are perfect in my opinion. yes they are a little different in shape to the ones I have from Masons and Sons but thats because they were going off the Turnbull Asser style which unlike the Mason ones are less Screen accurate. The fabrics are a nice quality and I enjoy wearing them especially when the weather is a little warmer, they also give a more casual look I think.
I thought I would share this on here with you guys in case anyone plans to visit Hoi An in the future. Three Cocktail Cuff shirts for 60 Dollars, you cant go wrong. They made nice souvenirs from my trip too.
Comments
Are the turnback cuffs in NSNA the same shape as the early Bond movies, apart from the button-down aspect? The only shot I can recall of the T&A cuff unfolded is in FRWL when one of the girls is sewing it (right before he leaves the gypsy camp in the car).
The shape is very similar, but the NSNA cuff isn't as rounded or as cut-away as the older cuff. The NSNA cuff only fastens around the wrist with one button, while the older cuff has two buttons (often with only one button fastened).
Thank you, that would be great if I have another chance to go!
Hoi An was one of the nicest places in Vietnam that we stayed in, I think we even extended our stay there too.
Ha Long Bay was the best highlight for us, we spent a 3 day cruise around there, really beautiful place. Which Bond film was filmed there? Was it Tomorrow Never Dies?
I know that Scaramanga's lair was set in a very similar looking place but I thought that was in Thailand.
These are a couple of pix I took (ahem, that’s Brozzer not me in the bottom of each photo
Btw - your shirts are amazing, wish I’d had some made. -{
https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/50478/fs-new-cocktail-cuff-shirt-in-white-size-1538/