A few reflections on my Asian Adventure - Part I

Eighteen months since my return from Southeast Asia I have decided to write a series of posts reflecting on my time there. My first post will look at the lighter side of my trip - the custom made clothes I procured in Hong Kong and Hoi An (in Vietnam).

1. Fitted clothes are awesome. I have particularly enjoyed wearing the clothes I had made in Hong Kong. I consistently get compliments when I wear the three piece suit I had made there. I would order more clothes from Bobby's Fashions in a heart beat. I'm very glad I ran into my friend Josh in the Ottawa airport on my way to Hong Kong (he had been there on exchange and recommended it to me). The only problem is that I've put on an inch or two in the past few months in the waist. While Bobby's will adjust your pants for free, the catch is that you have to actually be in Hong Kong and go to their store in person (or ship your pants there, which is prohibitively expensive).
2. The clothes I had made at Thien Than Cloth Shop in Hoi An (Vietnam) are a mixed bag. The buttons from my trenchcoat came off almost overnight upon my return home. The dress shirts have held up well, as have the dress pants and vests. However, someone with a trained eye for good clothes has told me that while everything from Hong Kong was excellent, my Vietnamese blazers have women's shoulder pads. I thought the jackets looks fine enough, but to be truthful knowing that tidbit doesn't lead me to be as supremely confident in the Vietnamese Blazers as I am in the ones from Hong Kong. I still wear the rest of my ensemble quite often though. The japanese silk pyjama pants and the ties have held up quite well too. I would definitely order more of everything I bought in Vietnam except for any kind of coat (i.e. suit jacket, trench coat, winter coat, etc.).
3. Colourful clothes are also awesome. I am very happy I decided to get Purple and Pink dress shirts for the first time. I have gotten more comments/compliments regarding my two purple and two pink dress shirts than all the other dress shirts I have ever owned. In fact the only other dress shirt I ever remember getting a compliment on was a vibrant light blue dress shirt that I wore so much the sleeves have worn to the point I can no longer wear it in formal settings.
4. Three piece suits rock. When I show up at a formal event as one of the few men wearing a vest and/or three piece suit I really stand out.
5. The shoes I had made in Hoi An are not completely awful as I initially thought, but I'm still not thrilled with them given the price I paid. I have only consistently worn one out of three pairs. You can get good shoes for slightly more money if you get lucky at Winners (or Marshalls or Nordstrom's Rack if you're American). I would skip getting shoes made, unless you meet someone who went to a better shop than I did (and they happen to rave about the place).