Custom Made (part one)

One thing that Hoi An is known for is custom made producing, including both clothing and shoes. For weeks, P’Poon has been saying that ordering custom made clothing in Hoi An is “a must,” which made me interested in how the process “works.”

Today I had the chance to learn about the first half of the custom design process; the ordering. I will discuss the ordering of clothing and shoes separately.

For clothing, we went into a shop that is owned by the uncle of our of our tour guides. Upon entering the store, there were many mannequins with already assembled items of clothing. If you like something, you can simple point to it and begin to make alterations. More intriguing, is that you can look through the many catalogs and magazines filled with thousands of designs and simply point to a dress you like, and they can make it to your dimensions overnight. This seems unbelievable to a person who took three weeks to make a small nylon duffle bag in jr. high. After picking out your patterns, you need to select fabric and thread colors for stitching, which can be difficult considering the incredible selection of materials they have available. The final step is the measurements, out which they take many. For example, I believe they took five or six different bust measurements alone. For those interested in specifics, I ordered a few dresses and a few shirts. In terms of cost, a custom made 100% silk dress with embroidery is costing me $45.

The process for shoes was similar. You are allowed to look through the shop shelves, which are lined with samples, or look through clippings from magazines for pictures of shoes you like. You are allowed to make any changes you want. For example, I found a pair of shoes I really liked but I wanted them in wedges instead of pumps, which was not a problem. If you can’t find a pair you like, you can simply draw what you want instead. I was also allowed to select the exact leather I wanted, including color and texture. Then, they make measurements of your feet, which includes standing on a piece of paper and having an outline drawn and the arches measured. For those of you that know me, you can imagine my reaction….I was on an unstoppable role picking out leather swatches and changing up the designs to suit my fancy. I ended up ordering four pairs of shoes, which I get to pick up tomorrow afternoon. I am actually quite proud of myself for not ordering a purse.

It is shocking to think that while I am sleeping there is a person in Hoi An stitching my custom design clothing and shoes, which I will pick up tomorrow afternoon. I promise to write more about the pickup procedure, which includes any necessary alternations.