Sorry, but I do not yet have pictures. Yesterday morning we got a call that a dear friend of ours had died while we were out of the country. We made it just in time to attend the funeral yesterday. I am still in shock so it will probably be awhile before I get around to taking those photos. But I owe you a post about the suit, and writing it out will help take my mind of things, so here goes.

I did not make an appointment in advance, because I got the impression my DH wasn't all that in to my plan to get a suit made while we were there. So it wasn't until late on the second day that we decided we'd give it a whirl. In Tsim Sha Tsui, you cannot go two feet without a person trying to sell you either a 1) Rolex or 2) Bespoke suit. It gets annoying!

The process requires the first appointment where you choose the fabric and the style, and they take all your measurements. Then you have to come back for a fitting the next day, and it's a few days before you can pick up your suit. We had just enough time. I ordered a 3 piece suit (jacket, slacks, skirt) - picking out navy pinstripe 3-season fabric - and DH ordered a shirt. He did not want a suit because he has no need for them and has several already. But he agreed to the shirt because I have been pestering him to try wearing a shirt that actually fits him and isn't too big.

The first challenge was that my tummy was doing that TTOM thing again, where it swells up and I look 5 months pregnant. So I feared that the measurements would be all off, and ultimately, I was right.

When we arrived the second day for the fitting, DH's shirt was ready. It fit him perfectly. He is very pleased and so am I! We ended up ordering two more. My suit was not anywhere near complete: they had cut it out and done the initial seams but no finishing. This is standard - and it answered my question about how they could sew up a complete suit in 24 hours. They don't. The tailor spent 30 minutes fitting it all over. It was hard to say what the final product was going to look like at that point. My tummy was still bloated.

We came back again on Thursday, our final day, and the suit was now finished but it needed even more fitting. My tummy was back to its normal size. It was kind of comical, and the tailors were surprised. They had a lot of re-fitting to do, which they did, and had the suit delivered to our hotel that night, before we flew out in the morning.

I don't have pics yet but my take is that if we had time for just one more fitting, it would be perfect. The jacket and skirt are *nearly* perfect, but I fear it still needs to be taken in some more, yes, around the tummy, now that the bloating is all gone! The pants, meanwhile, fit oddly all over. Not very flattering. They need a lot more work, but I do think they are ultimately salvageable too, since it's a matter of removing fabric to make it trimmer, not bigger.

So once I post pics and get everyone's input, I am planning to take it to a tailor here and get more work done to get it absolutely perfect. Lesson learned: if you do this, leave PLENTY of time for multiple fittings.

Overall, the experience was mixed. I don't know if I'd do it again. It might be inexpensive, but it is time-consuming. However, I am very glad I did it just this one time and had the experience.

The surprising part for me is that I walked away realizing that, as much as I complain about off-the-rack clothing and my fit woes, I have more luck than I realize finding clothes off the rack that fit well - and don't require such a huge investment of time to get fitted!

I think Angie is right that taking in a garment that already fits you well and having it duplicated is a good strategy. For example, had I brought along my newest pair of AT dress slacks, or favorite pair of BR Martins to copy, then the suit slacks would have turned out far better.

All in all: you will hear me complain a lot less about off-the-rack clothing.