meat market sartorialism

Yesterday I went with Niko to get measured for a suit. We wound around the Dongmen markets for such a long time that I got confused; hopefully I’ll be able to find the place again on my own. Dongmen is a crazy place; my Hong Kong aunt had warned my mother that I should never bother going there for fear of being scammed by the many less-than-legit bazaars and traders there, or of being pickpocketed in the huge crowds. But in any sea of madness there are always a few good deals, and the CTLC teachers from last year already had their favorite tailors they were happy to recommend. Niko said his lady could do suits and winter coats, so I decided to give it a try. This was only the second time I had gone, since it’s far away from where I live.

There were some dancing people advertising a clothing shop (”they dance all day long, I think” said Niko) and street hawkers on the crowded pedestrian skybridge who collectively yelled out a panicked alarm and hustled off in a mad dash with their quickly-bundled goods after us and a cop passed them by (”that was awesome,” said Niko).

I followed a phone-inspecting Niko as he wandered into a gigantic complex of fabrics and tailors right next to a gigantic complex of butchers and meat markets. Inside he zipped through a maze of textiles and I tried to keep up. (”Call me if you need directions on how to get back here next time,” he said.)

The tailor lady was nice and very efficient; she helped me pick a color, fabric and then quickly measured me. I’ll go back in a few days to get fitted for the suit. Overall, it comes to about 580 yuan, or about $85 for a custom-tailored suit. We’ll see if it’s worth it – I figured I already had a black suit, so I picked a gray fabric that I’m worrying now isn’t quite dark enough. But if that’s the case, I suppose for $85 I could always get another one done and save this gray one for ridiculous occasions.

On the receipt she gave me: all my measurements in Chinese, a quick sketch of a suit and the address (B473/F Meat Market Dongmen Shenzhen). Meat tailor!