Tailor-Made

Sally Wilson

We’re spoilt for choice, with the sheer number of tailors available across Beijing. I’ve had dresses made, my very tall husband has the majority of his work shirts and trousers tailor made, and I’m slowly working through my wardrobe, having items adjusted, tweaked, and hemmed. In the UK, the cost of having a tailor bring that old jacket bang up-to- date is too high to justify the spend. Instead we tend to take them to a charity shop, or throw them away, and buy something new. Of course it’s not just clothing that a tailor can produce.

We moved house at the start of the summer and one of the things I love about our new home is how light it is. With big windows in most of the rooms, it has a wonderful airy feel to it. There are some rooms however, where a little bit more privacy would be nice. The dilemma is how best to achieve this, without losing sunlight and those beautiful blue sky views, when we have them of course.

We were in need of some sheer curtains. I didn’t want to spend too much, nothing fancy, so I measured up and tried the usual haunts of Ikea, Zara Home, and B&Q. It quickly became clear that our windows were not a standard size of any description. A lack on my part of talent, patience, and most importantly a sewing machine, would mean my only option was finding someone else to do it for me. I needed a tailor.

John the Tailor has a shop behind DDs Supermarket, at Cathay View Plaza. John has made many, many items of clothing for us over the past few years. Whilst he doesn’t make curtains himself, he knows a man who does, and he made an appointment for me there and then. The next day the curtain tailor turned up, measured up, and we browsed through a range of fabric samples. Now this was my downfall, as he happened to also have fabric samples for non-sheer curtains. One sample which jumped right out at me was a bubble gum shade of pink, in a fabric that was as soft as a peach. My daughter’s room would look fabulous with curtains made of this. So, I added them to my order and within five working days, a few guys turned up to put up some poles, and hang all of the curtains for us.

I love how quickly things can be made and delivered in China. For RMB 1,500 for a whole lot of curtains, I love the price of things here too. Next on my list, is to ask John whether he knows a man who can make bedding and duvet covers. I’m betting he does.

Beijing Fabric and Tailor shop

Daily 9.30am-7.30pm. Cathay View Plaza, 6 Xiangjiang Lu, Chaoyang District (137 1807 4866) 朝阳区香江路6号观唐广场

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: liz west (flickr), courtesy of Dana Cosio-Mercado

People in Your Neighborhood: Tailor

In our daily rounds of Shunyi, we encounter lots of people who help us and do things for us. Some we recognize, still others we know by name. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to know a little more about the people in our neighborhood?

Long-time residents of Shunyi know him from when he used to have his tailoring shop in Pinnacle Plaza. He was there for eight years, but four years ago, Zhang Xiaolin opted for a new space in the Cathay View Plaza strip mall because the space in Pinnacle was too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer, and parking was becoming more and more difficult for his clients.

His calling card simply reads “John,” for that is what regulars and new customers alike call him. Visit John on any given day and you are likely to overhear other customers talk about how happy they have been with his service. He is personable, he spends time with each customer making sure he understands what they want, and he is proud of what he produces. His card says as much: “Good services, reasonable price, high quality.” Yes, John may not own the most affordable tailoring shop in these parts, but people keep coming back for more because he delivers.

Whether it’s a high school student in need of a tuxedo for his formal, an expat businessman wanting to have new shirts or suits made for work, or the lady of the house dreaming of a new dress or Chinese traditional qipao, this little tailoring shop churns them all out. You may even encounter a student discussing his design for a school production costume. John tries his best to give each one exactly what they have envisioned. He says the best part of his job is seeing people excited to wear their new clothes, and it feels like he has made something out of nothing.

He first apprenticed for two years with a tailor in his native Jiangsu province in southern China; John then decided to try his luck in Beijing. He worked at a bigger tailoring shop in the city for eight years, and then struck out on his own. He came to Shunyi just one year before his own son was born, so he raised and his son and his business together.

John, who is 38, takes extra care to choose only high-quality fabric from his well-trusted sources in Tianjin and Suzhou. He especially likes working with silk, for the extra care it requires to handle it. Clothes that he feels needs his personal attention are made on-site by a master tailor under John’s supervision, while shirts and suits are sewn in his factory just outside Beijing.

Beijing Fabric and Tailor shop

Daily 9.30am-7.30pm. Cathay View Plaza, 6 Xiangjiang Lu, Chaoyang District (137 1807 4866) 朝阳区香江路6号观唐广场

Photo by Dana Cosio-Mercado

Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can

Cathay View Plaza – Beijing Kids

Tailor-Made

People in Your Neighborhood: Tailor