I was intending to write a review for B & C Bespoke Limited.
For the casual reader, the gentlemen in the Instagram photo are my friend, Dr Wong and the Boss, Mr Tommy Chow; @shirtingfantasy was involved as a catalyst, not actually participating in the depicted sartorial reaction.
My adventure with B&C Bespoke Ltd was a mix of random walk, adventurous spirit and impulse purchase. One fine afternoon in 2016, I was asked to give some suit advice to a gentleman, who was going to attend his daughter's wedding; as per usual, @shirtingfantasy brought him to the nearest SuitSupply, for (al)most every man would find something suitable for their ceremonial outfit there. And witnessing sartorial purchase is what kindles sartorial purchase - so a random walk in Central turned into a random walk in Sheung Wan (where the old B&C Bespoke Ltd was located), presumably to hunt for shirt fabric...
As can be seen from the Instagram post above, B&C practically looks like just another tailor shop. What kindled @shirtingfantasy's interest in trying their shirts was a billboard, which from memory, could be translated as follows -
"B&C Bespoke Limited shirts are made with Shanghainese craftsmanship, using the best imported interlining, MOP buttons and proudly made by the experienced shirtmaker Master Bi (畢師傅)... HKD 1,000 for 3 shirts"
Master Bi...
Master Bi...
Master Bi??!!
Back then, Master Bi was an elusive maker in Mirador. PekingRoadHK was yet to reveal all the makers in Mirador, and @shirtingfantasy has probably heard of the name of the master maker maybe a couple of times via @michael_wk_car. The immediate thought was: why not give it a try?
As it turned out, B&C Bespoke Ltd was owned by B (Master Bi) and C (Mr Tommy Chow, who was a store manager at E-Rave tailor). Master Bi was responsible for the making, and Mr Chow was responsible for the fitting. And, as a big plus, B&C offered non-fused collar and cuffs for no surcharge or extra waiting time, which was quite an attractive offer given the overwhelming majority of makers would prefer making top-fused collar and cuffs for a neat look (and also for more efficient production).
Fast-forward to 2018.
@shirtingfantasy visited the Central district much less often, as his wardrobe is already oversaturated with shirts, and WISICA Sea Island fibres are going to crystallize and precipitate in his oversaturated flat. But @michael_wk_car is still being the informative guide as usual, he asked, out of the blue:
"Do you know the latest price of B&C Bespoke for making a Thomas Mason shirt?"
After a few lines of WhatsApp conversion, @shirtingfantasy knew something was wrong. Where is B&C now?
As it turned out, due to a business dispute between Master Bi and Mr Tommy Chow, B and C became Bi's Tailor Ltd (https://www.bistailor.com/) and TC Bespoke Tailor Ltd (@tcbespoke) - so all of a sudden the review work is doubled: How is the new TC system working? Can Master Bi master direct clients (he was said to take very few direct clients in Mirador)? Is the separation for the better, or for the worse?
In this review series, I will first review TC Bespoke Tailor Ltd - as Mr Chow admitted to a change in shirt workshop after the split. "No more unfused, " said Tommy, " but you can let me know what you think of our new workshop, which I think is still decent."
The good thing about men's inertia in menswear shopping is such that shops can rely on repeat customers for business. When there is a change in ownership and manufacture, however, this tendency can be challenged. "Your old pattern is still with Master Bi, " Tommy continued, " if you so wish, you can also find him."
Is @shirtingfantasy just "trying to make another shirt"? Obviously, passive-aggressiveness worked very well. The unspoken message is clear: Chow is here to challenge Bi.
So for the first order with the new opening, new workshop and presumably new pattern maker, @shirtingfantasy also decided to have something that is new and bold - in terms of fabric choice: a performance fabric with anti-wrinkle and water-resistance treatment
Shop information:
TC Bespoke Limited
Mr Tommy Chow
https://www.instagram.com/tcbespoke/
Flat B2, 6/F, Chung Hing Commercial Building, 62-63 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong tel +852 6076-8992 (by WhatsApp/ phone appointment)
Minimum order: no minimum order
Price range: HKD 700+ for Hesworth, HKD 1,250+ for Thomas Mason fabric
CMT service: Yes. HKD 320 (inclusive of 2 mm MOP buttons) for a standard shirt, HKD 3,000 for a 2-pc half-canvassed suit and HKD 4,500 for a 2-pc full-canvassed suit.
Handmade option: No.
For the casual reader, the gentlemen in the Instagram photo are my friend, Dr Wong and the Boss, Mr Tommy Chow; @shirtingfantasy was involved as a catalyst, not actually participating in the depicted sartorial reaction.
My adventure with B&C Bespoke Ltd was a mix of random walk, adventurous spirit and impulse purchase. One fine afternoon in 2016, I was asked to give some suit advice to a gentleman, who was going to attend his daughter's wedding; as per usual, @shirtingfantasy brought him to the nearest SuitSupply, for (al)most every man would find something suitable for their ceremonial outfit there. And witnessing sartorial purchase is what kindles sartorial purchase - so a random walk in Central turned into a random walk in Sheung Wan (where the old B&C Bespoke Ltd was located), presumably to hunt for shirt fabric...
As can be seen from the Instagram post above, B&C practically looks like just another tailor shop. What kindled @shirtingfantasy's interest in trying their shirts was a billboard, which from memory, could be translated as follows -
"B&C Bespoke Limited shirts are made with Shanghainese craftsmanship, using the best imported interlining, MOP buttons and proudly made by the experienced shirtmaker Master Bi (畢師傅)... HKD 1,000 for 3 shirts"
Master Bi...
Master Bi...
Master Bi??!!
Back then, Master Bi was an elusive maker in Mirador. PekingRoadHK was yet to reveal all the makers in Mirador, and @shirtingfantasy has probably heard of the name of the master maker maybe a couple of times via @michael_wk_car. The immediate thought was: why not give it a try?
As it turned out, B&C Bespoke Ltd was owned by B (Master Bi) and C (Mr Tommy Chow, who was a store manager at E-Rave tailor). Master Bi was responsible for the making, and Mr Chow was responsible for the fitting. And, as a big plus, B&C offered non-fused collar and cuffs for no surcharge or extra waiting time, which was quite an attractive offer given the overwhelming majority of makers would prefer making top-fused collar and cuffs for a neat look (and also for more efficient production).
Fast-forward to 2018.
@shirtingfantasy visited the Central district much less often, as his wardrobe is already oversaturated with shirts, and WISICA Sea Island fibres are going to crystallize and precipitate in his oversaturated flat. But @michael_wk_car is still being the informative guide as usual, he asked, out of the blue:
"Do you know the latest price of B&C Bespoke for making a Thomas Mason shirt?"
After a few lines of WhatsApp conversion, @shirtingfantasy knew something was wrong. Where is B&C now?
As it turned out, due to a business dispute between Master Bi and Mr Tommy Chow, B and C became Bi's Tailor Ltd (https://www.bistailor.com/) and TC Bespoke Tailor Ltd (@tcbespoke) - so all of a sudden the review work is doubled: How is the new TC system working? Can Master Bi master direct clients (he was said to take very few direct clients in Mirador)? Is the separation for the better, or for the worse?
In this review series, I will first review TC Bespoke Tailor Ltd - as Mr Chow admitted to a change in shirt workshop after the split. "No more unfused, " said Tommy, " but you can let me know what you think of our new workshop, which I think is still decent."
 |
| Despite the same Chinese name, B&C has silently changed to TC to reflect the change in ownership. |
 |
| The same collars, and same sample shirts on display. |
 |
| The same stock fabric. More on vintage shirting in the next post. |
The good thing about men's inertia in menswear shopping is such that shops can rely on repeat customers for business. When there is a change in ownership and manufacture, however, this tendency can be challenged. "Your old pattern is still with Master Bi, " Tommy continued, " if you so wish, you can also find him."
Is @shirtingfantasy just "trying to make another shirt"? Obviously, passive-aggressiveness worked very well. The unspoken message is clear: Chow is here to challenge Bi.
 |
| Now this is a better picture of Chow's silent confidence... with Speratuzza |
So for the first order with the new opening, new workshop and presumably new pattern maker, @shirtingfantasy also decided to have something that is new and bold - in terms of fabric choice: a performance fabric with anti-wrinkle and water-resistance treatment
 |
| An entry-level cotton shirting from the Hesworth bunch by Artextile International Co., Ltd. Do note that Hesworth is a brand totally owned by the local company, much like how Cistes is owned by Loo's Trading Co Ltd... |
 |
| Collar Number 6, a semi-spread collar, and @shirtingfantasy's favourite single-button mitered cuff. |
To spare the reader some endless wait, some more photos - to hint at the coming posts...
TC Bespoke Limited
Mr Tommy Chow
https://www.instagram.com/tcbespoke/
Flat B2, 6/F, Chung Hing Commercial Building, 62-63 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong tel +852 6076-8992 (by WhatsApp/ phone appointment)
Minimum order: no minimum order
Price range: HKD 700+ for Hesworth, HKD 1,250+ for Thomas Mason fabric
CMT service: Yes. HKD 320 (inclusive of 2 mm MOP buttons) for a standard shirt, HKD 3,000 for a 2-pc half-canvassed suit and HKD 4,500 for a 2-pc full-canvassed suit.
Handmade option: No.
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