Suit-Maker Search

The last weeks were filled with so much drama for D and I. So much wedding preps stress. awww. Last weekend, he promised to help with all his efforts na. Hay super relieved. :)

As expected, we accomplished a lot of canvassing. We 'almost' finished the entourage list, finalized our cake style, tasted our appetizer and canvassed some suit-maker. Since we promised to cut our expenses for the rest of the wedding stuff, we followed some suggestions from w@w and braved going to Kamuning Tela Market.

The place as expected is a literal market of tela! We just parked our car in front of the market and paid a boy to watch after it.

We first saw Mang Pons' Tailoring. It is strategically located at the left side of the market. It can be spotted easily since its site is separated from the whole market roof. Mang Pons area is like a typical mananahi sa palengke area. There were suits and long-sleeves hanged in one side, a make-shift curtain fitting room, a drawing desk, and a TV. He entertained us as soon as we entered his shop.
D first asked: 'Magkano po ang suit nyo?'
Mang Pons replied: 'Ahh depende sa style, may style ba kayong gusto? kasi gagayahin ko lang yun.'
Ok. So I almost forgot - Mang Pons is not a designer, he just copies design from the pictures you brought him. The rest were just talking about prices and fabric. His prices were as expected. I asked him if we can lock the current rates since he told us to just go back maybe a month before the wedding. He said men's suits can be made in just 10days, so no need to schedule the fitting way ahead of time (lucky guys! they can get themselves fit pa!). But he told me that if I want to lock the price we need to pay downpayment then. D also noticed that Mang Pons is somewhat disorganized. When we were talking a guy came inside the shop asking for his tuxedo, the old man gave him a pair of cream coat and pants. Mang Pons asked if he brought a long sleeves with him, he said 'Kasi shempre baka mangitim ung collar sa kasusukat'. Makes sense. But the guy seemed puzzled, then he said 'diba po may kasama tong long-sleeves?'. Mang Pons stared at him, as if trying to remember, and then finally he shouted outside to call someone (i guess his wife). When the woman arrived, he asked 'Asan ba ung tuxedo na long-sleeves na ginawa ko?'. He looked at the guy again and said 'Andito lang yun. natahi ko na' and they continued searching on the racks of clothes. Since we already finished our inquiries, we took the chance to say goodbye to Mang Pons.

We next looked for Bonnie's Tailoring. The shop was hard to find since it is located inside the main market area. Some bridal party was already inside the shop when we arrived so we waited outside. After 15 long minutes, we were ushered inside a small air-conditioned room by a middle-aged man with a big tummy (hehehe sorry for the detailed description). I secretly observed him because I thought he was too young to be Bonnie. And true enough, he told us that Bonnie is his father, Bonifacio. The guy's name was Ingo. So we asked the same questions to him - cut, fabric and prices. Same as Mang Pons, they only copy from designs. His rates were only a bit higher than Pons'. That's a surprise because I was expecting a thousand pesos difference. Anyway, he asked about the wedding date, we told him December and then he advised us to come back maybe around October or November. He then explained the same thing Mang Pons told us, that the suit can be made in just 10 days. It will be such a waste if the suit will be altered just to fit the groom's current body size - if we cut the suit because the groom turned out to be thinner, the suit will not be proportionally fitted. - if the groom gets fat, it will be hard to add fabrics without the noticeable traces. So to make things uncomplicated, he usually advise guys to be measured a month before the wedding. But since our wedding is on December and we plan to get the rest of the entourage suits tailored also, he asked for 3 months. And as opposed to Mang Pons, he advised us to get the fabric directly from Divisoria where the fabric is 3x cheaper (hmmm). Then I asked that question again, about the prices might go up when we return. He said he can't really tell, but he projects it might not and he can give the current price for us. I joked if he can sign my little notebook as proof - he willingly obliged! yay!

Take a look at the price comparison:

Back at the car, I started comparing prices, and listing the differences. I asked D which supplier he prefer. He instantly answered, Bonnie's. Cleaner air-conditioned room, rates almost the same, Ingo is much easier to talk to and more organized. I agreed and so was his mom. So I guess, we have a suit supplier already - Bonnie's tailoring.

We just have to talk to the other ento about their preferences on their suits. For now, we are sure to get D's and our two dad's suit there.