Buying Clothes In Thailand

[ashterrier]

Hi everyone,

Im after some advice, im going to Thailand in 4 weeks, and wondering about how much clothes to take? Im going for two weeks, and going to Bangkok, Pattaya and Ko Sumui. The problem i have is that im quiet a big guy, so i usually struggle to find clothes to fit me while abroad.

Will it be a problem in Thailand? Any tips on where to go? What are the prices like?

Hope someone out there can help me.

Cheers

Edited March 18, 2007 by ashterrier

[bmanly]

In Pattaya you have a market on 2nd road called "Made In Thailand" it is between soi 9 and soi 10. In there they have big mens sizes. I don't know how much it will cost for say a T Shirt your size but an XL for me costs around 150 baht. Not too sure if you can get big shorts or trousers though but the T Shirts and Polo Shirts are there. I would bring your own shorts and trousers just in case you can't find any but for shirts your should be right. Also buy it in BKK or Pattaya as I find Samui more expensive, hope that helps.

[Guemlum]

Hi ash, first of all, you don't really need to take that many clothes with you as you can buy absolutely everything whilst you are out there. That said, you may find that XL in Thailand is not quite the same as XL in the UK or Europe.

Back home in blighty, I'm a medium, but on a recent trip to Thailand I ended up having to buy all of my polo and t-Shirts in XL. I've noticed that alot of the tourist resorts don't really cater for larger size farrang, and you would have thought by now that they would have learnt a thing or to.

I have a friend on the island of Koh Chang that runs his own clothes shop. I told him to consider buying alot more or the larger size in both clothing and footwear, and to my recent knowledge he's selling a hel_l off alot more than the other shops nearby.

Pricewise, you shouldnt really be paying more than 2-250 baht for a polo shirt and certainly no more than 150 baht for a t-shirt. It really depend of the grade of the copy...A,B,C etc.

If you want to buy from some of the department stores located in Bangkok, then you'll probably pay more and they will likely be able to cater for the larger guy.

Hope this helps

Edited March 18, 2007 by guemlum

[jdinasia]

That being said .... you can get GREAT deals on dress clothes custom made ... suits slacks and dress shirts

[jetjock]

I am not heavy but am a big tall guy and I have found Pattaya is even better than Bangkok for finding big sizes right off the rack. I agree with previous poster that sizes seem to run a size smaller on most things so if your are an XL-you will probably need to buy an XXL in Thailand. I have been able to buy some shirts in XXXL in Mike's Dept. Store in Pattaya. I have not been to Koh Samui but my guess is that you will not find much in big sizes as in the rest of Thailand. If you take shoes Size 13 (US size) or bigger as I do, make sure you bring them with you (especially running shoes) unless you want to have them custom made.

[cobra]

Unfortunately larger and plus sizing is not always readily available, what passes for a XL is more an L,

Better to bring what comfortably fits you to be on the safe side,

...pack half the clothes and bring twice the money ...

(Travel Tenet #1,

[Mighty Mouse]

If it's quality clothing you want to buy, you won't find much in the markets....in any size.

The markets are good for casual wear and as BManly has posted, the Made In Thailand Market is a good place to shop for larger sizes.

Some of the markets along Beach Road also carry large sizes. These markets cater mainly for farang tourists.

Forget about finding any large sizes in the weekend Thai markets. They cater mainly for the Thais.

Shoes in large sizes are scarce. I take a size 11 -12 and have all sorts of trouble finding anything that big, apart from sandles etc.

For large size shorts, business shirts, suits etc. you should consider having them made to measure at any of the tailors. Shirts, shorts and trousers take about 2 days, suits and jackets take about 4 days to make.

The laundry services in all the locations mentioned by the OP are excellent. Some offer same day service, almost all can have your laundry washed, dried and ironed by the next day.

[ashterrier]

Cool, thanks for everyones help, ill take all advice onboard....

Also, the missus has asked me to bring her some jewellry and a handbag back, are they cheap lol?

Ash

[65Craig]

I'm American and have found that if it says XL here in Thailand it's more like a medium/large back home. So if you wear an XL, you may have problems. They definitely have them, but I doubt you want to spend all your time searching and clothes shopping... Basically it's safer to bring some clothes. If you are interested, there are thousands of Tailors here, and if you have the time you can get clothes custom made fairly cheap. As for jewelry and purses. They have them but by all means they are fakes. Some are good fakes and some are really bad fakes. Have your wife show you what a real one (ie Louis Vuitan, Channel, Gucci, Burberry, etc.) looks like before you go, otherwise she might not be happy with the cheasy knockoff.