Traditional cotton clothing

[Gerard]

Hi dear friends,

 

Where in China can I find this type of comfortable clothing:

 

Video link

 

 

Maybe Beijing, but where exactly.

 

Any info will be helpful.

 

Much appreciated,

 

Gerard.

[Spotless]

I am interested in finding good clothing of this type in the USA.

 

A few weeks ago I spent an entire afternoon looking in China Town in San Francisco and could find nothing - at least nothing in my size. Most of the clothing is quite flamboyant and shiny. I would prefer cotton or they type of silk they make Tommy Bahama from or Organic rayon.

 

I hope this is not "off topic".

 

In China most local tailors can make anything - you can show them a movie and say "this is what I want". They will show you materials and sometimes mock-ups. Good pictures and you should be good to go.

 

If you own a material you would like it to be made of - try to have at least a sample on hand. Most of the threads and materials are fine but they will tend to want them tighter than you will want.

Edited February 8, 2017 by Spotless

[Golden Dragon Shining]

organic cotton feels really good

[Gerard]

In China most local tailors can make anything.

Thank you. It's all I was after. Probably stop by at HK, go to a tailor who deals with raw cotton and have several kung fu suits (not the Tai Chi type which I dislike, I don't like silk either, too flamboyant) done. Like the comfy type the guy in that Bagua video is wearing.

 

Where I live this type of fashion/clothing does not exist. It's embarrassing since it would be perfect for the hot and humid climate that best describes Queensland-Aust.

 

Edited February 9, 2017 by Gerard

[Spotless]

HK has tailors all over the place.

 

By the way - the silk I was referring to is not flamboyant at all - not shiny and not something that stands out - quite subtle.

But very strong and very comfortable - cool in summer and warm in winter. It is heavy and high quality. However cotton works well and they will have every grade. I'd make sure it's pre-washed /pre-shrunk.

[Seatle185]

I agree with spotless in that "raw silk" sometimes also "noil silk" looks more like cotton than the shiny preformance silks that are worn for aesthetic appeal. And in my opinion the raw silk is much stronger. While i dont know where in china to shop, there is an online retailer called taichi tranquility based in vietnam you could try. You can give them specefic directions and measurements as well as plenty of fabric options. I dont like the taichi full suits but i have a few pants that look like what is in the video and they have all sorts of options most other vendors dont. Just a thought, hope it helps!

[Gerard]

Thanks brothers. I wasn't thinking about the silk you mentioned but the one worn by Tai Chi people in their performance or competitive videos. It's not what I'm really after. More like a traditional Thai suit for comfort and ease of wear over anything else.

 

I guess Taipei would be another OK place to go to, right? I'd also stock up with some yummy Puerh, High Mountain and Muzha Tieguanyin oolongs while I'm there.

 

Thanks one more time!

[Gerard]

there is an online retailer called taichi tranquility

Thanks again. I spoke to them and they are based in Ozland so that makes things a lot easier. Most of their clients are US people so there we go, very few Aussie clients btw. Nice find and thanks for sharing it here.

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Gerard

[Spotless]

Thanks again. I spoke to them and they are based in Ozland so that makes things a lot easier. Most of their clients are US people so there we go, very few Aussie clients btw. Nice find and thanks for sharing it here.

I am thinking of ordering from them as well - let us know how it works for you if you order from them.

[Seatle185]

No problem! I personally love them, their pure cotton is reasonably priced but the raw 'cotton looking' silk is a little expensive, but i think worth it as rare to find, also i love the customization, you can request any style, i prefer drawstrings as opposed to the elastic waistband you usually get with kung fu pants, and you can change the ankles to hem, drawstring, or frog button bassically anything you could think of haha

 

The only thing is i would recomend looking at their shipping prices if anyone is from the u.s. like me. the fast delivery options are high priced and the lower priced delivery takes a long time, but over all very good company i think.

 

Also its good to see another poster here who loves high mountain oolong!

Edited February 12, 2017 by Seatle185

[Gerard]

I will let you know.

 

One question:

 

What is the feel of raw 'cotton looking' silk compared to pure cotton?

 

WhenI spoke to them I was told they would send me a small sample of all the fabrics available, which is a great idea and kudos to them for doing that. But I am just being curious since they told me that the typical Tai Chi suit is made of satin rather than raw silk. So I don't think I have come across this fabric before.

 

Yes, there a few here who also enjoy high mountain oolong tea. The occasional tea thread pops up from time to time.

 

####Off-topic, again, sorry, tea is addictive in a good way.

 

I recently had a drinking session with another tea enthusiast here in Brisbane who has some excellent Taiwan green tea. First time ever and it was lovely; very, very different from the typical Chinese greens (long jing, anji bai cha, huang shan mao feng, bi luo chun, etc.)

 

Wu De is coming to Brisbane next March to host several tea ceremonies and I will be attending one of them. A nice way of catching up with like-minded people.

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by Gerard

[Seatle185]

Hi gerard,

 

The raw silk that is sold on this site and a few others actually feels very similar to cotton but my opinion is it is more breathable and smoother, silk is known to be adaptive in that it keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, unfortunately it is getting difficult to find as most people who sell "silk" is in fact artificial materials treated to look like the well known satin silks, so i was happy to find this company.

 

YMAA is the only other company i have seen who has the raw silk pants like this but they have only one option to choose from and they are often sold out. If you would like to know about raw silk and its benefits compared to other fabrics they actually have a very informative article here

 

https://ymaa.com/publishing/uniform

 

Hope it helps

 

And i have gotten a chance to try some green taiwan and you are so right, when compared to what most people know as green tea it is a whole different experience! I enjoy nearly any tea iv tried from taiwan, my favorite that i drink the most are the alishan jinxuan oolong- golden lilly oolong, i will search around for the tea threads though and keep this thread on track but im glad you mentioned that!

[Gerard]

Thanks for the additional info. I'll take a read at that page. Best

[Gerard]

HK has tailors all over the place.

 

By the way - the silk I was referring to is not flamboyant at all - not shiny and not something that stands out - quite subtle.

But very strong and very comfortable - cool in summer and warm in winter. It is heavy and high quality. However cotton works well and they will have every grade. I'd make sure it's pre-washed /pre-shrunk.

 

Hi dear Spotless,

 

Where in HK I should go to since I am only familiar with the airport. Thanks

 

 there is an online retailer called taichi tranquility

 

Hi again friend,

 

Unfortunately this vendor is not being very cooperative so I will have to go to HK to purchase this clothing.

 

As I will be departing Australia sometimes within the next 12 months, it shouldn't be a major problem.

 

 

Thanks all!