The tailor Motel Kamzoil... I mean, The Tailor Xiao Shi

Today I paid a visit to the tailor to whom I was introduced by a dear friend. I may have written about this already, forgive me if some of this is repetitive.

On my first visit, I brought two pictures of two dresses and an idea of what I'd like a ball gown to look like. Xiao Shi said "Keyi" meaning "Can do". We went back and forth a little, she drew some sketches and took my measurements. I selected a fabric from the 4 or so she said would work. She asked if I wanted a lining and I said I did. She asked if I wanted a silk lining, to which my friend said "go ahead and get it, when will you ever have the opportunity to easily afford such a luxury?" So I said, "Wo yao." Meaning, "I want." I showed her a pair of pants I really like but that are too big and asked if she could make some just like them only smaller. She said "keyi" and we selected two fabrics and she said she'd also make my pair smaller. I spotted a very pretty pink textured fabric that I thought would make a great summer dress and asked if she had enough to make a dress. She said, "keyi" and we designed a dress together.

Xiao Shi phoned my friend and said our clothes were ready so we went there today at 4:00. My gown is still a work in progress. I tried it on and she took a tuck here and there and made chalk marks on it. She asked if we could wait 20 minutes while she took it in so she could see if it was right before making more changes. So we said, "keyi." She made more marks and we are to go back next week. I tried on my pink dress and the 3 pairs of trousers and all are great. At first, the pockets in the pants were too long and you could see them through the pants legs, so I asked if she could fix the problem. She said, "keyi," gave them to a seamstress and I had them back in less than 10 minutes. I like the slacks so much that I asked if she thought the style would work for dressier fabrics. She said, "keyi," and together we selected 3 more fabrics and decided to do away with pockets all together, front and back as they are to be dressier. I will be able to pick them up next Wednesday.

When it was time to settle the bill, which we'd discussed the previous visit as I selected each item. She totaled it all up and then said "wu bai san shi kuai qian." This is 530 rmb, which comes to about $66.25. The gown is 290 rmb, which is about $36.25. The same gown, would cost more than $290. It's made from Thai silk with a silk lining and is floor length. It's for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. I'm told it's the event of the year. Next month is the beginning of ball season. I know of 3 that we will going to for certain and there are others that are possibilities.

I could definitely get used to this tailor perk. Now, if only I had a stylist to help me design/select clothes... Annie!!! Help!!!