Custom clothes and other delights

Hoi An is a very very cool place! In fact, it would probably make it into my top 10 favorite places. Today was a near perfect day and a continuation of the shopping madness that started yesterday.

Yesterday, our hotel pointed us in the direction of a tailor that was not the cheapest and not the most expensive option here in Hoi An. So we bailed in a taxi and motored over to see what this little shop had to offer. In was a shock and awe experience! There were two shops next to each other owned by the same family, one was for shoes and the other for clothing. Basically these ladies said, "if you can show us a picture we can make it". So, getting a little caught up in the moment I started flipping through catalogues and looking at shoes to order. In the end, I settled on two dresses, a pair of long shorts, on pair of black linen pants and two tank tops. Oh yeah, let's not forget the 4 pairs of custom made shoes! I have such narrow feet I can never find shoes to fit at home! In this process, the first step is to pick the design of the shoe or garnet and then pick the materials. Here is a funny photo of Amanda picking the leather for her shoes.





Now, if you can't find a material you like, they put you on the back of a motor bike and whisk you off to the supplier to see what you can come up with there. Here I go off to the "factory" to select the silk for my long summer dress!





After all the selection is done, they tell you to come back tomorrow for a second fitting. Oh yeah, and to meet with the post office and get it all shipped home :) Here are the shoes and dresses I got made... Oh and I should say, they all fit perfectly and look exactly like the picture I showed them. So, if the one little dress is a bit to frilly for me, that was my fault....the one in the catalogue was frilly! these people don't fool around, you get what you ask for.





























Other than clothing and shoes, the old town in Hoi An is a unesco world heritage site and an absolute delight to walk around. I spend three hours wandering through shops and narrow market streets. A little girl hollered to me and waved from her seat ( in the basket of her mom's bike) and old ladies sat barefoot selling every kind of fruit, vegetable or fish you can possibly imagine. Most of the buildings are yellow with beautiful flowers everywhere! Here are some shots from my wander through the town.





























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Location:Hoi An, Vietnam