Those familiar with Bangkok will be aware of the gems hidden in the small streets of Thonglor, such as the Blue Dye Cafe at 40/1 Soi Sukhumvit 36. The name refers to multi-hyphenate owner Kittipong Paiboonsombut’s love of indigo and denim, and has an evolving retail space on the second floor. Here, delectable dishes come with a tasty side dish of bespoke suiting – it’s home to one of Bangkok’s finest tailoring studios, The Primary Haus.
The Primary Haus is a menswear retail and custom tailoring studio in Thonglor.
Co-founder Senze has been an Officine Paladino partner since day one; recently, he made a superb suit for Paladino co-founder Vishal Advani with OP2619 Zest, a medium-weight, twill-weave linen. He’s also just completed a jacket in OP 2612 Casse for a client. He shared his thoughts about The Measure of Linen: “The new linen collection is a great quality fabric that expresses our haus style so well. The finished garment looks beautiful and feels great; it is my favourite of the collections.”
A custom suit in OP2612 Casse by The Primary Haus in the Florentine suiting tradition (colour differences are due to lighting).
The Primary Haus’s haus or house style is derived from Florentine and Neapolitan tailoring. The latter’s spalla a camicia shoulder with shirring and rollino, curved patch pockets, and wide lapels are ubiquitous at Pitti Uomo today. However, old school Florentine tailoring is known to just a few: Sloped shoulders with backstitched seams, crease-free sleeves with a rounded head joining the shoulder, a soft make, straight lapels, and no front darts are some defining details.
Henna (left) and Vishal Advani (right, co-founder of Officine Paladino). Vishal wears a Primary Haus suit in OP2619 Zest.
Few tailors practice this cut in Asia. The gentle, genteel style requires a fabric that is not too heavy, has a good handle and drape, with a soft touch. “To represent the Florentine cut well, you need a good drape on the jacket, while the trousers have a sharp look. The quality of The Measure of Linen is perfect for this,” he says.
Senze approaches tailoring with setting the style of the suit first, before its quality and the tailor working on it – a humble take on his own craft. It’s one reason why he enjoys Officine Paladino’s fabrics. He explains, “the fabrics in each collection are differentiated and express the brand distinctively. For example, the Formal collection is excellent for tuxedos, but for a fabric with a textured handfeel or a pattern, Suitably Styled is better suited.” That makes it easy to help clients select a fabric, and helps Senze learn their personal style. It’s as if he has adopted the Paladino motto: Everything starts with the fabric.
