Wednesday, November 22 Tanzeb the Tailor

Alix and I got home early in the morning, and then I slept a while before eating at Fiesta and then Hindi class. Then Alix and I went to Khan Market. Khan Market, in South Delhi, is an upscale shopping center, with nice boutiques and restaurants. The shoppers were all of New Delhi’s finest. We crossed the street and went down a narrow road, with chickens and children running around. In a delipidated apartment complex, we saw a small door with the sign “Tanzeb Tailors”. We walked in and went down some stairs to the tiny tailor shop. Reams of suit fabrics lined the walls, along with frames of letters sent by ambassadors and dignitaries from Italy, Kuwait, the UK, and Denmark. I had found out about this place from a New York Times article, and it was supposed to be really good. A short Muslim man with big glasses and a furry hat stood at the table, measuring fabric and scribbling notes in Urdu in an overstuffed book, filled with his projects. Alix got some stuff made, and I picked out some nice fabrics for him to make me two suits with; one in navy and one in gray. He measured me with a tape, and asked what I wanted the suit to look like. I actually know nothing about suits because I have never worn one, and don’t shop for them. He told me the price; $200 for each. I wanted to get a tux, but it would cost $400. It took a lot of bargaining to get it to $200, which is really expensive for Indian prices, but is on par with US suit prices, but for a custom-made, personally-tailored wool/cashmere suit it’s dirt cheap. Plus, businessmen from Europe and the Middle East fly to Delhi specifically so they can get a suit made by Tanzeb, so I’m assuming he’ll do a good job. I paid $200 up front, and then left happy. Alix and I met Ro at Saravana Bhavan, which was of course, amazing.