This is not Tony’s first visit to Tailor On Ten, and this time we had the pleasure of catching up with him during one of his fittings.

Hi Tony, thanks chatting to us today. Let’s start from the essentials, where are you from and how long have you been living in Bangkok?
I am from an island called Tasmania off Australia's southern coast, and I have been living in Bangkok for about six years.

What brought you to Bangkok in the first place?
Work. I'm the Bangkok bureau chief for Bloomberg News, where I oversee coverage of Thailand and neighboring countries.

It must be an interesting job, how did you get into it?
I started in Tasmania as a copy boy at a newspaper when I was seventeen. I wrote and edited stories and ran errands, but mostly I was yelled at a lot. After a year as a television reporter I moved to Asia, where I worked as a journalist for different publications, like the Hong Kong Standard. I later joined Bloomberg in Singapore and now I'm here in Bangkok.

What do you like about this city?
I enjoy the contrast between the old and new; the traditional and modern. The growth of the middle class means people have more money to spend on leisure and culture, and this has transformed Bangkok into a vibrant and ever-changing international city.

What is your favorite thing to do in Bangkok?
Bangkok is so multi-layered. The way it's structured with neighborhoods disconnected from each other means it's difficult to take everything in at a glance. The city only opens up to you over time. The best Bangkok experiences I've had were when locals showed me hidden places that I'd never have come across on my own.

You seem to have traveled the region extensively. What is the most special place in Southeast Asia?
I like Indonesia for its diversity. From one island to another you find opposing realities, like Bali and its resorts or Sumatra’s untouched landscapes and traditions. Getting out of the major cities is always exciting. Vietnam is rapidly developing its economy and opening up new regions to tourists, and Thailand will face some serious competition from countries like Myanmar and Vietnam in the future.

Your job exposes you to a lot of information and it probably gives you a privileged access to the bigger picture. I think it could be interesting to get a projection from you. What is Southeast Asia going to look like over the next few years?
ASEAN is emerging as a powerful economic grouping in its own right, though countries are at different stages of development so integrating them into a single market is very challenging. There's a lot of historical baggage in the region and policy makers need to find ways to compromise and look at the big picture. There will be a lot of false starts, but I'm sure Southeast Asian nations will find ways to overcome those differences and a vibrant and dynamic economic region will continue to take shape. It's only a matter of time.

Thank you for your time Tony. It was interesting talking to you, and we hope you will come to visit us again soon!

Tony is wearing a Dormeuil suit in a great hue of blue, a few shades lighter than navy. Note how the slanted pockets create a great line through the torso, and the nice contrast formed by the brown horn buttons. The shirt is a light blue royal twill from Leggiuno, incredibly soft stuff from Italy (just like our bigger range from Thomas Mason)