I had the displeasure of dealing with this shop with my soon-to-be-wife after a recommendation from Patsy's bridal shop and still find myself scratching my head at how it has endured as a business. But it's hard to fully pin down what causes such issue- so I can understand where and why people see strengths.
While the work was perfectly serviceable on my fiancé's dress, it was not spectacular and came with an enormous amount of grief just to get basic alterations done at a premium flat-rate cost with basic, unspectacular craftsmanship.
My dear fiancé is a wonderful woman who tends to be more lenient, patient, and kindhearted with her interactions- and is both shy and unassuming- the furthest thing from a bridezilla you could imagine- and regularly left this shop feeling silenced, small, and made to feel as though she was asking too much, too overbearingly, too late by the tailor. She returned from all of her 'fittings'- if you could call them that- in tears, frustrated that her basic requests and questions, likely said with a polite and sheepish open-endedness to begin with - "could we maybe hem this length?" "Would it be possible to let this out?" - were met with curt 'no's and 'mmhmms'.
Look, I can forgive a rude customer service experience. I can let go of someone having a bad day. And I can look the other way when the craft of a person's work excuses a bit more of their character - but I have very little and low tolerance for someone cold, rude, perfunctory, and belittling that leaves optimistic brides feeling too fat, too inadequate, too picky or elitist or spoiled (of which my wonderful future wife is absolutely none)- and frustrated and disappointed with their experience- who ALSO do mediocre-quality, passable-but-not-special work.
I have been in the garment business myself for years and have a discerning, perhaps particular mind about tailoring and alterations. I know tailors can be cut from a rougher cloth (pun intended), and frequently have to deal with bitchy, annoying, insufferable clientele. They can be tired, jaded, and insensitive to the novelty each individual dress and experience makes. After all, tailors are seamstresses- not miracle workers. I get it. I really do.
But my future wife's experience, both in-discussion and reflection afterward among her and her bridesmaids- and in-action seen by my groomsman (who I sent, perplexed, to a fitting because I couldn't believe the general rudeness with which was described to me) - was one that was deeply underserved, unpleasant, and lacking in any semblance of quality, compassion, or care.
Those are rare qualities remaining in the world, I know. And perhaps they're luxuries we shouldn't always expect. But they're things I still look for- and appreciate.
And if my beautiful, kind, friendly partner (seriously, I can't say enough how wonderful she is) - brings her $2K dress to you for a basic hem, because she's been sold the fiction from a bridal shop that you're 'the best'- and you charge her $500 for an 'all inclusive' package with four 'free fittings'- I expect better than a fitting session and a single follow-up 'pay and take your dress' interaction weeks later. I expect you to do your job until it's done, not until you feel you don't want to care about it anymore.
But what's more- it's not merely that I expect more. It's that my wife *deserves* more. And better than she received. And, frankly, so does every bride that steps in this shop.
Everything I heard, saw, anticipated, and expected was filled with frustration, embarrassment over complaint, humiliation, confusion, intimidation, and finally resignation that the oft-dreamt-of experience of every little girl putting on their dream wedding dress was ruined by a lazy, curt woman with a bad attitude, little tailoring talent, and a lack of self-awareness.
There are more particulars to our bad experience- but they frankly they shouldn't matter to your perception of this review. They just make it sound worse, and that's not worth more agony over it.
Why am I giving this 2 stars? So that there will be some greater chance a hopeful bride may actually scroll by and see this review, discerning and measured, and not just think 'Oh they gave it 1 star, they're just difficult people'.
Will not be returning. Will never recommend. You and your dress are better-served finding both a better tailor and a kinder-hearted person to deal with on something as special and important as your big, beautiful wedding day. read more