I first visited CEGO in July based on its online reputation. Carl was friendly and seemed to know a lot about shirts, and the workshop had an impressive array of fabrics. However, my positive experience came to an end as CEGO was repeatedly late by weeks on its promises, so that even three months after I made my deposit, I still did not have my first shirt. After each one of my three visits, spaced multiple weeks apart, CEGO was late on their estimate for that portion of the work. They never called me on their own with updates. I would call them a week or two after the originally estimated time of completion to check in, and it seemed to me that only then would they really attend to my work. In my last visit, Fernanda told me my shirt would be ready and mailed the next day. A week later, I still had received no shirt, so I called them and was told that it would be yet another week. At that point I realized that this pattern could go on forever if I allowed it to. I asked for a refund of my deposit, which Carl gave me on the same day. He apologized and said they had been overwhelmed with work. I accepted the apology and said I understood that these things happen. Still, my conscience wouldn't rest easy if I didn't write this review. I spent hours commuting to and from CEGO (I'm from out-of-town and went solely because of CEGO's positive online reputation) and wondering about my shirts. Three months after my deposit I still hadn't received my first shirt. I hope this review helps prospective customers and motivates CEGO to improve either their scheduling or their production capacity. read more

Carl, Fernanda, and the team at CEGO are unmatched in their craft. I've had custom shirts made around the world, but none compare to the meticulous detail and precision of CEGO. From the moment you step through the door, they make you feel special, guiding you through their extensive fabric selection and sharing their vast expertise. Many fabrics come with fascinating backstories some with stories about how Carl acquired the fabrics, adding a unique touch to the experience. Their dedication to helping you select the perfect fabrics and shirt attributes is unparalleled. Going anywhere else besides CEGO for custom shirts would be doing yourself a disservice. read more

Cego Custom Shirtmakers - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

Despite my usual reluctance to post negative reviews, the stark contrast between the reviews I relied upon and my own disappointing experience at CEGO forces me to share this review. In addition to informing potential customers, this is direct feedback for Carl and the CEGO team, who showed no interest during our final interaction in hearing about my appalling experience. April 5: First visit to CEGO, selected fabric, got measured, and paid a deposit for a white dress shirt; was told order will be ready for fitting within a week. April 19: After two weeks without an update, I contacted them. Was informed of delays and scheduled fitting for April 25. April 25: Told upon arrival that the shirt was not ready for fitting and was asked to return on May 2. May 2: Fitting showed the right shoulder needed adjustments; was promised a call in a couple of days to pick up the adjusted shirt. May 10: No follow-up call received; I reached out and was told the shirt would not be ready until May 13. May 13: Tried the shirt in-store during pick up. Revealed a significantly worsened fit; was told there was a major error in the adjustments communicated to the tailor and that another week was needed for corrections. May 29: After more silence, I called; shirt not ready. Carl promised an update the following week. June 5: No follow-up again; when I called, told the shirt would be ready by June 7. June 7: Tried the shirt in-store. Found nearly all issues from prior fitting unresolved; was promised a fix and callback by June 10. June 21: Radio silence led me to call again. Promised a callback in 20 minutes with an update which, obviously, did not happen. I called again after 2 hours. Finally, was told that they had forgotten to put in the order with the tailor and needed yet another week. When I pointed out that it seemed they were taking my patience for granted, Carl's response was instantaneous and dismissive - 'I'll just refund you your money.' - and showed total disrespect for my time. After having been patient for over two months of repeated delays and poor communication, my order was abruptly canceled without any attempt at an alternate resolution. read more

I'm sad to say this because I was a happy customer for a while in the mid 2010s, and I genuinely like everyone who works here (Carl, Fernanda and everyone else), but I can no longer recommend this place. Turnaround times post-pandemic are absurd. I have had to wait multiple months between one fitting and the next. My emails are mostly ignored. I've been waiting for a simple shirt alternation for more than two months. I'm not sure exactly what's going on. Perhaps they prioritize commercial customers over individuals. Perhaps they take way more orders than they can handle. Either way I've switched to more reliable shirtmakers. read more

Excellent custom shirts. Very friendly and can work with a multitude of requests. Variety of fabric and can do quick turnaround as needed!

Poor customer experience. The store owner is rude and unprofessional. There are many better choices in NYC for custom clothing.

I've been using CEGO for custom shirts for years. The price is extraordinarily reasonable relative to the product you get, and Carl Goldberg, the owner, is one of the most charming and delightful folks in the business. I live three thousand miles away, but when I'm in New York, I always carve out time to stop by CEGO and order a few shirts. read more

This review has been a long time coming. I started getting shirts from Carl almost a decade ago now, and even though we've long since moved from New York I still get shirts from him every year and try to stop by whenever I'm back in town. The fit and finish of the shirts are fantastic, and Carl has an outstanding selection of fabrics. At this point, he has a good sense of what I like and is quick to point out new fabrics he thinks I'd be interested in. He's usually right. While you can definitely get shirts cheaper (or more expensive) elsewhere, for me this is the sweet spot. Carl is an excellent fitter, and always starts with a sample shirt to confirm the fit and to make any adjustments before making your first order. He's able to correct fit issues that some of the higher-volume producers can't. The level of customization available is also far beyond what you can get from other makers without going up significantly in price. If you go to Carl with a reasonable timeline and at least some sense of what you're looking for in a shirt, you'll almost certainly be a happy customer. He's always bent over backwards to make sure I get what I'm looking for. I've only had one shirt that had a minor issue, and he immediately made it right. read more

My experience with custom made shirts has been brief - I've only patronized two other tailors for a total of 3 shirts so take this review with a grain of salt. That said, I can heartily endorse CEGO as the best experience thus far. Carl is extremely accomodating, listens to your needs (he replicated a collar style that I requested), and produces your shirt within the time frame promised. Most importantly, he is outstanding at taking measurements and the shirt REALLY fits. You will want to wear it all the time. Final thoughts: -These shirts, strictly speaking, are produced from an array of pre-existing block patterns that are modified by a computer pattern program to accomodate individual customer's measurements. Therefore, they are Made to Measure and not Bespoke. With Bespoke, an individual pattern is drawn up for each customer. Bespoke still exists but there are only a handfull around, their services are prohibitively expensive, and the final product does not necessarily offer a superior fit. - When you go to a tailor, you have to know what you want. Bring a shirt you like or a picture of a shirt you like. Be clear, otherwise you will end up with the tailor's default style which may not be to your taste. - I've found that any custom shirt you get, regardless of the tailor, is made from markedly better fabric than all but the most expensive store bought shirt. This results in a garment that is easier to iron and substantially more durable. I wear each of my CEGO shirts once a week and the fabric has yet to shows signs of wear or fading. Definitely worth the investment. read more

Before buying my first custom made shirt, I spent roughly 10 hours over the course of a few months researching, reading reviews like this one, heading into places like Brooks Brother trying to decide not whether I was going to get a custom shirt made (in the hopes of getting many more), but rather who was I going to entrust with my money that would provide me a dress shirt with a better fit than anything I've had to date. I settled on CEGO for a few reasons - someone always answered the phone when I called, priced reasonably, solid reviews and the shirts are made in the USA (Newark specifically) First time I came in, I had to wait about 20 minutes, but once Carl is working with you, he gives you his full attention and takes into account all the physical minutia in order to produce a great American made shirt. I recommend having some sense of what you like and don't like, but Carl will be able to guide you. Have ordered 3 shirts over the past year ranging in cost from $125-$165 and they've taken roughly 4-6 weeks. I recommend them as a great option for American-made custom shirts. read more

Love my custom shirt! Never had the experience before, but I wanted a nice shirt for my wedding and a friend told me that custom was a better investment than something off the rack from a fancy designer. I looked around at a few places, but really had no idea how to find a good shirt maker except for a recommendation. The Cego name came up a few times from separate friends so I decided this is who I should go see for my first custom shirt and I wasn't disappointed. I was very happy with the service and timeline to make the shirt. I also liked the follow up fitting and adjustment to make sure it really fit correctly. It's definitely pricier than I'm used to for a shirt, but knowing that it's made to fit just me and not just your average Medium makes me love it even more and if I get any other custom shirts in the future I'm going here. Thanks Carl! read more

Prices: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Quality: 4/5 Delivery Time: 3/5 I had an atypical shirt design that only 3 shops in Manhattan would be willing to make. Two of them quoted $200-$300 and said it would take 4+ weeks. Carl said he could do it for $175 in under two weeks and he seemed like a good guy so I went forward. Two weeks later I was called in to try it on. It didnt fit well so he remeasured it and sent it back across town to be fixed. A week after that i was called again to come back and it was much better. Im very picky and asked for one more adjustment to be made which he made on the spot while I waited. After that, I had exactly what I wanted. There are some very very minor details that I wish were different when it comes the way it was stitched but its minor. read more

I have been using Carl for 15 years. His price is much better than you will find elsewhere and he has a great selection of fabrics. The fit of the shirt will be good, but you should talk to him about how tight you want it - so a tight fit will be very tight on your body -it is a custom fit. If you have a shirt that you like the way it fits you wear it to the the fitting so Carl can make your shirts fit similarly. He can do anything, but is not the best source for design advice. Pick up some boxers while you are there - made from left over material from shirts - they are high quality and unique. read more

Cego is conveniently located in Midtown, and is accessible from the R train, and several bus lines. They have thousand's of fabrics to chose from, and their workmanship is very good. Shirts can be crafted in a timely basis, and they can be as conventional, or unconventional as you like. My only complaint is that the owner, Carl, is somewhat old-fashioned. He's sorta like doing business with Morty Seinfeld. read more

I am now more than three years in to using CEGO exclusively for all of my shirts. I couldn't be more pleased. Carl has become a friend and I absolutely love my shirts. Those I bought three years ago are still going strong (wore one from my first order today, in fact). Highly recommended. read more

I have been getting all my shirts at CEGO for a few years now, and can confidently say that Carl and Fernanda make the best custom shirts in the city and provide by far the best value. All of the shirts, even those from the very first order, have held up perfectly. And the service is top notch. They always give great advice without being pushy or making me feel like a dope. Carl and Fernanda are also just the greatest people, I always have a great time and a great conversation when I stop in.The selection of fabrics is amazing, all high quality but from basic levels to the stratosphere. read more

Shirts are average, and Carl, the owner, is reputed on the internet forums to be quite a good shirtmaker. The 3 shirts I ordered turned out ok (the first few are never quite right and always require a bit of tweaking), but Carl had no inclination towards accepting my input. His rude, dismissive attitude put me off, and given the other great shirtmakers in Manhattan I opted to take my business elsewhere. Al read more

Timely delivery: 2/10 Quality: 6/10 Professionalism: 3/10 Price: too high I had ordered shirts for my brothers wedding in January for February 21. The shirts were ready February 20th (that's only because I called everyday). Shirts were way too tight but they didn't want to fix it. Carl told me that I asked for "tight" fit. I asked for slim fit not "tight" fit. His office is in some crummy old building, I was actually offered fake Louis Vuitton bags on my way out. I do not recommend this place. You can get much better shirts for the price read more

Overall: Must go, worth the trip I started going to Carl for my shirts soon after I arrived in NY. Over the years I have simultaneously used other shirt makers but now my shirt wardrobe is almost exclusively Cego. I consistently kept coming back because he has given me unparalleled service and over this year his operation has only gotten better and more efficient. He is forward and forthcoming but will always accommodate your requests. My advice is to listen to him and then work from there. He has an extremely vast knowledge of tailoring and cloth, so much that he was the first to point out the Achilles' Heel of a certain French chambray. I would recommend no one else. The product is top notch, service is extremely good and Carl is an extremely knowledgeable guy that loves what he does. This is the kind of place you don't want to miss. read more

I am going on about my 50th shirt from CEGO and I believe that Carl and Fernanda are simply the best. I cannot imagine why anyone would buy off-the-peg shirts for $200 or more each when, for the same price, you can get fully custom shirts that fit perfectly. As others have noted, Carl is very attentive to details. He remembers every idiosyncrasy of how I like my shirts detailed. His selection of fabrics is enormous. He cuts his shirts so they actually fit, unlike the over-sized, shapeless tents most stores sell. When the cuffs and collars wear out, Carl will replace them if he still has the fabric, effectively doubling the life of most shirts. read more

Carl is fantastic. Don't hesitate to go to him. It doesn't matter if you are spending $125 a shirt or $400 a shirt, the service is the same. He spent a lot of time making sure my fit was correct and I was happy. The shirts were delivered on time. He gave me a break on certain fabrics. I will be going back again. read more

After trying about a dozen tailors over the years, I'm finally settled on Carl. He may be laid back (is that the whiskey, Carl!?), but he understands and pays attention to all the anal specifics that I care about. He cares about attention to detail obsessively, so if he has to tweak something or soak buttons in dye to perfect the job, he does. He's fair about pricing, obsessive about details, and generous with his booze--what more could you want? read more

Carl is fantastic. Don't hesitate to go to him. It doesn't matter if you are spending $125 a shirt or $400 a shirt, the service is the same. He spent a lot of time making sure my fit was correct and I was happy. The shirts were delivered on time. He gave me a break on certain fabrics. I will be going back again. read more

Great choices of fabrics, years of experience and Carl is the man. He's straight up, no PC hipster conversations in here. If you value the fit, feel and uniqueness of having a custom tailored shirt, then go see Carl. read more

Carl is the preeminent shirt-maker in the USA and a great guy. His shirts are as good as it gets.

CEGO is an amazing place. The craftsmanship on the shirts is top notch, and Carl has an incredible eye for fit and style. If you're on the thinner side, like myself, CEGO is a godsend, as there is nothing else like this place in NYC. Moreover, once Carl has your measurements on file, all you have to do is pick from his hundreds of patterns, all of which are guaranteed a perfect fit. However, be warned, once you try on your first CEGO shirt, your brooks brothers' shirts will feel like baggy disasters, and will be relegated to the back of your closet, where they will await their inevitable fate of becoming charitable deductions. read more

When you want to look like a put together man you will go to Carl and he will make you a shirt that fits. Not like a tent, not like a huge trashbag like even the "fitted" off the rack shirts fit, but like a shirt was meant to fit. If you need slim fit, this is the place. read more

Carl is great. Made me a shirt for my wedding, and it was just what I was looking for the first time around. Fit me perfectly. Carl was helpful and nice--I really enjoyed the process. Shirt was a great value for the money. read more

CEGO rocks! Always music in the background, always tons of fabric hanging, always people working busily cutting, sewing, ironing, sewing, and cutting. I've been a customer of Carl's for about 20 years now, and while I can be a bit picky he always comes through for me. No pretense, no BS, no arrogance - just the best shirts (and pocket squares!) you can get at any price... read more

I have been wearing custom shirts for almost 15 years now. I have tried many different places. Two from Hong Kong, and four different places in New York. I can honestly say that you are in good hands with CEGO. He will do his best to make a shirt that fits you. He will also guide you away from patterns or styles that may not flatter your shape. You get what you pay for with him. The shirts last for years and generally look great. read more

Without a doubt the best custom shirt maker in the city. I have tried many of the so called "best" and Carl and his team stand apart. He had such confidence he let me order one shirt. When it arrived I went back and ordered ten more. Stop searching and go to CEGO. read more

Carl is a pleasure to work with. My custom shirts not only fit great, but also make me feel great when I wear them. The variety of fabrics available in his shop will accommodate whatever your taste may be. There is a reason why so many costume designers on Broadway turn to Carl when they need a custom shop to execute their vision for the actors' shirts on stage. I'm happy that I found CEGO. Visit them, you won't be disappointed. read more

Carl is not only a pro shirtmaker, he is an amazing guy. I have been getting custom shirts made for most of my adult life in 3 or 4 different countries and CARL, IS THE BEST. Precision, fit and attention to detail. Carl has one of the largest selections of fine fabrics and if you don't see what you want there, he will find a way to get it for you. There is nothing in the shirting world that this man can't do. Thanks again Carl! read more