I've taken all of my clothing here for alterations and dry cleaning. I'm sure there are less expensive options but they've been reliable and are close by. By alterations I mean more than a simple hem. I usually need all of my pants shortened and tapered. For dresses and skirts I continually require the entire silhouette altered. It pains me to admit that I usually spend more on alterations than on the garment. So I wait until the end of the season and factor in tailoring when I buy a suit or dress. Joseph retired and his wife runs the place and does all of the fitting, she has a good memory too. I'm always happy with the outcomes and treat the garments they've altered with reverence. In the end I'm wearing a semi custom work of art not just a blazer or a dress. read more

I've been going to Joseph's Tailor Shop for sixteen years. The quality of their work is outstanding, and the value for their services is without equal. They punctually deliver their work and their customer service is excellent!!! Charles Grant Jessica Chung read more

Esther is AMAZING!!!! I will always trust her with my most delicate garments and my oddest requests and she delivers perfection every time!!! read more

I had a positive experience at Joseph's Tailors. My alteration was great: quick work and reasonably priced.

Quick turnaround and great tailoring, thank you! Needed a pair of trousers brought in for a wedding and the process was very easy and knew I was in good hands. read more

Esther is amazing. I have been going to her for a decade with every one of my tailoring needs, dresses custom fit to me, hemming on jeans and pants, you name it. She knows exactly how to contour my clothes to fit me perfectly and proportionately. She is by far my favorite tailor in the city. read more

I almost never write reviews but WOW was I impressed with the quality and kindness of Esther's tailoring at this shop. I've had many alterations done, but this place has been the best. read more

Highly recommend Joseph's! Full disclosure: I've only used the alteration service and not their dry cleaning service, so I can't speak to that aspect of their business. If you're interested in alterations, read on: I brought in a bunch of skirts and dresses to be hemmed and tapered and they did a great job. The clothes fit perfectly, the job was done on time, the price was pretty fair, and the service was friendly and professional. read more

I needed straps added to a dress last minute and called around to several shops in the city near me but everyone laughed at my last minute request. Joseph's tailor shop saved the day not only by securely adding straps to my dress that held strong the whole night but also reinforced the back hook in less than 4 hrs at a reasonable price. They have a customer for life and I will continue to recommend them. read more

The woman that runs the shop is the sweetest. I have come here 3+ times for alterations, and every piece that I bring in comes out perfect. My biggest pet peeve is crooked stitchings, I know I won't have to worry about this issue when I bring my clothes here! read more

They did a perfect job on my clothing...a pair of jeans and 2 blouses, and had them ready in a couple of days. I highly recommend.

Things I loved: - Just like people before said, despite a language barrier, she knew exactly what I wanted... I had a four layer Bridesmaid dress that needed to be knee-length (previously ankle length... I'm super short!) . Not only was it perfect length when I was done, she sewed the four layers together to make it easier for me to move about. - She pointed out things I hadn't thought of, like pulling the top in a way that would make me look less like I was muffin-topping! - Super fast! Done in a week! Only bad thing was, she told me she'd be done Thursday, and I got there at 3ish in the afternoon and she hadn't finished my dress yet. Her daughter (I think?) asked me if I would mind coming back at 6, and when I was back, she was done! read more

I'm not going back. There are enough dry cleaners in this town and in my neighborhood that I do NOT have to go here. There were still marks/stains on my dress ( like white marks on the hem and a little spot on the chest, these came off easily with water, but I paid 15 bucks! Why should I be licking my clothes?) They also broke the snap closure. Which I am taking to my mothers cleaners to fix. Terribly disappointed! read more

My go-to tailor. Good prices. Despite the language barrier she does a great job, knows exactly what you want, and will even make suggestions and point out things you didn't think of. I take ALL of my dress shirts there to get them slimmed and she does a great job. One recommendation for men tailoring shirts, make sure she does not slim the sleeves too much. She has a tendency to do this to the point of discomfort. Otherwise she is fantastic though. read more

Definitely higher than a 3, but not quite a 4. I stopped by this place because my typical tailor couldn't get to my dress until 3 weeks later and I needed it right away. also many reviewed said she gave affordable service. I just got my dress hemmed and it was 38 dollars! My dress wasn't anything crazy and there were only 2 layers. She did a great job and was very friendly, but I just thought her dress hemming price was too steep. read more

Went in to get two pairs of pants shortened and two more taken in. Great prices. I am little so it is hard for me to get discount clothing that fits. Brought them in on Wednesday, asked for them to be done by Saturday. Came in at the end of the day and they were done and fit perfectly. Will be back read more

I will not be returning to Joseph's. I really wanted to like Esther -- she was polite, and seemed really competent. I brought her two sundresses for tailoring. She did a good job with one. However, she had agreed to take out the second dress by redoing the entire length of seams on both sides. When I picked up the dress, it fit a little better. But when I got home, I realized the seams were entirely untouched. She simply made a minor change to the inner lining on just one side. This would have taken minutes to do, and was totally not worth what she charged me. To me, this is dishonest and poor business practice. If she decided not to do what I had agreed to pay her for, she could have at least told me. read more

Nice people, reasonable prices, good work, and they'll try to do it fast if you need it. They hemmed my jeans and (upon request) put the original hem back on (though the new stitching line was a little lower than it was on the original). Proprietoress doesn't seem to speak a lot of English, but manages to communicate well regardless. read more

My wife and I bring all our clothes here from Delaware. I'm fortunate enough to be able to communicate with her in Korean which makes it slightly easier. But my advice is if you don't speak Korean, be very clear about what you want and have her show you (by folding up hems, etc). She's done simple (slacks hem) to difficult (slim down baggy shirts and suit jackets). Call before picking up just in case she's not done (only happened to me once out of 50+ trips). read more

GREAT PLACE!!! They tailored these pants that were 5 sizes too big within two days!! Throughout the party i must have got 20 compliments on my suit!! Now that's what I call service read more

I stopped in with a dress that needed to be taken in a decent amount throughout the waist to the hem. Only $28 and she had the dress finished in less than a week! read more

I've been going to Joseph's for alterations ever since I moved to Center City in 1983. I used to have conversations with its owner who called himself Joe (he was Korean.) In fact, one day many years ago, Joe took great pride in telling me that he had gone back to South Korea to get married. He proceeded to show me the ornate wedding photo album that displayed his cherished memories, including pictures of his wife. Now, years later, Joe is not seen at the shop. I guess that the current Korean lady who takes over the work must be his wife. I go to Joseph's whenever I need any alterations. I have always been satisfied with the work. Seeing Joe's wedding photos was still a most memorable experience to me -- a bonus in a big city where few people know much about many of our neighbors. read more

A couple of years ago I dropped 30 lbs of weight and had a ton of suits to alter. They were quick, efficient, and helped to bring several suits back into my wardrobe. It is difficult to get a suit to fit right after losing so much weight but they have done a remarkable job of getting it right. read more

I have been going to Esther and Joseph for my dry cleaning and tailoring needs for 5+ years. They do a great job and their work is timely and inexpensive. My only complaint is that the store is a mess. They need to clean it up and take better care of their retail space. It is a reflection of their business and customers see how messy it is. One day of junk removal and a professional organizer would do the trick! They could even donate some of the old clothes that haven't been picked up in 5 years. read more

Great first experience - will be my local tailor for sure! Had a dress taken in and it was done perfectly. I didn't need the dress for months, but it was ready in a week! She was very friendly and had great service! read more

Honestly I should have written this review years ago. She's the best in the city! I have thrown every possible thing at her and I'm always impressed. High-end gowns...suits...jeans...and it's always perfect. Most recently I brought in a dress that wouldn't zip by a quarter inch and she let out all the seams and made it work perfectly! Fast turnaround times too. read more

She did a wonderful job and was very careful about the alterations she made to my dress. She got my dress done in less than a week and made sure I tried it on before I left to make sure I was happy with it. Only downside is it's fairly pricey- expect to pay over $70-80 for a hem and straps taken up...however it is also expected for Rittenhouse prices. If you are looking to pay with card they only take Visa and MasterCard. read more

Same day got my suit pants done for my last minute Formal. Can't beat that service. And, they came out great! Don't let the shop in disarray scare you, the owner is great at what she does, could not have had a better experience. read more

Great service, Esther is the best. She has altered 3 shirts for me and a pair of suit pants, perfect fit, relatively cheap and always gets them back to me within 4-5 days. read more

The Korean lady did an amazing job with my prom dress alternation! My dress was about five sizes too big for me, and to make it an even tougher job, the layers and stitching of the dress is complicated. I almost thought she wouldn't accept the job as a different tailor shop told me they couldn't do it. Not only was her work phenomenal, it was quick! She had my dress done in only one and a half week, which was surprisingly fast since I was not in a rush to get it done. I would say the cost was on the expensive side, fifty five dollars, but I rather pay the little extra to get my tailoring done with exceptional quality than by a tailor who might not know what they are doing, especially since my dress was still new with the tag on! All in all, if you are looking for a trustworty tailor that can do a good job, this is the place to go. read more

While I would have preferred a '4 and 1/2' star rating initially, I asked myself what purpose would it serve to applaud the tailor and alternation shop and then add 'but because no one is perfect... no perfect 5 score should be given.' In light of the fact that excellent tailoring skills are essentially the skills of an artist--minus the ridiculous vanity-worship of the runway or Vogue--Joseph's Tailor shop deserves its top score and high praise for a number of crucial reasons. In a nutshell, while it is true--as one pro-reviewer commented--the language barrier will probably keep conversations focused and professional, the owner is kind, commonsense-driven, knows her craft, and, should any translation problems arise (which is rare), has immediate help at her side if needed. After years of dreadful, clumsy work on simple alterations around the UPenn area--such as problems shortening pant hems, dress/skirt lengths, or just all-out shortening (I'm very petite and alterations are a lifestyle requirement)--I decided to actually find a thoroughly competent tailor in Philly. Joseph's immediately changed my pessimistic expectations around entirely--not only were simple alterations swiftly tended to and done exactly as desired, but I slowly amped up the need for greater dexterity and precise alteration skills, gradually asking for entire high-end jackets to be taken in... in every which way... for a 'fitted' look. I have complete trust in the tailoring skills of Joseph's main tailor, and I have been using them exclusively for at least 3 years now. I regret I'm presently blank on the head tailor's name, but she is always pleasant, always goes out of her way to have a nice chat despite each of our language limitations, is always reasonable with respect to price range and delivery dates. I may not be the most difficult customer to please as I'm fairly predictable, needing only modifications for 'petite/slim' fitted clothing, never asking for the impossible to be rendered possible. I would recommend to any and all customers to also use a bit of commonsense when purchasing an item--and not expect miracle alterations like magically turning an original 30" pant hem into a 36" hem. The reverse, obviously, is no problem--but those who get to enjoy being 5'9" usually know inseam shopping is their responsibility and cannot be easily fixed if there an extra 6 inches cannot be let out because they do not exist. Although there is no nicer person in the tailoring business to ask for such miracles and who will pleasantly inform you, directly, why a request is unfortunately impossible and that she is very sorry for the inconvenience. So don't expect 'Project Runway'--although since I've never asked for super creative, fashion make-overs, I cannot comment on whether or not Joseph's is the best choice. But overall I've always been impressed with the time, effort, final product, pricing, and friendly atmosphere. They are clearly capable of far more complex alterations--not just shortening inseams--and I have a closet full of excellently fitted jackets and dresses to prove it. Finally, while I've never had any problems with the massive number of alterations that have been successfully done with Joseph's shop, I am confident every effort will be done to resolve any potential problems that arise. So, if length is any indication of a big 'thumbs up', I'm clearly a long-standing fan--and consider the shop and it's head tailor worthy of my grand lack of brevity. read more

She did a great job. Just wish it could have been faster turnaround time, but quality takes time, I know. Prices seemed fair, and one of the things I requested isn't totally straightforward (she removed a waistband and brought the whole thing in so that my jeans would fit in the hips *and* the waist. awesome!) I already have more things to take back to her! read more

Excellent, friendly service. She is very experienced and goes out of her way to make customers satisfied.

She is rude and very overpriced. Charged me $150 for alterations, some of which I didn't even need. Then tried to give me a wrinkled dress afterwards and gave me a very hard time when I asked for it to be steamed. I will not be returning here. read more

I've been going to Joseph's Tailor Shop for a long time. The original tailor, Joseph, was a really really good tailor. I am very picky about hemming, but I was always amazed by his work and took all of my clothes here for tailoring. I think he had a medical issue several years ago, and his wife took over. She has been doing a wonderful job at hemming for me as well, i think her skill improved over the years. She is very nice and accommodates your needs. I do recommend this place for hemming. read more

Do not go here. I took curtains in for a quick tailoring job and not only did they screw them up once, but a second time as well. When I went back in the second time with photos of how badly they screwed them up, the woman had the audacity to raise her voice at me and grab my arm. I asked for my money back and she continued to argue & I eventually just walked out because it was that bad of an experience. In the end, I paid $50 for crappy alterations and they completely ruined my $400 West Elm curtains. read more

I'm a big fan. I trust them not only with simple stuff, like the hems of slacks and jeans, but also more complex things like adjusting the back and vents of suit jackets. Fast and reasonably priced. read more

Pleasantly surprised! I had a dress tailored down a full size, brought in along both sides from chest through hips. I was worried how it would turn out because it has two layers (lace overlay with slip underneath). When I picked it up, I couldn't even tell it had been altered except that now it fits perfectly! Needed it for a photoshoot and it was done on time (5 days). A little pricey ($48) but good work read more

I brought in a skirt to be hemmed and taken in, and a pair of pants to be taken up. She did a really excellent job with both, and the skirt was a difficult silky material. It literally fits me like a dream now. She did not accept when I tried to tip her for her amazing job, so to show my thanks, I just brought in three more dresses that have been hanging in my closet, waiting to be altered. I am looking forward to doing more business here! read more

This tailor was very helpful, they were also able to complete tailoring of my suit with only four days notice, and at a reasonable price. Quality of the work was also good. read more