I found out about Kiki's through a recommendation, not Yelp--so I really didn't know what to expect. All I knew was that I needed someone who was confident enough to alter my ballgown (not ruin it!) and to have it done within 1.5 weeks. I've come to Kiki's for ballgown alterations, and simple things like sewing on buttons or fixing a 3 inch hole in a jacket. I've been a fan since 2009. My First Experience Kiki and her daughter Tammy, know their stuff. My first time to the shop, I had a BCBG gown I wanted to shorten, and completely alter from a short sleeve to a halter. Once I told Kiki what I was imagining, without skipping a beat, she grabbed scissors and started cutting the straps! I was scared, but I had to trust her. They told me it would be done in a week and it was. I came back for a second fitting, and in total, everything was done in less than 2 weeks--which was awesome because my Marine Corps Ball was in 2 weeks! My Most Meh Experience I brought in a delicate jacket that needed some beading placed on. Came back in a week, paid, took it home, and saw that they had placed the beading gawd knows where, but my sleeve with missing beading had been untouched. Returned to Kiki's to point out the problem, and Tammy apologized and had it fixed without charging me extra. Not all businesses are perfect. Yes, Tammy does not have the most pleasant customer service attitude, but at the end of the day, you're paying for their expertise to alter your clothes, not a new friend. I'm not sure who does the alterations for things like wedding dresses/formal eveningwear, but I do know they outsource their other smaller projects like sewing buttons, hemming, etc to other tailors. I guess if you want to feel pampered, go to Nordstrom or wherever. But, if you live close to La Jolla and want a good job, come to Kiki's. Oh, and they now take credit card! read more

Go to this place to get your jeans repaired. Other alterations for shirts and wedding gowns, etc. I don't know about, but if you have holes in your jeans they will patch it up for you quite well. Nothing super fancy like chainstitching hems and whatever if you're a huge selvedge denim purist, but I've gotten a few pairs of jeans with big holes patched up, and I've been satisfied every time. Pricing is reasonable--better to get stuff repaired than buy new jeans. read more

Kiki and Tammy are great! They take care of all my suit, dress shirt, slacks, jeans, whatever clothing needs! If you like your clothes slimmer or looser, tell them when you're being pinned up. They know what they think looks good (and it does look good), but if you like a different look let them know and they listen to your opinion. read more

This was not worth the cost of alterations that I received for my wedding dress. Kiki has nice attention to detail and knows what she is doing. But for shortening, taking it in on the sides, doing a beading sample, and adding a bustle, it was not worth the $900 spent. My dress did not have complicated beading on it or lace on the bottom, so I'm not sure where the hiked up price came from. I would not recommend them to a friend unless they had no budget limits for their wedding. read more

I took a bridesmaid dress to Kiki a few weeks ago & she did an incredible job! It was a layered dress but she hemmed it no problem, for a great price as well! Will definitely return to Kiki for any future alterations. read more

I just got my wedding dress altered here. It was the one thing with my wedding that I was seriously worried about, but it came out great!! They did such a great job and added a beautiful bustle. I could not be happier! read more

Kiki's Alterations - My dress after having it hemmed at Kiki's and a bustle added - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - La Jolla, California

Tammy altered my wedding dress and it was amazing!! She had such an eye for detail and it was like having a second mom at my fittings (mine was across the country). read more

Having recently moved to San Diego, I was unsure where to go to get a bridesmaid dress altered. I saw this little shop was close to where I lived and when I called, they said just to drop in. I was worried, as I only had 9 days to get the alteration done. My worries quickly disappeared as Kiki was fantastic! I walked in and she had me in the dress and pinned to new size within 10 minutes. 7 days later I returned to pick up a perfect dress! I would definitely recommend kiki's alterations, I will certainly be returning. read more

The ladies at Kiki's worked on my wedding dress this year and they were fantastic. Not only did my dress fit beautifully, but they made me feel beautiful every time I went in for a fitting. As a bride with all family out of state, it was so nice to have a team that really worked with me and made me feel supported in the process. Great work, great people, highly recommend. read more

I cannot say enough about my experience with Kiki's Alterations. I brought my wedding dress upon recommendation from a friend. From start to finish they made sure to cover every detail and keep me in the loop along the way. Kiki and Tammy are so sweet and your end result will be perfect fabulous. I cannot wait to wear my dress! Thank you both so much!!! read more

After looking at the polarizing reviews, I feel I should throw my two cents in. I've never had any problem with the customer service, maybe it's because I've been coming here for years. They do quality work, and their prices are reasonable. When I have an item to be altered, Kiki's is the first place I think of. read more

Kiki and Tammy are the real deal. They are honest, friendly, genuine and ultimately just good people. KiKi altered my sisters wedding dress to absolute perfection. Her attention to detail and desire to please made for a beautiful end result. Our family will not go to anyone else. read more

I called in to ask some questions about their alternations services and pricing and received a rude response from the woman on the line. I would have loved to use a local alterations company, but being treated rudely on the phone from the start completely ended my interest in being their customer. It would definitely be worth their time to consider how to treat a potential bridal customer (since we definitely bring in the big bucks) and try to be helpful whether it's in person or on the phone. read more

I really debated between giving this place 1 or 2 stars. There are a number of factors that I took into account that finally tipped me over to a 1. I had such high hopes after reading Brett S. and a few other people's reviews. I should have listened to the others who warned me. Please for anyone reading this do NOT get misguided by the positives 5 stars. DROP OFF EXPERIENCE: Grade C. I showed up and looked like both Kiki and Tammy were busy with people. That's fine. I stood by their front door just waiting. Not even a "hello" "welcome" "please wait." NADA. Okay whatever. I think it was Tammy who then looked at me while the other customer was changing and I told her I just needed the sleeves of the suit jacket to be shortened (about 1 inch). She said no problem. I threw it on she marked it. She said it would be $16 for dealing with the extra buttons that she would have to move around. I was relatively pleased with how swift the process was. PICK UP EXPERIENCE: Showed up with, again, not a single word of "hello" "how may I help you." You know... the usual greeting that a normal person would give a customer. They just looked at me.. (yes! eye contact) Okay.. still no verbal acknowledgement.. "I'm here to pick up." Asked me my last name. I tried on the jacket and in terms of length - yes right length (that should be basic). As the ONLY thing I wanted was the sleeves to be shortened.. that should have been done. And while yes it was shortened, the craftsmanship looked shoddy. One sleeve looked fine, no puckering, edges straight - good. Other sleeve looked off at the end that they had shortened/resown. The edge was not straight and there was distinct step off from one end of the fabric to the other end of the fabric separated by the buttons. AHHH what the heck?! In all honesty Nordstroms does a heck of a lot better. I have SEEN what they do with Hugo Boss Suits - perfect, looks professional. I expected a whole lot more. Now my nice blazer looks cheap like I did the hack job myself! PAYING: Remeber I said they quoted me $16 bucks? Well.. I brought a $20 because they are cash only. I took it out and waited for change. Tammy looked at me and said "uh well its 20." I then told her, no you said it was $16 when I dropped it off. She then remarks "well I had to move the buttons and sow the button hole shut." (You told me when I came in you were just going to get rid of the last set of buttons.. I didn't ask for them to be resown on) Not wanting to argue, just wanting to take my now unprofessional looking suit out of there ASAP - I just left. I'm not trying to be spiteful but save your time and money. There are just way too many negatives to this place. 1) lack of customer service 2) poor craftsmanship 3) attempting to shaft me for my money despite telling me a different price. 4) Slower than normal service (Monday drop off - Saturday pickup): other places quote me 2-3 days I should have brought my suit to Sew Elegant on Clairemont, curse my laziness to drive over there. I've learned my lesson. read more

My wedding dress needed very little in terms of alterations, just a hem, but even still I didn't want to trust it to just anyone. A friend suggested Kiki's and boy am I glad she did. I worked with Tammy who was friendly and helpful. She recommended that I come back relatively quickly after the quoted finish time in case anything else needed to be done. Luckily, it didn't, so now my dress is hanging in the closet waiting for the big day! Thanks Tammy! read more

LOVED Kiki's alterations!! Tammy was amazing and super helpful and attentive through the entire process. My best friend and I went in to Kiki's as they're one of BHLD's preferred alterations here in San Diego. Tammy did an amazing job with both our dresses and we couldn't be happier about the big day! She even took the time to come in on a Sunday morning to accommodate our busy schedule. Thank you thank you!! Definitely would recommend going to Kiki's alterations :) read more

I've gone to Kiki's quite a bit over the last few years and I love Kiki and Tammy. Yes, at times they are busy and you may not get the chipper greeting you want, but the more you get to know them and vice versa, you understand that they are just straight to the point and calm people, but very friendly and funny. I haven't noticed anything alarming, and I completely trust them with my clothes. read more

They know style well and can make you look sharp. I had two (men's) suits altered there and I was very pleased with the process. They gave me exactly what I wanted and even brainstormed some ideas on how to look best. I also had a couple of shirts taken in and some buttons moved. The prices are on the high-end, but it's probably worth it. Don't get your suit altered at a dry cleaner's... go with the pros! read more

I took my Ines DeSanto Ostrich Feather Wedding dress to Tammy and Kiki! I read a lot of the reviews before deciding and I was really glad. Any woman that is a bride or in a wedding knows 1st hand the stress that we endure. Well, Tammy and Kiki made this dress alteration one less thing to worry about. I found their customer service to be amazing and personable. Especially being located in LJ, you never know how business owners will treat others. Their love of culture and to please the client is apparent. Not only did they alter my dress in ways I had no idea about, it was the perfect fit on the day of my wedding. They hand sewn a photo of my grandmother who had passed onto the dress. This was also a broach that had pearls from WWII and 2 diamonds. They took exquisite care of the piece and respected it's meaning. Since then, I have taken 2 other pieces to them and been quite pleased. Be patient when bringing your items in. Don't rush quality and genuine women. Be kind, be patient and respect their job. Anyone who gave these two hard working ladies a bad rating should really go back. I will continue to give them business and referrals. Oh, did I mention they like red wine! read more

Kiki's Alterations - Tammy & Kiki....two of the most sweetest women I've known from Greece! =) - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - La Jolla, California

I bought my wedding dress at a La Jolla bridal salon who generally takes dresses for alterations to Kiki's. Not knowing where to get fitted for my wedding dress, I went ahead and agreed to have my alterations there and I'm glad I did. Kiki did an awesome job on my dress -- it fit like a dream! read more

This place is amazing. They took my wedding dress and made it fit like a glove. Tammy and Kiki are extremely particular and made the experience fantastic. Tammy even steamed my dress for me at the end. I would recommend them to anyone for all alterations! read more

Wow! Tammy and Kiki did an amazing job for me! I have a large chest and so when I purchase a suit it has to be bought to fit that and then tailored accordingly. They did almost a complete reconstruction for me (pants hemmed, legs and waist taken in) then jacket back, sides and arms taken in as well. Even in the shop I got many compliments on how great it looked on me. As a wedding planner I have seen my fair share of suits that are tailored inappropriately and I have to say that my suit now feels like it was made custom for me! The shop was busy when I went to drop off, which is a sign of how wonderful the work is and that they have many many returning customers that are known by name ;) great job!!! read more

As the previous reviewer, I've been going here for years (mainly pants and jeans repaired and altered) and I've appreciated how well they have taken care of me. This is quite an industrious little business and has the feel of a European tailor shop. Their digs are cute and quaint and parking is never a problem. No, they don't gush all over you, but I'd find that disconcerting if they did. They are serious about their work and more than competent and let me just say, have very fair prices, especially for La Jolla! I won't go anywhere else! read more

This Mother/Daughter Dynamic Duo are the best that that San Diego's got! They put the small town business feel smack dab in the heart of the city. *Even if you might be able to find slightly cheaper somewhere else, this is one investment that you'll appreciate having made.* Their attention to detail and pride of workmanship is their brand. From new jeans to my suits, these ladies are my personal tailors for life. read more

Excellent work. I trust my best items with this mother/daughter team!! Including my wedding gown, bridesmaids gowns, prom dresses for 3 daughters, and various other things. They are not cheap, but they do it right, and always squeeze me in if I have a last minute request. read more

Kiki and Tammy just recently took in a suit for a friends wedding. In order to get my suit to fit in the shoulders my friend had to buy me the "portly" Suit. Being a somewhat athletic guy there was lots of extra fabric. I was Amazed how they were abe to get the suit to look like it was custom made for me(I guess it kind of was) They were able to get it done in a few days and made it perfect. They are my favorite tailors and I don't know what I would do without them. They are fantastic and I have no Qualms about sending anyone to them! read more

I found Kiki's on Yelp. I had a bridesmaid dress that needed to be altered. They were fast and did a nice job. I was pleased with everything overall. I will use them again in the future. read more

I've been here a few times to get my jeans tailored. I must say, their original hem looks great! I did go somewhere else once to get my jeans tailored and I'll never make that mistake again. read more

This place saved me when another tailor failed. I had a miserable experience elsewhere and had a poorly fitting dress for a trip I was leaving on in 24 hours. They were incredibly accomidating and so helpful. They made suggestions and alterations that made my dress fit like a glove. And they offered to press it as well. The price was VERY reasonable too. This is the place to go for more "challenging" alterations or delicate fabrics. They are amazing!!! read more

150$ to hem my fancy very beaded wedding dress was so worth it. Other places said they weren't even sure if they could do it! Kiki and Tammy had no doubts they could and did it so thoughtfully. I am very appreciative of them. read more

I needed a dress for my son's wedding and could not find anything between "I think I'm a bridesmaid" and "I think I'm the great-grandmother." So I bought 2 dresses that were too short, elegant, but not too expensive, and Kiki's created 1 dress for me from the 2. It was a custom piece so it was not cheap, but Kiki's created a beautiful dress for me. It was perfect for the mother-of-the-groom, and I could not have been more pleased. A friend wore it to her son's wedding the next spring so it was more than worth what I paid for the extensive alterations. We take all our alterations to Kiki's and have never been disappointed. read more

I just went to Kiki's for the first time and Tammy did a great job remaking a bridesmaid dress. Tammy had to practically remake the entire dress, and she did a great job. She was patient and encouraged me to let her know anything I wanted to do to be more comfortable. They really did a great job. read more

Kiki's is wonderful! She was super helpful getting my dresses altered for both my rehearsal dinner and wedding. I felt like I was in great hands every time I went in for a fitting. This was the smoothest part of wedding planning! read more

Kiki and Tammy were wonderful. Very upfront and efficient. I didn't have many alterations made to my wedding dress, but they were wonderful in helping me with the bustle and cups added. They clearly have a lot of experience and offer multiple possibilities to alter things. I love the family atmosphere of their business. They are fun to be around and always give their true opinions of what they think. read more

THIS PLACE IS OVERRATED AND SUCKS BALLS! I was referred to this place when I bought my wedding gown. I was first off not excited to take my gown to La Jolla (since it is the land of the the wealthy and I just bought my fantastic dress at a sample sale gown shop), but I did because it seemed like a lot of people use this place. I was SO UNHAPPY with the work that they did. I went to my first appointment and the seamstress was not even there. I had to wait 45mins for her to arrive and mean while I am freaking cause all they have is street 2 hour parking. When she finally arrived she did not even say hello or even sorry for the wait. I waited even longer cause she had several customers waiting to pick up items and then she got to me. I don't know what the point of an appointment is here! Then, She took about and hour and a half to get all the pins in the right places. All I wanted was for my dress to get taken in a tiny bit at the bust so my strapless dress did not slouch and to get the back bustled. The next appointment to fit my dress and she took in my dress a RIDICULOUS amount!!! all the way down to my waist and hips!! What the FUCK! and cut off the extra fabric! She had also not finished bustling it and bustled it wrong and some places. She did not apologize and made me stand hardly being able to breathe and my spine hurting while she re-pinned the dress for another fucking hour! I was pissed. She said she would fix it and I gave her a chance because now I had only a couple of weeks left my wedding. I went in that time and it was still too tight, but and creased a lot on my waist. When I told her I did not like the creases she said that it was just the way of the dress and the way it was going to look. When I told her it was too tight she said it would loosen up over the course of my wedding day so it was fine. She fucking sucks! She does not listen and had me waiting again. With a line out the door of customers and a very small dirty place. She also wanted to charge me 400 dollars and not press my dress after it was really wrinkled from the process. I took my dress and had someone else fix her horrible work. NEVER EVER GO HERE!!!! NEVER! NO STARS! read more

I came to Kiki's because of 2 recommendations that said they used them for wedding dress alterations. As I feel this is one of the most important items I will ever have altered I went off these recommendations for my own wedding dress---well I intended to. When I made the appointment the daughter answered and said the time I requested was fine. I then asked if Kiki was going to be there, as that is who the recommendation was for, and she replied with "that is why you make an appointment!". I thought, oh well maybe she's in a bad mood. But when I arrived I guess this mood just continues on forever. They never introduced themselves and it almost seemed like I didn't have an appointment. I still don't know the daughters name as she never told me. So after carrying my gown from the car to their, let's just say NOT so prestigious dry cleaners that does alterations, I didn't feel welcome. I had to tell them about my appointment, which I was early for, and they acted like they had never seen a wedding gown. I asked where I should put it on and they said the dressing room. When I entered the dressing room I realized that my dress was definitely not going to fit in there with me , it's like 3'x2'. So they said to come out when I was undressed. Well that means come out practically naked while other people dropping and picking up their dry cleaning come in and out and comment about you and your dress. It was extremely uncomfortable. Kiki instructed me to put the dress over my head---bad idea---you always step into the dress. All the layers got pulled up and she spent like 15 minutes pulling them down. I felt very uncomfortable during the fitting as Kiki and her daughter were speaking in another language, not alterations language but literally another language that I am not fluent in. The second time I realized they didn't know what they were doing was when they pulled all the netting out from underneath my dress and said that it was supposed to come out and show---that would mean the cheapest fabric that is supposed to give your gown volume is supposed to show??? Ummm no! I had to spend some time convincing them otherwise. Then they would not fit the gown to my body, for some reason she couldn't understand the word tighter. Kiki and her daughter pinned me several times with the pins they were putting into the dress to hold the place of where they intended to fit it. Very painful. They pinned underneath the dress in a way that I couldn't walk in it. They then advised me that I would have to "Kick" the dress each step I took down the isle---what??? Have you ever seen a bride walk down the isle like a soldier? I haven't. Then at the end the dress looked like it would be on the shorter side where they had pinned it, but they assured me that it was fine. I left there feeling that kinda sick feeling in my stomach like something was off. Especially when you pay over $6500 on your wedding dress and you have to trust someone to make it perfect that just made you feel uncomfortable. I asked them how much they charge and got several umm ummm ummms...and they said they would figure it out. I just want a ball-park I said and the daughter replied ummm atleast $450... After the appointment I went to another wedding dress store to look for a potential short reception dress. I was browsing around and the owner asked me a couple questions about what I was looking for. She did not have a large selection of short dresses and asked about my dress that I already have. I told her it was being altered and she said by who? I replied Kiki's in La Jolla and her smiling face instantly disappeared! Imagine feeling like something was off to having it confirmed and now feeling sick. I said do you not like her?...she just shook her head no. I said why? And she said she used to use her and recommend her for all of her bridal gowns, but she ruined a several and is notorious for making gowns too short!!! Oh my gosh, I got several recommendations from her and called Kiki's to pick the dress up. I picked it up and have someone else altering my dress that specializes in wedding dresses. Kiki and her daughter definitely do NOT specialize in wedding gowns/dresses and they only had about 5 in their salon...the lady I have working on mine has about 30 per month! DO NOT go to Kiki's for your wedding dress please! Maybe dry cleaning is their specialty...I don't know. read more

Unfortunately, the wedding dress alterations at Kiki's Alterations was the worst experience I had in the whole wedding planning process. I was referred to Kiki's by the bridal shop where I purchased my dress. I took the referral and went in for a quote on how much it would cost to have my dress altered. Now, I should mention I was aware that Kiki's was not the cheapest spot in town to have work done, however I believe that it is important to be communicative about the cost of the work as it changes. That being said I was quoted $500 for the work needing to be done in my particular gown (it had a lot of embellishments and needed to be brought in quite a bit). Over the next few fittings adjustments to the dress were made (nothing outside of what was originally discussed), Kiki was lovely to interact with, and there was no further discussion of cost. However, when I went to pick up my final dress she charged me $850! I felt completely ripped-off and totally taken by surprise, as by then I felt that she and I had a friendly and chatty relationship (not to mention our families attend the same church). I tried to explain to her that this was nowhere near the quoted price, and that she had never informed me that the quoted price was changing; however, she just stated that there was a lot of beadwork on my dress which made it time-consuming. Well, that was apparent from the start so why the steep increase....? What was I going to do, buy a whole new dress weeks before my wedding? So I paid her and left highly unhappy with her and the whole interaction.. I would definitely NOT recommend Kiki's alterations to anyone. Especially not for your wedding dress. And especially not, if you, like I, are looking for a smooth, honest interaction. read more

I have gone to Kiki's for many years for hems and tailoring, and they are dependable, reasonably priced and do a fantastic professional job. Furthermore, Kiki and Tammy are very nice women. I would recommend them to anyone. read more

I found this place on yelp and felt that despite the good reviews, the customer service was HORRIBLE and my simple hem of my pants and dress were not stitched on straight! Some of the threads were even coming off! When I brought it back they tried arguing that it was my fault!! Later I heard from manager in a nearby store that they were even reported to the Better Business Bureau! Do not trust all the reviews on yelp, some businesses write their own!! read more

I went to Kiki's to have my wedding gown altered and was given a written quote of "anywhere between $275-$375". As I came in for fittings, I heard "Oh, I can just add some boob cups" or "I can just add a bustle", etc. This is my first wedding, so it's the first time I've underwent a wedding gown alternation and assumed these features she would say "Oh, I can just do..." was apart of the gameplan. There was never any talk of extra pricing and I was never given another quote with these extras listed, therefore I assumed these alterations were standard and in line with my initial quote. The day that I came for my final fitting, I was floored to have a $600 alterations bill. As any bride can attest, the budget is carefully distributed this close to wedding day/honeymoon and I did not expect to be paying $215-225 more than what I was quoted. The work was beautiful, but the communication was very misleading. I'm disappointed in my experience to say the least. read more