Mrs Lai is amazing!!! She fixed my cheongsam that was super loose in an unusual area, and did a fantastic job in less than 3 business days. She charged me $10 for the dress alteration, and though I opted for the easiest option, the way she altered the dress made it look like it came right off the rack just for my body. My partner brought his jeans to alter an inch off and it cost him $15. The tailor studio is very stuffy and cluttered, but it honestly adds to the charm of Chinatown. Be prepared for the heat in the summer as there's no AC. Also, I spoke in Mandarin and Cantonese, so just be patient with Mrs Lai if you're not Chinese-speaking because I noticed many reviews scoffing at the service and they used English. For the price, I'd gladly fly back to NYC with the clothes I need altered just to visit Mrs Lai's studio. I doubt I'd find anyone of this quality and convenience in LA. read more

Lai did an amazing job tailoring my bridesmaids dress. She was accommodating, kind and trustworthy. Will absolutely return!

Get your wedding dress alterations here! Mrs. Lai and her team are amazing. They turned my Kleinfeld dress around in less than one month and for a VERY reasonable price. If you're a bride on a budget or just looking to support small woman-owned businesses, this is the place for you. Mrs. Lai runs a small but mighty shop in the heart of Chinatown. I cannot thank her enough for the kindness every time I entered her shop and the prompt and excellent service. PS: one of the seamstresses used to work at Kleinfelds and knows how to alter them efficiently. read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Mrs. Lai Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

I had a great experience getting my Chinese wedding top tailored here! Mrs. Lai was professional, communicative and honest throughout the process. She was also super fast! I got my top finished in weeks when I told her I didn't need it for a few months. :) She did a great job, it fit just how I wanted it to! I will get my future garments tailored here! Thank you!!! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

I'm so glad I found Mrs. Yee for her alteration services. I needed help with a traditional qipao that was slightly too small for me, and Mrs. Yee managed to work her magic in opening the dress and altering it so that it could fit me perfectly. She's very skilled and has an incredibly sharp eye, and I felt comfortable with each step throughout the entire fitting process. I'd trust her for altering any type of clothing! Call to make an appointment if possible... every time I've gone, there have been other customers, and it can get very busy in her small shop! read more

Mrs. Yee is amazing! I had a gown that needed to be altered in a week's time and she was able to figure out quickly how to alter the gown. I had to get the bust taken in, but the tricky part was that the material and the gown was off-shoulder. She was able to beautifully adjust it without losing the shape or the off-shoulder. And her prices were very reasonable. She is not only talented but very friendly and personable. Highly recommend her for any alteration needs you may have! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

Ms. Yee was so accommodating of meeting me and getting my dress tailored in less than 10 days from my wedding day. Her prices are fairly reasonable compared to other tailors in NYC. Definitely text/call to make an appointment. Cash only! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

I am so glad that I found this place on Yelp. I ordered a Chinese Qipao dress online for my upcoming wedding and it was a bit too big on me. I brought it here to have it tailored and was very pleased with the results. Lai did a very thorough job and knew exactly what needed to be done. When I went to pick it up, she explained what she did to the dress and why she made those changes. She was super friendly and easy to work with. I also felt that the price she charged was very reasonable. It's a small shop but it gets super busy so make an appointment before you go! read more

If I could give this business 10 stars, I would! The owner and seamstress is incredibly talented--she ingeniously transformed what I thought was a disaster of a dress into an absolute dream. I highly recommend her services! read more

Mrs. Yee is the best!! Omg she is so talented and probably the best in town at tailoring Qipao. My red Qipao originally came with sleeves and I didn't really like it. But instead of buying a new one, Mrs. Yee completely changed my Qipao into another dress that looked almost like a custom-made! I was so impressed and it turned out fitting me really well! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Qipao after tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

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Mrs. Yee is great! Attentive, personable, knows the in's/out's of tailoring requests and will explain/ask for more of input. I went to her to helm my 7 jeans (had to re-helm after a less than great service in UES). Mrs. Yee did them perfectly. Reasonable and competitive pricing - better than UES for sure. Will come back for all tailoring needs. read more

I can't thank the owner enough!! She is a rare gem and I was so lucky to have found her. The owner was my SAVIOR. I wasn't able to find a gown until last minute for my daughter's wedding that was in a week. There aren't many tailors left that are talented and willing to listen to you. I found her through Yelp and went to her immediately. I did not know that I needed to make an appointment but she listened to me and helped me with such sincerity. She was willing to help me even when she was swamped with other tailoring jobs she already had. She makes sure the tailoring is done properly as she had me go for a second fitting on the day I picked up the gown. There were minor adjustments that she did immediately on the spot. Where can you find a tailor who cares and actually know what she is doing in this day in age. What a privilege and honor to have found Ms. Yee. read more

Lai did a great job tailoring my coat! I needed the body of the coat taken in a few inches. Once I arrived in her shop, she had me try on the coat and I explained what I needed done. Her English is decent but I spoke to her in Chinese. She explained what she would be able to do and pinned the coat to my liking. She quoted a reasonable price and said I could come by in a week to pick up. I'm very satisfied with the end result. She was able to preserve the overall shape of the coat and the detail of her stitching was impeccable. She even paid attention to little details like shortening the tie in the back. One tip is to call in to make sure she's there before you go! I highly recommend Lai for your tailoring needs! read more

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Mrs. Yee is the BEST! I texted her to arrange an appointment for tailoring two modern Chinese dresses for my wedding, and Mrs. Yee was extremely kind in explaining the different adjustments (in English and Chinese) she would need to make. Mrs. Yee is truly an expert on making adjustments that can cater to your body, and her rate is extremely reasonable for the careful, precise work she does. She also communicates quickly over text. I felt at home speaking with a Chinese auntie who really wanted to make me feel special on my wedding day through her beautiful craftswomanship. Thank you so much Mrs. Yee, you are incredible. Book Mrs. Yee for your tailoring needs, and tip her for her generosity and expertise! read more

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My dress was great. Reasonably priced and she was lovely. Communication was easy. I will return for my future tailoring needs

After having a great tailor in Midtown East and loosing him unexpectedly because he moved to PA...I was scared I wouldn't find someone as good. Last week I did an intense search. I searched non-stop, reading reviews like crazy and requesting a few quotes from different places. I finally found Lai's Royal in the heart of Chinatown. Since they close early I rushed myself out of work and made it at 5:30pm sharp. Linda opened the door and welcomed me graciously. She was polite and understood that the piece I needed to alter was complicated. I brought the shoes I'd wear, tried it on and explained to her what I needed. She made her marks and annotations and even with her limited English I trusted her. Something in me told me she knew what to do. She gave me a week turnaround, full payment in advance and a smiley goodbye. I came today to pick up the final product. *SIGH* I was hoping for the best and expecting the worse (just a little nervous). Long story short, the work was amazing. She did exactly what I wanted and even fixed a few little things on the spot while I waited. It only took her like 3 mins, she was so precise and clean. I loved her work ethic and delicateness. You can't tell where the pants were taken in. Both sides of the pants have a rhinestone treatment and they are intact. 5 stars and definitely coming back. The location is very convenient for me and she is able to sew and alter anything. They seem very busy so make sure to go ahead of time. I would submit pictures after I wear the pants. :) Stay tuned! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

She perfected my wedding dress!! Lai was so amazing to work with. She was affordable, super fast turnaround and kind. She was very communicative. I was so lucky that she worked on my dress and moved FAST!! She is an expert and really understood how the dress should look. She also communicates over text, so super easy to coordinate! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Woman in red silk qipao dress - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

Fixed my qipao on short notice and did a great job! Made sure that it fit me well. Super helpful and glad I went to her!

I had a great experience here! I brought in a winter coat that needed some basic repairs, including a new lining, repairing some loose seams in the arms, and fixing pockets with a hole in them. They addressed all my questions and talked me through some options from adding fabric vs stitching closed what lining fabric the coat already had. The work was very reasonably priced, and I liked that they immediately picked up the phone when I called. I later texted to see if I could pick up my coat a day earlier than planned and they said no problem - it was already done! I am very happy and will be back. read more

Was searching around for a seamstress to do alterations on a bridesmaid gown that needed a decent amount of work done. Found this through Yelp and she did an excellent job in half the price and time I was quoted elsewhere. Very easy to communicate with, responsive, and actually listens to what you want done. I will definitely be going back! The office is a bit cluttered and the hours (9am-1pm) are a bit tough, but don't let that sway you! She is amazing. read more

The shop owner is amazing. She was able to expertly and quickly tailor my wedding suit. She met with me after hours for pick up and sizing. I'm very thankful for her kindness and craftmenship read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring did and excellent job on fixing up my wife's Chinese style dress for our covid wedding ceremony. The owner really put her heart into fixing the dress. My wife ordered the dress online, and the online store messed up the measurements. She completely opened up the dress and fixed up everything, also fixed up the gold threading embroidery herself. Highly Recommended. read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

I needed a bridesmaid dress made and I only had the chiffon fabric the bride sent me. I did my research but any other place in Manhattan would have cost triple the amount Ms. Lai charges. Before making the appointment I messaged them via Yelp, Angie a very nice assistant of Ms. Lai always replied right away and was always helpful. She told me about putting down a 50% non-refundable deposit, which I think is fair. The place is small and Ms. Lai was very sweet and helpful, the fabric I had was too thin and see-through (chiffon) but Ms. Lai was kind enough to get lining fabric that was the same exact color (I had no idea I needed a lining fabric). She really pays attention to the smallest details. I lost some weight between fittings but Ms. Lai always made sure to make the needed alterations. I would recommend making appointments with enough time so Ms. Lai can work without hurry and make any alterations necessary, she can get a little busy. I also always messaged them before the appointment sort of a reminder to make sure everything went smoothly. She has many clients so it makes things easier if you communicate (I always messaged them via Yelp) Once the dress was done Ms. Lai was kind enough to send it to the dry cleaner (chiffon gets so wrinkly!) and then delivered to my building. She also kept me updated. I'm very happy I found this place! The prices are fair, Ms. Lai did an amazing job and Angie was very helpful. I will be coming back for sure! read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - One shoulder chiffon bridesmaid dress Ms. Lai made! She did a great job and I'm so happy with the result. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

I found Lai's Royal Tailoring through via Yelp. When my daughter and I entered this place, we felt a little skeptical about this place. I bought a prom dress from China's website. The dress was super gorgeous but you need o be a least 5'8 tall to wear, buy my daughter only 5'1. So, I decided have Ms. Lai to tailor the dress. Ms. Lai always gave us good advice on how to tailor and how the dress would turn out. The dress turn out gorgeous. Definitely going back to Ms. Lai with more tailoring needs and advice! read more

Ms. Yee is a lifesaver! My partner brought in a tux jacket to be tailored earlier this month. Ms. Yee assessed and gave him two options of how she would be able to go about tailoring the jacket. She was very clear about the work that would go into each option and upfront about the costs and trade-offs. After seeing how thoughtful and professional she was with assessing the jacket, I decided I would also bring in my gown to be shortened. The gown is a bit complex, it's super wide and differs in length between the front vs. back so I was very hesitant to get it tailored anywhere. Ms. Yee was able to shorten just the front part of the gown (exactly like I wanted) and it turned out perfect. I couldn't even tell her handiwork from the original dress.  Ms. Yee was also able to meet our timeline - less than a week!  I was so worried that it would take longer since these are Covid times and you never know, but she got it all done.  In short - Expert tailoring, reasonable pricing (50% deposit upfront), super happy customer! I am so glad I found Ms. Yee and I would recommend her to anyone. read more

I've been here to do some work maybe once or twice. This location is very close to kam hing, and is located on the second floor (there are both stairs and an elevator to get up here, so it is old person friendly). I don't know the names of any of the people who work here, but typically it's two women who speak cantonese. I've gotten shirts done here, as well as some pants. I don't think the prices are exorbitant here, but they aren't cheap either. I really don't know the market for this type of work, but I think from here on out I'm mostly going to be hitting up LNC tailor, which is also in chinatown. The work these two places do are pretty much indistinguishable from each other, but I think LNC is a smidge cheaper- I could be wrong though. As for the work quality here: it's fine? I really can't say I was blown away, nor was I super disappointed. read more

Everyone wants my tailor's number. Sample sales are my crack. I can't say no to a $75 Max Mara dress even if it's a size 42 and I'm just a 38. But I don't worry about it because I've got Yee Tai. Yee Tai is the owner of this place and she is truly gifted at what she does. I make sure that my dresses always hit the most flattering aka skinniest part of my leg. My jacket sleeves are always slimmed down even more to make me seem as thin as possible. Mind you, I'm bringing her Dior, YSL, Giambatista Vali, Prada items which have INCREDIBLE finishing. A simple invisible hem on a YSL dress isn't so simple since I want her to absolutely recreate the hem. Hence she has to detach the ribbon sewn INSIDE of the finishing, reattach it, then hand stitch the whole thing. Beautiful and time consuming. But for $45, it's not bad at all compared to the $80 quote I got from Madison. She takes her time so when I bring in 2 items, she usually needs 1 week or longer to finish it. However, if you REALLY really need a dress, she can do it in a day or two, but beg and be nice. Def. helps if you're a repeat client. As everyone claimed before me, she is not cheap. She doesn't do $7 hem jobs unless you're throwin her some simple 2 minute cut and sew cotton pants thing. I just bring those kinds of things to my local tailor/dry cleaner. That being said, there is no reception area and this is not Madison ave. It's cluttered. It's Chinatown. Helps if you can speak Chinese but she's fluent in English and has lots of Caucasian clients as well. But know that your precious ready to wear is in good hands. NOTE: SHE IS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Notice the perfect finish and handstitched invisible hem of this silk knit. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

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All right, I'll add some photos and maybe Yelp will finally believe I'm a real customer. I can't believe I've known Yee Tai longer than I've known my fiancé, but the proof is in the ancient Yelp review from 2009. She is my hero! I still go to her all the time but she just rescued a particularly special dream item: a vintage leopard-print Valentino coat. I bought it on a consignment site, overnighted it, so excited, first time I try it on and -- RRRIIIPP a foot-long rip opens along the seam on the right sleeve. The shoulder basically exploded and can't be repaired, the coat is too old, you can literally tear the leather with your hands like it's paper. I could have returned it but I knew the consignment site would have just thrown it away. So I took it to Yee Tai and she agreed to try to rescue it. We ended up detaching the ripped sleeve, inverting it, making both sleeves bracelet length and using the excess material from the "good" sleeve to patch the underside of the "bad" sleeve. Just check the picture. AMAZING. read more

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Late to writing a review as my wedding was in February... Let's start with this is an old school Chinese tailoring/shop, so don't expect a lot of fanciness in location/shop. It's a basic place with a small makeshift changing room. It's a bit cluttered and chaotic with fabrics, clothes, and sowing machines. The owner/seamstress also doesn't speak a lot of English. So if you're hoping for an experience on top of great workmanship then good to a high-end boutique. Reasons to go: she knows what she's doing! Lot of years in experience. She won't over charge to keep store appearances. Email replies are quick and done by her daughter who does know English. Work is done fast and looks great. She took me in last minute and helped me fix my wedding outfit (made somewhere else) which fit all kinds of wrong. Pants needed major altering everywhere, top to be taken in, and bow-tie adjusted. All of it was done in a day. Price was told up front and so grateful she could alter it all two days before my wedding. read more

My daughter and my mother went to Lai's Royal Tailoring last week to get a dress hemmed for her prom. $40 was put down as a downpayment. My mother picked up the dress on today and paid the remaining $20 balance before noticing the hem was crooked. The owner did not own up to her botching the dress nor offered to correct her mistake but instead proceeded to yell at my mother, berating her about how she doesn't speak the language. For what it's worth, the owner also doesn't speak English well AND not only is my mother's English language skills just fine, IT'S A SIMPLE HEM job that came out crooked. Absolute trash and purely unprofessional. The owner should not be allowed to own a store and treat paying customers this way. Oh, and I submitted a better bureau business complaint. Giving this trash place a 1 since I can't give a -100. read more

I got all of my wedding clothes from Lai's Royal Tailoring. Her prices are a great bargain compared to retail stores. I wanted everything to be new so I didn't go with the rental clothes from the wedding studio. My wedding dress was so elegant that people kept asking me if it's a designer dress. It was awesome! I also had all of my bridesmaid dresses done there too and they were great as well. The qi pao (Chinese traditional dress) she custom made for me was one of a kind and spectacular. It made me looked so skinny yet it brought out my curves. She has many fabrics you can choose from but you can also buy your own fabric to bring to her. I described to her how I want the dress to be and amazingly it came out just the way I wanted. I would recommend her anyone. read more

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This was one of the worst experiences I had with a mom and pop shop. To hem my bridesmaid dress, it would have cost me $50. To make slight adjustments (which I could easily do myself) to the halter top would be another $20. Fine. The prices were higher than I expected. I chose to only hem my dress. The owner said a week would be fine and wrote down the date and time on the receipt. She then asked me for a deposit of $30. This astounded me as my dress was already expensive and I would be leaving it in her hands, and now she was asking for more than a 50% deposit. It truly boggled my mind as I have never had to put in a deposit for services before. I reluctantly agreed as I wanted to get this out of the way and not waste any more time thinking about it A week later, I swing by to pick up my dress as agreed and the owner looks at me blankly when I tell her I'm picking up a pink dress. She questions if I'm supposed to pick it up today, believing it was an error on my behalf until I show her the receipt. Then she says she must've seen the date wrong... she's the one who wrote the receipt! She asked if I could pick it up tomorrow or do it on the spot, which would have taken a while. I was scared she would ruin the dress in her haste. Fed up with her unprofessionalism, I asked for my deposit back and left. I really wouldn't recommend this place if you need alterations. read more

Wow!!! No words!! I brought in a designer virgin wool coat with exposed seaming to tailor down by 2-3 sizes (basically one of the most difficult situations to work with!) after calling multiple $$$$ tailors around Manhattan. Despite some of the mixed reviews here I instinctually thought that this place wouldn't let me down and I was right. When Mrs Yee was studying my coat she let me know that she was one of the few people in the city that has access to a machine that can do exposed bonded seams because tailoring is just a side business - their family actually owns sample factories that produce runs for couture fashion designers in the city, which gives them access to all kinds of complicated machinery that a normal tailor would not have access to. Getting the coat took two weeks because she actually requested that I come back for a second fitting just to make sure everything was right. She is a consummate professional and has a true gift, and charges you a price that is ridiculously fair. Family businesses like this are increasingly under pressure in NYC and what makes this place special, so please support her. Ps - the reviews about the messiness of this shop are silly. Yes, it can get very crowded but that is because people are not following the rules and not making appointments. She tries to serve everyone but in a crowded space it gets chaotic. Everyone that interrupted me during my fit sessions were walk ins, and she respectfully told them to wait. So make an appointment. Secondly, as someone who has a messy desk but am damn good at my job - there's a method to the madness. Your stuff will be there at the right place and right time. read more

Lai's Royal Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - New York, New York

Ms. Yee was amazing! She was very friendly and gave me the best options to help tailor both my bridesmaids dresses. It is cash only, but her prices were very reasonable. She was very responsive and was able to get both my dresses in time for the wedding. read more

Lai Wa Yee is the BEST. She did a great job tailoring my pants and was very kind and knowledgeable. She also was able to do extensive tailoring in time for my interview which was in 2 days. Their prices are very reasonable too. I will get all of my tailoring done there going forward. Excellent job, great price and very nice read more

I am sooo happy I found Mrs. Yee! she is so sweet and patient to our needs! Her prices are also super reasonable, and you can tell she is highly experienced at what she does. I will be coming to her for all my alterations now! read more

Great work on a hard fabric pant! in less than a day + very cheap for a soho tailoring Thank you! read more

I have to agree with the bad reviews on Lai's. Unfortunately my usual tailor moved to Queens. This was my first experience here. I came to tailor the sleeves on 2 blazers ($30 each) and make 3 dresses smaller ($50 each). If I knew it was going to be this pricey, I would've gone somewhere else. I was the first one in and tried on my blazer, then came a flood of people to pick up their tailored clothes. With only one dressing room, she had me wait an hour while she had these customers try on their clothes and pay. 2 of the 5 people that came in had problems with their tailoring and she blamed them, saying that she told them this is all she could do with this cut and both of them said no you didn't. Shouldve just took my clothes and left at that point. Ms. Yee said to come pick up my clothes 2 Fridays later. No big deal. I ended up picking it up 3 Fridays later while I was in the area, Ms. Yee wasn't there and the people there couldn't find my clothes. They asked me if I came to the right place, or if someone picked it up for me... um I think would know. The place was an utter mess with plastic bags, snips of fabric and clothes everywhere. Someone's poor wedding dress was on a mannequin ready to be tailored and when they were trying to find my clothes they ripped it. They ended up calling Ms. Yee while she was on vacation and she said I stuffed it somewhere and I don't remember where and she said why don't you come back next week.. I said it's a bit inconvenient and she snapped at me saying well you shouldve picked it up last week, what do you want me to do about it.... [*click* - me hanging up on her]. I ended up spending 30 more mins helping them find my bag of clothes stuffed in the corner. Not a way to treat your customers. I won't be coming back. Giving it 3 stars only because they tailored my dresses well. read more

Best tailor in NYC. Lai is kind, informative and talented at her craft. She was recommended to me by my sister so I took 4 pieces (skirt, dress, jeans, and a pair of shorts) and they all came out perfect. She has a private changing room to try everything on and got everything done within a week. Prices are fair and you can trust she will take care of your items. Overall, I had a great experience and will be going back to Lai from now on. Btw - I communicated with her to book, etc. over text and found it really easy! I recommend texting her directly. Pricing was cash only and 50% of the price upfront as a deposit. There is a chase bank around the corner in case you forget cash. read more

the best. I have gone to many upscale tailors bu I came here because I wanted something custome made from very expensive fabric. plus several small alterations. wow!! the custom made was silk. the adorable seamstress ordeeed custom silk thread and hand hemmed beyond beautifully for about 20% of what I was quoted elsewhere. all alterations were perfect and beautifully finished. all I can say is it is well worth the trip. she is truly a miracle worker with fabric. exceeded every expectation at a fraction of what I typically pay. go here!!!!! read more