0 stars, if I could. I had to calm down and pray on this review for months, before I wrote it! In summary; choosing Monica to design my friend's bridesmaid and flower girl dresses was the worst decision ever made. I would highly discourage anyone from commissioning her for ANY work.
Our bride searched for months, and was happy to have found a local dressmaker of color who was perceived to promote beautiful quality work in advertisements, and could customize each dress to each person's needs. I live on the other side of the country and paid up for TWO dresses (mine/flower girl) four months in advance.
Monica went from professional to non-responsive, after I paid in full. I showed up four and a half months after paying to come to a "final fitting," and was met with the skeleton of the "lining" of my dress. (She also apparently scheduled multiple group fittings, where folks showed up and she could not produce work.) I was not able to actually walk out of the store with my dress, until THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING, and it was amateur; cheap thread that was a completely different color than the dress (and made it look dirty), warped lines and uneven stitching all over the dress! The flower girl dress looked like a "1st sewing class" project. (Poor baby was embarrassed to wear it down the aisle!)
Monica took liberties on all the dresses, and was mad when the bride gave feedback about not wanting them. She mixed up the tops and bottoms of the dresses (plus-size girls with size 2 girls.... HOW?!) and one girl had to walk around with a robe to avoid being overexposed (her nipple was literally hanging out). The worst part, is the day of the wedding; we all were busy trying to rig our dresses to fit (sewing girls into the dress, pinning lines, fixing cheap zippers that kept getting caught in the excesses fabric she didn't cut out of the dresses) and were able to provide NONE of the quality attention the bride deserved, when dressing for her wedding. This also made us late for the ceremony!
Ironically, our hairdresser for the event heard about what happened, and realized Monica is the SAME designer who butchered a leather jacket they took to her to customize, and refused to refund them, as she refused to do with all of us! Also confirmed that most of the dresses she posts and advertises, are not her work. We got scammed! I'm hoping folks read this and make a better decision than we did.
I do wish Monica well, and invite her to consider ridding herself of the high South Street rent, overbooking commissions, and investing instead on improving her craft and ability to do what she says she "knows how" to do. Anything else is fraud and not reflective of a person of integrity. Do better! read more