Loise’s Custom Tailoring

I would 100% recommend Loise’s Custom Tailoring. Being in the DC market, a vast majority of tailors here seem rushed & yet still charge exorbitant rates. When I called Loise I was pretty desperate– needing a bridesmaid dress to be altered for a wedding that was taking place within 2 weeks. She had my dress completed in ONE WEEK! Not only was it extremely quick; it was also very well done. I had ordered a size 10 dress to ensure the length was long enough– where I am usually a size 2 – 4. So she ended up taking in the bust, waist, length, and straps… All of this only cost be around $ 60. However, my tailoring needs were pretty straight forward– no gems to deal with/​bra to add, etc. Even if she charged more, I would still suggest Loise because she was so sweet & genuine. The apartment she works out of did seem a little odd at first– but this tailor shop is definitely a gem!

I hate to give bad reviews but have to for my experience with Loise. Loise is an old lady who runs her tailor shop out of an apartment-​turned business room in an older apartment building. Off the bat I was a little put off by the setting. If you are expecting a nice storefront and a professional shop, don’t bother. Not wanting to judge a book by its cover I dropped a pair of jeans and a pair of suit pants off with Loise on a Monday with a pickup day of Thursday. When Thursday evening rolled around she was not ready, which is aggravating because many times I do not get home from work before her closing time. She was apologetic so whatever. I came in today to pick up my jeans and pants and I will say the jeans were done well. On the suit pants, though, she had done one leg the wrong way! I.e. She took up the back instead of the front. Total amateur hour. After two more attempts and 45 minutes with me there they were still messed up (see picture). When I asked for a discount (an even $ 40 instead of $ 48) she refused. So instead of giving me $ 8 dollars off, she lost a customer for life. Turns out the cover and the story are bad at Loise’s.

Lo is awesome! I needed a gown for a black-​tie wedding altered to add length to the bottom of the gown. As I had never been to see her before and was only using Unilocal reviews as an impetus to go there, I stopped in on my way home and only showed her a picture of the gown and what I think needed to happen. She clearly understood what I was getting at and was very knowledgeable about fabrics and dress construction in discussing options with me. She advised me to bring the gown with me the fabric store since all black fabrics are not the same shade; I’m not sure I would have thought of that. I brought two different options back to her and final product was great! The gown just barely skimmed the floor and no one would have known that I had to have last minute alterations done!
Also, Lo worked quickly! I didn’t have a lot of time but I think she turned it around in a couple days and only charged me $ 25!
Since, I’ve recommended Lo to my parents who took a pair of my Dad’s pants in for repair and they were equally pleased with her work, service, and prices.
I recommend Lo to anyone in Old Town who is looking for a reasonably priced and friendly seamstress.

Loise does great work. She charges prices that are better-​than-​fair, and her turnaround time is better than most other tailors in the area.
The main inconvenience with her shop is location: It is located on the first floor of an apartment complex, and you need to be lucky with finding street parking. There are a couple of parking lots nearby, but they are all reserved. However, because Loise’s is close to Harris Teeter, I sometimes just park at the HT lot and drop off my clothes at Loise’s on my way to pick up groceries.
She also works late on some nights if she’s catching up on orders, so even if you can’t make it in by 6PM, you can give her a call to see if you can drop off your clothes.

I took 3 of my daughters school uniform skorts to be hemmed. Loise did a fantastic job. Not only were they ready the next day, but they looked perfect! Very pleased with her super fast and beautiful work. Reasonable prices too. I will be a customer for life!

Did a great job really cheap on fixing a bag pack. Very friendly too. Would definitely come again!

Loise does a great job! She’s fast, reliable, and less expensive than other alterations places I’ve been to in Alexandria. Her shop is in a little apartment in a big complex and it is street parking only.
I def recommend her!