Randolph Custom Tailoring

Lifesavers! Were able to do a quick (albeit simple) alteration in time for me to wear the item that evening. Very friendly as well.

I took my wedding dress here to get a quote on hemming and a bustle. I explained ahead of time that I was only getting a quote, and that I would be getting another quote from another alternations store. I got into the dress, the lady proceeded to take measurements, make chalk marks, put in pins, and quoted me $ 500 for hemming and the bustle. That seemed like an absurd amount, so I reiterated my desire to get one more quote, and the lady was not happy with me. She not-​so-​delicately took out the pins and as I went to change, she pointed to a mother-​of-​the-​groom dress she was working on as proof of her handiwork. I was happy to find another place for the alternations at almost half the cost in the same neighborhood.

Buy high quality clothes on ebay at low cost and then have take them to Mr Lee to have them fitted. Have done this for a number of years and thanks to Mr Lee I have a killer wardrobe.
Yes, you may have to get your clothes pressed at a dry cleaner after the work is done but remember Mr Lee is a tailor and not a dry cleaner and considering a plumber came to my house and charged me $ 195 to unclog a drain I think Mr lee is very reasonable, it is custom work.

One of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had. I took my wedding dress here to get altered. It needed to be shortened at the waist. When I went to pick up the dress, it was completely wrinkled. I asked them why they didn’t iron it and they said that they don’t ironing/​pressing because they’re not a dry cleaner. I tried the dress on and I couldn’t even tell if they did a good job tailoring the dress because the seams weren’t ironed. Then I realized that half an inch of the sash attached to the dress had been sewn into one of the seams at the waist. When I pointed it out to the woman, she said, «You can hardly tell.» That was it. No sorry, no «I’ll fix it.» At that point I got upset.
The owners offered to fix it and said it would be ready in 5 days. However, after getting a wrinkled dress and not being able to tell the quality of their service, I wanted to take it somewhere else. When I came back the next day to collect my dress and take it elsewhere, I was met with hostility from the owners. They refused to give me my dress back and insisted that they would fix it. They gave me examples of how they worked for people in the White House and how they were happy with their service implying that I should also be happy with their service.
After arguing with them for almost 15 minutes trying to get my dress back, I agreed to let them fix the dress provided they did it that day. When I went back to get the dress, the sash was fixed and the seams were pressed but the rest of the dress was wrinkled. As I was paying, the owners heralded themselves for letting me «cut the line.» They gave me $ 30 off my $ 280 bill, so that was nice, but definitely not worth the horrible experience there.

I had a pretty awful tear in my suit pants, and I took them here. I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could do. Mr. Lee looked skeptical about what he could do, but I left them with him either way. I came back, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of patchwork he did.
It is a bit more expensive, but definitely worth it.

I prefer a slimmer, European cut, and as long as you let him know, he delivers. Had two suits done here and they are perfect. Cheaper than Fashion Dream, and the quality is just top-​notch. Also, if you don’t want to pay a lot for a tailor, don’t get it tailored. Good tailoring is always expensive.

I just moved to the area and scoured Unilocal for a tailor for two pairs of pants. The job was fairly simple, I’ve had it done before, but my experience here wasn’t great.
First, the prices are definitely on the high side, and the wait was kind of absurd. I am willing to put up with a high cost and wait time if the work is good, but unfortunately it was not.
Really showed sloppiness and lack of thought — I definitely won’t be going here again. A little early to draw a conclusion that people don’t know what good tailoring is in Arlington, but oof was that bad

I wear a lot of suits, and I’m very conscious of the way I look in them. For tailoring, I used to go all the way to Field’s in Georgetown (and yes, I still think Field’s is the best tailor in DC). When I moved in across the street from this place and needed something small done, though, I gave them a shot.
Boy am I glad I did. Mr. Lee does amazing work! Probably the best tailor I’ve found in Arlington, and definitely worlds above the ubiquitous dry cleaner «tailors» that are all over the place in Arlington. You’ll pay a little more than you would at a dry cleaner… But that’s a bit like complaining that a burger costs more at Five Guys than it does at McDonald’s. You get what you pay for, and personally I would never risk ruining a suit over $ 20.
It’s worth noting (as others have) that you will have to give specific instructions if you have specific preferences. His standard does tend to be the more baggy «American» look for suits.
If you don’t know or care about that sort of thing, though, you’ll look just fine regardless, and the work will still be very good quality work!

4.5 Stars
I take all my nice clothes to get tailored here. I wear fairly expensive stuff: Zegna, Isaia, Corneliani, etc. Everything has come out impeccably done. One jacket was still a little loose on me and the tailor redid it for me at no cost (it wasn’t his fault that it was too loose, it was mine bc i decided after i wanted a more tailored fit).
He’s also shown meticulous detail in doing my pants – making sure to take in the the legs and seat when taking in the pants so the balance isn’t thrown off.
I cheated on my guy at Randolph once and the dry-​cleaner tailor butchered my jacket. Thankfully Randolph was able to fix it for me. I’ll never cheat again.
It IS expensive, though you can’t compare a real tailor to a dry cleaner alteration place. A fare comparison would be to someone like Fields tailoring in Georgetown. I would imagine the prices are in the ball park with each other. Comparison’s aside, there is a bit of a shock when you have the sleeves and body of a jacket taken in and it costs $ 120 dollars. Eek! You get what you pay for.
As for the person that gave 1 star when the altered pants split: Just take them back and say what happened. I can’t believe they wouldn’t stand by their work and fix it for you for free or for a reduced price.
Bonus for being 2 blocks from my work and for being really polite and having intelligent clothing/​tailoring conversations with me.
Update 1÷16÷10
I have to deduct 0.5 stars. This is still my go-​to place and the service is great and the tailor quality is top notch. My complaint is that you have to be pretty proactive to get him to tailor things according to classic sartorial standards. If you let him tailor it according to his own opinion, it’ll be kind of an «American cut». What I mean by that is the sleeves will be a bit too long and the body slightly loose. If you want what I think of as classic styling – sleeve cuffs exposed ¼ inches and a fitted body with good waist suppression, you’ll have to ask. Not everyone knows how suits/​jackets should be tailored so if you get the default treatment, your stuff will be a little loose in my opinion.
Bottom line: He’ll do a great job and do what you tell him. If you want a specific look – in my opinion, a classic by-​the-​book look – you’ll have to be proactive.

Good News– they do great work!
Bad news– VERY EXPENSIVE. I took a tank that needed to be taken in at the shoulders and it was $ 38 (more than the shirt cost). I also bought a bridesmaid dress in to get altered and it was well over $ 100.

Very expensive and after having a pair of suits pants tailored to fit they literally split at the seems after one wear.

This is the only place I get my clothes tailored at, for the simple reason that the proprietor does impeccable work. Best of all, if it’s something he’s unsure about, he’ll take down your number and call you if it’s something he can’t do. You don’t have to worry about anyone doing the tailoring equivalent of a «Hail Mary,» sewing a third sleeve into your sportcoat when you just wanted it taken in, and then swearing up and down that «this is what you wanted.»
I’ve had suits taken in/​out, jeans altered, you name it, he can pretty much do it. I will say that he tends to be on the pricey side, but frankly I’d rather have the peace of mind that I’m going to get quality work done. While I’m sure he can do rush jobs, I’ll also add that he asked for about 10 days to shorten several pairs of jeans, so if you need some work done, it may take a week or two to get it back. That’s never been an issue with me, but I’ll throw it out there because it may be with you.
The verdict: As I’ve mentioned in an earlier review, there are dry cleaners in pretty much every apartment in Arlington. I wouldn’t trust ANY of them to do anything more than fix a seam or sew on a button. If you live in Silver Spring, then yeah, I can’t see it really being worth the trip, but if you live anywhere in Arlington or even parts of DC, this place is right off the Orange Line.