Tailored by Design

I wish I’d checked Unilocal before I visited this scam artist, but I didn’t. If you’ll see the common thread (you see what I did there?) among other reviews, the proprietor of this business seems to pull the same act with everyone — she’s grumpy when you arrive, she’s got a sign behind the counter claiming she’ll charge you $ 35 to have your pants pinned if you choose not to go with her service, and then she charges roughly $ 70 more than the service should cost before you can negotiate down to ONLY $ 40 more than the service should cost.
There are better options out there — use them.

Had my two toddlers with me when I dropped off my items, and the owner was very tolerant and sweet. I had one of my husbands shirts mended and a dress my daughter is wearing in a wedding. Without getting into too much boring detail, I’ll just say the dress was a challenge. I picked up today and the owner was resourceful in figuring out how to make the dress work. There was also a button missing (that I didn’t realize) off my husband’s shirt and she just fixed it (no extra charge). I like that! I think it was a little pricey too but (in my experience) all tailors charge more than us mere mortals think it should be. Wish I would have paid attention when my mom tried to teach me to sew!

In all honesty, I was terrified when I left my garments here to get altered. The person I spoke with didn’t seem very confident that they could do exactly what I wanted. I probably should have taken my garments back and left. However, I’d read reviews, knew people who got formal attire, wedding dresses, etc. done there and they were beyond happy. I also wasn’t happy that I had to pay before the alterations were done, but I did it anyway.
The work was beautiful and perfect. It is probably exorbitant to pay $ 125 to get 3 pairs of shorts hemmed and one dress repaired, but when you are as short as I am and you find shorts that fit perfectly but are just 2 inches too long, you will pay this amount. And now that I’ve seen the work they did, it was totally worth it. You can’t even tell that the shorts have been altered, they have the double hem and 1-​inch split on the sides just like they originally did. I’ll definitely be a repeat customer.

Was not impressed by the customer service of this place. Stopped without reading reviews because I was in the neighborhood and needed a bridesmaid dress altered. The woman was unfriendly. Bordering on rude. She did not seem anxious to get my business at all. More like I was bothering her. She wanted me to pay in full upfront which I have never done with alterations. I only agreed to pay ½ but I do not think I should have to pay anything until work was properly done. Picked up the dress slightly ahead of time and it seemed well done but she did not steam the dress which seems strange to me. Told me it would be an extra charge so I declined. Will not use this establishment again; did not feel comfortable doing business with them.

OK, I’m 2 for 2 on tailors today. Second stop this afternoon, in an effort to get a shopping bag of clothes altered, was almost as bad as the first. Maybe it was less painful because I left sooner. The owner followed me out to my car when I left. I guess she’s so accustomed to treating people rudely she didn’t understand why I walked out. I rolled down my window to let her know I had absolutely no interest in doing business with her due to the quality of her customer service. Funny thing is there’s a sign on the door asking for Unilocal reviews. Priceless!

I think another person said it best, problems start when you enter the door. I walked in today to get some jeans hemmed. There was a woman sitting at the sewing machine to the left of me. I said, «excuse me» to which she replied WAIT! After a few moments, an older woman came out of one of the dressing rooms. I told her I wanted to hem my jeans, she said she was with someone and asked me to take a seat. After about 5 minutes, she called me back. While she was sizing up the hem, she told me my jeans were too wide towards the bottom, and she had to charge extra. After that I got dressed and went to the counter, where the older woman was waiting for me. As I was filling out my name on my order form, the woman told me, «it’s going to be $ 28 plus tax, so $ 31.» I said «Umm that’s more than what I paid for my jeans». She said, «if you want I can take the pins out for you (that she used to mark the hem) and you can take elsewhere. The pants are too wide and that is why its extra».I started to walk out the door, then thought about it a little more. I decided I didn’t like her professionalism (or lack thereof) and wanted my jeans back. As soon as I walked back in she said, «WHAT’S WRONG MAAM». I told her I wanted my jeans back. There was a lady in front of her, whom she ignored completely. She walked behind me to a back room and mumbled something in a foreign language to the woman who didn’t greet me when I first walked in. She came back, walked behind me, THREW my jeans on the waiting room sofa behind me and said GIMME TICKET. I couldn’t believe how rude AND childish this woman acted. ON A LIGHTER NOTE, I headed down the street to GO GO CLEANERS where I was greeted by a polite young lady. I shared my horror story with her while she was pinning my jeans. She told me she promised not to throw them at me once they were done =). My total? $ 10,$ 11 if I wanted to keep the original hem.

I went to this place because it was near my home but I would not go back. I had a pair of trousers shortened and she did not lock her stitch. So, the next time I put them on, my foot caught and one thread pulled out and with it the hem. I took them back and she argued with me about doing the work by hand vs. using a machine. I did not care how she did the alterations, but a hem should not pull out that easy. Anyway, she fixed it, but I would not go back. Plus, it was expensive, $ 25 I think.

Problems start when you walk in the door. Immediately escorted into a dressing room for pinning. No idea about potential cost of service. This is a dress for my 16 year old. While pinning, owner added on additional alterations not asked for. Just came in for a dress to be hemmed. She decided it needed taken in on the sides, the pockets removed so it would hang better. Not what I asked for. Then, after pinning. Owner took the dress from my daughter and held onto it walking us to the counter. It was only at this point could I see a sign about a $ 35 charge for pinning.
I asked the cost for the alteration and she said $ 90.00!!! I was in total shock… seriously??? That was more than this dress cost! I told her I couldn’t pay that much. She just held the dress and stared at me. I said that I couldn’t afford to buy a new dress for my daughter and the reason we were getting this one altered was it belonged to her sister and was just a little long. Her reply was that I «better get used to it, because that’s how much it costs.» (It was at that point, I seriously considered grabbing the dress from across the counter and telling my daughter to run!!). But instead stated we did not need the extra things done to it and asked how much would it cost to just hem the dress. She asked me what is the most I could pay. Really? Now we are bartering? I told her I could pay $ 40.00 at the most. (because, I would not have paid more than that if I were to buy a new dress for my 16 year old.) Again, she just held the dress and stared at me. Very uncomfortable for my daughter and myself. After about a minute, she again asked me how much I could pay. I repeated myself with the $ 40.00 amount. She agreed and I paid. My daughter and I left, leaving the dress in her hands. Honestly, I was fearful whether or not we’d ever see the dress again.
I picked up the dress today. My daughter is at school, so she couldn’t try it on. The workmanship looks wonderful. I hope it fits right. When I went in to pick it up. Onwer asked my name and if I had paid. Took the receipt ticket out of my hand. Then without another word, the dress was hung on a hook at the counter and the owner walked out of the room and back to the back room. Unfriendly. Will never go back. Would not recommend. Seriously… find another alteration shop.

This was by far the WORST alterations experience I’ve ever had! The store was filthy, with the overhead lightening not even working in the dressing rooms. I was completely over charged. I paid $ 68 to get one pair of jeans and a cotton dress hemmed. It’s no wonder the store was completely empty both times I was there. DO NOT go here!

Excellent work! I had some jeans tailored and some dresses taken in and they couldn’t look better. I am very satisfied with the quality of the work and she even returned my clothes 2 days earlier than she said. And believe me, when you take your only jeans in during the coldest week of the year so far, it really helps to get them back as soon as possible! One of the dresses I brought in was basically a circus tent and now it looks like it was molded to my body. It’s precision work: you pay for it, but I’d say it’s worth it.

If I could help another customer with this review, I’ll be happy. I recently moved from SF California to Austin, and are unfamiliar with the price difference. I normally pay $ 15-​$ 18 in getting my jeans altered (shortened) with the original hem added back. The lady here was going to charge me $ 28!!! She indicated that this is the normal going rate, and that prices in Austin is a lot more than California. Are you kidding me? I said that was way too much. She said she can do it for $ 18 without the original hem. I decided to let her do the job because I was stupid and new in town.
To my disappointment, when I went to pick up my jeans a few days later, not only did she cut too much off (I won’t be able to wear them anymore), but she tried to bamboozle me by charging me $ 28 for the normal alteration (without the original hem). She indicated that that was the price she quoted me, and that she did put back the original hem. I’ve gotten my jeans altered many, many times in the past, and she did NOT put back the original hem. When I pointed that out, she fought back and changed her story and said that she didn’t do original hem but used special threads. So what she is telling me that this special thread warrants a $ 10 difference?
Anyway, I normally do not write reviews (whether good or bad), but I am furious with the type of work and service received at this place, and hope that my one review will help to discourage folks from going there. She not only charged too much, didn’t do good work, but LIED in the process! This woman gives local businesses in Austin a BAD name and I wish there was an option for negative stars!!!

I went to Tailored by Design because of the reviews and because of the location. I brought in a bridesmaid dress that i tried on when I was 4 months pregnant and wasn’t supposed to wear until 6 weeks after i gave birth so I basically guestimated the size. Turns out I was pretty close but still needed some minor tweeks. With a dress it is more complicated than it sounds. She had to unstich the entire top half of the dress and restitch it, and then add a snap. It fit so perfectly when she was done and I only had to try it on once.
She really is great at what she does, although a little more than I wanted to spend. But thats what you pay if you want it done right.
She mistakenly forgot to charge me for something after i had already paid and she didn’t ask for the money, she just let me know. I was thankful for that since it would have been close to half the price of the dress at that point.
Anyway, sweet lady, knows what she’s doing.

Tailored by Design is the perfect alterations and custom designed clothes creation business in the Arboretum area. The owner, Dideh, has a sense of excellence and attention to detail like none other. I have use many alterations businesses in my life as I am tall and always need things lengthened. Because of Dideh’s expertise, I branched out and had her change sleeves to a different style or make things more fitted to my shorter torso and long legs.
I really enjoy visting with her too. I often stop by and my way home from work for a chat. She’s a very sweet lady and I really enjoy our conversations.
Donna

Fast, attentive to detail, prompt, quality work, and delivering what I ask for — these are the qualities that I look for in a tailor/​alterations, and Tailored by Design delivers.

I took in a pair of jeans and a blouse to be hemmed because this place is moments from my home and when I filled out the online appointment request form of another place well-​Yelped, I never received a call! So this place got my business.
The woman who runs Tailored by Design is efficient and quick, but not too chatty. She is perfectly nice, but you aren’t encouraged to linger. I wanted the jeans hemmed without reattaching the original hem, and the blouse is one of those that has two layers, so it was actually two hems. Still, I was a little taken aback at the $ 44 price tag for these services. I paid, and am very happy with the service, but the price seems steep to me.
She is very, very quick– she estimated it would take a week to have my clothes done, and she called me to pick them up after only three days, which was a welcome surprise!
I’ve docked a star for the high price, but someone please DM me if I am just from too small a town and this seems like a standard price to hem jeans and a top.