Poppy’s Dressmaking & Alterations

I’ve been to Poppy’s a few times now for bridesmaid dress alterations, and trusted Luba enough to not gouge me on wedding dress alterations. Indeed — I was only charged $ 35 for my very minor wedding gown alterations (I was prepared to be up-​charged like crazy but I wasn’t), and then when I told her I was going to clean by borrowed dress before wearing it, she tried to convince me that nobody was going to see the stains on my dress and it wasn’t worth the money. Sure enough, while I did have it cleaned, it got stained in exactly the same places pretty much immediately into wearing it and before any photos were taken — I totally could’ve gotten away with not paying for a cleaning. I trust Luba completely and will certainly be back for any future needed alterations!

Excellent! Quality, Speed and Price!
The ladies who work here are super helpful. They did really nice work. The garments look better than I had imagined was possible!
I’m going to be coming back again and again!

This place is the real deal. I find the people who work there very professional and they are not rude at all as others have commented. If you make an appointment like they recommend and come prepared (as you should when getting clothes altered anywhere — i.e. wear the shoes you plan on wearing with the item being altered). They do high quality work and did wonders on a bridesmaid dress I brought in to be altered. As others have said, they present more works of art and I would much rather spend a bit more for that than worry about a botched job. They told me when it would be ready and it was ready when they said it would be. It’s important to support local businesses and I will continue giving them my business!

The real deal!
Some have written about not being pampered /​aka lied to. Talk to Lubba she will tell it to you straight. I have nothing but respect for her. She is the real deal. She has saved me from fixing pants that were not worth saving and fixing suits that were.
If you need to look good and like to take care of your clothes then go to see Luba! She has been a tailor for a LONG time and is a master of her craft.
Super easy to find. It’s right on the green line next to Anna’s tacos.
Can’t say enough great things about this place. Go there, have Luba fix you up and the women or men WILL notice the difference.

This place was quick and professional. Yes, you need to call in advance to make an appointment and you need to bring your shoes with you and you need to pay cash. They will pin you up in about ten minutes and they had my dress ready in a week. Excellent service!

I first came to Poppy’s when another Brookline shop bungled a hem by tacking it in 8 places and charging a lot — awful! Took it to Poppy’s and Voilà! — a work of art. They made a dress (complicated by zippers) that was 2 sizes too big fit flawlessly. The hems on skirts and pants are perfection. Love them.

Incredibly rude seamstress. She acts as if you aren’t a paying customer but more of a bother when you walk in the door. I took a dress there to be altered, but she scowled at me when I asked her for a 9 day turnaround. My boyfriend even tried her a second time and she was equally as rude to him because he didn’t bring his dress shoes with some slacks to be altered. I do not recommend going here. Christos is much friendlier, faster, and higher quality!

I’ve gone here twice to get bridesmaid dresses altered and they did an excellent job both times. They’re experienced ladies who have clearly been doing this a long time. My dresses were ready when they said they’d be and they’re very affordable. They’re my go-​to for experienced alterations.

Horrible experience ever! Went to alter one dress pants and 3 black button up shirts for work and the lady said she did not know the pricing or even a good estimate– that was my mistake… should’ve took it somewhere else after. My bill came out to be $ 82!!! A week of altering and NO dry cleaning, how the heck did my bill come up to $ 82??? Ridiculous! Never coming back here again! If anything DEPENDABLE DRY CLEANERS! altering PLUS dry cleaning equals less than what this crappy place charges. Highly upset and these people has no customer friendly service experience whatsoever. They were just Lucky I needed it ASAP. My black shirts are still a bit loose too. Sigh no bueno!!!

What she lacks in friendliness she MORE than makes up for in fabulous alterations. Love her. Dress from david’s bridal fell apart one week week before my friend’s wedding and she fixed it — she wasn’t happy with her own work (I saw no issues with it) and refused to accept payment. I finally had to leave the money on her work table (where the small tv is always playing montel or jerry springer, she admits daytime tv is her guilty pleasure) while she was talking to another client.

I had never used Poppy’s before (new to the area). I bought a pair of jeans the night before for my 20^th high school reunion (2 days later). I called Poppy the next morning and asked if there was any way she could hem them that day as I was leaving for Maine that evening. She does not normally hem the same day, but was able to make an exception for me. I dragged both my kids in on our way to the beach– she told me to call on our way home to see if they were ready so that I could avoid a second trip out with the kids. The jeans came out perfect and she used the original hem as asked. I will definitely be visiting Poppy’s again in the future.

I love this place even more! is that even possible?
I had a pair of old (and I mean old!) pants altered in an attempt to get a few more wears out of them, took them home and realized that something was amiss with the alteration. I took them back to Luba to see if something could be done to fix them further. She apologized and told me that she did not think it was worth it, and proceeded to refund the money I paid for the original alteration. I was not expecting it and find it was a very kind thing to do. I will definitely bring all my alterations to her. She is an honest business person.

It’s been quite some time, but I will never forget how I got mistreated and traumatized by Luba, the leading seamstress at Poppy’s. The woman has a bad, condescending attitude, and no ability to make you feel good as a customer.
Worse of all, she is not careful with determining the desired length of skirts and dresses. I brought about ten garments that needed the length to be adjusted. I asked her to make them so they would touch the top of my knees. With a stone-​like, unhappy face she made me model the dresses/​skirts, and she marked the desired length.
Imagine my surprise when I got the clothing back and they were all TOO SHORT, way above the knee. Also, a blouse was ruined (it pulls in the back). I paid nearly $ 300 for a terrible service — and could not bring myself to go back to talk to her about it. After things are shortened too much, it’s difficult or impossible to lengthen them.
I spoke to a woman who works under Luba, and she said nothing could be done (about Luba being herself) — and maybe I should write to the owner of the shop. Sorry — but who has time for such a wild-​goose chase.
When you talk with Luba and wonder about her excessive prices (in some cases, her prices really don’t make any sense) — she makes you feel like a pauper and tells you to find yourself a cheaper place in Brighton. I certainly will !
Spare yourself the aggravation of dealing with a bitter and unpleasant person who can ruin your clothes. Life is too short.

The Fairy Godmothers of looking Faboosh!
Long story short, in less than a week (!!) Poppy’s managed to turn a dress that fit all kinds of wrong into a sheath that fit like a glove! I was told that I was second best dressed at my friend’s wedding, behind the bride of course!
The work was impeccable, I tried looking for the signs of alteration and could not find a single hem or stitch out of place, which is amazing since the dress had a built-​in belt.
I’m making my sister come up from DC for all her alterations. Poppy’s know what they are doing!

Poppy’s great work never fails!!!
I recently lost a great deal of wait and had all these great cloths that no longer fit. Most of the cloths, I had no hope for, but I decided to show them to Luba and see what she could do. She was amazing, after all the alterations my cloths looked great. Luba was able to raise the shoulders on some my jackets, completely re-​alter some of my dresses, pants and skirts. The work she does is impeccable. If you need cloths altered completely or just have pants shorten or a skirt taken in. Poppy’s is the place to go if you seek perfection.

I took my wedding gown to Poppy’s for major alterations. Luba did an amazing job! She was honest in her recommendations and her craftsmanship was impeccable. I would recommend Poppy’s for alterations both big and small. But don’t go there if you want a warm and fuzzy experience — they’re all business.

On the recommendation of both Unilocalers and a friend, I used Poppy’s to alter a bridesmaid dress. I’m very pleased with the work that she did, and the price seemed fair to me — not cheap, but it didn’t seem unreasonable. (Granted, it’s not like I get bridesmaid dresses altered everyday, so I don’t know what these things are supposed to cost.)
Other reviewers have commented on the owner’s manner. I’d say that she speaks her mind and isn’t going to sugar-​coat things or mince words, but overall I found her pleasant and easy to deal with. She knows her stuff, and she gets the job done professionally.

So far, so good! I dropped in here to be measured for a bridesmaid’s dress (as I was told it had to be done by a professional) and I’d read the reviews on here, of course!
Despite my rather alarming hip measurements, my girl Luba was great. They didn’t charge me a thing and I’ll have to update once my dress comes in and I stop in to see her again for the almost-​guaranteed necessity of alterations.
Regarding the previous reviewers’ comments about the lack of friendliness, I would confirm that this is a cultural thing. However, I expected in going in after living in Brookline for several years and was totally astonished to find two extremely friendly ladies. Maybe they were having a bad day? I was all smiles, myself, so I’m sure that helped, but the woman at the front desk area was very nice, as was Luba. She managed to get across my rather unusual shoulder and hip measurements without TOTALLY offending me… not that I still didn’t really crave a big glass of wine after seeing those numbers… but that was hardly her fault!
2 thumbs up for Poppy’s so far and will update upon future visits!
Note: the hours are a bit strange, but all I can remember is that they’re closed Sunday and Monday.

Horrible! She is very rude. I have never Unilocaled before and this woman made me so angry that I created an account. She is very stuck in her ways and not understanding or customer friendly at all. No one with this attitude should be working in a service industry.

I had a seriously ill-​fitting bridesmaid dress and no idea what I was going to do. Poppy’s saved the day at a reasonable price. The top of the dress could have fit cantaloupes, the waist was made for a Barbie doll, and the jacket (oh yes, a jacket. Jealous, ladies?) had the shoulders placed mid-​arm. Poppy’s fixed all of this for $ 85. The owner even called me one day to have me come in and measure my arms again, just to make sure the sleeves would be correct. The quality here is unparalleled.