Ms. Couture

They did a wonderful job altering my daughter’s wedding dress! They are professional and timely. Don’t let Toula’s exterior fool you, she is just old school but she is super sweet and a pleasure to work with if you give her a few minutes to warm up.

I had a great experience with Toula. My dress was delivered delayed about 3 weeks, and with holidays coming, I was concerned that I had only one month till the wedding in the busy bridal season. Toula squeezed three fittings in during this time.
My dress is entirely lace, mermaid, with a corset in. It’s not a thin light weight dress. As I’m rather petite, Toula had to take in a few inches each side from my dress. And as the dress has a beautiful train, she created double French bustles so that I wouldn’t lose any of the beauty on the back. Second fitting involved adjusting the hem. And the last one involved a minor adjustment of the hem and teaching me how to bustle up.
4 days prior to the wedding, I could pick up the beautifully adjusted dress. She and her assistant were very friendly and listened to my concerns. I didn’t have waiting problems either.
Everybody said the dress (and the bustles) was beautiful and I was happy to have worked with Toula and her assistant.

I have waited over two years to write this review. But I am still sad about what happened. So here it goes…
I went here for alterations to my wedding dress. My dress was simple and un-​ornate. It had an opaque strapless piece mounted under a sheer (read: completely see-​thru) silk over-​lay that came up over the chest and shoulders. (It really could have been a bridesmaids dress that just happened to be white).
As it had an ethereal quality and was meant to be a bit drapery, I had actually just come to have it hemmed as it already fit me pretty darn well. When I got there the seamstress told me that it absolutely needed more work than just a hem; that the whole bodice needed work. Since it was my wedding dress, I let her talk me into significant additional work (almost $ 450 of total work was made, 60% of the cost of the dress itself!) I was feeling guilty about spending that much. But when I told my fiancé he said that if that was the cost to have peace of mind that the dress would be perfect, then it would be money well spent.
I went to pick up my dress. At that time I worked almost 90 minutes outside of the city and had great difficulty getting to the shop during their business hours (obviously this was my issue, not theirs). But when I asked if I could get the latest appointment possible to come and try on my dress, the seamstress told me in no uncertain terms was very inconvenient for her. Ultimately they gave me a 5:00 pm appointment, but when I got there the whole thing was very rushed. I tried on my dress and the gruff seamstress fussed with the chest a bit but it seemed fine. So I went with it.
Because it was silk and I didn’t want to wrinkle it, I didn’t try my dress on again until my wedding day. But when I did I saw that the left side of the opaque underlay crept down about an inch exposing a good portion of my bra cup. I fussed with it but it eventually crept down again. I tried pinning it, but that made it even worse. I know it was noticeable because I had «helpful» ladies coming up to me about every 25 minutes to tell me «Sweetie, your bra is out». This was both stressful and embarrassing on a day when you already know everyone is looking at you.
I realize that a wedding is only one day. And my wedding dress will only be worn once. And this gives me perspective. But for the amount I paid it should have been perfect (at the very least… symmetrical!). But in this case my dress would have looked much better on me if I Ms. Couture had never touched it at all.

If you have to completely reconstruct a dress– go to Tula and her staff. I mostly worked with her daughter Stella and had a wonderful experience. I bought a sample dress that was more than 3 sizes too big– I was swimming in it! I am so glad that I trusted the seamstress’ advice with how to turn this giant dress into a gorgeous, perfectly fitting gown. I had some ideas and they steered me away from them– THANK GOD. It looked so much better b/​c I let them be the experts. In the bridal world– you get what you pay for, and Ms. Couture is no different. One last note, appointments can be crowded so be on time and give yourself a good window.

totally messed up my dress… cut off dress before it was probably measured!!! no one listens. .rush through fitting… was working on dress when i arrived. handled it like a bag of old clothes. do not go here.

BRIDES RUN!!! The main seamstress did NOT listen to what I wanted. She CUT (YES CUT) the bottom of my dress without my OK and it was two inches shorter on one side and long on the other side –We took a ruler and it was completely lopsided. I had these diamond looking crystals on my dress and 3 of them in the front were missing. I cried in front of them and they did not care. She did not listen to anything I asked. There were black spots on my dress. I ended up taking it from them after the 4^th alteration (no it was not done after 4 alterations) Everyone was SHOCKED at the condition of my dress and how I was treated. This is your bridal dress go to the best person who will take care of it and make you feel special THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO GO TO. They spend 10 minutes with you after waiting one time for 20 minutes and you will always feel rushed. Oh did I mention that I drove 3 hours one way to get these alterations. I am so glad I took it from them. I know had to find Shorter heels because they cut it too short on one side. I ended up going to Bella Bianca in Oakbrook and get my dress in a couple weeks. They took an HOUR long listening to me and making me feel like my dress was a big deal. MS COUTURE DOES NOT!

Ms. Couture does great work on your dress, but the experience for me was awful. There is a lot of attitude, comments about your figure and disagreements. They fight with you about details you ask for. I wanted a piece of my dad’s tie in the bottom of the dress so I could take a picture of it. She forcefully insisted on putting it in the top of the dress which I had to refuse several times as it would never be seen. She showed me two bustle options and I chose to have it bustled underneath. I returned for my final fitting to find it was bustled on the outside. I asked her why she didn’t call me to discuss and advise and she simply said «it is better this way». I was so angry and frustrated. It feels like she makes the decisions and does not care what you want or envision. I felt angry and sad every time I left a fitting. At the end, the dress turned out very nice, but the experience was so poor I would never recommend them. When you pick up the dress they recommend spraying the bottom with Static Guard so pick some up because I don’t know about you, but the night before my wedding I was a little too busy to go searching around for Static Guard… would be good to know ahead of time or better yet give you a small can when you pick up. For $ 600 it would be a nice touch. Not worth the headache!

Whatever the occasion, your dress is in good hands here! Mrs. Toula went above & beyond with the level of attentiveness & care when it came to my wedding dress. There is beautiful detail to my gown, layers of ruffled tulle to my skirt, & I was very nervous to allow anyone to re-​work my dress to shorten it as needed… But Mrs. Toula has a remarkable reputation for working on complicated dresses, bringing ease, reassurance & relief to all. My wedding dress was just perfect thanks to the experts at Ms. Couture. I am forever grateful!
They have a reputation for saving dresses too! I met a few ladies in the waiting room who had emergency situations with their dresses, after taking them elsewhere for alterations first… I felt terrible after hearing their horror stories! But Mrs. Toula saved the day & provided amazing results for them, as well as amazing turn around time! Ms. Couture is the best in professional alterations for special occasions. Thank you, ladies! You are God-​sent. I shall be back!

As my first anniversary approaches in February, I realize I’ve been remiss in giving the credit back to some of the people who made my wedding day as spectacular as it was.
While I was lucky enough to find my dream dress in a single shopping trip, my consultant gave me the dreaded «between sizes» verdict. I had zero interest in frantically trying to shed pounds to fit into a too small dress and so ordered up on their advice. Sadly, when it arrived, my gorgeous full lace dress was way more than a size too big. Imagine being told that this beautiful thing would need to be taken apart completely in order to make it fit! Not to mention the very real possibility that taking out so much material would mess with the proportions and cause mismatched edges. Finding Toula at Ms. Couture absolutely saved the dress. She had the most reassuring manner, really heard my concerns and managed to make it fit like a glove. I’m confident she would have done whatever it took, even if it meant extra fittings (not needed). I felt like every bride dreams of feeling on her wedding — like the most beautiful, sparkling version of myself — and this perfect dress had much to do with it. I highly recommend her expertise; you won’t be disappointed.
(Please note, though, that my great experience with both Toula and Farrah did differ from my initial not-​so-​great experience with other employees at the shop. Be sure to request Toula specifically.)
See her handiwork here:

Brought my wedding dress which had been destroyed by another tailor… I was worried it was a lost cause but Toula at Ms Couture brought it back to life and I’ve never loved the dress more. She is a life-​saver! I’ve recommended Ms Couture for wedding dress and bridal party alterations to everyone.

There’s no doubt that Toula & her staff do great work. My wedding dress turned out beautifully.
BUT…I agree with a lot of some of the more negative reviews.
Toula can often cop an attitude with you if it’s not how SHE envisions the dress or how SHE wants to alter it. There were times during my fittings that I had to insist that certain things be done even thou it was against her opinion. Her assistant even agreed with me & Toula still refused.
There were even times I overheard her arguing with other brides or their mothers on how things should be altered. In one instance Toula firmly stated «no, I can do nothing more» & wouldn’t even listen to what the customer had to say.
They do tend to overbook. You could be waiting to have your fitting for awhile. They also let people try on the dress that are just picking them up & thus bumping your appointment time even more.
Saturday’s are for first fittings only. If you have issues with not being able to get there on a weekday for additional fittings, find another seamstress.
I was initially booked for three fittings & ended up having to come back five times because they didn’t complete what they said they would by the next fitting. This was the most frustrating part because the two times were over the hem that they measured the previous time & still did not work on.
Like I said, my dress fit & looked perfect but I often wonder if I could have found another seamstress that would have been a little cheaper & had a little more pleasant of an experience.

I was very happy with the alternations done by Toula at Ms. Couture. The fit was perfect for my big day! Thank you Toula!

I got my wedding dress alterations done here because they were a recommended vendor of Jenny Yoo. I think they did a great job, but I always felt like I was being rushed in and out because they seem to overbook their appointments — at one fitting I had to wait 45 minutes past my scheduled time only to have it take less than 10 minutes total for me to change into the dress, check the length, and change out of the dress. My dress ended up being a little too long, and it is no doubt because they were stretched too thin. Also be warned — they are *not* cheap — my dress was $ 600 and alterations to shorten it ran me $ 420. Yup, $ 420 to adjust the length of the dress that had no beading or lace or bustle.

Toula did a GREAT job on the alterations — my dress fit me perfectly on my wedding day. One big plus is that they are flexible with time — I’ve had appointments after the advertised hours (I am from out of town so this was a big plus for me).
The only downside is the price. I was charged $ 700 (for a dress under $ 2000, Enzoani Ola). My dress did not have any embellishments, it had some lace at the top and chiffon at the bottom. On my second fitting, I stood on the pedestal and Toula cut off the bottom in less than 2 minutes (no hemming needed). She took out the sash that came with my dress under a minute and she didn’t need to sew it back (because I used a different sash and she insisted that I use a safety pin to secure the sash, the sash tied at the back).
Looking back, I wish I would have haggled on the price or at least inquired why the cost was so high. Despite the great work, I definitely feel like I paid too much. I try to justify that the additional cost is the price of peace of mind.
Additional note: I purchased my dress from Dimitra’s Bridal and they quoted my $ 850 –but this bridal salon is known for their inflated alteration cost.

Ms. Toula is AMAZING! I came in with pictures of inspiration for my wedding dress and let’s just say she out did herself! My dress fit me like a glove just they way I wanted it to! Toula and her staff are very skilled and knowledgeable and they created my dream dress. I moved out of state during the process and they were very accommodating with appointments and very efficient. I feel like I made another family in them and I will forever be grateful for Toula’s hard work at bringing my vision to life. I felt like a princess in my custom made gown and I owe it all to Toula and her wonderful team! Thank you Toula and the Ms. Couture team! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Wish I could provide a more ringing endorsement for Toula and Ms. Couture, but my experience here was sadly less than stellar.
I was referred to the shop by a friend who had a fabulous experience here with alteration of an insanely-​too-​large-​bridesmaid-​dress. Toula literally had to rebuild the entire dress to fit her petite frame and did a splendid job of it. Unfortunately, my project was a bit more out of the box and, apparently, not necessarily in their wheelhouse.
I was looking beyond standard alterations and more in the direction of distinct modifications of a dress I was hoping to wear for my engagement photo shoot outside in the Southern California mountains. The dress was a short, tutu style dress with a see through back and lacy bodice front. It didn’t quite fit right and I was hoping to both create more structure (i.e. support) in the flimsy bodice while also adding a bunch of tulle to the lackluster tutu skirt to make it look much more Bolshoi Ballet and not so boring blasé. After all, this was for a photo shoot! Let’s amp up the drama!
Off the bat Toula and staff commented that the dress was pretty and I should just leave it as is. That a huge tutu at a wedding would look silly. Um, but this isn’t for a wedding. It’s for a PHOTO SHOOT! And I don’t like it as is!
Then again later in the conversation they mentioned attending an event in the dress and how I’d want to be able to sit in it… they just weren’t listening. All functions were on autopilot.
They continued to try to dissuade me from what I wanted and argued almost every avenue: a built in bra will be too heavy, just buy an ‘invisible bra’ at Nordstrom. It would be too hard to match the color of tulle the dress was in. The length I wanted to go was too short and impractical. The idea that I wanted it to look really whimsical and dramatic and BIG was just beyond their vision. After much back and forth, Toula accepted the job and said she was excited to work on the project. I believed we’d reached an understanding and trusted based on her fantastic reputation that everything would work out and magic would be made.
Trust is a funny thing that way. Sometimes you can have all the trust in the world and you still end up disappointed. As did I.
When I went to pick up the dress, it was nothing like what I had described I wanted. Instead of using a stiff tulle to make a true ballerina-​like skirt that stands up itself, Toula focused obsessively on choosing a tulle that «matched» the existing tulle and went with a soft, pliable tulle that just hung in heavy heaps of layers. It had zero rigidity and was a bulky, long, unflattering mass. Then there was the bodice with no built in support and that had not been brought in tight enough to even create the illusion of reinforcement.
What I ended up with was something more unattractive and ill-​fitting than I had started out with and with an added $ 200.00 in cost. Ouch. Even my fiancé who is oft the pinnacle of «if you don’t have anything nice to say…» noted that it looked terrible on.
I had to leave it behind and scramble to find something else the day before the pictures were to be taken. Stress city.
It should be said that craftsmanship and work done on the dress was good. The stitching, layering, etc. was done by a good hand, the overall look was just all wrong. I could never imagine starting from scratch with a custom gown here.
Because of this experience, I’d never return. A seamstress without the vision of style isn’t very couture at all.

Toula is an absolute master when it comes to wedding gown alteration. She and her team altered my Kittychen mermaid gown perfectly. The bodice had a very complex, intricately folded design that came out just as flawlessly as the day the dress arrived, even though it had to be taken in considerably. She sewed in a backless bra and crenoline so my dress would fit me gorgeously, and she created a lovely french bustle that tied up my train so I could dance. Lastly, the care she took to press each individual fold in the skirt (which there were literally hundreds) before I picked it up for my wedding made the dress, and me, look radiant. Yes, her services aren’t cheap, but you get what you pay for, and the quality of her work is top notch.
I know how scary it is to trust somebody to alter the most important dress you’ll ever wear, but believe me, Toula and her team will not disappoint.

I was very disappointed with Ms. Couture. Bella Bridesmaids suggested we go here for bridesmaid dress alterations and I thought I would try my wedding dress as well, big mistake.
Not only did I have to wait at least an hour for each of my appointments, but the lady who worked on my dress was extremely rude and my dress was not ready until the day before the wedding. In addition to the horrible customer service the cost of the alternations was ridiculous. The alterations cost the same as my dress!
While the dress fit fine, I am very confident I would have had the same results at many other locations.

I was given only one name when I asked for a recommendation for my wedding gown alterations, and I was so pleased! Ms. Couture is top notch. I had my Nicole Miller mermaid gown tailored here, and it couldn’t have fit more perfectly. It was like a glove… hugging all the right curves and staying put all night! The cost of altering a wedding gown here is not cheap (I paid around $ 500), but it was well worth it. Highly recommended.
Photo credit:

Toula is still the best. She has celeb-​like status now in the Chicago bridal world. I met her four years ago when I was walking by and just needed a bridesmaid dress altered. I was so pleased she was able to do my wedding dress this summer.
Word got around and Ms Couture helps a high number of brides each year. There are brides in waiting and gowns galore in the shop, and it is part of the fun to see who is wearing what. I didn’t want a veil but Toula put one on my head and well — I had to have it. She also made a sparkly belt that took my simple dress to another level. Toula was not a fan of the shoes I planned to wear and encouraged I keep looking. I pressed on and found a much better pair (Toula was right again).
My tip is to bring your dress in early, listen to Toula’s suggestions — and put your trust in Toula and team.