Alteration Services by Pauline

I have a terrible time finding dresses that fit me properly, and when a dress I bought for a formal wedding needed the bust snugged up and a couple minor details added (hook and eye, loops for a ribbon belt), I had no idea where to go or how much it would cost. I’m so glad all these great reviews led me to Pauline. She is amazing. She works quickly, charges reasonably and is very professional. The dress now feels like it was made for me, and I couldn’t be more pleased by the whole experience. I feel confident she can adeptly handle any kind of alteration or tailoring needs I may have down the road, and I am recommending her services to everyone I know!

Pauline is amazing!!! I took my huge Vera Wang wedding ball gown to her for a few alterations. It was not an easy dress to alter and she did a fabulous job! It fitted like a glove and it still looks like I bought it straight off the rack. She was nice, professional and provides great suggestions. The rate she charges is also honest and very fair. I am telling all my bridesmaids about her too. Thanks Pauline!

Fantastic! I needed my high school prom dress altered for an event. I called on a Saturday before my event on Friday. She had me come in immediately to get the dressed sized and had it ready by Wednesday.
I was so happy to hear that the turnaround was so quick.
She charged me a VERY reasonable price. She also steamed it for me. It looked gorgeous after.
I’m really happy with the service and will definitely be back.

I brought a vintage dress to Pauline to spruce up and modernize for a wedding and she listened to all of my requests as well as made suggestions that absolutely enhanced the dress. Super great service, fast turnaround and an affordable price. I will be definitely be taking more clothing to Pauline for alterations in the future!

I bought a dress on sale that fit my chest but pretty much no where else. I’ve never had anything professionally altered before so I was apprehensive at the cost. I didn’t want to spend more to alter the dress than I’d spent on the dress itself.
I found Pauline on Unilocal and decided to give her shop a try. I came in as a walk in and she helped me right away. The price was extremely fair and alterations were done quickly, the dress now fits me perfectly!
I am very happy with the service and will be back with any future alterations I have.

HIDDEN TREASURE ALERT!!!
When it comes to alterations, I’ve had some bad luck but NOT at Pauline’s.
From the first second I entered her shop– she took care of me like a family member. I have a very curvy body and I brought a suitcase of vintage clothes– each piece with something that needed to be fixed. Pauline and I have worked together to make these amazing pieces work well for my body and she has even REmade a pair of sacred mexican tribal pants that should be in a museum — not in my closet. I have a whole new (old) wardrobe thanks to Pauline. She is fairly priced and a VERY hard worker. I’m on my way back to her today with another dress that I know she’ll help make look like it was made for me. FIVE STARS!!!

Pauline is very kind and I’d give her willingness to try and correct mistakes a 5 but her work is terrible. Out of the four bridesmaids and a bride that had their dresses altered here we ALL had issues with the dresses and either had to have her fix her mistakes (uneven hemming, misplaced and all around disasters straps, lining and string visible) or we finally gave up and took them somewhere else to have them repaired. During the ceremony the bride needed her dress fluffed as I leaned over mid vows to help with her dress the straps that Pauline added popped off and I was left just trying to hold my dress on. Needless to say but worth warning others, I would not recommend her to anyone for important events.

I took my wedding dress here a month before my wedding and had a corset put it in (it was too tight) and I had the neckline tightened and a bustle added. I was satisfied with the services. I give her 5 because I do not want to bring down this sweet lady’s perfect score however I do feel it was more of a 4 with room for improvement. Great thing about Pauline is she does care about her ratings online as she does not advertise any other way so knowing that she takes great care of her customers.
Pauline appears to work alone and she is a busy lady so I suggest making an appointment if you need to have a fitting or require her time more than just doing a quick pickup or drop off. Working with someone so heavily desired is a good sign!
My only issue was that the prices advertised on her website may be old or else she just charges per customer because I didn’t receive the price I read about on any of the items I had done, and by that I mean I paid $ 10 – 20 more per service. I didn’t bother to argue this point as I felt she was proficient, fast and charged less than any wedding boutique ever would. In total I spent about $ 170 in alterations on a dress I got 50% off for just $ 149… but the dress did not fit in any way when I bought it so it was worth to me in the end. But the inconsistency of prices was slightly off putting. Fortunately whatever she said she charged she did charge and did not try to pad the bill when I came to pick up. She also takes major credit card as well as cash unlike the «from home» alterations that want cash rather they do a good job or not.
The corset she added matched my dress perfectly and got lots of compliments. I loved the back of the dress after she added it in. The zipper was very plain and unimpressive so I was thrilled with that alteration. The corset thread somehow got pulled and the corset was hanging by an inch the week of wedding and I took it back for repair and she did it on the spot within about 5 minutes free of charge. The neckline she tighten to show less of the girls, it was something she suggested doing and I think it came out well. At first glance it looked out of place but only if you looked closely. She took the time to show me how to fix/​loosen this hem if necessary which was helpful. The bustle I added was a French bustle which she suggested (I know nothing about dresses and otherwise would have gone without one) she charged $ 60 for this even though the website says $ 40. I assume it was because my dress was Chiffon. The bustle system is an old school style of ties as opposed to buttons I I suggest bringing a friend with you to see how to tie it up. My bridal party was out of state so I ended up going back to her and had her tie it so that I could have my MOH untie it herself to see how it should be otherwise there was no way to explain which tie goes where.
Pauline will offer her expertise to help you achieve the look you’re wanting. She has a picture album full of looks she’s created in the past. She will tell you when you don’t need something with I find admirable since she could easily milk a new brides naivety to make an extra buck.
The location of this shop is convenient and although the parking lot is tiny and shared with a laundromat there is street parking and a big safeway parking lot across the street.
Overall I was pleased with her services and would recommend her.
Side note to Kate: I can’t comment on anyone else working there as in my 4 visits I never saw anyone else. I do know that Pauline clearly speaks English as a second language so I’d recommend contacting her in person for anyone who has complaints I found myself doing more gesturing and body language to ensure we were on the same page and it worked out. I did have an issue with my original alteration too but she fixed it without a problem.

I want to start this by saying I have never given a bad review before, and I am usually incredibly optimistic and it’s hard to disappoint me. This review is not only about my ill-​fitting dress just 7 days before my wedding, but mostly about the terrible help I received from an assistant at the shop (Not Pauline).
I arrived at Pauline’s shop due to great Unilocal reviews, and proceeded to try my dress on. It was too big in the waist, and I wanted that area taken in. She scheduled an appointment with me one week later at 1:00 pm, which is one week before my wedding. Great!
I came back today at 1:00, and she was not there. Her assistant blankly looked at me and said «Sorry. she’s not here, there’s nothing I can do.» Ummmmm I am no bridezilla, but not trying on an altered dress with less than a week before the wedding when I had SCHEDULED an appointment? No. I asked her if I could just see the dress. She looked around and said she could not find it. PANIC. I asked her if she could look harder, it’s in a pink bag under my name, etc. She finds it.
I ask if I can look at it, and very hesitantly she says «yes». My maid of honor and I take a look, the assistant said it was not altered yet, although it was CLEARLY finished and marked with an finished date.
I try on the dress and it is WAY too tight in the hips– I would like to say that although the dress did not fit well, if the assistant had been nicer/​more helpful in any way this would not have been a big deal– I would have just said «Let’s take it out in the hips, and I’ll come back in a few days»
We are in somewhat panic mode, so we ask if Pauline has a number we can call, to ask why she was not available for the appointment, and questions about the dress. The assistant blandly says «I don’t give out her number…» Okay. So I have a dress that doesn’t fit, someone who obviously misunderstood my directions, did not show up for my appointment with NO CALL ahead of time to warn me, and the person here had no idea where my dress even was/​if It was finished? I need to either talk to Pauline and get this figured out, or I need to leave with my dress.
My maid of honor asked «Well can YOU call her?» She tries to call her and she is not picking up the phone. My maid of honor had to actually ask her to leave a message… that wasn’t obvious? She then proceeded to leave a voicemail without even leaving my name.
After enough of this had gone by we decided to just leave with the dress. She cannot find my receipt that says that I had prepaid. Is she going to keep my dress hostage, too? After we asked her to actually look, she finds it.
She says we should leave it here so they can take it out. Would you? Would you leave your dress with one week until the event, when they didn’t even show up to the appointment/weren’t even sure if it was finished? Very disorganized in the least.
We said we would rather take it (Keep in mind we are both relatively introverted, so we never raised our voices/​got mad/​stormed out. We spoke to her politely.).
After I had driven home and called other alteration services, I realized I should have asked for a refund, so I had my mom call, as I was too upset. This woman kept repeating «No, she needs to bring it back, no, she needs to just bring it back» My mom explained that we had lost trust in their services and we could not bring it back there with peace of mind. We are only asking for a refund.” She says no and hangs up.
All I am asking, if you read your own Unilocal reviews, Pauline, is for a refund. You seemed so nice, and I’m sure you would have helped me take it out, but your assistant was so incredibly unprofessional and clueless, I have no choice but to go elsewhere.
— Kate

I found this place on Unilocal shortly after moving to the Portland area. I was in a bit of a pinch with my wedding coming up and was very nervous about going someplace I’d never had any work done before. Susan was able to seriously alter my dress in LESS THAN ONE WEEK! I needed an extra panel added to the corset and hemming on lace and satin layers. SHE IS AMAZING! I am so grateful that she was able to provide such quality work under such a deadline. The total cost was $ 190 but that felt reasonable considering how quickly I needed the dress.
The shop is small and it seems like they have a lot going on with just a few people but I would HIGHLY recommend this place for wedding dress alterations. Make sure you call ahead so they are ready and expecting you when you arrive.
Thank you Susan! :)

This place is absolutely amazing! After being turned down by one place, I went to Pauline after reading all the reviews on Unilocal.I couldn’t be more thrilled with her service! I needed a chiffon dress hemmed and let out. The letting out part was proving to be a problem from the way the dress was made, but Pauline still figured out a way. You could tell she was swamped with it being wedding season, but she still managed to let the dress out in just a few days. I will recommend her to anyone, and go back for any future alteration needs. Oh! And it was very inexpensive!

Pauline was superb! (or at least I assume it was Pauline — she was the main person working when I dropped off/​picked up).
I brought in a bridesmaid dress which was much too long for me and she suggested just hemming the front to keep it flowy in the back (turned out beautifully). The price was far less than other alteration places I looked at.
She also was not pushing to get other aspects of the dress altered. I asked her what she thought about the rest of the dress, and she said in general it looked like it fit well. I pointed out that the bust was maybe a tad big and she said she could pull that in if I wanted to make it more snug but that I didn’t really need it. When I asked about fixing the back because my strapless bra was showing, she said oh don’t worry about that, just put a safety-​pin with the bra and dress on the inside where no one will notice and you won’t have to worry about it slipping down. Thank you for giving an honest opinion and not trying to up-​sell. I will be back when I have other things that need to be altered!

Redesigned my vintage Gunne Sax wedding dress for a wonderful price. Best alteration service I’ve ever had. I have recommended her to another bride who was also very happy.

I needed a soft, chiffon, pleated dress taken in around the bust and ribs. I needed it done in 5 days. Pauline, the sweet, understanding owner, took me in exactly how I wanted it. I should’ve had it hemmed but I had such little time. She did a lovely job on such a difficult fabric and intricate details. It wasn’t too expensive either.

Backing up Bryant here: after having four shirts butchered by another alteration shop, I made my way to Pauline in hopes that she could help me. She listened to my issues and discussed her plans with me. I felt hopeful, but reluctant after my last experience.
Two weeks later, Pauline totally saved the day and about $ 400 in apparel I was prepared to scrap. I would not hesitate to recommend taking garments here, and have my next couple of shirts ready to bring back for some work.
When your there, browse the collection of clothing on the racks. There were some nice finds.

As a male, it’s hard to find a tailor you can trust with your clothing. My dad had suggested her and I haven’t looked back since. An inexpensive, same day service tailor who brings years of experience to the table. I would strongly suggest any male to give her a chance and show that she’s capable of making you look like a GQ cover boy.

Sweetest thing. Pauline knows how to do business. Amazing prices for the amount of detail and care she puts into an article of clothing. I’ve got others into her, and they say the same. She actually used to work for David’s Bridal, so she did my wedding dress and it was perfect after one fitting. She’ll be my tailor, as long as I’m in Portland!

Did a wonderful job on my reception dress! Quick, frienly, affordable — was definitely appreciated after the nightmare of an experience I had with a tailor at a supposedly chic boutique in downtown Portland!

Pauline is wonderful! I broke the piece of crap zipper on my bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding and was worried about the cost of getting it replaced (not to mention how much time it would take being wedding season and all). I took the dress to Pauline on Aug. 19^th, and she had it ready a week later, all for only $ 20! She also said if within 45 days something happens to the zipper, I can bring it back in to be fixed for no extra charge.
Just a head’s up, there is a deposit required for zipper replacements, but at such a low price, just pay upfront!
You are awesome, Pauline!

She did the most beautiful job on my wedding dress. I had lost a bit of weight since I bought it a year ago but this was no problem for Pauline! She took it in five inches around the middle, took one off the bottom, made sure the original design was kept intact and even added three buttons on the back so I could pin the train up for easy mobility. I also had her steam it which I recommend. All of it cost $ 235 and only took her two weeks! What a deal! I am definitely coming back for any alteration needs.