Quality tailoring is an art, and we should expect to pay for it.

Anonymous wrote:These prices sound about right. And it's why I always chuckle when people on here always suggest tailoring to solve everything. "oh buy a dress at Ann Taylor and then have the length, waist and bodice tailored". Dress = $150. Tailoring = $175. And you're still left with an Ann Taylor dress in the end.

My reliable tailor is now charging $30 for hemming a lined dress.

Wow I just paid $65 to hem a lined dress. The material was very delicate though- it looked like a time-consuming job so the price seemed fair.

A couple of bridesmaids dresses were over $100 (basically price of the dress) for poorly done alterations. Such a waste.

I attended fashion school. Some alterations seem simple but are more complex than meets the eye. The difference between a garment with a blind hem and overlock hem might not register to the untrained eye, but it makes a difference in labor. That’s just a small example. Garment construction can be surprisingly complex.

Anonymous wrote:Close to 100 for a bridesmaid dress. 70 for a floor length dress with several layers. I hate paying to get things shortened - and I'm 5'2- shopping is hard.

Had a similar situation - three layers to hem plus taken in on the sides. And you feel trapped because it's a required bridesmaid dress. Also, you have to order somewhat blindly since all sizes aren't in stock. I picked a size that fit my waist (apple shaped) but then it was huge at the armholes.

My wedding dress - about $1000. Annoyed that when I went shopping they sold me on buying the slightly off size that they had at the store rathering than ordering in my more appropriate size. I never fathomed it would cost that much to alter.

I went to a VERY highly recommended tailor in DC a few weeks ago to get a dress hemmed. Everyone said the tailors were skilled and prices were fair. I was shocked when the woman said it would be $60 for the simple hemming of an unlined shift. No other alterations. Evidently it was the material (jersey) that made it so expensive.

I do believe that tailoring is skilled labor and should be priced as such but $60 for a hem is ridiculous. I usually pay $20-40 depending on the material. I obviously paid her because she had spent 10 minutes pinning it but I likely will not be going back.

The most "not worth it" was 150 dollars on a 2 layer Maid of Honor dress. They were supposed to take about 3 inches off and took maybe .5 of an inch if that. Re-did it. 1 inch off. Re did it. 1.5 total. I gave up and took it to a dry cleaner in the destination wedding city to get it right, but it was very stressful. Should have gone somewhere like that initially for a pretty simple hem.

The most I have paid was about 300 dollars on an expensive suit. Was fine paying for that (especially for re-working the jacket).

I paid more than $500 to have a fancy dress for a wedding altered that had several layers. My tailor is from Italy and very expensive, but he does an excellent job and makes clothes look like they were made for me.

$350 to alter $2000 suit.

$300 to have a $1,200 wedding dress altered. Divorced; so I guess not worth it? (But happily remarried, so the divorce was a good investment!)

Leather moto jacket sleeves $120

I bought a dress for under $60 and spent over $300 in alterations
Fit is EVERYTHING.

To the poster that mentioned adding lining to pants, that’s great idea! There are clothing that I’ve pass up on buying bc of lack of lining but now will consider this option.

I think I paid $200 to have my $500 Anthropologie wedding dress altered.