to ask for the BEST tailor in London...

[stressedout1994]

Hi all

Sorry know it is annoying to post in AIBU for traffic but hoping you'll all show me clemency and forgive on this beautiful Friday :)

I have this Ganni dress in both the acid green and a kalamata green. I absolutely love both but have worn them to death and would like to be able to wear the long skirt with a black top or vest. I want to take both to a tailor and have them made into a skirt (either with zip or elasticated waist) and a top. That way I can wear as both a dress and skirt / dress combo IYSWIM.

I really love both dresses and they were about £175 each, so I would be absolutely devastated if the tailor made a pig's ear of it. So AIBU to ask who the best tailor in London is? Price relatively unimportant as I keep clothes for years and years and just want them to do a good job. I am in SE London but willing to travel.

Thank you fashionable women of MN !

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I presume Saville Row has some good ones

The ‘best tailors in London’ will be, as a pp said, Savile Row and the ones doing high-end bespoke clothing, and wouldn’t be doing alterations. I think you should state your budget?

Well, that's subjective isn't it?

Why not do a google search?

Your mum?

Jeeves of Belgravia is meant to be good.

Most people with a sewing machine could do that, you don’t need the best tailor, just an alterations service.

Why are some of these responses so narky! It's like pedant's corner this AM.

Lots of people have a really good tailor or alteration service in their neighbourhood, and lots of them don't have a big profile online - hence asking on here rather than google. Thank you for your recommendation @Ihatelaundry !

You don't want a tailor.
However, an alterations service that does wedding dresses will be used to this kind of thing. Mine (in her living room in deep dark NW England, so no use to you) made a matching jacket for my wedding dress and altered the dress to fit.
Try bridal shops and ask for their recommendations.

It's a pretty simple alteration, and doesn't need high skill levels, especially the elasticated version.

'Savile Row tailor' has a specific meaning. What you need is a seamstress.
It looks like a fairly simple alteration that a good dressmaker could do for you.

Joe Allen in Islington would be good for this

I recommend The Workshop in Crofton Park

Thimble tailoring on Thackery street in Kensington

Seconding this one.

You asked for the best tailor in London.
You will find them on Saville Row.
They won't be interested in your dress.

You asked the question.

Yeah and loads of people decided to be narky arseholes for absolutely no reason whatsoever in answering it. That’s her point.

I appreciate you don't want it messing up but it's not a difficult alteration. You need a reasonable alterations company not Savile Row.

OP thanks for asking this question. I also have an item of clothing, in my case a vintage tailored jacket, that needs some careful work and I have been wondering how to find a reliable skilled person to fix it.

all I come up with are endless dry cleaners who say they do alterations, but in practice it’s a person sitting there with a sewing machine ready to replace zips and sew up tears in jeans.
I have googled tailors, thinking that’s what I need . Now I have some specific suggestions for places to try, if I go to London, which I may have to do.

So the snarky comments were completely unnecessary.

i still don’t know how to find “a good dressmaker “. There are a few people advertising near me, but I’ve used at least one of them and she’s useless.

My suggestion is try a really good well established Bridal shop. Some may not be interested or might be snowed under as it’s wedding season. But try maybe The Wedding Atelier near Paddington or Mirror Mirror Angel Islington. Obviously they may be too busy to do it but they will know good seamstresses who will be more than capable

I don't think that most answers were snarky. For the task OP had in mind, a tailor wouldn't be the right person.

IME places that do 'alterations and repairs' vary. I've used one once and would not trust one again, but that's me.

For OP's dress, I'd look for a dressmaker with qualification in or a good understanding of pattern cutting.
A bridal dressmaker will probably be able to alter a dress to fit. Women who had their bridal gown altered might know someone.

With a tailoring repair, I'd look for a seamstress with a qualification in tailoring. This is not the same as someone who makes simple dresses as a hobby.

Your best bet is word of mouth recommendation.

The Gold Needle in Hornsey high street.

Bride and Alter (do other alterations than bridal) Battersea. They have a website.

An extremely talented lady with a sewing room located in SW19. Dafynka something - she is on facebook.

Have used both and very happy

Then OP wants 'the best' (read: recommended, trusted by someone with a good experience) alterations service. It's clear what she means.

They're not all the same. I've had alterations places ruin clothes.

@Precipice , from the OP, it sounds like a job anyone with a sewing machine and dressmaking skills could do.

Having said that, I think that changing the dresses to tops and skirts would mean some loss of length somewhere. I'd leave them as dresses.