Cornelio’s Master Tailor

Took 3 pairs of nice jeans to get hemmed. I made a request for the original style hem. As you can see from the picture, they turned out awful. A simple cut fold and sew job… and its uneven! When I went to pick them up and examine them, the employee tried to convince me that they were an original hem. Obviously they are not and just to prove the point I put them next to the same brand of jeans with the original hem. Obvious difference. Definitely not the $ 25 price tag per piece.
Do NOT go here.

Update: I went back to ask about the botched hem job and Cornelio told me that he stood by his work (cutting a messy jagged edge that was still too long). After much discussion, he gave me my money back because he said he didn’t have time to deal with me. He also said he didn’t care about his reputation or that I wasn’t happy with his service and had posted a review on Unilocal.
In summary, if you think that a messy jagged hem on a dress is worth $ 60, then this is the tailor for you. Otherwise, I would go elsewhere.

Wow, I wish I could give no stars. I went here at the suggestion of a friend because I needed a dress shortened. I will never be going back. First of all it is overpriced. He charged me $ 60 to shorten and take the dress in which is outrageous. Second, he only takes cash. I never have cash on me and when I do it’s surely not more then $ 20. Dealing with him and his staff is rediculous because they speak very poor English. I don’t know how they get away with this highway robbery in Lakeview but they’ve definitely lost me as a customer!

I’ve used Cornelio for years after many years of trial and error, primarily with the «tailors» that reside within my local dry-​cleaners. I am what some might call «lanky» and I wear suits for work almost every day. As a result, pretty much any suit or dress shirt I buy needs significant alterations (although I would assert that ANY suit you buy off the rack will need some alterations). Nevertheless, Cornelio’s work has been nothing short of miraculous. He is an exceptionally talented tailor, and as another reviewer said, when he’s done, the suits and shirts look like they were custom made for me.
He’s not cheap, but then again when you compare his actual skill level to the hacks out there claiming to be «tailors,» I really don’t understand why you would expect him to be cheap. Frankly, if you just need your pants hemmed, your local dry-​cleaner can probably do that, but if you go to Cornelio, you can expect a perfectly straight, and less visible, hem line. I have had his hems fall out as well (it’s just a tiny piece of thread, it happens), but Cornelio has never charged me for a repair. Also, he has always given me options that would reduce the cost of my alterations (when they exist). For example, adjusting the sleeve on a suit, he can do it two ways. He can remove the whole sleeve and take the extra material from the top (aka the right way), or just alter the ends re-​position the buttons (the cheap way). Obviously removing the whole sleeve is more expensive, but he presents both options and I make the call.
I recognize that not everyone is looking for a highly skilled tailor, but if you are, Cornelio is your man.

I purchased my wedding dress from Nicole Miller and they recommended Cornelio for alterations. While he may be great for suits and menswear, I would not recommend him to any future brides.
He did not seem comfortable at all when I came out in the dress and he asked what I thought needed to be altered (as opposed to most bridal alterations I have been to where they immediately start spinning and pinning you). He also threw out the hemmed portion when I had specifically asked that it be kept (I am short, so it was atleast a foot of 100% pure silk) and never discussed adding a bustle — something common in wedding dresses.
Again, he may be great for mens attire, but I would send future brides elsewhere.

I brought some pants with an unfinished hem. I made an appointment to come in — got in and out with no fuss. I picked them up later in the week and they came out great.

My tailor right down Diversey — hands down the ONLY tailor I’ll ever need, and would be glad to recommend to others. If you want a sport coat or jacket fitted perfectly (direct alterations and taking in a suit), this is the guy. He wasn’t afraid to make crucial alterations like cutting the body of the jacket by the shoulders, and you can easily tell he knew what he was talking about.
Everyone understands that with professional clothing, sizing/​fit to your body certainly matters. Before his alterations my jacket kind of gave off a boxy figure, didn’t really lay on my chest, shoulders stuck out (and the padding made it stick out even more) and the sleeves didn’t line up like I had wanted. After his alterations, it literally felt like it was custom-​made to fit me PERFECTLY (afterwards I kinda wish I had asked him not to make it such a perfect fit, in case I put on a few pounds).
Price tag? $ 150 (I only had a $ 100 on me when I first went since I figured that’s how much it would be, I was glad to pay him the other $ 50 after the fitting). Honestly though, I know other tailors that charge only a third of that, but I’ve seen their work and it is nowhere near comparable to Cornelio. And for the expensive clothing pieces in your wardrobe, where the tailoring really does matter, I would rather pay the extra $$ for quality service (to all the people complaining about the price tag)

Cornelio is a true professional, and a great tailor. Everything from suits, to slacks, to jeans (while preserving the original bottom), even my fiancé’s dress, he does it all and does it well. Only downside is that his services are a little bit on the pricey side and he takes cash only. But you get what you pay for in my opinion.

Is this the only place in the area that I can get men’s suits altered?
I got a jacket altered there. Cornelio did a great job. It fits like a glove. A bit pricey, but that’s because you’re working with an expert.

Had a very good experience here getting a business suit tailored. Both the pants and the jacket had to be made a bit smaller. It was a little expensive but I honestly don’t have anything to compare it to so It might have been an average price.
Work was done a day early and he did a great job. Suit fit perfectly.

I have had two experiences here, one ok and one quite poor. The first time it was for a jean hem, and like a previous reviewer I felt it was overpriced. However, it has held up for several months and I’m not dissatisfied with the quality.
For my second visit, I had a hole in my back pocket on two expensive pairs of jeans (from my George Costanza wallet) and paid $ 25 for each pair for the pocket to be removed and matching denim patches sewn on the inside and outside for reinforcement. (He requires advance payment.) When I returned a week later to pick them up, both jeans simply had an iron-​on denim patch on the back pocket — the kind you can buy at Walgreens for $ 2. When I reminded him that I paid $ 50 for him to remove and resew the pockets, he insisted that this was good enough and would not redo it.
Overall, I would not recommend this tailor and am currently in search of a new one.

I brought a few pairs of pants in here to be hemmed and to have the back taken in. It wound up being about $ 35 per pair of pants, which I felt was a lot and I tried not to be shocked. He did do a very nice job with them, although one of the hems unraveled while I was at work. He fixed this pair for free as I had hoped. He definitely knows what he’s doing, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price for relatively inexpensive clothes. It might make more sense for a suit/​tux/​formal dress.

I’ve only been here once for a jean hem. I thought for a hem, $ 20 was pretty steep, and the hem eventually dropped. I would definitely give him another shot, though.
One thing to notice, getting in the door is a little tricky. Use the keypad to get in the front door, then go through the door on you RIGHT. From there, go to the left. Cornelio is on the right.

After lots of googling, talking to people, and looking in windows, I took my new suit to Cornelios to be tailored. Hands down it was far better than my very high expectations. Cornelios isn’t just some dry cleaner/​shirt mender, it’s a real tailor shop and that’s all he does 100% of the time. My suit looked perfect when he was done like he’d done all the major alterations I needed while I was wearing the suit. I’m pretty picky about symmetry and perfection and after inspecting my suit and shirt when he was done, I was unable to tell that it was even touched. The alterations were pretty major on top of that! If you’re in the area, check this place out. The guy is friendly and extremely skilled.

I’ve taken a lot of different things to Cornelio’s — suits, dress pants, jeans — to be altered and he always does a great job. He’s not one of those «dry cleaner tailors» that won’t do some things or can’t handle certain alterations. Everything turned out really professional — from shoulders being taken in on a suit to original hem on a pair of jeans.
Kind of on the pricey side, but worth it. Also, on my first visit he gave me $ 25 off.