Sylvia Bentcheva Couture

Quick and easy. I had two suit jackets brought in around the mid-​section. I’m very pleased with the work; both jackets look much better on me.

I have referred many clients to Sylvia and I wanted to say she has done an excellent job with all my referrals ! thank you Sylvia.

Sylvia did a great job hemming my wedding dress, adding bustling and pressing it. She really worked with me on the price, as I wasn’t able to afford the original quote. I am very happy with the work she did.

What a great seamstress! Not only did she get do a stunning job on my wedding gown, she finished it a week earlier than she initially quoted.
Sylvia was friendly, and easy going. I was really anxious to go get my dress fitted but not only did she put me at ease, she made me feel totally ok with what she was doing and the costs that went along with them. She let me know cost of each section as we worked on my dress so nothing was a shock. She even added some tucks to the back that not only made the bustling easier for my bridesmaids, it made it cheaper. In addition, the tucks made my already beautiful dress even more stunning.
When I went for my final fitting I didn’t like the back and she quickly worked to figure out how to fix it. She untacked the panel to my corset and dropped it an inch or two and viola! Perfection. I was a little worried that it was tight but we did the math on my cycle and she said I should be fine, it was just bloat. And she was spot on. Any areas that were a bit snug not only fit, I had to cinch the corset even more!
Was it pricey? Maybe. But not much more than saw out there and the one on one care I got far surpassed the few extra dollars I pay have paid.
I live in San Francisco and too many seamstresses that charge a lot aren’t worth their cost, they only charge it because the rent on their studio space it high. Sylvia works from her home and though initially that made me wonder how legit it was, in the end it made me feel at ease and not have to worry about interruption and really know my dress was safe with her.
thank you Sylvia, I got so many compliments!

I lived in Europe for long time and was looking for alteration, for my European dresses.
Sylvia everything what somebody can wish in help with very professional atelier skills She is very professional, very helpful with very sharp knowledge in couture.
I’m looking for many happy returns.
Best regards.
Galia.

The work Sylvia has done for me is quite simply beautiful. She knows what she is doing, is professional and efficient and makes sure I understand the work involved and the cost. She even explains different options to reduce the price, and the pros and cons of each. I am always thrilled with the results and highly recommend her!

See below for brilliant business tactics from the owner.
Unilocal is an opinion based website and it is not libel (nor slander) to share your honest opinion so others don’t have to endure the torture you have. You’ve only proven my point by continually harassing me, and having your friends harass me. I’m not going to take this down, despite your aggressive tactics. This is my honest experience and other people should know what doing business with you is like.
It is, however, fraud to have your friends post fake, 5 star reviews to up your rating. It’s also fraud for your friends to private message me and pretend to be lawyers when they are not. ⁵⁶⁄₇₀ of my reviews are favorable, which is 80% POSITIVE.
Now that we’ve proven your inability to properly do math, execute business savvy, and unfamiliarity of the law I’d be happy to move on– as I did 3 days ago until this comment of yours landed here today. Please stop harassing me. If you want better reviews then you should run a better business.

Sylvia was not only a pleasure to work with, but the quality of her work was superb. I needed repairs done on the lining of a vintage, heavy coat, as well as an alteration on the hem of some summer pants. I really appreciated her stylistic suggestions on the work I was asking her to do. The repair/​alteration was not only skillfully done, but she took the time to reinforce the coat beyond the original damage. I am happy to have found a truly reliable and creative person for any alterations I need in the future. Thank you Sylvia.

I bought my wedding dress in SoCal and decided to have alterations done in NorCal. With custom changes, the hefty price tag, and nine months of waiting I was nervous to take my dress to anyone.
After some extensive internet research I decided to give Sylvia a call. Immediately she put my mind at ease and I made an appointment to come in and have her take a look at my dress. We soon realized that what seemed like minor alterations were in fact a little more complicated. However, Sylvia didn’t hesitate at the challenge.
With a tight schedule and a trip in her midst, Sylvia managed to complete alterations to my dress in a week! It fit beautifully, and you couldn’t tell that the dress had ever been touched. She made the french bustle on my dress easy for others to tie even though it required five bustles! Everything was pressed to perfection.
From the first phone call to the last hook she sewed on, Sylvia was very professional, attentive to details, and very accommodating. She is a rare gem, and thanks to her my dress and my big day turned out beautifully!
Sylvia takes pride in her work and it shows in every stitch. I wouldn’t hesitate to see her again!

Sylvia just made my wedding dress for me from scratch and I could not be more pleased! I knew what I wanted in a wedding dress and did not want to even bother going to a dress store and going through hundreds of fluffy strapless dresses! However, I know nothing about sewing… enter Sylvia. She had beautiful Italian silk and worked with me putting together this amazing dress (she was excited by the end too!). I will put pictures up when I get them. She also does alterations (minor to major) as well as designs her own which are beautiful although setup for a small bride (which I am NOT).
If you are in need of an alteration or a dress from scratch call Sylvia up. You will not be sorry!
Sylvia: feel free to use me as a reference anytime (you can give my number or email is fine).

Sylvia ‘s work was excellent and timely. She did what I asked her to do and finished it the day she said she would. Beautiful work.

I came to Sylvia the week of my wedding with a ridiculously over-​sized shirt. I thought there was no way that much extra fabric could be dealt with without ruining the cut. However, Sylvia was able to work magic and the shirt fit perfectly. Not only that, but she used a much better stitching pattern and actually improved the cut tremendously. (I wish I had done a before and after!) To top it all off the shirt was ready days before. She was a pleasure to work with and you can tell she really cares about making you look your best. She is the best I’ve ever gone to and I will be taking everything to her from now on. The attention to detail and personal service cannot be beat. Thank you Sylvia!

I wore my sister’s wedding dress for my wedding and I was nervous about getting it altered since I was not working with a bridal shop. I found Sylvia through Unilocal and she was great. She helped me determine the right length for the dress and straps and made recommendations based on what was economical for me and not more money for her. The hem on my Melissa Sweet dress was intricate and she was able to alter it in a way that still looked great but wasn’t as expensive as replicating the exact hem. My dress was also VERY wrinkled and she spent a lot of time ironing it, but was honest up front about what she might not be able to get out.
She also makes beautiful high quality veils. She had me try one on with this gorgeous french ribbon which looked great with my dress. She was not pushy at all with it — I felt like she wanted me to see how a veil can enhance a dress. I never wanted to wear a veil but it was so pretty with my dress, I was almost convinced!
I am definitely going to return to Sylvia with future alterations.

I would highly recommend Sylvia to any bride looking for a seamstress. She did some major alterations to my Pronovias gown and the end result was amazing. I had a strapless gown and she knew exactly how to alter it to make sure I wouldn’t be tugging it up all night– it was perfect and fit like a glove. Don’t feel like you have to go into SF to find a quality seamstress, we have one right here in Marin!

i came to sylvia from the last review that a Unilocaler had given her. i was really nervous to trust my wedding dress with just anyone but sylvia is simply AMAZING.
i purchased my dress from a bride in ohio, when it arrived it had 5 holes… full on holes in the skirt of the dress!!! i was in panic mode, they were fully visible, the dress is silk taffeta and i didn’t know how it would be fixed?! the dress is melissa sweet mila… and is not the easiest dress to work with!
sylvia was honest, opinionated and passionate. the first fitting was an hour and a half… we spent a ton of time coming up with a plan. i left confidant that she would make the dress work. two weeks later i came in for my second fitting. the skirt was completely fixed without a trace of the previous damage! she had to cut seems where the holes were and to hide the seems she made box pleats. she had also taken the bodice in from a size 10 to a size 4 and it fits like a glove! she spent another hour with me getting the hem just right.
on saturday i went in for my last and final fitting… the dress is everything i had imagined. she worked miracles.
please go see sylvia, you will not be disappointed with her work. make sure to stand your ground with her if you have an opinion!

I bought a wedding gown off eBay, and needed to find someone to do my alterations. I didn’t have much luck looking here on Unilocal,and most bridal salons only do alterations on gowns purchased at their stores. Sylvia actually «found» me when I posted my backup dress on Craigslist. She offered her services as «gown customization», rather than alterations because every bride is different, and she helps you to make that gown special for you and your body. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to go and meet with her in person to see how much she would charge to «customize» my gown.
Sylvia works out of her apartment in Larkspur. It’s a nice drive for those who do not live in the North Bay, and pretty easy to find. We clicked right away — she is very to the point and doesn’t waste your time trying to sell you services you do not need. She knows that most of us have a budget in mind and was very helpful to recommend ways of doing things more cost efficiently, and even offering options on what you could do and not need to do.
I left my dress with her after a very comprehensive but constructive session on what needed to be done. She promised me it would be done in 2 weeks (even though my wedding is not for another 6 months). She said she doesn’t like to procrastinate, and if we got my dress done, it would be another thing to cross of my list of wedding preparations. Sure enough, 2 weeks later I picked up my dress and it was perfect!
Sylvia knows what she is doing because she has been a seamstress for many years, starting off in alterations, and now doing her own custom designs. Her gown customization is based on experience, after having worked on many very well known gown brands, such as Pronovias, Reem Acra, Vera Wang, Lazaro, Jim Helm, and Caroline Herrera. Sylvia can also help you to finalize your bridal look with her own custom made jewelry and veils.
I highly recommend Sylvia to any brides out there who need «customization» of their gowns, or even those wanting custom made gowns. Like I said, she also does custom jewelry and veils, and evening wear. She is very professional and passionate about what she does.