Tailors International

Hands down, the best tailor in New Orleans is Manuel.
However, other people in New Orleans know that too, so don’t expect him to get to your work for at least two to three months.

My man Manuel is a one man band with a singer sewing machine. I needed an alternation done on one of my high end dress shirts immediately upon touching the garment he remarked how well constructed it was, which told me this guy knows his stuff.
Manuel pattern matches where ever he cuts and is very precise with the measurements. Just do not expect quick because quality work is seldom done quickly. He charges more but I fully got what I paid for, it may take some work to find the place but well worth it.

Manuel is the man! This is THE place to go in NOLA if you need a suit coat tailored. I came by to tailor 3 suits and he did a great job. One of my suits was a «custom» tailored suit from a trip to Thailand. The fabric and cut were great but the Thailand tailor was horrid. Manuel knows his stuff and nearly dismantled the whole thing and worked magic. His prior experience as a suit maker shines through.
He’s a great guy to talk to as well if you have a few minutes while getting measured. I call him the Spanish Mr Miyagi of tailoring. One word of caution, he is rather popular and speak with him about your timeline. I’ve had things done quickly, but for best results give the artist time to work his craft.

I brought a suit in to be tailored with a fairly short timeframe before I needed to pick it up for a wedding (I dropped it Monday afternoon and needed it by Thursday afternoon). I had no idea what a phenomenal job they could do! I was floored by the beautiful job they did on the jacket– you would never know that it had been altered. It was absolutely impeccable. The prices are amazing for the quality of work that they do. I’ll never patronize another dry cleaner’s in New Orleans again, and can’t believe that I went nine years without them!

I have used this tailor for many suits I have purchased since 2006. He is gruff and older, but absolutely fabulous! He does not quote on the phone — a total in person thing. No one could accurately quote without seeing the gament anyway. I have been referring business professionals to him for many years.

If you need an expensive item nicely tailored — Manuel is your man. He is friendly and does a fantastic job! I have had him tailor women’s dress pants and ball gowns for me and each job has been fantastic. Worlds better than a cheap tailor at a dry cleaner.
As one reviewer noted, it can be hard to get a quote from him but I have never been overcharged. In fact, he has done small tailoring for me free of charge occasionally bc I have been a loyal customer. That is true customer service.

Tailors International is the trade name of a one-​man operation with over 70 years (yes, YEARS) of tailoring experience. That man’s name is Manuel. Manuel is by far my favorite tailor. I have worked with over a dozen in the past five years, and he is absolutely the best.
Here’s a little story about Manuel that several of his friends know: When he was 10 years old and walking to school in Spain, Manuel used to walk by a tailor’s window. He showed interest in what was happening behind the glass, and it wasn’t long before he was offered an apprenticeship. One of the hardest tasks to do in the process of creating a man’s bespoke (look it up) sportcoat or suit is hand-​stitching the buttonholes on the jacket sleeves. As an apprentice, Manuel stitched buttonholes every day after school. His master tailor admired the boy’s work and started to ask if he’d rather do something else. Manuel insisted no, he was happy stitching the best buttonholes that he could. Tells you something about his character, right?
I’ve noted another review on this page which surprised me. Back in the 1940s when Manuel got his start, «price lists» weren’t exactly the rage. You brought yourself and your item to your tailor, the two of you chatted about what you wanted to have done, and the tailor would quote you a price based on his experienced estimate of the difficulty and time involved. So my friendly, humble, and sincere advice is to give Tailors International a chance.
Go visit Manuel in person and you’ll have a conversation with him that will include a lot of things — one of those things will be how much it’s going to cost to get your work done. Manuel is extremely friendly, but his English isn’t the best. When you spend a little time talking to him about your clothes and how you want to feel in them, you’ll be glad you stopped in.
Manuel’s positive work ethic and spirit permeate everything that he sews to this day. His customers (including me) have often heard him say, «Every stitch is my signature.» And let me tell you, he means it!
Here’s a list of exceptionally tailored garments that Manuel has completed for me: an expensive formal uniform jacket (no normal tailor would ever have thought to deconstruct the shoulders and roll the back of the jacket forward, but Manuel demonstrated his idea for me right away and it worked!); two pairs of formal uniform pants (one with extensive modification); a custom-​sized pair of work uniform pants (didn’t want to spend another $ 50 on a new pair just because I bought the wrong size); and, a black sportcoat that went from a 160-​dollar-​sack to a finely tailored conversation piece (strangers have complimented me for it).
If you want to look like a million bucks in New Orleans and you are willing to wait for great results (typical turn-​around is 3 weeks), you MUST go to Manuel. He is located on the 14^th floor of the Place St Charles building, usually 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.

I called Tailors International to ask for a ballpark price range on a very simple, basic alteration to a suit jacket and pants. Not only did they refuse to give me a price, they got surly and then hung up the phone when I asked again. This is a new low in customer service even for New Orleans! Avoid.

If you are looking for a real tailor, rather than just someone doing alterations in a dry cleaning business, look no further. He’s worked magic on my suit coats and blazers.
It takes longer than going to the cleaners, but he knows how a suit is supposed to fit, and does high-​quality work.
They can be tough to find. They are on the 14^th floor of the Place St. Charles.