Royal Custom Tailor & Alteration

The best tailor I’ve found in Philly. I like to shop consignment and often need alterations — not just hems, but more complicated tailoring jobs like shrinking down jackets, etc. Plus I often need repairs for moth damage or just-​plain-​klutzy tears, sorry to say. I’ve spent a good amount of money there over four years or so.
So why two stars? They are so disorganized that you can’t be sure you’ll get your clothes back.
First, assume that your work will *not* be done when promised. I can live with that, even though I’m busy and am never happy to make multiple trips to the tailor when one should do; in fact I started giving them an extra week routinely, to save myself frustration. Granted you’ll still have the tense moment when they search frantically through stacks of clothing for your stuff, even with the extra time.
Second, never assume that when they hand you a stack of clothes, everything’s done. I brought in a stack of tailoring and repair a couple of months ago, and realized when I got it all home that one of the sweaters was not done; the safety pin was still where they put it, in the unrepaired hole. I had paid for the repair when I picked up, of course …
So I brought it back in, and they happily agreed to finish the job. So far so good …
… except that when I went back in for the sweater, the usual frantic search through stacks of clothing failed. They had lost my sweater. They assured me that it was in there somewhere, and promised to call me when they found it. That was more than a month ago. No call to apologize, no offer to refund the cost of the repair work that they may never have done — let alone an offer to cover the cost of the sweater.
I had a new jacket and skirt with me that day, and still have not had them tailored because I don’t yet have a line on a tailor who is nearly as skilled. ( Unilocal is not reassuring about the alternatives!) I was willing to overlook a *lot* of hassle for the excellent work. But the hassle of not being sure whether my clothing will disappear forever when I drop it off is too much, sad to say.
Lisa

My bridesmaid dress fit perfectly (whew!), but of course was like a foot too long. I came to see Mr. Chun at Royal to get my dress hemmed. Mr. Chun was super friendly (and actually incredibly cute – so smiley!), and got my dress hemmed in under a week – and the job is absolutely perfect.
Cost me $ 35 to hem the dress, but given that the timeline was reasonable and the job was done so well, I’m fine with price.
Cash only!

Unfortunately I got my bridesmaids dress in a 6 (long story) and I normally wear a 0−2− needless to say it needed to be taken in ALOT and hemmed ALOT.
After a very thorough review of every single tailor in CC, considering mostly the expected cost and satisfaction of people who had dresses tailored, I decided on Royal Custom Tailor.
The couple who owns it is sooo sweet, and the husband who does the alterations does excellent work.
Okay, changing behind the «drape» is a little weird… but I’m not too worried about it there’s no way that man is any kind of creep. He makes you feel very comfortable during the fitting, but maybe he should consider getting a thicker drape.
He did a great job completely reconstructing my dress for $ 90 (it has three layers and is silky/​chiffon) and had it done in a week. I’m really glad I chose their services and would go back if I needed to.
It is cash only and he likes you to leave a small cash deposit (maybe half of your quote or something).I only had 20 bucks on me when I dropped it off and he said that was fine :)

The short of it: Half finished work, Late, Charged more than quoted, Poor customer service
I had to have a bra built into my open back maid of honor dress for my sisters wedding, and some slight alterations to the fit. I came in on a Saturday, and was told to come back on one of the three week days when there would be a master dressmaker with 14 years if experience that could help me, and to bring a bra to have sewn into the dress. I returned only to have the same man wait on me. He tried to get me to raise the back of the dress, and communication was very difficult. I kept on asking about the bra part, and he told me that I was confused, but seemed to be avoiding my questions. I came to pick up my dress at the end of the Friday that it was supposed to be ready, and was told that it would not be ready until Monday. When I returned on Monday, I was surprised to run into my sisters fiancées sister (future family!) who was also having her dress for the wedding tailored. I was excited to run into her, but it definitely made me more compliant with the tailor. The bra had been sewn between two layers of the dress, but so that it floats around the inside and is more just padding than support. I’m pretty flat chested, and I just needed something to fill out the dress, so it achieved that, however it’s very awkward in that it’s not attached on the bottom so my padding keeps on floating up above my actual chest… awkward. He also had the idea to lower the collar, but didn’t do it, and when I pointed it out to him he blew it off saying that the dress looked beautiful. He then charged me $ 65, even though he quoted me $ 50, and had written it on the ticket. He’s said «you understand» and claimed it had been extra work. In the interest of having my dress on time, and not fighting the shop owner in front of my future family I sucked it up, took my dress home and added the necessary stitches myself.

Was not impressed. Unilocal led me astray.
Went in to get a suit altered. He put the pins in with the proposed changes it looked great. When I actually got the item back, it didn’t fit the way it was supposed to when he did the initial consultation. The sleeves were still too long and so I had him adjust them again. He tried to convince me that they were fine, but honestly, I wasn’t even sure he altered them in the first place.
When I came to pick it up the second time on the agreed time, it took about 10 minutes of searching and lo and behold, the work had not been done yet. He told me to come back at the end of the day and he was able to finish it by then, but I hate coming back twice in one day.
I should have taken a closer look at the pants, but did not at the time. The break was longer than it had been with the pins and get this, he turned a pair of flat-​front pants into pleated pants! I hate pleats! Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate!!! He had even asked me during the consultation if I wanted pleats and I said «NO, Flat!» I didn’t find this out until I had to wear the suit and it bothered me the whole night.
All this, sleeve shortening, narrowing the coat, shortening the pant length, and supposedly tightening the pants up in the seat, cost $ 114.
I plan to go elsewhere from now on.
CASH ONLY.
P.S — Pleats are horrible!

I used Royal Custom Tailor per Unilocal’s recommendations. I read the reviews and decided to go. I would definitely recommend GOING EARLIER than you think you need your item.
I needed to have a silk dress altered for a wedding. I took it to other tailors in the city and they refused to even attempt to fix it. The owner measured me and at the time I felt he wasn’t measuring exactly enough but I was wrong.
I told them two weeks and when I called to see if it was complete they did not know my reference number on my slip (keep your slip) and couldn’t find the dress. I went down to the shop and immediately spotted my dress hanging — pins still in place. The shop closed in 15 minutes and they told me to come back then. Despite my fears I did as they said and sure enough it was complete when I returned. It was done beautifully. I would never have known they did it that fast.
I’ve used them multiple times since then for alterations and highly recommend them.

Excellent service and very friendly too. I’ve had to get a lot of alterations over the past year from losing a lot of weight, and Royal is able to continue saving my wardrobe.

The owner is super nice and friendly. He makes you feel warm and welcome in his shop. The workmanship is superb. In the conversations we’ve had, I found out that he’s been a tailor for over 40 years. First in South Korea then in the US in the SAME shop for 30 years! Amazing. He wouldn’t stay in business for this long if he didn’t know what he was doing.
I brought in my wedding dress to get the length shortened and the shoulders lifted. Keep in mind, my wedding dress is not a super elaborate gown. It’s light and airy so I was hoping to keep it that way. Despite all the positive reviews on Unilocal,I was a little nervous about letting them do the alteration because I wasn’t sure if he was listening to what I was saying. I said I wanted the top layer to just kiss the ground and the bottom layer should be about 1″ shorter. The hem should be finished with a 1/​8″ baby hem finish. I ended up getting exactly what I described. I think he knew what needed to be done even without my explaining. That’s how good he is. The alteration process was very quick! I requested a second fitting so I came back 1 week later to try on the dress again. The shoulders were lifted by then so the lady that helped me (maybe the wife?) re-​marked the length again. Less than a week later, I came back to pick up the dress. I tried it on again before I left (just in case) and it was perfect! So happy with their expert craftsmanship and wonderful customer service! I thought the price was very reasonable too. I was expecting to pay upwards of $ 100 for the alteration (because anything with the word «wedding» automatically adds a surcharge), but it came out to about half that. Despite other reviewers saying their items were not ready by the promised date/​time, I did not have that problem at all!

I ordered a custom gown from another retailer and the sizing came out all wrong. I was in a panic because I needed the gown for an event two days later. I was referred to Royal Custom and am happy I listened. I called in first and asked if they could tailor the dress within 24 hours; he very sweetly said, «come on in!» Originally, I was quoted $ 100 and was told would have to come back the next day for more fittings which I was happy to do considering I needed the dress to be perfect. I had the train shortened a few feet, the dress raised, and the chest/​arms taken in. They did it all in three fittings for $ 120 cash only and he made sure I had the dress back before the end of the day. Considering the work that went into the gown and the seriously limited time frame I gave them, I feel like the price was reasonable. I’ve never really been happy with a tailor before, but this experience was smooth. He didn’t want me leaving with the dress until it was perfect and it showed he really cares for his craft.

Not a lotta chit chat. You come in and he has you put the garment on using sign language. He then puts a bunch of pins in and he’s done. Gives a bill, cash only. you pay now. come back in a week. badabing! $ 80 to tailor a nice suit and hem pant. Not bad.

I bought a new suit at Macy’s and the associate referred me to Royal Custom Tailor because the in-​store tailoring would take two weeks and I needed my suit for a wedding before then. This was a simple job, hem the pants, that’s it.
I was scheduled to pick up my pants a week later and when returning to the store at noon on the day of pickup, the employees could not find my pants. After 15 minutes of searching, they were found under a pile of clothes on a front table and no alterations had been made. I was told to come back after 4:30 p.m. and they would be ready. I returned at 5 to pick up the pants and they were ready. I asked for a discount for the inconvenience and the staff conveniently exaggerated the language barrier. After paying full price (which is higher than most tailors in the city because they are considered «expert» or «master» tailors), I took my pants and told the staff I will not be back. There are plenty of other tailors in the city who understand customer service (and the English language) — this is not one.

Only tailor I’ve ever known that can make my shirts fit right. An expert.

Found Royal Custom through Unilocal Talk (needed a tailor for a wedding I’m in).
I was very pleased with his work… I needed the dress hem fixed and he suggested a few other alterations (which I’m so happy I went with since the dress looks great!).
Few things to know… Weekdays he realistically opens at 9am (maybe 8:45). It’s cash only and deposit (of whatever you feel) is asked up front.
Wasn’t the cheapest place but I’m not that knowledgable on the going rate (I just needed it done properly).
Other Unilocalers claim their stuff wasn’t done on time… Mine was done early (I called). So take that for what you will.

I used Royal Custom Tailor for years before moving out of Philly. They’re head and shoulders above any other tailor i’ve used in town, and i’ve used a number in Center City. I have used them for alterations to dress shirts and suits, and i have always come away happy.
They’re not expensive, but they’re not cheap either. That said, if you need something done by someone with actual skill and not just some fool with a sewing machine, then i wouldn’t trust my clothes to anyone else.
On top of being an expert tailor, all the people there are very friendly and professional.
As to the other comments on getting things done on time, yes, they sometimes over-​promise their turn-​around time. Definitely call ahead before picking up. When i’ve had a strict deadline, i called a day in advance and simply confirmed that the work would be completed by the next day.

Very happy with the service here. They added a few patches to a jacket for me and they did it in just a few hours for $ 10. Highly recommended.

It HURTS me to give Royal Custom only three stars when the work they did on my dress was phenomenal. I received a dress from an online seller two weeks before a wedding and realized that it was too small and desperately needed to be let out. They helped me. The dress looks great, and they were fast.
So why only three stars? That is because I was told to expect my dress on one day, I called the day after, and it was only ready two days after the day I was told to expect it. So don’t expect the delivery date to really mean much.
I feel that because of this I cannot fairly rate Royal Custom higher than three stars. The ironic thing is that if they had just given me the actual delivery date in the first place, I would have definitely given them four stars since it was still super, super fast.
But will I be taking all of my tailoring jobs to them in the future? Heck yes.

Not sure if their rates are reasonable. They altered the hem on my bridesmaid dress which shouldn’t be that expensive and it cost me $ 35 WITHOUT getting the dress pressed and steamed (I also think that they’re unable to press or steam because it seems to be strictly tailoring). However, they can do it for you QUICKLY which is a +++ over all the other places I called.
So the owner and all the tailors who I interacted with are very nice and professional. The hemmed the dress properly. Knocking down a star because to charge $ 35 and take only cash seems pretty ridiculous.

$ 25 to take in straps sounded reasonable — until I found out that my sister altered the exact same dress (bridesmaids) for less. She got the straps done, the hem shortened, pressed and steamed for $ 20.
They also lost the eye for the hook and eye on at the top of the zipper — which they were not adjusting. They replaced the .01 cent eye, obviously, but not before trying to convince me it was never there.
Oh well, on to the next tailor.
P. S. Cash only. Get with the times.

I’ve used this tailor twice again since my first venture into clothing alterations and I have to say, I think I’m getting addicted to tailoring, especially for nice pieces. Very proud of making my New Year’s Resolution of losing 20 pounds, I brought them a pair of pants to get taken in and they were completed perfectly and promptly. The damage for that was around $ 20 or so, and they did an excellent job.
Just this past week I brought in my nicest blue skirt suit that I need to wear next week. My boyfriend bought it for me as a gift during my last job search so it has a lot of sentimental value, but it’s gotten a bit too big and I was very afraid of alterations not working out. The gentleman who runs the shop nipped it in with pins in three places– skirt, sleeves, and sides of the jacket. The bill surprised me somewhat, it was $ 88 for the alterations with half due upfront, but the suit is fully lined, worth well over double that amount, and I wanted it to look right so I shrugged it off. I’m glad I did.
When I went to pick up at the designated time, a week after bringing it in, they were just finishing it up and I was told I could wait a bit if I wanted, but I said «don’t rush, take your time,» and went back in the next day to pick it up. Trying it on was everything I hoped it would be and more. The skirt was ingeniously seamed so that the lines still fall properly (accentuating a slight booty curve without being too snug) and the jacket fits like a dream. My boyfriend gave it two thumbs up and I will feel so polished at the conference I’m attending next week. Couldn’t be happier with this place!
FYI, cash only, or checks if they know you and it’s a large amount.

Its not the cheapest place in town, its not the quickest or best customer service, but this is the best tailor I’ve found in my life. I took all my grandfather’s suits and now they all fit like a glove. One suit he completely removed the arms in order to take the shoulders in and you could never tell that it wasn’t custom made.
If what you really care about is the clothes and not fast, easy, cheap service then this is where to go.