Custom Design & Alterations

Like one of the other reviewers, I unfortunately had an «over-​promise, under-​deliver» situation here as well. I took a bridesmaid dress here for some minor alterations, based on the great reviews. I tried the dress on, Jean marked it up, and we scheduled a date for me to come back and pick it up. I let him know that I was flying to Jamaica for the wedding and needed it by that date, etc. When the date came, I got to the shop about 15 minutes before our scheduled meeting time and found the door locked. I knocked, no answer, called, no answer, so I left a voicemail and waited until the time we had scheduled. I knocked and called again, nothing. I ended up spending 45 minutes waiting outside his shop, knocking and calling, before I finally gave it one last try and banged on the door one last time (in my frustration, much louder than before.) Jean opened the door. He had been inside the entire time, NOT answering the phone or the door. Not only that, but he hadn’t made any note of the date I was supposed to pick up the dress, and couldn’t even find my dress inside the shop. Luckily, I had added in an extra day between when the dress was supposed to be ready and when I had to leave for the trip, and Jean was able to have it ready the next day. And… not that I was necessarily owed anything, because it ended up working out, but his prices weren’t cheap, and I don’t think I even got an apology. :/​
I was really disappointed, because Jean was very nice. I enjoyed working with him when we first met, but I won’t go back. I get that he’s busy, and I get that things happen and sometimes jobs won’t be ready on time, but if I can’t even trust that he will write the date in his calendar? No thanks.

The tailor, Jean, is INCREDIBLE! This is my second time coming to him, first was for a bridesmaid dress and now for my wedding dress. With the bridesmaid dress, he saved my $ 100 by offering alternate solutions (like cinching in the waist with a belt) to the alterations the bridal shop suggested. He could’ve gotten a lot more money from me but instead he told me what was best for me and saved me money.
Now, my wedding dress is intricately beaded and about 1.5 inches too big on the top of the dress. Luckily it was the only alteration, but required him basically re-​beading the top 2 inches of the dress. He was honest that it was going to be a pain for him but he only charged $ 120 for this very detailed work! I just picked my dress up and it looks amazing. It perfectly fits my torso and you can’t tell at all that it was altered.
Highly, highly recommend! Just be sure to call when you’re thinking of heading over (for drop-​off and pick-​up). Since he’s a one man show, he sometimes needs longer or won’t be in the shop.
I can’t imagine going to another tailor ever again.

I was unfortunately disappointed with my experience here. I totally understand that business is booming, which is great, but I ran into an «overpromise, under deliver» situation. The other issue I encountered was the actual alteration on the bridesmaid dress I brought in.
1) Overpromise, under deliver: I said I needed the dress done by a wedding in mid-​November. Jean said he could have it done the Saturday before I left. On the Saturday it was supposed to be done, he called and said he didn’t have it done. He asked if he could instead have it done by Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. I said I needed it done by Tuesday because my flight out was on Wednesday and I was worried that if any last minute alterations needed to be done that there wouldn’t be time. He said okay. When I called on Tuesday afternoon to let him know I was coming to pick it up, he apologized but said he had gotten the dates confused and that my dress wasn’t ready and it wouldn’t be ready until the next day – the day I was flying out. He said he would have it done first thing in the morning and that he could do any quick alterations necessary in under an hour. This was extremely stressful for me because I was still worried it might not be done. Luckily, he called me early Wednesday morning and said I could come pick it up.
2) Alterations: I needed the bridesmaid dress hemmed and taken in considerably (reworking the entire zipper). The dress was hemmed about a quarter to a half an inch too short and my feet stuck out more than the other bridesmaids. However, my biggest issue was with the zipper. On the hanger, the dress zipped up completely. When I tried it on, there was about a 4-​inch gap from the zipper closing. The bizarre part is that the dress fit (ie there was enough fabric to close it), it just wouldn’t zip up those last 4 inches. Jean tried to assist, but had just put lotion on his hands, so I figured that since it was able to zip on the hanger and since there was enough fabric to zip it up, it would be fine in real life. Stressful situation #2: It was not fine. Later that day, I had two of the other bridesmaids try to zip me into the dress just to make sure it would be okay for the wedding the next day. They tried unsuccessfully for 20 minutes before we gave up and decided to start fresh on the day of the wedding. On the day of the wedding, the hair person, the make-​up person, the photographer, AND another bridesmaid all tried to zip up the remaining 4 inches and again, the zipper did not want to budge. There was one little seam that it just couldn’t get over when I was actually wearing it. We tried for another 20 minutes before figuring it might be time to just safety pin it up. However, before we did this, I had an idea to try to zip it around my stomach and then shimmy my way into the dress. This ended up working out and the dress fit perfectly. Needless to say, however, it was an added element of stress right before the wedding.
Overall, I was just disappointed because of the stressful situations I encountered despite what I paid to get the dress altered.

Excellent job hemming my grandmother’s vintage dress to take it from tea length to a much more flattering height right above the knee. Jean was incredibly kind, easy to work with, and obviously excels at his job.
One piece of advice: the shop is crazy busy with quite a backlog of work, so be sure to call the day of (or the day before) you are expecting to pick something up (even if you gave a deadline) to make sure it’s on Jean’s attention to complete before you arrive.

EXCELLENT SERVICE! I called first based on the reviews. I needed my bridesmaid dress altered. Jean was very friendly. I told him I needed to come early and he told me if that’s the case, I’d need to bring breakfast :) Hidden gem on the second floor of a strip of shops. Jean was very attentive, listened to exactly what I wanted, gave suggestions, and ultimately gave me a date to come pick it up. On-​time and more than fair pricing. I highly recommend!

Jean is a master and artiste — all of the raves are true! Just be sure to call ahead to set up an appointment, and be patient as he is incredibly busy (for good reason). I have an unusually small waist, and absolutely nothing fits me off the rack, but I am happy to pay what I call «the tailor tax» just to have streamlined, perfectly fitted professional clothes. Prices are amazing considering the amount of work that he does. Love this place!

Jean Marcel is super chill and does excellent work. Such a gem! I’m a fan and I would highly recommend this tailor. I had a dress tailored here last year and he did such a nice job on it. He is very knowledgeable about the nuances of clothing and fit.

Prices are fair. Work as awesome. Takes a little long to get things back but it’s well worth it. If you express that it’s an emergency he will work with you deliver product sooner. I have referred multiple people to him. I ahve had shirts, pants, men’s suits altered.

If you are looking for a tailor that is the epitome of professionalism and care… Look no further. You have found Jean. First and foremost, Jean is a classic, sophisticated gentlemen. All reasons why you would feel comfortable trusting your clothing with him.
I was asked to attend a ball last minute and purchased a dress that needed alterations due to my 5 ft stature. Bad news is I needed it done in 2 days… Yikes! I called him and he told me to come in to see if it is possible. Already generous — provided I received no’s from others.
I met with Jean after a consultation, he agreed to take on the dress. Little did I know that he said extra hours that same day just to make sure my dress was completed! Talk about a man who will go the extra mile! And the results! Amazing! It might be the best formal dress I’ve worn. I received a lot of compliments and jaw dropping stares. I had a great night and it would not be possible if it wasn’t for Jean.
Jean has a new client! Any tailoring needed I will wait for Jean. In fact, he was away on summer vacation for a whole month and my clothes are still waiting in a bag just for him. I promise to give him more than ample time now. I look forward to growing this client — business relationship.

Jean is impeccable, honest (he’ll tell you how things really look on you or if he thinks there’s a better way to do something!), affordable and creative in finding solutions to any tailoring job. He’s better than almost any tailor I’ve ever used, including the 15 years I lived in NYC. Really so surprised and happy to find him in the area.

Being a grown up means that I can (or should*) no longer rely on mommy to fix every day issues — like hemming pants that are too long (let’s be real, that’s ALL pants since i’m fun sized). Enter Jean — the best tailor EVER. His work is impeccable, but even more importantly, his prices are fair. The first time I went there, I was accompanying my roommate and had taken along a dress that looked good enough (or so I thought) but could *maybe* use some cinching if the price was right. He quoted me at $ 10 for the tailoring — i was FLOORED. That’s how much the Asian tailors at my dry cleaners charge for basic single layer hemming (thieves, obvi). Since then, he’s become my regular tailor and his service is what keeps me returning along with the prices. He’s hemmed dresses for me overnight for a wedding, and will keep the doors unlocked for me past his closing time if I’m stuck in traffic (which is always tbh).
I hope this mom & pop shop never leaves this area, but if it does, I’ll certainly be following right behind them.

Jean is amazing. He is very professional, and nice. I went to him two weeks ago for a dress and he did a great job. I went this week to get two pair of pants fixed and I was impressed with his work.
Jean is extremely busy but can accommodate your needs. To me, Being busy means he is in demand. Everyone I have seen walking out of his office is always happy both entering and leaving.
I’m extremely happy that I’ve found a good tailor because I’m the type that finds a good deal and will buy with the hopes of tailoring to my needs. I have lots of clothes with tags, years of being hung in closet just ready for Mr. Jean.

Excellent work and great service. I took in a complicated wrap dress (it had a ruffle on the bottom hem so could not be easily hemmed from the bottom) made of a delicate and slippery knit material, Jean was able to take four inches off the back and shorten the shoulders so it fit me perfectly. I got many compliments on the fit of the dress, Reasonably priced, excellent and quick work. I will be back!

Jean is a gentleman first and a top notch tailor second. His work is consistently perfect and never disappoints. There is noone else to see for delicate adjustments of your fine clothing.

Jean rocks! I have been going to Jean now for at least 10 years and he is an excellent craftsman, cares about his work and provides a great value for impeccable work.
I recommend him highly.

I am in my sister’s wedding the end of this week. My bridemaid’s dress was huge on me and looked far from flattering (as they are wont to be) on me. After looking for a respectable tailor on Unilocal I discovered Jean with all his 5 star reviews. He is INCREDIBLE!
After properly fitting my dress, he looked at the overall design and structure and said he could make a few adjustments that would keep the look, but would make it both more comfortable and flattering on me. The dress is a standard strapless, but I am not a fan, so in talking to my sister she said I could have him do whatever was necessary to make the dress more comfortable. So I asked Jean to make me some wider straps (the dress came with removable spaghetti straps). He was was able to make wide straps and make them removable in case my sister decided she wanted us to be strapless in her pictures. I loved his work and he was incredible helpful.
I will be back with my wedding gown soon to have him do all that tailoring. Workmanship, professionalism and customer service like Jean’s is hard to find in this day and age!

Fantastic customer service and work! The owner answered the phone after hours, AND allowed me to bring a top by that I needed done ASAP because another tailor botched it up. Not only did he accommodate my «emergency», but he did so with fantastic workmanship and excellent customer service. Ill be using him for all my tailoring needs in the future!

Jean is an outstanding tailor and custom designer. He has done my alterations for quite a while with excellent results on every ocassion. I have referred him to many of my friends and they all feel the same as I do. He can shorten sleeves that have a button hole, and then replace the button hole exactly like the others. I know no other tailor who does this with his level of expertise.
Rick Toye

I second Kathy’s 5-​star review! The proprietor’s name is Jean and he really is top notch. My husband had his wedding suit fitted here and I’ve had many a bridesmaid’s dress altered here as well.
I want to emphasize — please don’t let the location fool you. When I first arrived, I was hesitant, given that the building façade looks somewhat run down and the second floor hallway (where this shop is located) is downright crappy. Not to mention that it’s located on one of the busiest stretches of Georgia Avenue! But there is a metered lot just South of the building (turn off of Dale Drive) so it’s actually a piece of cake to get there. This business is a gem hidden in a crappy building.
Jean is professional (always wearing a tie and sometimes a full suit) and is very talented at what he does. I highly recommend him for all of your tailoring needs!
Also, for some reason, the Unilocal map is highlighting the wrong location. The address is correct, but just put it into Google Maps to make sure you get to the right spot.

Although I’ve had many alterations done at this shop, I’m embarassed to say I don’t know the proprietor’s name. But his work is wonderful, his prices are reasonable, and he has never failed me or my family.
He’s altered a suit in record time. He’s changed necklines and taken clothing in. I even brought him a gathered top that was too sheer to wear to work and asked him to devise a lining. Not only did he create a lining that looked like it was an original part of the garment, he used a satin and put the smooth side on the inside, so the top not only looks great but feels great to wear!
I’ve never had him make a custom garment, but I’ve seen his work in his shop, and it’s beautiful. I’ll be bringing him fabric and a pattern for my next special occassion.