Colonial Tailoring & Alterations

Good work but extremely overpriced. The owner charged me $ 18 to hem my toddler daughter’s Cinderella dress-​up costume, and $ 30 to sew the troop numbers and one patch on a Girl Scout sash. When I questioned her about the pricing, she simply shrugged and said «I charge what I charge.» That may be the case, but I will be taking my business — and my daughter’s Girl Scout sash — elsewhere.

I“ve used Colonial a couple times now. Valentine has a great eye and does meticulous work. While only getting pants hemmed, this still takes effort to make it look good. Top stitching was great and you wouldn’t know I had any alterations done.
Trust her!

I have brought my shoes in for repair and polish over the years, always extremely satisfied with their work, and the wonderful customer service. I just recently brought in two dresses that were too large and I’d given up hope in ever being able to wear – and Valentine worked wonders. Quickly and extremely reasonably priced. She is extremely honest and fair, pointing out what work needs to be done, and took considerable time and care in fitting the dresses for me. I feel like I have two custom-​made dresses now. I can’t recommend this business more highly, either for tailoring or shoe repair.

This review is really in regards to the price and workmanship. Other aspects of this shop are truly fantastic, and Valentine was a perfectly kind and helpful woman.
Now, onto the reason for the two stars. $ 125.00 to put gussets in a bridesmaid dress on short notice?! I understand that silk chiffon is very difficult to work with, and doing anything in a rush is inconvenient, but my tailor had quoted me $ 70.00 for the same work. Unfortunately she was out of town, and I had to try to find a tailor in a matter of days to get the dress completed. Luckily, I stumbled upon Colonial, but I feel pretty confident I could’ve found better.
After bringing in the dress, I was quoted what I consider a rather outrageous price, simply because I was desperate at the time. Being a negotiator by profession, I knew the tailor was taking advantage of me because I was out of options — evidenced by the fact that she was incessantly trying to justify the price by reminding me of how difficult it was going to be to alter my dress, how she was really doing me a favor, and how working with silk chiffon is «like surgery.»
Figuring I was going to get $ 125.00 worth of work done, I left my dress for alterations and returned to pick it up a few days later. The dress fit just fine — except that you could see my bra on both sides despite the fact that I’d worn the exact same bra for the fitting, and the seams on the gussets were pretty crooked. Again, I was reminded of just how much work was put into removing some fabric from the sides and sewing it in as gussets.
My fault for being in such a hurry and not negotiating the price down, but still — I won’t be returning. I’ll just have to pray my own seamstress never leaves town again!

Valentine was lovely! I brought in some shorts that needed to be fixed (they fit fine in the thighs, but way too big in the waist) and she worked wonders: they fit perfectly now, which is honestly something I’ve never said about shorts before! (Each pair did cost about $ 25 to fix). She was also extremely courteous and made sure that I tried on the shorts multiple times to ensure they fit the way I wanted them to. I’ll be back!

My mom and I brought our bridesmaid/​mother of the bride dresses in to Val for alterations and she did a beautiful, fllawless job. She was very careful when measuring and thought of everything to make sure that we would be comfortable in our dresses. She also got both dresses done very quickly! I will definitely be going back to Colonial the next time I need alterations!

Valentine can work miracles! I brought her a real challenge this week. One night this week, my daughter’s hamster pulled her very nice, new North Face winter jacket into his cage (yes, she left her jacket on the floor next to his cage) and the hamster did extensive damage chewing the fabric and making it, and the down feathers, his new bed. I was worried it was ruined forever but decided to see if Colonial Tailoring could fix it as it was new and we bought it big so our daughter could wear it next year too… Well Valentine did an amazing job on the entire shoulder of the coat which was chewed to bits (shredded on both the exterior and interior) — she used black liner and matched up the stitching and it looks GREAT. I love that she approached this very difficult job with a can-​do, positive attitude and worked really hard to make it look as good as possible given the damage. My daughter is absolutely thrilled, «wow, mom, you can’t even tell and please tell her how thankful I am as it’s my favorite jacket ever…» — now if she can keep her stuff off of her bedroom floor we will be in even better shape. This place rocks — highly recommend!!!

I have been taking my clothes to Valentine for over 10 years. She is the ultimate professional and reminds me of the meticulous seamstress my grandmother used to go to. Her work is outstanding and she is up to date on trends. She is a perfectionist, pleasant, prices her work fairly – and stands behind it. I don’t know how else to say I would not trust my clothes with anyone else. Thank you, Valentine!

She did a great job, and fast!

My mom and I both brought in multiple garments for alterations, and Valentine did a fabulous job with all our stuff. My mom had more conservative clothes that needed repairs, but I brought in a vintage dress I wanted to make some design changes to, and Valentine advised and executed my ideas perfectly. She even arranged for an earlier-​than-​normal pick-​up at no extra charge.
Four stars because, yes, it’s a bit more expensive than some other spots. But, I think it’s worth it. I tried another seamstress in Lexington and they were impatient and rude; this is the place to go if you want someone who takes her time, listens to your requests, and treats you like a whole human being. Not sure about the people who had bad experiences here… all I can say is that I had quite the opposite experience. :)

Val is a true find. As a petite business woman I end up needing alterations on almost all my clothing and I’ve tried many different tailors in the area. Val is hands-​down the very best at what she does. Her work is absolutely flawless and she is delightful to deal with, always accommodating and committed to her customers. Over the years I’ve also been impressed by her honest feedback and opinions – especially when I’ve tried on something and it actually doesn’t need to be altered!
So lucky I live right in Lexington, but Val is worth making the trip for. Not many people can do what she does, so beautifully

Valentine has a family full of quality tailors and craftsmen and women, and her attention to detail and care shows.
Unlike so many other, she does the work from front to back… measuring and marking up the needed work — and instead of passing it onto someone else to follow her lead, she does the work HERSELF. This makes a big, big difference in the final results.
She is kind and honest and you will not meet a better seamstress in the business.
If you care about how you look and like to support honest, hard working, local craft people — Valentine is someone you should be doing business with.
Highly recommended.

Do NOT pay attention to the people that give this place lousy reviews for shoe repairs. These guys don’t even do shoes repairs! Those reviewers must be thinking of some other place!
I bought a dress for a wedding just 4 days before the event. They had the alterations done in just 2 days, and the dress looks and fits perfectly. Reasonable price. This is my new tailor!

Valentine is the best tailor in the world. She custom tailored all my Valentino outfits.

Valentine is a jewel! I’ve entrusted alterations on dresses, pants, skirts, and a winter coat to her and she’s never let me down. She is old school in all the best ways.
So much better than dropping my stuff off at some dry cleaner where I never even meet the person who will be doing the work. Her husband will also do shoe repairs – not used this yet but plan to.

can u say ”magic” i had my jeans re-​attached hem by this tailor and it came out unbelievable. The best in Lexington