Cai Yun’s Style

Had a great experience here. It’s such a treat to get clothes tailored to fit you, and Cai Yun does a great job. She took in two pairs of pants and a shirt for me after I’d lost some weight. They came back fitting great, no more baggy, billowy parts. They were nicely ironed and you really couldn’t see any evidence of the work except for the much improved fit. Cai Yun herself was very sweet and pleasant to deal with. Two things to note: she’s by appointment now and cash only, so call ahead.

I have had a variety of items altered here over the years and have always been very happy with the quality and price. I highly recommend Cai Yun.

Cai Yun’s Style is an Oakland gem & Cai Yun is a talented tailor, seamstress and stylist. She has fixed over 20 clothing items for me during the past 7 years, with repairs ranging from sewing the tears in pant seams, hemming, reinforcing pockets, expertly adding darts to a shapeless shirt, taking in a dress to make it 2 sizes smaller… the list goes on and on.
There’s really nothing Cai Yun can’t do in the realm of clothing. She understands what customers need, executes competently and timely, and interacting with her is a pleasure.

Had to get a new suit tailored for a wedding; Cai Yun finished the alterations in a week, just as scheduled. Make sure to call ahead for store hours.

I just had a dress altered by Cai Yun and she did an amazing job. It was a slightly complicated alteration (I’m cheap and would have done it myself otherwise), and she was very direct at the beginning about limitations and how it would look, which I appreciated. The dress looks fantastic and I can’t wait to wear it to my friend’s wedding.
The only catch was that the first time I went there, it appeared to be open (per hours shared online). I got to the storefront and it was completely closed. There was a sign that indicated you had to make an appointment, at least over the weekend. But once I knew that, it was easy to arrange the appointments.
I highly recommend Cai Yun for anyone in need of alterations or even custom clothing!

I’ve been meaning to get a couple of suits altered and finally made it to Cai Yun’s after hearing some good things from a relative who said she was very skilled. I don’t really know how to evaluate skill in this area but I trusted their judgement.
When I walked in, I explained I needed the jacket sleeves and pants shortened. (Yep, I didn’t know the proper term was ‘hemmed’ until later LOL my bad!) She said «Sure, let’s have a look» and carefully took measurements and pinned down how she would alter things. I wasn’t in a rush but she seemed to work pretty efficiently. If I didn’t have to change, I probably would’ve been in and out in 10 minutes. Another customer came by while we were finishing some measurements and was thrilled to get her garment back. She couldn’t stop expressing how happy she was with the result and praised her skills even as she walked out of the shop. That definitely gave me a bit more confidence in Cai Yun’s skill.
Workmanship: WOW! I don’t know how she did it. The jacket sleeves were shortened and pants hemmed but I couldn’t tell until I put it on and it looked exactly as I had imagined. She somehow hemmed the pants and stitched it on the inside without any visible work on the outside. Maybe that’s standard but I was really impressed. I was even more impressed by the jacket sleeves. Because she had to shorten the sleeves, it also meant she had to move the buttons on the sleeve up — otherwise it’d look weird. She did it in a way where I couldn’t even tell where the old stitches were. I was amazed. (To be fair, I’ve never had suits altered before from any other shop so you won’t really any comparison here. However, I was still extremely pleased with the results.) She was definitely very professional and skilled. I wore one of the suits to a wedding the following weekend and received multiple compliments on it.
Price: Her prices aren’t the cheapest but after asking some friends for how much they paid at other shops, it seemed fair and well worth the effort and skill I paid for.
I don’t normally get things altered but if I do in the future, I’ll be coming back here and I would highly recommend Cai Yun to friends.

I recently had several pants altered in the waist and was really pleased with the results. It was $ 20 for each alteration, but the quality of the workmanship was excellent, including adjusting the seat of the pants. Terrific fit now! In the end, I did feel it was worth it as these were some of my favorite pants and it was terrific to be able to wear them again. I frequent this shop for hemming services as well. My sewing skills are mediocre at best, so I greatly appreciate the professional work.
The service has always been very professional and warm. The material of the pants were all quite heavy cotton blends and were tailored, work pants.

First of all, the door was locked and she watched me struggle to get in and waited before opening the door.
Secondly, I went to get a simple cotton dress hemmed and she said it was going to cost $ 30. Are you freaking kidding me?
I went a few blocks to Doan Tailor, where I could open the door without looking like a fool and it only cost me $ 15 to hem the dress. Much more reasonable.

i walked in here awhile back and quickly turned around once she shared her pricing…
for some reason, I thought it might be a good idea to wander in and ask her if she knew of (or could do) a quick and easy task – ironing out or steaming my dress since I had realized it was a tad too wrinkled for work today.
bad idea. what ensued was an awkward – for me – and mean — on her behalf – interaction.
her friend or co-​worker was standing beside her as she said «no» to both of my inquiries – she was politely trying to encourage her to do it since it was so easy and, according to her friend, she could go in the back and do it really quick.
the lady looked annoyed, kept refusing me, and swatted her friend’s hand away as she tried to encourage her. it was just plain rude, and her refusal seemed arbitrary. I mean, i even offered to pay $ 10 for the super easy job!
whether she took it as insult or tedious request, I will never know. Yet, she is a prime example of why I sometimes don’t feel comfortable going to smaller, «local» business – they sometimes feel like it’s okay to just be jerks to their unsuspecting customers. i support my local communities – when they’re nice.
good luck with the business, lady.

I got a jersey maxi dress shortened. Not a hard thing, right?
The «measuring» took about 5 whole minutes, where she literally drew a chalk line around my feet. Having gone to a previous tailor who shortened the exact same dress in another color, who took about 10 seconds to pin it (and the result came out beautifully), it made me wonder if maybe her method was just more… «meticulous.» Except it wasn’t. Because I got the dress back with freaking jagged cut marks, as if she spent 30 seconds cutting the hem by hand. And what did it cost me? $ 30.
Jersey’s not a hard material to work with. Shortening a uniform hem is not a difficult task. I’m not entirely pissed because nobody looks at the hem of a maxi dress anyway, but this is some seriously sub-​standard work for way too much money.

Sharon did a great job custom making some pillows with watercolor images sewn on the fabric. They made a great gift for my family and she got them done on time. Her collection of hand made dresses and designs are very impressive.
Dave Ritter, a happy customer

I’ll admit it, I’m one of those assholes who buys overpriced raw denim. I also rarely wash them.
This admittedly gross practice and the unique factors of my anatomy (LA face with an Oakland booty) sometimes causes me to develop rather severe holes in the crotch of my jeans.
Now, like any good slave to fashion, when my clothes get damaged, I put off repairing them for fear of paying to have them ruined further. Well, after weeks of feeling the chilly fall air swirl around my ‘nads, I broke down and took my jeans to Cai Yun.
1 week later, my favorite pair of Momotaros has a reinforced crotch that could probably soften even the most severe kick to the boys (though I hope I never find out!).
Cai Yun did a lovely job and will be working on all my clothing that finds itself in need of repairs, and to those of you who are considering having her do denim repair, go for it. She did fantastic work.
Cash Only!

After getting my blouse. back, all I can say is WOW! I took a lined silk blouse in because I didn’t have time to do the alterations. I consider myself an experienced sewer and she did a better job than I could have. The fit was absolutely perfect and the quality was exceptional. She made alterations to the outer shell as well as the lining (so it wouldn’t have a weird bulk that would spoil the lines of the blouse). A quality job at a reasonable price. I can’t wait to go back for a custom fit for my other clothes or for a custom made outfit!

I had a completely different experience than all the other reviewers… maybe it was a one off.
at any rate, i took in a dress to be altered and the price was out of control. my old neighborhood place on Potrero Hill did a much better job, the service was better, and they charged A QUARTER the price.
nothing about this experience impressed me (in a positive way).
i will never go back, huge waste of time and money. the quality of work was mediocre. it still doesn’t fit right, but she kept telling me it did. uh… i’ve been wearing clothes for 3 decades now… i think i can tell if it fits or not. and it’s so tight now there’s no way i can take it to someone else, she didn’t leave enough fabric to work with.
awful.
and the place is cash only. shady.

I have frequently passed this sewing and alterations shop located in the downtown area right off 13^th street. The location is easy to get to, parking is no problem and the service is VERY good!
Cai Yun is a very clean with a professional appearance. I brought two dresses here for alteration. There are fitting rooms which helped a lot with the measurements of the dresses. Cai Yun is a very nice women who made sure that I was comfortable with the fit before committing to any changes.
I would highly recommend this alteration shop! Good price for the quality of work.

I just got my bridesmaid’s dress back from here. I got it shortened and tightened, and I’m pleased with the finished product. She tried to work with me to fit my budget (although I didn’t really budget for $ 125 for dress alterations) and I appreciate that. To be honest, the dress ended up being painfully tight, so make sure that you have the perfect and comfortable fit before she takes your items in. It seemed like everyone else that I encountered in the shop was happy with their finished product. She is not cheap but if you’re in a pinch and need a quick alteration and can’t shop around, at least you know you’ll be happy with her work (and she is cheaper than the surrounding alteration shops).

I bought my wedding dress online and was looking for a place to get it altered.
After alterations, i tried it on at home and found the dress to be even better that I expected. Cai Yun did an excellent job. No one would be able to tell that the dress had been cut and sewn up again. There was boning a long the edge of the hem that she added on again to the dress. The stitching was professionally done and I think she ironed/​pressed it because it looks even better now than when I first got it. I could not be any happier the experience.
I will definitely come back for more alterations.

I decided to check this place out based on the previous review. I brought in 2 pair of jeans to get hemmed, which cost me about $ 24. Price wise, I think that’s pretty decent. I wore them in the store and the storeowner made the measurements. I’m definately happy with the results, and the quality of work was good as well. And I was able to pick them up in 2 days! They’re open Weekdays from 10am-​6pm
Overall 2 thumbs up!

I frequently pass this alterations storefront, and have been incredibly curious as the window displays of dresses, pants, coats, etc., always capture my attention (with some absolutely gorgeous creations). I knew I’d stop in and eventually support this small business (because you know how I feel about supporting Mom and Pop shops).
During my NZ trip (last November), one of my prize purchases was a pair of jeans from my fav jean store ever, Jeans West (only located in Australia, NZ, but won’t digress too much). Anywho, this gorgeous pair of jeans were too long and needed to be hemmed. I looked to Cai Yun’s Style for help. Stopped in right before the holidays, and while inside the store, I noticed how clean and organized everything was, from the clothes and accessories on several racks for sale. The dressing rooms were towards the back, next to the work table and the cash register.
The lady who helped me was pleasant (sorry, I didn’t get her name) and after trying on the jeans and chatting a bit with her, I was in and out within 10 minutes. Hemming the jeans would only be $ 12! Super cheap, right?! Woohoo! Unfortunately, there was a backlog with orders with New Years dresses and outfits, so my jeans wouldn’t be ready until after the New Year. I could’ve paid an extra $ 16 for same day alterations (but decided against it). Thought it would be a better idea to wait and start the New Year with a brand new pair of fabulous jeans that fit like a glove and are the perfect length (thanks to Cai Yun)!
Cai Yun offers custom tailoring and alterations for everything from wedding dresses to suits to blouses to dance wear. What’s really special about this place is that they also offer sewing classes (machines provided or you can bring your own) for the beginners to the novice, and even appointments available for special projects.
Bravo Cai Yun! Bravo! I will return and bring more clothes that need alterations, or if I may decide to take a sewing class.
Many thanks for helping me start off 2010 with a digalicious jean wearing bang!