Alterations at Sew Chic

Save yourself the time and don’t go here. I went in to get my bridesmaid dress altered. To take in the top, let out the waist, and hem the bottom, they charged me $ 235. Because I needed the dress done for a wedding in time, I paid it. That evening, I found a different alterations place that would do the same exact things for under $ 100. I’m sure the work they do is fine, but they are incredibly overpriced. When I called them to cancel my dress (I knew they hadn’t started on it yet since I dropped it off shortly before closing the day before), she told me they do no refunds. My sister in law called on behalf of me and brought up that they hadn’t started the garment yet and that they were overcharging me for simple alterations. They finally agreed to refund me, but not without informing me that my sister in law is «difficult to deal with» and «a very unpleasant person.» I didn’t appreciate these statements and neither did she. Bring your garments somewhere else unless you enjoy overpaying for alterations.

I came to Sew Chic to get my mother’s wedding dress altered to fit me and my style. The dress was handmade by her mother back in the 80s. When my mother gave me her dress, I realized my grandmother used the same lace from the wedding dress on my baby blanket and that there were delicate, handmade appliques on the sleeves.
My mother and I are exact opposites when it comes to body shape. She’s more top heavy and I’m more bottom heavy. So, our main concern was whether or not the dress could be let out enough for me to even fit into the dress. Our other concern was that whoever altered it could still keep the feel that my grandmother originally made this dress. My grandmother and I were very close and she passed away when I was in high school. This dress was not only meant for me and my day, but also to represent the woman who couldn’t be there to see it.
I had brought in some ideas I found on Pinterest and some of my ideas for how I wanted the dress to lay and fit. Immediately, Sophia knew what I was needing done. She completely reimagined my mother’s dress from an 80s gown to a beautiful, more whimsical wedding dress and incorporated all the handmade, little details my grandmother had made without losing the vintage, handmade feel of the dress. Everything came out perfect!
The only thing I would change.. . I really should not have asked her to add a little «poof» in the bottom half! I didn’t really think about it until I got the pictures back, but I did look a little bigger than I am and even though I got married in November it was still way too hot in that crinoline.
Thank you so much for altering such a sentimental wedding dress. It was perfect!

Hands down the best tailor in San Antonio. If you need alterations there really is no alternative.

They do great work here but it is a little pricey. You get what you pay for! They offer a loyalty card which does help.

I call the establishment to get a lady who did not introduce herself at all, «hi, this is sew chic how can i help you» i ask her for her name and she states it is julie. I inform miss julie how helpful it would be to inform the customer who they are talking too. She then just gives me to a manager and asks what i want. I was shocked at the blatant tone to her voice and the rudeness i was getting back. I just told her that it would be helpful if her employees would introduce themselves. She ended up being short with me that i just ended my call with her. I was not trying to attack the employee just giving a helpful tip. If they want to react that strongly then they need a review on customer service. I would not recommend this place.

The best Alterations & Tailoring shop in town. Fast and friendly service, and the work is always top notch. I take all my clothing that needs to be altered to this shop.

I’m fairly new to San Antonio and after an extensive search — I have official found my go-​to tailor. From the customer service to delivery on the finished product. Everything was excellent. Gents, if you need your suits or tuxedos tailored to perfection — go see Sofia, she’s a magician. This establishment will have all of my business moving forward.

I am always needing alterations for my work wear and personal clothing. This place does a great job and gets my clothes back to me quickly. Everyone here is really nice and my daughter enjoys visiting them.

Love Sew Chic (Broadway and Dominion)
Sew Chic Broadway is the place in SA, for bridal alterations especially!
Sophia is so very kind and wonderful to work with.
Took a wedding dress to her, to have it cut up and made short and basically totally redesigned, for my wedding reception.
The dress turned out PERFECT!
I’m pretty sure Sophia thought I was crazy, when I originally told her what I wanted to do with the dress, but then she was just as excited as I was, with the result.
I’ve had many other items cut down, altered, hemmed before, by Sew Chic, and wouldn’t take my clothes anywhere else.
Highly recommend Sew Chic!

I had an idea for my wedding dress running through my head for years. When it finally came time for me to start looking for a dress, I could not find what I wanted. So I did some creative thinking and found that I could buy a bridesmaid dress (in ivory) that was the exact style I wanted. But I wanted it to have some sparkle, so I needed someone to add the embellishments.
Thankfully, I found Sophia at Sew Chic. I sent her a sketch and then made an appointment once my dress came in. We met a few times. She was great to work with.
I was so happy with my dress! It was one-​of-​a-​kind and an art piece I got to see come to life.

Terrible. Poor quality in addition to failure to complete the requested alterations. Of the 3 suit jackets, 1 had to be returned twice and I was then told that part of the requested alteration was not done at their location and I would be charged more so they could outsource it. How was this not mentioned from the beginning?
Of the 4 pairs of pants, all had to be returned at least once; I gave up on the final pair after the 3^rd return. Crooked lines on the hems (not even close to straight), bunched at the hems, uneven leg length. This is basic stuff and the results were abysmal. In addition, the prices were extremely high and absolutely no compensation was offered for the multiple failures.
Never take your items here.

I am so happy I’ve found this place! I’ve always been intimidated by the number of alteration shops in the area, but I was in need very last minute and I was pleasantly surprised enough to go back. You can walk in to get measured, no appointment needed. The prices are reasonable, even the rush charge is reasonable. The first time I brought in work pants and she was able to take my second pair and match the length so I didn’t even have to try them on. They also repaired a buckle.
The second time I came in I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are able to work on dance costumes. As an aerialist, it is very important my costumes fit perfectly and don’t cause any restrictions with movement. I came in to get the straps adjusted. I inquired about the seemingly baggy lace that laid over the entire costume, not having any idea if it was fixable or adjustable at all. She immediately had some great ideas to take out the extra slack and get it to lay right, also putting in foot straps to keep it in place.
I put a ‘rush’ on both trips due to my poor timing and they met the deadline perfectly!
I highly recommend them. They make me want to get all of my clothes custom fit and tailored!

I feel bad for the women who posted reviews stating they had a horrible experience.
My sister brought her wedding dress here just a handful of months before the «I Do» date. She lives in Yoakum and I reside in Round Rock, both almost 2 hours away from this location. On her second fitting she asked myself and our Mom to be present (we were the only ones allowed to see the dress), and I was very impressed with the overall experience Sophia delivered. I decided to bring my maid of honor dress to her.
I’m glad I did!!! True, it’s pricey, but to look and feel like a million dollars for just under $ 200 bucks, was WELL worth it!

Amended previous review: Barbara was very helpful in addressing our issues with the initial dress alterations. I would recommend her Dominion location.

I went to Sew Chic for alterations on a formal dress I was wearing for a wedding in Miami. I was able to walk in and walk out in less than 20 mins — love that.
The alterations came out great. Luckily I went in 3 (or 4) weeks early because anything beyond their window is an automatic «rush» fee. The cost was a bit pricey, in fact it almost cost as much as the dress.
Service cost = $ 150 (Dress cost $ 175)
Service on dress = 3 layers of hem alterations/​shortening and alterations to the straps on my shoulders
You also have to pay in full at the time of the fitting.

Sophia at Sew Chic SAVED my wedding dress!
I got married about two weeks ago. One week leading up to my wedding, on a holiday (Memorial Day Monday), I brought my dress to Sew Chic after a seamstress shop in Austin did a very poor job with the first round of alterations. I was honestly in a panic that my dress was ruined, and it would be impossible to fix in time for my big day.
Sophia immediately made me feel safe and sound, and promised she would fix the dress. After taking a look, she came up with a plan of action to first alter the bodice, and told me to come in the very next day for a second fitting. She only charged me on day one for the work that would be done that day — no forecast of the overall cost, just day-​by-​day.
I came in on Tuesday, and she immediately spotted that the straps and bustle needed to be fixed next, explaining herself fully. She also noted that with the bodice and strap alterations, the dress would be too long. However, instead of trying to convince me to do another round of expensive hemming, she advised me to get a petticoat to lift the dress, which would be much more affordable. What a class act! (I followed her advice, and it worked.)
By Thursday, the dress was done, fit perfectly, and all for a very reasonable sum, substantially lower than the my first roudn of alterations at the place in Austin — even with the $ 50 rush fee (which, note, Sophia did not upcharge from the standard rush fee, even though I brought her a wedding dress with less than a week till the day).
I could not have been more pleased with the customer service, the quality of work, the speed, and the genuine kindness that Sophia and her staff showed me through this entire stressful process. She really rescued my dress — and my wedding day! Thank you Sew Chic!

After reading all the positive feedback on Unilocal,I am disappointed that my experience didn’t go well! I have a very simple, short red dress that I needed bra cups sewn into, no under wire, just cups. I called Sew Chic on a Saturday afternoon and spoke to Sarah, who told me the Broadway location was closed, but I could visit the Leon Springs location 24 miles away. For the sake of crossing something off my to-​do list that weekend, I made the drive. Upon arrival, I purchased my first ever Unilocal deal, $ 20 voucher for the cost of $ 15. Prior to this, I was strictly Living Social. At the fitting, the seamstress was very nice, but told me sternly the service would be $ 45. I have had this service done in the past for $ 10 and decided that was too high so I left Sew Chic without having the service done.
Shortly after, Sarah called me apologizing and said I could visit the Broadway location where it would be $ 20. She also very generously offered me a free jean hemming for my troubles.
A few days later, I drove another 12 miles to the Broadway location where I was again quoted $ 45. However, this seamstress was exceptionally rude, even breaking my hanger without apologizing. It’s just a hanger, but the gesture after all my trouble seemed very unnecessary. Especially since I was thanking her for her time (I didn’t even try the dress on, it was about two minutes of her time). Needless to say, I left without the service, yet again.

I want to be clear– my dress was altered well, but I believe a small business THRIVES on customer service. The service I received at Sew Chic left A LOT to be desired, and I think there are plenty of other seamstresses in San Antonio who woudl be happy to take your business WITHOUT the attitude.
I went to Sew Chic to add a small piece of cloth on the back of a lace dress. It’s a simple sun dress. I went there based on recommendations and was seen promptly. They had a great idea for the dress which was to add a small piece of flesh toned stretchy fabric to the back– nothing else.
When I got to the register to pay, they quoted me a price of $ 90. WHOA! I’m all for paying for a job well done, but I’d like to know what I’m paying for. I kindly asked for a price breakdown… and then they let me know the price had gone up to $ 125.
What???
She said she had «forgotten» to quote me the cost of the fabric, which she suspiciously remembered when I asked for a price breakdown. She then made a comment that she was actually underquoting me and there was «no way» to quantify all the work that had to be done. Um, when it’s a business and I’m paying for a service, I actually need a quote explained to me. The attitude was very much like «Whatever. We don’t need to bother explaining anything to you the customer». My sister was standing next to me and was disgusted at how I was treated.
I was in a hurry and walked out, but the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. I called back to say that I’d changed my mind– the dress itself only cost me $ 55, so paying $ 125 for a simple alterration seemed steeped. I didn’t yell and was polite. The only response I got is «Well, we’re closed. I can’t do anything about it right now». Not even an ATTEMPT at good customer service. I said fine, keep the dress.
When I called about my dress over a week later, they said «Weren’t you the girl calling about getting your dress back?». Yes, I explained, I had, but I had been told that I couldn’t the shop was closed so I decided to let them keep it. How is this relevant? «Okay, we’ll work on it today».
Wow.
This is what $ 125 buys?
I always support local businesses in San Antonio, but I can’t recommend this place. It seems like their five star Unilocal rating has gone to their heads and they believe they no longer have to give good customer service.

I was in a jam! Although I had my bridesmaid dress for over 2 months, of course I waited until exactly 1 week before the wedding to get it hemmed! It was a beautiful floor length silk taffeta dress that was few inches too long.
I knew I was probably going to have to pay an expedite fee, but I was pretty shocked when I stopped in at sew chic and found out its $ 55 to expedite a «formal» dress if you need it back within 7 day!!! $ 55? Whaaat? The actual alterations for the hemming was $ 35! Altogether, $ 90! Wow.
The service was great, very polite, quick and excellent work, but I can’t get over the cost. Yes, I should have gone someplace else, but their location is convenient and I’m new to town.
This is the kind of place I would recommend if you needed some major work or alternation on an item. Also, I know the owner does some fabulous custom pieces. But $ 90 for a hem? I’m actually pretty embarrassed to admit in a public forum that I willingly paid that!

I really hate dressing up for special occasions. I have very specific ideas of how I want to look, so I end up hacking most of my outfits to fit my personal style. I needed a dress for a good friend’s wedding and, as usual, I knew exactly what look I was going to wear. I found the perfect dress at American Apparel and realized they STILL don’t make clothes for anyone besides flat chested, skinny teenagers.
I bought the dress and took it down to Sew Chic! I was treated as if I was the bride, herself. The head seamstress had me try the dress on, did a few measurements, and gave her recommendation. I went to JoAnn fabrics and found the stretch material for the gussets that would go on the sides, I wanted an exact match — I’m PICKY! I also needed the dress in a rush, and they were able to do the work in just a few days.
When I came back & tried the dress on I was ecstatic with the results… it fit perfectly! No sagging at the neckline & the chiffon laid on my considerable bosom in a way that whispered «custom made». I’ll definitely be back for other alteration work.
As another reviewer said, off the rack clothing looks SOOO much better when you have it altered to fit. I only spent $ 150 for the dress + alterations… which is about the same as I would have spent for something that wouldn’t look as amazing.