Irene’s Studio

We got to Irene’s studio and my best friend wanted some extra beading done on the dress and Irene said it shouldn’t be a problem to do. 2 mths before the wedding day, my best friend dropped off the beads. She had asked Irene how much she thinks it would cost. Irene couldn’t provide her with an answer. I don’t think that’s very fair. I think a ballpark figure should have been given. Irene said she’d know once she starts the beading. At no point was there any issue about there not being enough time to complete the dress.
A week before the wedding, the date was set for pick-​up of the dress. The same day as the appointment, my bff receives a phone call from Irene saying the dress isn’t ready. The beading work isn’t complete. She could come in for the final fitting but the dress wouldn’t be ready until 2 days before the wedding. My friend was so stressed out! She had a ton of things to do 2 days before the wedding and having this last minute set back really threw her off.
It took all my might to not cuss this lady who was stressing my bff out a week before the wedding but because I didn’t want this lady to ruin the dress, I bit my tongue. She never offered a discount either. When we got to the studio, we saw the dress and I had to admit, Irene did a phenomenal job on the beading thus far. But it was clear that there was a lot more to be done. It would have been nice if Irene had called a few days in advance to let the bride know that the beading wasn’t close to being done instead of calling hours before the final fitting.
When my best friend anxiously asked if the dress will be ready for sure by Wednesday, Irene had the nerve to ask her when is the actual wedding.
It’s quite concerning when the woman who’s altering your dress can’t keep track of what day is the actual wedding. Once my friend reminded her of the date, Irene just sighed and said the dress SHOULD be ready by Wednesday and said she’s «tired» which is why she won’t be able to start it until next week. I was expecting a much better excuse for the dress not being ready than her being fatigued. She was completely taking advantage of the fact that she knew it was way too late for the bride to take the dress anywhere else.
Irene then asked the bride how much she thinks she should pay for the beading. How awkward is that? Irene said she doesn’t know if the bride had a lot or a little to spend. Huh? Why don’t you just tell us your price lady and we’ll figure it out! Very unprofessional and again, taking advantage of a nice client.
So of course my bff throws out a reasonably low price b/​c when someone wants to bargain with you, you gotta start low. Irene said «Hmmm a little higher…»
My friend gave a higher figure and Irene said «Hmmm a little higher again»
This was just awkward and absurd interaction. Finally an agreed upon price was made and Irene had the nerve to ask for the full payment in cash on the spot!
Pardonnez– Moi???
1) You don’t have the dress completed yet
2) You completely inconvenienced the bride by pushing the pick-​up date to almost a week later
3) You didn’t give the bride a discount for doing so
4) You never provided a ballpark figure of how much the beading would cost and creating awkward dialogue with the bride about price ranges
5) You have the nerve to say the reason why the dress isn’t done is because you are «tired».
Now she is asking for FULL payment when the bride doesn’t even have her dress yet???
Um, no sweetheart. Ain’t gonna happen. The bride told her it’s only fair that she pay her half now and half when she picks up the dress as we still don’t even know what we are getting once the dress is completed.
The dress was picked up on the Wednesday before the wedding as Irene promised. I will admit… the dress was BEAUTIFUL! It was absolutely stunning! Gorgeous! The bead work was done amazingly! Irene really did do a wonderful job!
It was a HUGE relief to know that after ALL of that the dress was so beautiful. The only reason why I’m rating this studio lower is because of the unprofessional hassle my friend went through that stressed her out. It could have been handled so much better. I understand it’s her own business and sometimes when people are entrepreneurs they like to change up the rules and do whatever they want… but weddings are stressful enough. I just think if she’s running a studio that is highly recommended, she should be making a better effort to make things run smoothly.
If you want a spot that with a GREAT seamstress who does amazing work… she’s your girl. BUT… if it’s for a wedding… I don’t know if you would want to gamble on the last minute pick-​ups. What if the bride didn’t like the work she did? It would have been way too late for any changes to be made.
Irene’s Studio: Step up your professionalism and you’ll get 5 stars from me.

I’ve recently shed 50 lbs. i thought i would have to get a whole new wardrobe to go with my new figure, until a friend of mine recommended i go to Irene’s. she’s done such a wonderful job, i cant convey my thanks into words. she is very professional and has a great eye for fashion. i had high end designer clothing that had many small delicate details, after a trip to Irene’s my clothes never looked better. as a matter of fact, i like it more now then when i first bought it.
THANK YOU IRENE, from the bottom of my heart. you provide wonderful service!