Emperial House

I should preface this with the fact that this is the first time I’ve ever gotten anything tailored in the U.S.
First, a primer on how to get there: Go to Copley Mall, find the waterfall, go around the back of the waterfall and take the elevator to SkyLobby. Tell the person at the desk you’re going to Emperial House, ask directions from this guy if need be. From the desk, go around the elevators towards building 4 (or tower 4, i forget), go through the doors, towards the elevators, left at the elevators, then right at the next intersection, Suite 140.
Second, their english is not exactly fluent, but to be honest it doesn’t need to be. I went in, tried on the dress (a lace bridesmaids dress that needed the bust taken in.) Importantly, I wore the same undergarments I plan on wearing for the occasion. The lady looked at it, immediately saw what needed to be done, pinned it, and i changed and was out of there. I was in no hurry so I didn’t pick it up until 3 weeks later (I had to call them to check the status, I don’t know when or if they would have called me), and it fit like a glove. The dress looks and fits great, the seams look like high quality.
After reading the other reviews it seemed smart to not mention Unilocal.I told them I came from Jerry the Tailor (because I tried him first.)
Now that I had this dress done it makes me wish I had the money to get everything I own tailored. What am I doing walking around in these ill fitting clothes all of the time?!
They are cash only.

I should have known Emperial was a bad idea from the very first time I spoke with the owner. I was already a little frustrated that I spent 20 minutes trying to find the place (no directions to be found online at the time I visited). When I politely suggested that she add some sort of online listing, she looked disgusted and told me she didn’t need more customers. Still, I needed a dress altered and I had read all of these awesome Unilocal reviews, so I stayed to have the dress measured and she sent me on my way with instructions to return in two weeks.
Fast forward– I came back on the date it was supposed to be finished, and the dress was wrong. The bottom was not hemmed at all, and the straps looked totally off. She told me that «this was the fashionable way» and that anything else would look terrible. Finally I got her to agree to fix it, and we set a new pickup date.
The dress did look great by the third visit, but she basically robbed me. $ 300 for a hem and simple straps was (is!) ridiculous! I was running up against a deadline though, so I reached for my credit card. She quickly informed me that she didn’t take cards, there was an ATM downstairs, and she was closing in 5 minutes so I’d «better hurry.» I came back one minute before closing and the doors were shut.
Finally, on my 4^th visit, I came prepared with cash. She gave me so much attitude when I handed her the money that I slammed the door on my way out. I am usually such a happy and cooperative customer, but I could not believe the way she treated me throughout the entire alteration process. I don’t care if you have 10,000 paying customers already– it’s 2014 and if you don’t treat the people who walk through your door with respect, it will come back to haunt you.

I brought in a dress that fit perfectly except it was baggy near my lower back. Originally, I went to Jerry’s Custom Tailoring but he explained he was going away on vacation and recommended Emperial House. I read the reviews before heading over and thought it was a safe bet because of all the good reviews.
My first sign that I should have left was the language barrier between Nelly and I. She didn’t seem to understand the alterations that I wanted done and I couldn’t understand what she was explaining to me. My fault, if I didn’t understand I should have left.
Anyways, I put on the dress and showed her the bagginess in the back. She pinned me and said something about fixing the zipper too. This surprised me since I didn’t have a problem with the zipper, the dress just needed to be taken in! She quoted me $ 50 and said to call in a week to pick it up.
Before I left, she said not to worry since she is a professional and used to work in New York for Christian Louboutin or Christian Dior before opening her shop. That made me feel better but I still felt uneasy that I couldn’t understand anything else she said.
A week passes and I call as instructed. Another woman picks up and says she can’t find my dress and will call me back. I start panicking. Did they lose my dress? She calls back and says it isn’t ready, call back in three days.
I called today and my dress was ready. I was excited to finally be able to wear my dress since it was new and not worn yet. At her shop, I tried on the dress. It fit exactly the same and didn’t look like she did any work at all! Also, there was a blue stain. I was so pissed. She said it looked better since the zipper was fixed. I explained that I wanted it taken in and she said that was impossible. I paid the $ 50 and stormed out.
Now, I feel ripped off. I fee like she lied to me, stole my $ 50, plus ruined my white dress with a blue stain.
DO NOT GO HERE FOR ALTERATIONS! Save yourself some time and money.

I’m in my mid-​thirties and work in the Back Bay area as a professional. This location was convenient for me and I was looking for a place with high quality regardless of the costs because the dresses that I was going to bring in were of high quality.
This place isn’t too hard to find.
Go into Copley Mall, find the water fall. There is an elevator bank behind the water fall. Its suite 140, on the top floor. You need a photo ID to get past security.
I’m not reviewing this place based on their work, as we didn’t even get past that phase of the relationship. My review is based on how I was treated. Here is how the conversation went.
«Hello, when do you need this job done by?» (She has not yet even seen my two dresses. As a matter of fact, she didn’t even know how many dresses I had, or whether I had dresses at all to begin with.)
«As soon as I could get them would be nice.»
«As you can see we are very busy.»
«I’m sorry, I don’t follow you. You haven’t seen my dresses yet and you don’t know what I’m here for. Are you implying that you would not want to work on my dresses?»
«No, I’m just saying that we are very busy. How did you find us?»
«Yelp.»
“Ooff.”
“Do you not like Unilocal?”
«Listen, I have been here for 20 years and I have long time customers. I don’t need new customers.»
«Do you not want me to be here?»
«No, just put on your dress, let me see.»
I felt highly disrespected and I walked out at that point.
I don’t even think it was a matter of me bringing a certain type of clothing as she did not see my dresses until then. I really don’t know what it was, but she (owner?) does not seem to need new customers and does not seem to like Unilocal

I am so impressed with the quality and care the woman at Emperial House put into my dress! It came out perfect. They were so professional, nice, and helpful. I love that they do not advertise and only word of mouth. The place itself was difficult to find at first but well worth the search.
I brought a chiffon dress in to be shortened, it was done in a week for a exceptional price! She had me try it on for her after to make sure the dress was absolutely perfect. I will definitely be bringing back any piece of clothing that needs alterations. These ladies are one of a kind and cant be beat! :)
(CASH ONLY)

Emperial House tailors are impeccable!
I’m new to the Boston area and was searching for a good tailor to get my bridesmaids dress altered for my sister’s impending wedding. After my first choice (Jerry’s Custom Tailoring) was closed for vacation, and my second choice ended up being way too pricey and a big disappointment (Newbury Tailoring, see my full review of them on their Unilocal page), I found Emperial House. My only regret is that I didn’t find them sooner! It would have saved me so much time, money, and hassle.
As I said, I took my dress first to Newbury Tailoring to get the bodice adjusted and have the zipper fixed; the zipper was bunching up in the back and sticking out in a strange, unflattering way, due to how it had been originally sewn in by the manufacturer. After Newbury charged me $ 35 for two minor adjustments and told me there was nothing to be done with the zipper (now leaving me with several days fewer left to try and get it fixed before the wedding) I called Jerry’s again. He told me that he doesn’t do bridal wear, but recommended that I go to Emperial House.
I’m so glad I did!
I took my dress in mid-​afternoon on a Thursday. I tried it on and showed them the zipper; they immediately said that they could fix it completely for only $ 10 and that Newbury didn’t know what they were talking about. I left and actually came back before they closed because I had another question about the dress; in the couple of hours since I’d left they’d already looked at the dress, and when I came back in they said they would need to do some more complex alterations to fix the zipper. Worried about a price increase, I asked how much it would cost, but they assured me «not to worry.»
And I didn’t need to worry! The dress was ready the following afternoon (Friday), but I couldn’t pick it up until the next Monday. When I tried it on the zipper looked 1000% better; they really had completely fixed it. They ended up replacing the entire zipper with one that fit the fabric better, as well as adding material to the lining so it wouldn’t pull and bunch. Even though this turned out to be quite a complex job, they only charged me a total of $ 25 because they thought it would be simpler and cheaper at the outset.
I’m so glad I found Emperial House! I’ll be a repeat customer for sure. They are very knowledgable and patient; they took the time to answer all of my questions and calm my worries (I tend to get quite picky and anxious about high-​importance garments like this). I felt very well taken care of.
They are a bit hard to find at first; they are located in an office suite on the Sky Lobby level of the Copley Place mall, and you have to check in at the front desk to get a visitor’s pass before you can go in. Also, their hours are somewhat limited: 9:10am — 5:30pm Monday thru Friday, and closed on weekends. But it’s definitely worth working around all of this because they are excellent, excellent tailors!

The best tailors in Boston.
I’ve lived here for over 10 years, and have tried a number of different tailors. The combination of great work, personable folks (Irina is the best), good advice, and reasonable prices keep me coming back. The only tough part is trying to get here during their business hours: they keep what amounts to bankers’ hours: 9−5pm.
Even with that, it’s worth it to duck out during lunch & get your clothes fixed up.

Fantastic. Fantastic. Fantastic. Two coats needed some intense alterations (an old authentic Navy pea coat and a trench from my heavier days) and both Irina and Nellie pinned and double checked them. One week later I have two coats that fit amazingly and tailors I’ll trust again and again. For the work they managed, the price was worth it twice over.

Irina and Nellie always work miracles :)

Overall, the work was done very well. I paid $ 65 all together to shorten the straps and raise the hem on a bridesmaids dress (the hem was the most costly due to the fabric). They told me one week from the day I dropped it off, but when I returned it was not yet done. She apologized adamantly and had it done by the end of the day. Before returning, I called to verify it was done before picking it up… and it was. Aside from that hiccup, the work was done well. My advice, just call in advance.
PS: they only accept cash.

Standard dress sizes are whack. Unless the thing is made out of spandex, there will be a few unzippable inches in one place and a few extra inches in another. But thanks to the women at Emperial House,
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
I will not show up to your wedding naked.
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(FYI: This place is located in the office tower above Copley Place mall. Take the escalator up to the level above J Crew, VS, and all that. The person at the security desk will then direct you to «4 Copley Place» on that floor. Once through the doors to 4 Copley Place, walk toward the elevators, turn left, turn right, and you’ll find suite 140. Jerry of Jerry’s Custom Tailoring directed me to Emperial because the women here have superpowers when it comes to major dress alterations, bridal or otherwise.)