The Alterationist

Chicago, United States

4.7

Closed now

20 reviews

Does not accept credit cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 773-425-7422
Website:
thealterationist.com
Address:
804 N Bishop St, Chicago, IL, 60642
Noble Square, West Town
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.4 miChicago
0.5 miDivision
0.7 miCherry & Division SB
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
No

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Chicago) 5:42 AM Thursday, May 22, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

The Alterationist works on bridal gowns only.

We operate by appointment only — for all fittings, try-​ons, and pickups.

We make appointments on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Though we love new clients, due to the overwhelming volume of incoming work in 2016, we may not be able to book a bridal fitting or consultation appointment for you at this time. Always call ahead or shoot us an email, just in case!

A bridal alterations FAQ is available on our website, if you are curious about how we operate.

Sorry, no design, construction, or interiors services available. Womp womp.

History

Established in 2012.

The owner has maintained a select list of private clients over the past five years. She has worked as a contractor at Macy’s Bridal Salon on State Street, and as a fitter at Nordstrom on Michigan Ave, both in Chicago.

Meet the Business Owner

Mary V.

Business Owner

Tailor since 2003, business owner since 2012, lover of details since always.

The Alterationist also recommends

Inkling

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Cards & Stationery

,

Jewelry

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Gift Shops

Mary V. says,

«Cards, jewelry, awesome t-​shirts and totes — Stephanie’s shop has got it all. And for a sweet price too. Check her out!»

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20 reviews of The Alterationist

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Mary did a great job with my dress! I bought it off the rack and brought it in 5 – 6 sizes too big, but by the third fitting she had it fitting PERFECTLY! Do not hesitate to bring your dress in blindly to her– she will work magic on it! Her pricing was also very fair :)
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Mary was absolutely fantastic to work with from day one. Not only is she the nicest person ever, she was able to size down my dress perfectly. I had a two piece dress, the skirt needed a hem and buttons added, and the top beaded boddess was huuuuge on me and she was able to somehow make it glued to my body. She’s a magician!
Place rating: 5
Gary, IN
Mary is the best. Being the first of my friends to get married, I was a complete noob at wedding dresses and fittings, but luckily found her through Unilocal.She altered my dress perfectly, was an absolute joy to work with, and is kind, attentive, and reassuring.
From day one I was incredibly happy with her, but she truly proved herself the best in the last two weeks before my wedding. I broke my foot just weeks before my wedding day. I knew that I would have to switch from heels to flats to make it through the day, and without hesitation Mary made very last minute alterations to my dress to allow me to wear flats instead of heels. The length was perfect– I wore my tennis shoes and foot brace with my dress and no one ever knew. I was able to walk and dance freely and feel comfortable while sporting one of the most beautiful dresses of all time. I cannot recommend Mary enough!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I highly recommend booking with Mary if you can! I have had one fitting with her and I LOVED her attention to detail! I have a few more fittings and cannot wait for the finished product; I know it’s going to turn out perfect.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Mary was amazing. I found her on Unilocal.The only bad reviews I saw were of people who couldn’t get an appointment, which having now been to her shop and worked with her I am happy to say, she doesn’t accept more work than she can get done in a one woman shop, so bless her. I contacted her in December for my June 6th wedding and had my first appointment at the end of January.
As for her work it was amazing. I had purchased the dress at Glamour Closet, so it wasn’t even close to the right size to begin with and it was asymmetrical which didn’t make any of the alterations easier. And her work was amazing. I was so happy with the dress. Would highly recommend her.
Place rating: 1
Chicago, IL
I don’t really know what star rating is applicable since this is more informative than a review and the below comment is too long to be posted as a tip. FYI I’m not giving a bad review «out of frustration» I just honestly don’t know where to put this email auto reply on Unilocal so that it is helpful for others. People should be aware that this business can’t service their needs at this time.
Just got this email response so don’t plan on going here unless you are an existing customer:
Hello,
Unfortunately, due to high demand, we are currently not able to accept requests for first fitting appointments or for consults. We apologize for being unable to help! You might try contacting Fit N Stitches on North Avenue to be in time for your wedding date.
The Alterationist is dedicated to bridal work only — we’re sorry, we no longer do men’s or women’s general alterations.
To see a FAQ, please visit
.
Thanks for emailing, and enjoy the month of June!
The Alterationist
–
The Alterationist
804 N. Bishop Street
Chicago 60 642
Appointments available
Thursdays — Fridays — Saturdays
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Mary is incredibly talented, friendly and hardworking. She goes the extra mile to ensure the perfect fit and complete satisfaction with the job. I would not have trusted my wedding gown to anyone but her. She was professional, honest and worked within budget and timeline. I would recommend the alterationist to anyone who wants the best results for their alterations.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I cannot say enough awesome things about Mary! I bought a sample dress that required more than the average amount of tweaks. Mary was extremely flexible in adding in an additional fitting to make sure the dress was perfect. Throughout the process, Mary was fun to talk to, professional, and very detail oriented. It’s nice to leave something in someone else’s hands throughout the wedding planning process with no worries.
Mary even suggested tweaks that I would never have thought of, which ended up making parts of my dress so pretty. In the end the dress was absolutely perfectly fit and beautifully amended. I will definitely recommend Mary to any bride to be!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I researched a few places before deciding where to take my wedding dress for alterations and could not be happier with my decision to go to The Alterationist. Mary is a gem. She is a true professional and a delight to work with. She listens carefully and makes educated decisions on what will look best for YOU. I would recommend her to anyone. I ordered my wedding dress from eBay/​China and paid about $ 150 for it. With that, came some fitting challenges. Mary was able to work around every issue and produced a flawless product. I couldn’t be happier! The french bustle was gorgeous and she made my dress fit me great and feel beautiful. Additionally, her prices are EXTREMELY reasonable and fair! With her charm/​personality/​care/​prices, you wont find a better value in the city. Thank you, Mary!
Place rating: 2
Chicago, IL
Answer the phone.
Place rating: 5
Woodridge, IL
Other brides already said it all so I only see the need to say: Mary is AMAZING! Thank you for doing such an wonderful job on my wedding dress! Definitely try to book her early though as she is busy.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I brought my wedding dress to Mary, so she could alter the neckline and do the bustle. She did a magnificent job! I am very pleased with the results.
Don’t look any further and book an appointment with Mary! Her prices are very reasonable.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I brought my dress here to get altered for my October 2014 wedding and I was so pleased with the results. Mary was always a pleasure to work with. When I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my dress, she listened and worked hard to achieve that. This was especially true when I decided to change my idea one week before the wedding! Mary didn’t flinch and helped me achieve the best look for my dress. This is the place to go for dress alterations!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I went to Mary at the Alterationist to get my wedding dress altered for my August 2014 wedding. She was recommended to me from another friend that got her dress altered there. I was leery about going to the place I bought my dress because they didn’t have good reviews. Mary was amazing! I’m so glad I went to her over anyone else! She made me feel so comfortable with the changes she was going to make! My dress had to be taken in about two sizes because when the dress was bought, the store measured me wrong, so I was nervous about how it would turn out. She did a fantastic job and by my 2nd fitting it was already fitting like a glove!
Mary was such a nice person, and is VERY good at what she does. I even had to reschedule my last fitting at the last minute so my mom could be there and she was willing to do that for me! It turned out beautiful and my wedding was a dream because of it!
Place rating: 5
Oak Park, IL
I highly recommend The Alterationist to any Bride! I bought my wedding dress from Glamour Closet and it was about 3 sizes too big. I was nervous that any alterations to the dress would change the shape of the Fit & Flare style, but that wasn’t the case thanks to Eloise. She worked her magic on my dress and I was thrilled with the results. The dress fit me like a glove and the price was right! Brides — you won’t be disappointed, check them out!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
My dress was also a sample size dress from Glamour Closet that needed extensive alterations in the bust and additionally needed a bustle as well. Mary was amazing in every way, we had about 4 fittings and she never makes you feel rushed in any way and on my wedding day I had so many compliments on how well my dress fit. Her prices were very reasonable and I have recommended her to other brides as well.
Definitely try to book her early, you won’t be disappointed!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
When I purchased a gorgeous, but slightly too big dress, I was told I absolutely had to see Mary, The Alterationist, for alterations. Being the Unilocaler that I am, I of course checked her Unilocal reviews only to find glowing praises. My review will be no different. Mary is not only amazingly talented at what she does, but she’s also just a really nice person!
I was having an issue with my dress and Mary came up with multiple solutions to address the problem. I was also on a time crunch, and rather than turning me away she worked with me and has been an absolute delight to work with.
I highly recommend Mary for all your alteration needs. Her attention to detail, professionalism, and friendly demeanor will win you over!
Place rating: 5
West Chicago, IL
This review is mostly a BIG Thank You note to Mary — she did such an amazing job altering my wedding dress!
I did an extensive Unilocal search to find an alterationist for my wedding gown (the store I purchased my dress at was going out of business) and was very impressed with Mary’s consistent level of high reviews so I decided to take a chance on her. So glad I did.
Mary is a professional — organized, friendly and easy to communicate and available promptly via email or phone. And she’s just such a sweet, warm person! Example: 1 visit in and I had nightmares about my bustle choice — she suggested I come back in and we play around a bit more with it to make sure it was going to be exactly the way I wanted it. Well, I needn’t have worried, it turned out even better than I had imagined it could down to every last detail. :)
Definitely recommend going to Mary — she’s the best!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I found The Alterationist on Unilocal and a friend of mine also lives near Mary’s Shop. Mary is so talented, it’s hard to explain. My wedding dress had quite a bit of altering to do. I bought it a size too big, since it was the last one they had left. By the time we had our 3 fittings it fit like a GLOVE. Mary made me feel so comfortable — I felt like I could really tell her what I wanted and she did not miss a thing. By the time I picked up my dress I was hugging Mary and almost in tears (and I’m not the crying type). I was so thrilled with her work and will never go anywhere else.
Thanks, Mary! You are a seamstress genius!
Place rating: 5
Eugene, OR
This is where you should get your wedding dress altered! Don’t waste your time with other shops reviews claims of being «reasonable»…really! I wasted so much time listening to other brides on Unilocal claiming they found a reasonable shop to alter their dress, until I found Mary.
Her work is incredibly detailed and beautiful, she is a specialist in bridal gowns with more than a decade of experience and she is a really nice and fun person too. I always looked forward to our fittings, because I knew the work would be completed on time and I would have fun hanging out with her. She was honest and her price was so far below the closest quote I found it was insane!
When the time came to pick up the dress, it was packed beautifully, all ready to go on the morning before my wedding. She helped me carry it to the car and it was EXACTLY the price she quoted me. Seriously, don’t waste your time shopping around and head straight to the Alterationist with your dress!