John the Fashion Tailor

I came in for a same day alteration and it was ready on time and done to perfection. Great customer service and moderately priced. I will definitely use them again!

I went to John to have the sleeves shortened on two jackets. Both jackets have nice cuffs, so it was more complicated than a simple hem. I was worried that the stitching wouldn’t match, but I needn’t have been. I can’t tell the new stitches from the original. I really couldn’t have asked for a better result.
He charged a bit more than I would have wished, but it was important to me to have this done right, and I’m satisfied that I got what I paid for. By the way, he doesn’t take credit cards — just cash and checks.
I’m surprised that some of the negative reviews describe him as having a rude or abrupt manner. He was completely pleasant and professional in my dealings with him.

I unfortunately did not have a good experience with John. I went to see him after seeing how great his reviews were. I ignored the reviews with low ratings assuming the people were just being picky. I needed a jumpsuit taken in, hemmed, and waistline adjusted. Since it was a more complicated job I wanted to go to someone with quality experience. John was rude and seemed annoyed about the work– even though I said there was no rush and asked if the job was too complicated. His exact words were, «you’re not the same size as the super model, this doesn’t fit you.» Well, yes that’s why I’m here getting it tailored. For reference I’m 5’5″ and a size ²⁄₄. I doubt he’s exclusively tailoring items for women over 6 feet, size 0.
I wouldn’t have minded all of this if it would have been worth it. I got the jumpsuit back ($ 120) and the waist is up too high. Doesn’t fit. I’m going to someone else to get it fixed– the final product isn’t worth putting up with his attitude.

I found John on Unilocal raving about the quality of work that he does. What is ironic is that this review has nothing to do with quality, but the lack of quality of needed work.
I brought John a pair of triple gusseted triple stitched jeans that i found to be a bit baggy. He sized them up, evaluated the work and responded with the utmost honesty that it wouldn’t be worth the work for me or him.
What was notable was his delivery, attitude and response to my questions pertaining to the item. He was very knowledgable, answered all my questions to me and not at me. And I like his demeanor, which was professional and wanting to be of service.
Conclusion, i trust him and would like to be able to rate him on his quality of work as well as customer service. As for now i can only rate him on my interpretation of how he conducts business (to me makes the half of the business, while the other half being quality).

He was fast and professional. Pricing seems reasonable, but I haven’t gotten many things tailored, so I’m not sure my opinion is correct.
I got a bridesmaid dress hemmed for $ 58, it was done within 2 weeks. His place looks a bit janky and old, but the work is good and I’d definitely go back again. I had called in before going, but he said it wasn’t necessary – drop ins are fine!

Before «John» opened his shop, he worked for me as the tailor in my dry cleaners. Of all the seamstresses/​tailors I had in 28 years he was by far the BEST. Outstanding in every way! For those reviewers who reported dissatisfaction, try any craftsman in any profession — woodworker, clothes designer, weaver, and yes, dry cleaners — these people are not automatons. There is always a margin for error within perfection. If you had a bird’s-eye view as I did with the opportunity to see hundreds of results, «superb» would understate his talent — he’s one in a. million!

I walked into this shop and was shocked to see what a filthy place it is. The carpet looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in 20 years. There were countless straight pins embedded in the carpet — like no one had ever thought to pick them up in years. Tailoring requires neatness, precision and attention to detail. The shop did not reflect it. Then when I put on the dress to be tailored, I thought the owner acted very odd. I was cheerful and polite — it was a simple fix to a nice quality dress. He seemed to not want to be there, kind of rolled his eyes and acted put-​upon. Then he started reciting in a strangely resentful way, the many things he would have to be compelled to do and that it would cost a lot. I knew this was not true. So, not wanting to waste my time, I said thanks, but no thanks and left. I went to Piedmont Alterations and the tailor there, friendly and eager to help me, told me it was a simple fix, pinned it nicely to show me and said it would be a minimum charge. I would never go to John the Fashion Tailor’s shop again.

Great job at an even better price. Hemmed pants, shortened sleeves on a suit and shirt. John takes his time and was very professional.

This man saved my wedding day. He perfectly altered my dress a couple days before the big day, and for a super reasonable price.

I had John restructure a blazer that really only fit me in the shoulders. It was taken in on the sides, shortened at the bottom and the sleeves lengthened. I’m pretty much all limbs so buying suits/​blazers is always a depressing experience. The tailoring cost half the price of the blazer but I love the damn thing and wanted to wear it to a friend’s wedding. The quality of John’s work is impressive and I was more than happy to fork over the money when I picked up the blazer; it fit perfectly. Can’t wait to return and have John work his magic on more of my wardrobe.

Reviewers have mentioned that John’s price for hemming pants is high, I agree.
But I wouldn’t go anyplace else for this work — he always matches the thread and any detailing perfectly. He has said to me he knows other places such as cleaners do it for less, $ 10 — 12. John today I think is around $ 14+. He said he just can’t afford to do things that cheaply given his experience and the time and care he puts into the work. He basically offers hemming as a courtesy.
He has the skills to make a whole wedding dress or a man’s suit — often he talks to me about the difference other alterer’s work which is– «seamstress» work he terms it. Versus what he can do, which is real tailoring. Though a little hard, it shows that he takes real pride in his skills and craftsmanship.
His shop is dedicated to his tailoring and has a platform and several mirrors so you and he can see what is going on. At my cleaners, who I used to take my pants to, had to change in a little closet and stand in front of a single mirror and hope for the best, no thread color matching for sure.
These days it’s automatic and any new pants I take directly to him. We also review the pants to see if it needs taking in anywhere else and it’s all taken care of at the same time. I don’t question an addition $ 2 given that I know I’ll get perfect results and don’t have to worry about it.
For pants that could cost from $ 50 — 150 and more, I think it’s worth it. Took my $ 200 Citizens of Humanity jeans for hemming — why would I quibble about $ 2 given the price of the clothing and the disappointment I’d feel if things weren’t done right?

Took my leather jacket in for alterations since it was too big for me. John carefully consulted with me about the way I wanted the coat to fit, made his marks, then gave me the cost. My designer jacket had been a big investment so paying about a hundred bucks to get it back as a wearable item seemed fair. I picked it up about a week later and I was very impressed with John’s work. Inspecting the jacket, you could never tell it had been altered and the fit was exactly what we had discussed. Thanks for bringin my jacket back and I will return with more items!

Danced the night away in this cocktail dress… Appreciated John’s tailoring skills even more as I wore the dress to a friend’s wedding. The hem was perfect: low enough to touch the ground but high enough to never get caught in anything as I walked or danced. And even with all the jumping around, spins, letting loose on the dance floor, I never had to adjust/​pull up my strapless dress to adjust. Amazing.

John did a great job tailoring my wedding suit for a reasonable price and in just 10 days. I’ll definitely bring him more work.

The guy does great work. I’ve had several shirts and jacket sleeves shortened and had a few taken in and they all fit perfectly now. Seriously, he does good work.
If I have a complaint, it’s that he does charge a lot. And he takes longer than your basic alterations place. But unlike other places, every time I go, I have no doubt that he will fix it and make me look good. The quality work keeps me coming back. 4.5÷5

I bought a dress online that took 30 days to arrive 2 weeks before my event. I scoured Unilocal and spent Saturday morning wandering around Oakland/​Piedmont before going into The Fashion Tailor’s store. I was scared because he said the lace would make it hard for him to let it out enough, or evenly. And he would not be able to take in the bust because of the embellishment.
I was so sad, but told him to do his best. I picked it up a week later and he was optimistic, saying he was able to let it out 1.5+ inches. I just took it straight to the cleaner’s to be steamed and pressed, not bothering to try it on.
I was so happily surprised when (the night of my ball) I went to put the dress on and it fit so comfortably! The let out seams weren’t at all noticeable in the back either.
Time (1 week) and price ($ 48.50) were right on for me. Quality (superb) exceeded expectations!
Cash or Check only!

I went to John a few years ago to get a dress hemmed and a bridesmaid’s gown taken in and hemmed. While these weren’t huge changes, he was very thoughtful and inquisitive about what I wanted. For instance, he asked about how formal the wedding would be because the standards for hems varies based on the event. I’ve never had a tailor ask such specifics.
His prices are very reasonable given how meticulous he is.
He’s also done a lot of work for a friend of mine who is the fanciest man I know. He really should write a Unilocal review, but being so fancy also means he’s busy.
Anyway, my partner needs to get a suit tailored and he asked me «Do you know any good tailors?»
John the Fashion Tailor. No question.

John knows his stuff! took my suit to get it tightened up, it went from being my worst fitting suit to my best.
just remember, it’s YOUR stuff, you tell HIM how you want it.

I’ve had John do a number of alterations for me. Notably, he’s taken in several of my dress shirts to perfection. The first time he did this for me, I was worried about how they would turn out; he seemed very nonchalant about pinning the excess fabric. But when I got them back, they fit me like a glove. That wasn’t luck. John has been doing this long enough that he knows exactly what to do with an article of clothing just by looking at it. He also took on the complex job of shortening my peacoat’s sleeves, which had a yoke that needed to be shifted in order to maintain the balance of the garment. When I got the coat back from John, the alteration was seamless (no pun intended) with the original construction of the sleeve.
On top of this, he’s very professional. He can be somewhat quiet, but he asks you how you want things to turn out, he offers comments on what’s fashionable or stylish or functional, and he likes to let you know exactly what he’ll do to get the job done. He absolutely refrains from foisting his own opinions of how something should look on you, which is an occasional flaw of talented tailors.
My only complaint is that he’s a bit pricey, but that hasn’t stopped me from taking more and more of my clothing to him. I recommend him highly.

Almost two years later, John is still my tailor for all things clothing. Take in a skirt with an elastic waist? No problem. Returning a belt loop, button, or bauble to your pants? Easy. And the hemlines — always perfect.
Every single time he tailors something for me, people notice. I’d worn the too-​big skirt to work a few times before having it altered, and it wasn’t until he fixed it that every coworker stopped and said «Wow, that’s a great skirt!»
He’s a little expensive. But he makes me feel like a million bucks… so I’d say he’s worth every penny.