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Fashion Services
- Alterations
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4.2
out of 5.021 reviews
I have been to both locations with Violette (when she started in Arlington and now at her studio in Woburn). I went to her after she was recommended by multiple bridal salons and I...
’m so glad! She not only altered my wedding dress and my vintage heirloom veil, but 5 bridesmaid dresses for me over the years. She does an excellent job every time and will continue to recommend her to others!
I went to Violette because she was recommended by the bridal shop where I purchased my dress and she was local (now in Woburn). I had some issues with her being unprofessional but ...
all that aside, the work she did was completely unacceptable. I had to go to a new seamstress who undid everything Violette had done, luckily most of it was fixable but not everything. Some of the issues include: hemmed too short and uneven, jagged cuts around the bottom of the skirt, the inner skirt was left with the raw cut edge - she didn't even bother to sew it, I had sleeves with beaded appliques which were altered in such a way that the sleeves could not lay flat on my arm and the underneath of the appliques were visible through my sheer mesh sleeves. I have many pictures to document this, as it is difficult to describe.
She charged me $750 but I ended up bringing it somewhere else to fix it and they only charged $400, so I actually ended up saving money too. I do understand her health issues that came up as she was working on my dress, however, she should have told me she cannot complete it and let me take it somewhere else.
Unlike the reviewer below me, I happen to know that Violette had a major health issue come up and has been in the hospital for 2 weeks. I think it’s unfair to give her such a bad r...
eview because she wasn’t there to alter your dress. It’s unfortunate her health emergency overlapped your scheduled appointment, but you would think people could be a little more understanding. Violette is the sweetest woman who did an incredible job on my wedding dress. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her. It saddens me that this person can’t see that sometimes things happen out of our control, and gave her a review that she absolutely doesn’t deserve.
DO NOT GO TO VIOLETTE. I am so grateful I did not end up getting alterations there. I showed up for my first appointment and the store was locked. When I called it went to voicemai...
l and said her mailbox was full. I called a second time and she was mumbling about “something crazy happened” and she didn’t have a number I could call to reschedule. I do not want to leave my wedding dress with someone unreliable and disorganized so I will NOT be going back
She is in Woburn not Arlington! If I could give 0 stars I would. I am sitting in my car after picking up my hack-job hem. DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE FOR BRIDAL ALTERATIONS. I brought...
my lace gown to be hemmed shorter to accommodate going barefoot (outdoor wedding) and called as a last minute to see if she could 2 weeks before (I know this is a crazy request). She took me and said she would do it. Told me on the phone "i'm sure everyone else told you no but I can't say no to the bride" and we laughed about it. I go, she says she can do it it in the allotted time. Fast forward to today, she only takes cash so I call ahead to make sure I withdraw the correct amount. I told her my name and SHE COULD NOT FIND MY DRESS. I had to send her a picture of it over text message and she said she found a slip with a "Danielle" for the name. I said that is not my name and then she asked how much I originally was charged. I could not remember the exact number and gave a ballpark to which she told me $600. I knew it was not that much but all of the red flags aside, I needed my wedding dress. I go to pick up and she jokes asking if "I was scared" that she forgot my dress as she is grabbing THE WRONG DRESS. I tell her that it is the wrong one and she goes through all of the dresses on the rack only to turn around to the rack of dresses that she was still working on. I point to the bag that I recognize and she grabs my slip. She never even started my dress. At this point I am about to cry because I am on my way to leave for my wedding this weekend. She tells me that it will take "1 hour, maybe more". After 40 minutes she calls and says she is done. She clearly took a million shortcuts to make it work, the strap which she shortened is about to rip. The lace hem was slapped together with obvious stitching. To really drive it home she still wanted her $450 (original cost) and would not hand me my dress until I paid her. I gave her $440 and she joked that she "didn't need any more". PLEASE AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS.
Violette is absolutely amazing. She was able to take my dress which I bought on consignment from a size 16 to a size 10 without one knowing at all the difference before/after the a...
lteration. She was very attentive to my needs and was able to add in an extra strap of support to keep my strapless dress from falling down. Violette was also about to alter my mom's dress (the mother of the bride dress) such that the sleeves were shortened and the back was adjusted to make it lie flat. My mom could not believe how well her dress ended up fitting her. Violette hemmed my dress perfectly and added a bustle. All for a super reasonable cost. Yes, her location might seem sketchy, but trust me, she is one of the most amazing seamstresses for miles around. Don't bother going downtown and paying $$$$ for "professional alterations", call up Violette. Also, don't go to her in a hurry. Give her 6-3 months notice. (But why would you be a last-minute person if you are planning this at least 1 year in advance anyway?!). Just call her up and you will not regret it in the least. Violette is the best.
Violette is such a sweet genuine woman, it was a pleasure to work with her on my wedding dress alterations! She operates independently out of the basement of her home. She was ea...
sy to reach by phone, and all of my appointments occurred in the evening (I believe she does her alterations mostly during the day), after 6pm. This was so helpful as on most days I was traveling directly from work in Boston. She created cap sleeves out of extra fabric to create a custom dress. I contacted her in June, had my first appointment in July, and the dress was completed in September- a full month prior to the wedding (for someone who is type A and plans far in advance, this was key for me). I panicked the day after I took the dress home and called her- when the dress was fully zipped I had developed some "back cleavage" in photos- and she was able to give me helpful tips to get rid of the unsightly fold of skin.
The only issue that occurred on my wedding day had to do with my train bustle. She created a button/hook ensemble which made for an easy bustle, however on the wedding day after formal photos, when we bustled the dress there was extra fabric/tulle sticking out at the bottom. Luckily my groom had a safety pin in his pocket and the wedding coordinator was able to pin it back together. My photographer had shown me earlier in the day that there was a loose pin inside at the bottom of the dress, and I thought maybe this was an oversight by Violette, so I removed the pin. Now I'm wondering if it was left on purpose to keep the additional material under the train? Or perhaps she forgot to sew an extra stitch?
Please be aware that this is a total "mom and pop" shop- she works by herself in the basement of her home, did not give me appointment reminders or even a receipt for my payment. This worked fine for me but may not be a great scenario for other brides. I paid $500 for the alterations- which included taking in the dress, shortening the length and creating the cap sleeves and bustle.
Violett's excellent work made me feel so beautiful in my wedding dress. On our big day, the moment I unzipped my dress bag was when it really went from feeling like another day to ...
feeling like OUR wedding day. With her work hanging in front of me I had no doubt that the dress was prefect. She was easy to coordinate with, very kind, and quite generous with her time and efforts. I bought my dress on a trip to see my family out-of-state, so I asked my local wedding party members to come to the fitting since they didn't get to be there for any dress shopping. Violette gladly invited everyone in and we brought champagne and made a little celebration of it. Her work was flawless and invisible. I couldn't find any trace that it hadn't come from the store that way. The bustle she gave me was so easy that I could do it up without help. I lost some weight between what I thought would be my final fitting and the wedding. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but luckily I checked and tried on the dress. To my horror, it looked super frumpy on me. Like a kid borrowing a grown-up's dress. Violette to the rescue! At no extra charge (not even a sigh or a guilt-trip), she took it in again. She gave me that perfectly secure and snug fit to flatter my newly slimmed shape. It occurred to me way too late in the process that I should have asked to save the extra fabric like a keepsake. On my wedding day I found the fabric tucked into my dress bag. It felt like a hug. She knew, before I knew, that I'd want it. Now I have other clothes that I'd like to get taken in, and I'm going to be calling her after her busy wedding season.
Violette did an amazing job on my dress!! On top of it I just love her! She is kind and genuine and puts everything into what she does. She did multiple fittings for me to make sur...
e it was perfect and was very flexible with scheduling. I recommend her to anyone! I shopped around and for the quality of work she does it is a great value. My gown had intricate beading on the top half and detailed lace pattern on the bottom and she did a great job. Thank you Violette!!!!
Like everyone else has said, Violette is very sweet and nice and pleasant to be around. You can go to her home for alterations and she will try to work around your schedule. Despit...
e this, I would avoid Violette at all costs for your wedding gown alterations. The first time I arrived for alterations (at least 3 weeks after my first fitting) Violette had completely forgotten I was coming and had not started ANY alterations on my dress. I came back several more times for additional fittings. On what was going to be my last fitting I told her that I felt the dress was too big (there was too much "bunching" around the abdomen with the lace). She told me that this was because she had been working with the lace and that once I have the dress steamed things will tighten up and will look perfect. She assured me that this would fix the problem and tried to reassure me. As expected this did not fix the problem and the dress looked horrible. At this point it was the week of my wedding and I was out of the state in my hometown. I took the dress to another seamstress and she was appalled that someone would let me leave with a dress looking like this. She listed 7 or 8 things that were wrong with the dress and showed me all of the "shortcuts" Violette had taken with doing the alterations. The lace was not lined up appropriately, the inner lining was too tight leading to bunching, there was no shape in the waistline and she also found areas of ripped lace. This other seamstress completely redid my dress and made it look perfect in record time! I spend hundreds of dollars to have the dress steamed at a professional wedding gown cleaner and another $250 in alterations. Violette did reimburse me for the $250 spent. I would not recommend Violette to any one for alterations.
Violette made my dress fit PERFECTLY. I had lost a lot of weight ~20 pounds from when I purchased the dress until the wedding day, so I was very nervous it would look lumpy and wei...
rd, but it was great. She was a joy to work with. Very friendly and sweet and she bustled my dress under so it just looked like the dress was shorter - MAGIC!
Violette was amazing! Her alterations were perfect and done so quickly. She made everything easy.
I cannot say enough about Violette! She was absolutely wonderful to work with. My dress required quite a bit of work - traditional hemming, taken in, and turned from sleeveless to ...
cap sleeve. My dress was illusion with lace as well as crepe with lace, so in my opinion, pretty complicated! She transformed my dress better than I could have every imagined and made me feel comfortable from start to finish. She REALLY knows what she is doing.
Beyond that - I had taken my rehearsal dinner dress to my day-to-day tailor, who did not take in my dress as expected, to the point where the week before my wedding, I ordered 5 dresses from Nordstrom. I showed Violette what was done and she said she would fix it, and that she did, in less than a week! To top it off, my mom felt that her dress just didn't look right after being taken in and Violette fixed it for her 2 days before the wedding, in just a few hours.
I cannot say enough about Violette, she was absolutely wonderful, incredibly professional, and a joy to work with. She is a master at what she does!
I can't say enough good things about Violette who is a wonderful tailor and a person! I had a very intricate designer wedding gown that needed tailoring which she did flawlessly. A...
lso, I needed a special veil that would match the beading of the dress and Violette happened to have the most perfect lace to go with it! I ended up with almost 200 inch custom veil that complemented my overall look. I couldn't be happier after working with Violette. She is such a patient, warm, authentic person. Don't hesitate to contact her, you won't regret it!
I bought my wedding dress at Vows in Watertown. I took it home the same day, but knew I wanted a bunch of alterations – hemming, taking it in, and adding lace cap sleeves, etc. My ...
dress was very intricate – with a lot of delicate lace and beading. I saw that Violette had really great reviews, with specific gushing reviews for other brides with lace and beading on their dress. Violette did not disappoint. She is so sweet and accommodating and does GREAT work. I came in for the first time with my dress in February (my wedding was in September) and she gave me a price quote then and there that wouldn’t change no matter how many times I came in or needed additional fittings. She also found the perfect lace that matched my dress for the sleeves, hemmed my train, added the bustle, added cups and boning, fixed/replaced all of the buttons going down the back and had me come in 3-4 more times leading up to our wedding to make sure I was totally happy with the fit. Again, no change to the initial price quote. I was so happy with her that I recommended her to all my bridesmaids for their dress alterations and will definitely be going to her with any future needs!
Violette was wonderful! She altered my bridesmaids' dresses and they came out wonderful. They fit perfectly and were ready exactly when she said they would be. Prices were reaso...
nable too. She is also so friendly and warm - a joy to work with!
I had a great experience working with Violette. Before going to Violette, I went to another seamstress who wanted to cut off a large underlaying portion of my train and gave a quot...
e that was almost half the price of my dress! I was relieved when I went to Violette and she not only kept all layers of my dress, but she also gave a quote that was half of what the other seamstress'! Violette had my dress fitting me perfectly after three visits and was even willing to hold my dress for months since my apartment was tiny. Violette also went out of her way to make sure she could be home at a specific time when she was already out, which was above and beyond!
Violette was an absolute pleasure to work with! After a very high quote from another shop, I found Violette who not only gave us a fantastic price but went above and beyond throug...
h multiple fittings to make sure I felt fantastic in the dress. Violette is incredibly warm and hard working. I think she offered to make coffee at each appointment. Wedding prep and especially the dress can be stressful and Violette made it one of the most memorable experiences.
After much research, I am incredibly happy that I chose Violette as my alterations expert for my Wedding dress. I knew I didn't want to go with the alterations person from the plac...
e where I purchased my dress because of the inflexibility with appointment scheduling and the price. Violette was a gem to work with and ensured that I would look absolutely stunning on my Wedding Day. Because of some weight loss and also ordering a size too big (a decision made by my consultant), my dress was almost 3 sizes too big on my first fitting. Violette didn't even blink an eye to this and went to work right away to make sure my dress fit just right! It definitely did and I am happy to say I felt like a princess on my Wedding Day because of Violette's magic! It is good to note that Violette charges one flat rate based on your first appointment and never changes this price even if additional alterations are required. Her prices are incredibly reasonable too!
I worked with Violette to do my wedding dress alterations after purchasing my gown through Camilla's in Arlington. She was very responsive and did a wonderful job! The few things w...
e noticed when I put my dress on after my first fitting were fixed perfectly. Highly recommend!
I bought a used dress from http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/ and Violette made it fit me perfectly! It was a bit big, and she figured out how to alter it in the most flatterin...
g way. She fixed some buttons that had come undone, and the straps that were big, and she steamed it for me. She also kept it for several months so that I wouldn't have to hide it from my fiancee while we lived together. The price was reasonable, and did not change from her original quote. Also, she would not have charged me for any last minute alterations due to fluctuating weight.
Contact
167 Summer Street, Arlington, MA
Alterations by Violette