- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
A Perfect Fit
Rating Details »
Category: Sewing & Alterations [Edit]
Neighborhood: Ballard8329 15th Avenue NW
(between 83rd St & 85th St)
Seattle, WA 98117
(206) 784-5060
- Hours:
Tue-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
15 reviews for A Perfect Fit
As any fashionably minded person would know, finding a tailor beyond the level of 'good' is like finding a Chanel jacket underneath all the Goodwill heap of crap.
Example in point: A Perfect Fit fits my bill!
Most people don't understand how much work it takes to tailor clothing AND to make look as if nothing was ever altered! I've taken 4 shirts here and left each time happily. Communication people! Always let whomever is adjusting the garment know how you like it.
I also happen to adore the owner! I could listen to this petite woman's Irish-accent and stories all day. Its oddly soothing.
Be prepared to shell out some $$. If you want quality you gotta pay for it. This place is always busy, but I never have had to wait a long period of time to receive my items.
Yay for Perfect Fit!!!
There are a few items in every man's wardrobe in which there is no excuse to have anything less then a perfect fit. No pun intended. My navy blue Ralph Lauren blazer or the man's equivalent to a women's little black dress was the article of clothing in question. The versatility and amount of use of this garment in my closet is unmatched.
Being relatively new to the Seattle area, I was oblivious to any top notch quality tailor that I would be willing to take any of my important clothing to. I searched and compared reviews from multiple websites to find a reputable tailor to suit my meticulous needs. After searching high and low, I decided upon A Perfect Fit in Ballard.
I do not have an "off the rack body type" because my shoulders sit wider then the rest of my body. Shoulders are generally the one thing that can not be altered on a garment, and in order for my shoulders to have a clean fit, I usually have to buy one size up, but this leaves the rest of the garment boxy and eliminates any form of a silhouette.
For my blazer, I needed the sides and back taken in a few inches, which is more work then the typical jean hem that I would trust my local dry cleaners to handle.
When I first walked though the doors of this small quaint shop, I was greeted by a glowing Pauline who was full of energy and radiance. I told her I wanted a modern fit to my coat and she proceeded to hum a tune and work her magic by pinning up the seams and angles. She fit my jacket to the exact proportions of my body and not only explained to me what type of work she was going to do to my blazer, but also the reasons why she was going to do it and the effect if would give the blazer.
About one week later I returned to pick up my blazer and tried it on. Pauline was just about as excited as I was to see that it fit like a glove. I spot checked the coat for any form of imperfections or evidence that it had even been altered, but the coat looked like Ralph Lauren put the blazer together for me himself.
To sum it up, not only was the work from Pauline at A Perfect Fit impeccable, but in addition Pauline's charm and expertise made this experience rather enjoyable. I would definably trust Pauline again for any high quality work and so should you. 5 stars across the board!!
Button replacement: $1.50.
Advice about how to keep your blacks black: free.
We love A Perfect Fit.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/21/2007
My husband, the disbeliever of yelp (don't worry, I'm slowly turning him), recently purchased a suit… Read more »
This shop has quite a bit of personality, which you'll either love or hate. I love it!
Pauline undertook an extremely complicated project for me -- tailoring a size 14 coat to fit a size 8 petite but curvy body. She did it elegantly, and I'm delighted with the results.
Tailoring has become quite expensive everywhere, even at the dry cleaners. At A Perfect Fit, you know you'll get value for your money -- not just precision work, but also attention to styling. I'm so glad to have discovered this shop.
And the spacious, nicely decorated fitting room is sure an improvement over being squished behind a curtain for fittings at a dry cleaning shop!
This is the only place that I'll go to for hems. I'm a shorty, so I choose my tailor with utmost care. One misunderstanding, you're wearing a very expensive pair of fugly highwaters.
Pauline's a rockstar in the guise of a middle-aged Irish seamstress.
In her dressing room, she has little scraps of cloth for kids to "dress" a wooden doll with. And she's super-nice to kids, if you must bring them with you (as I do). Really, I couldn't ask for more.
Do not take your wedding dress here unless you want to get hosed. First of all, the owner of this shop reeked of cigarettes. She spent the entire consultation talking about how I should walk and sit in my dress and own the room like a queen. I didn't come for a lesson in etiquette, I came to get my dress altered - thank you very much.
I was quoted $165 to add cap sleeves to the dress and I was providing the lace fabric. Quoted $400 to take in the sides one inch.
I ran out of there as fast as I could and found a another seamstress that did my straps for $35 and took in the dress for $80. I was this close to getting ripped off. It always pays to get a second opinion.
Some reviews have said this place is tidy, but I have to disagree. The dressing room was the size of a shoe box and I just felt very uncomfortable there. I asked her if she had insurance in case of fire or theft because I was concerned about leaving my dress there and she said that when someone asks that question, she then suggests that they take the dress home instead. That was a huge red flag.
The other ladies that worked there were very nice, in fact, everyone seemed to be very nice, but that doesn't change the fact that I would have been ripped off...
I thought Pauline did wonders with two tricky dress-tailoring jobs I gave her. I also took ages and ages to come and actually pick them up (Holidays, snowstorm, what can I say?), and she didn't bat an eyelash about it. The whole thing was pricey, but one of the dresses was wildly poufy chiffon and had to be taken in like 3 sizes. She did a fantastic job, as well as being very pleasant to chat with.
After reading the mostly glowing reviews. . .and one bad. .. I took my pants in to be fixed. My nose was ready for the cigarette stench and I am glad to report that the only smell I noted was coffee. I thought Pauline was gratious and even made me use anti-bacterial gel after she handed me the receipt, as she had a cold. Very considerate! And also, she did a fantastic job on my pants. .. the price was reasonable.
I'm real picky when it comes who I have alter my jeans. I used to have had a great older lady that used to do my jeans, formal and bridesmaid dresses back home. Since I've moved to Seattle I haven't been able to leave my alterations to just anyone.
After checking out Yelp, I learned about a great place in Ballard, A Perfect Fit.
Pauline is wonderful! She not only is super sweet but she does fantastic work and in a timely manner. I came in on a Tuesday and she finished 3 pairs of jeans by Friday.
Of course I had to check over her work, and it didn't even look like the jeans were altered. I would suggest her to anyone who needs any kind of alterations! Even if you don't live in the Ballard area, its definately worth the drive for great service!
Pauline is the bee's knees. She has an opinion for you and you better listen up! She's good at what she does and plus she's just plain good people.
Thank you fellow Yelpers for letting me in on this lovely secret. Pauline is not only fantastic at her job, she is a pleasure to be around. Great service, great conversation, and excellent workmanship.
If you have a garment that needs to be handled with great care and precision this is the place. If you have trash pants that need some slight altering, this is the place. A Perfect Fit is a perfect name. They do great work, in a timely manner, and with a smile and sense of humor. Perfect.
"Alice, come out of your hole" ...
that was one of the first things Pauline said to me. She's a bit of a character, that one, providing interesting little insights and probably shnapps induced pearls of wisdom, but she's a peach all the same
First time I brought a pair of FCUK slacks in for sized down alteration. Taking in the waist, ass, and part of the legs down over 2 sizes only ran me $32; for that amount of work, I was willing to pay what I deemed to be a fair price. When I picked them up, I would swear they didn't touch them, I was seriously gonna cut a bitch. Upon closer look, I realized that they did do the work, their attention to detail was that good. I tried them on just to be sure no one was pulling any sneaky sneaky on me. Yep, fit like a glove.
Second pair of pants I brought in were a bit too bell-bottom-ish for me, so I had them tapered to more of a boot cut. $34, which I was a bit shocked at, but after she explained the process, due to them needing to be taken in on both sides of each leg, I was fine with it. Hey, alterations and sewing in general, is not as easy as Project Runway makes it despite what you may think
One of my running buds recommended this place, swearing she could do more detailed alterations than your typical hem. It was worth the drive from Cap Hill to Ballard! Wonderful attention to detail, great recommendations, and stellar work. AND, she is as cute as a button. Not only did she make my dress fabulous, I learned how her family moved from England to Ireland during the invasion of King...ok, I didn't necessarily pay attention. What sealed the deal in my mind though was when we went to pick up our things, and forgot cash or a check (she does not take credit cards). She insisted that we just mail her a check! Who trusts their customers like this anymore??
Do you want a tailor who will treat to Irish hospitality, make alterations to a wedding dress, him pants and discuss astro-physics at great prices "A perfect fit" is for you. My best man is about 5'2" tall and needed his pants hemmed with only a day before the wedding. The owner did us a huge favor and squeezed the job in. When we went to pick them up she and my best man, a PhD astro-physicist, discussed the finner points of the field. She did a great job and it was very affordable. She also altered my wifes dress and did an amazing job.
Yet another 5 star review for Pauline :-)
My hubby stumbled in here to get a pair of jeans hemmed. Sure I sew, but the original hem was unique, & I had no intentions of trying to match it! So didn't mind at all paying $12 for a super-professional, fast job.
As for me, I got a much-deserved finger wag from Pauline for only giving her a week to hem my wedding dress, My Bad. I was so glad she didn't send me & my dress packing to find another seamstress, because I could tell right away Pauline was a Goddess with needle & thread. After the initial panic (which stemmed 100% from her professional concern over delivering me the utmost fantastic job & not from any sort of snobby crap), she did a beautiful job on the dress, 2 days early, & was absolutely lovely when I picked up the gown, asking about my wedding, etc.
Hmmm, I think I have a couple skirts or blouses that need altering . . . . but I promise I'll be a good Citizen & not ask her to Rush anything & mess up anyone else's deadlines :-)
