Fashion Dream

8/26/2015

This woman is a genius! She does great work, and was a total pleasure to work with.

7/31/2015

Overview:
Service requested: Alterations of 2 dresses for my wedding day
Items: 1 tulle ballgown wedding dress; 1 beaded fit and flare dress
Amount paid, in advance: $380  

My experience:
I had a very poor experience in having my dresses altered at Fashion Dream. The worst is that I received my ballgown wedding dress back without the train it started with. For this dress, the only alternation needed was to shorten the length. However, as soon as I put it on for the fitting, Ms. Kim's first question to me was: "do you want to keep the train?" Surprised, I said yes and asked why. Her reply was that tulle is very hard to bustle. Even so, I was coming to her as a skilled seamstress (and had paid her a lot of money in advance), so I still wanted my full train. She then attempted to configure a bustle for the dress but kept complaining about each piece and why it wasn't working. Finally, I told her that I did not want her to do the bustle. It wasn't until I went to pick up my dress to bring it home a month or two later that I found out that she had cut off the entire train. Clearly, there had been miscommunication, but I don't believe that the full removal of the train to my wedding dress should have even been a possibility, especially since I had in no way brought up that topic or stated that as my desire.

My second dress, a beaded fit and flare, was in Ms. Kim's possession for 5 months. This dress was the more complicated of the two, needing alternations in a few places on the dress. In similar fashion to the other dress, Ms. Kim used a lot of our fitting time to complain about difficult aspects of the dress, in this case the beading. She would also say that because of the difficulty of the dress, that the next fitting needed to be 4-6 weeks out. However, the night before every one of those follow-up fittings I received a call from Ms, Kim that she needed to reschedule my appointment for a day or two later. The first or second time it happened, I truly gave her the benefit of the doubt that she really had been sick. When it happened on the 3rd and 4th visits, I realized that it was habitual. In each follow-up, even with the extra (day(s)) added, it seemed like very little work had been done on the dress. On one or two of the visits, I was even putting the dress on with the pins still it in from where she had marked it for alternation during the previous fitting. After receiving my first dress back with the train missing I had finally had enough and requested my unfinished dress back from Ms. Kim.
 
Unfortunately, neither of my dresses came out as requested. I feel that I paid a significant amount for quality and professional service, and I don't believe I received either.

My recommendations:
I do not recommend taking specialty items to Fashion Dream, but if you do decide to give Fashion Dream a try, these are my suggestions:
--Do NOT pay in advance
--Set out a clear time line of all fitting dates and completion date
--Have all alterations be put in writing to you and maybe even reference pics
--Call a few days before the fitting to confirm your fitting appointment with Ms. Kim (Otherwise, she'll certainly be calling you the evening before to push back the date.)

9/11/2015

$60 to hem a bridesmaid dress seems pricey to me. I found the language barrier to be a bit of an issue as well. Nonetheless they did a good and timely job.

9/7/2015

I had a bridesmaid dress altered here. Called and made an appointment. The seamstress was very nice. I needed the length hemmed about 6" and also the neck taken in.  I thought it was a tad expensive; $100 for the two places. She charged me $80 for the length and $20 for the neck. I picked it up two weeks later and both were perfect.

12/3/2015

I have gotten two bridesmaids dresses altered at Fashion Dream.  I had to get the straps taken up and a hem on the first, for $90.  The second just needed a hem, which I was charged $50.  I think these prices are high for basic alterations (i.e. a simple hem), but I will say the turn around time is quick and they go do a good job.

8/25/2015

I took a bridemaids dress in to be altered and found the work highly satisfactory. She took up the shoulders and took in the sides and it was $50 - I rarely get clothes altered so I'm not sure if this is a good price or not, but it was less than I was expecting to pay (though they were very simple alterations). It took two weeks, which I found satisfactory as well (I had about 5 weeks before the wedding, so I wasn't in a rush). I recommend if you're in the Arlington area! One downside - they don't accept AMEX.

6/10/2015

I read the reviews from previous people and found them to be very helpful.  Fashion Dream does all of their tailoring by hand.  It is very well done and for men's clothing was pretty reasonable.  The most expensive part was the tailoring the jacket.

Fashion Dream finished my three piece black tie suit one week ahead of schedule (out of the 3.5 weeks I gave them).  I was very impressed when I tried it on and saw that the alterations were done flawlessly.

The next time that I need a good suit tailored I know where I am coming.  I would caution people that I said good suits.  I think the higher end clothing is tailored marvelously here and the way to go.

8/25/2014

I can't say enough good things about Fashion Dream.  I was in a wedding last weekend and... wait.  Let me go back.

I ordered the bridesmaid dress in February (6 months out from the wedding) when the bride selected it.  Long, straight, lovely floor-length green dress.  I had to order it from a boutique near the wedding venue which is about 4 hour drive away from Arlington. No big deal, I ordered it 4 (yes 4 -- I'm usually a size 8/10 and I ordered a 16) sizes too big assuming I would be able to take it in to fit.  

Fast forward to May, and surprise!  My husband and I found out we are expecting our first baby.

In July, I received the dress and tried it on.  No dice.  It would not zip to save my life.  I waited until early August to take it to be tailored because my growing belly was growing by what seemed like the day.

I took it in to Fashion Dream after reading all these glowing reviews, hoping she could reconstruct my very non-maternity dress into something that was wearable and somewhat comfortable for me.

It wasn't cheap but the handiwork was so professional and so well done.  Literally NOBODY knew that the dress was totally reworked.  Nothing looked patchwork, nothing looked out of the ordinary.  She even matched the ruching detail on the back of the dress with the way it was before it was substantially taken out.  

On top of which, I only gave her a couple weeks to do the dress during busy wedding season and she delivered as promised.  I am a huge fan of her work!  For any and all future alterations, I will definitely go back here.  I don't give 5 stars very often, but Fashion Dream is very deserving.

3/8/2015 Updated review

The fashion dream folk did a really good job of making my already slim suit even slimmer. The only issue I have with these fine folks is the amount they charge for such a small alteration. It seems like they come up with arbitrary numbers when charging you. Just saying, it is probably best to ask for prices prior to a visit.

12/17/2014

Ms. Kim was a super nice lady and totally terrific in terms of customer service, but at the end of the day I was neither excited nor ecstatic about how my wedding dress turned out. The feeling was more of a lukewarm "I guess I can work with this if I have to." I had ordered a dress online, and it had a lot of delicate beading. Fresh out the box, I knew I could not walk down the aisle with this hot mess when I first put it on. The dress was tight on the hips but billowed out on the chest area. The odd fit made me look like a little girl trying on her dad's linebacker uniform.

Because of so many glowing reviews in addition to a recommendation from a co-worker, I tried Fashion Dream. Booking a weekend appointment with her was surprisingly easy. We scheduled 3 fittings across a period of 6 weeks. On my initial fitting, Ms.Kim had some great ideas on how to fix the issues. During the second fitting, I wasn't seeing much improvement and was getting worried. I got the impression that the work required a greater amount of effort and time. This was probably the point where reality kicked in, and I realized that my wedding gown would not come out as amazing as the fantasy in my head. The last fitting was postponed as she needed more time to sew on the beads. In the end, I would give her credit for doing what she could with the design and fabric that she had to work with, but at that point I was pretty much checked out. While she did fix the billowing a bit, it would still poke out noticeably as seen in several wedding photos. During my final fittings, she did admit that there was nothing else she could do to drastically fix the issue. She also did a great job with altering the hem as the length came out perfect. Lastly, I appreciate the fact that I did not feel judged on her end for not losing a few pounds for the final fitting. Overall, I am happy to have worn the dress without any wardrobe malfunctions, but I wish I could say that I loved it (I didn't).

If you are looking for minor, less complicated alterations, this place does a fantastic job. However, considering that they may be constrained for time and manpower (they do get very busy with wedding season and it looks like she's the main seamstress doing most of the alterations), I would look at other places for more laborious alterations. Oh, and do not buy a beaded wedding dress unless you are absolutely certain that it fits your body like a glove.

6/22/2015

I had my wedding dress tailored at Fashion Dream.  I chose this location based on the other favorable Yelp reviews and it's close proximity to my apartment.  I bought my wedding dress from ModCloth for only $150, but it needed work in several areas to make it fit my appropriately (the arms were way too big, the torso of the dress was a bit too long, etc.).  My dress is made from a lacy type of material, so I think it was more delicate and difficult to work with.  The tailoring took more than a month total to complete, and I had several fittings to ensure the work was to my liking.  Ms. Kim was very nice, and definitely had the experience and expertise to make my almost-perfect dress perfect.  The only downside was the tailoring was expensive, like really expensive.  It cost me $300, which was twice the cost of dress itself.  Since I had a short deadline, and really needed the dress tailored somewhere I could get to easily I stuck with Fashion Dream.  Overall, I think the work done was great I just think I could have gotten it done for cheaper elsewhere if I had time to shop around.

5/28/2015

I've only used them once but it was an excellent experience from start to finish. I had my wedding dress custom made by the designer so I thought I  could skip getting alterations. Two weeks before my wedding a friend pointed out that I had no way to pin my train up. I called mrs. Kim, came in the next day, and it was done in a week. She did a great job. While the price seemed a little high for two buttons and three loops I knew any other place would charge more just because it's a wedding dress.

9/28/2014

Wanted to wear a gown my mother had kept for decades to a wedding.  It was beautiful, but I was fatter than she'd been those many years ago.  Unfortunately the dress had been made for her, so there was nothing to let out.  Every tailor I asked refused the job until I came to  Fashion Dream, due to positive Yelp (thank you all).  

Instead of just blowing me off, Ms Kim went into creative mode--how can we solve this problem? She worked with me to figure out what the best solution would be--take material from the hem?  from inside a hidden fold? The dress was silk, old, and had patterns.  She (brilliantly) realized she could get just enough material if she took the back facing material from behind the halter top.  It was smooth, the right color, and the loss was totally hidden & easy to replace with different fabric. Initially she stitched on a different swatch of fabric to be sure of the measurements in a fitting, then did an amazing job expanding the dress elegantly and beautifully.  

I found her work excellent, she was clear about what she could and couldn't do, her price extremely fair, her capacity to grasp the situation & find a creative solution a godsend that allowed me to wear something very special to a special event.

5/7/2013

I went to Fashion Dream to get my bridesmaid dress altered about 6 weeks before a wedding that I was in.  So no rush but I was aware that May/June would be busy season with weddings/bridal wear and prom stuff so I was a bit concerned and asked if it was able to be done.  I had originally intended to have the dress hemmed but the owner suggested slimming the aline to complement my body shape and taking my strapless dress in a bit so that it would not fall on me so I agreed and let her do her work.  

Minus a star because not only is she pricy (I was charged $97 for hem and dress slimmed/taken in) but she expects full payment.  I was a bit hesitant to pay in full without seeing finished work.  What if something went wrong or work was not done to my satisfaction with just days before the wedding?  I'm not sure if this is the norm, but I've always been used to putting down a deposit/half and paying in full upon pick up.

Lucky for Fashion Dream, the dress was altered perfectly and I was able to feel great in my bridesmaid dress at the wedding.  I have another bridesmaid gown (long chiffon gown) I need altered for another wedding and torn about going back?

11/27/2014

Look no further than Fashion Dream for your wedding dress alterations. I searched  far and wide for a tailor for my wedding dress.  My dress was complicated (4-5 layers of lace and feathers up top), so I needed someone really talented, but also reasonably priced.  I went to four places before I found Fashion Dream and I hands down made the best decision.

Young Kim is a gifted seamstress.  She has decades of experience with wedding dresses and is a perfectionist.  Her English is a little limited, but communicating wasn't a problem.  She is the sweetest, most talented woman.  I am so happy she tailored my dress because it fit perfectly.  I was even a little late coming in (2 months to go), but she still worked with me and put me on the schedule (I think I had 3 fittings total).   The lace (length) and the bustle were done expertly.

I cannot say enough how happy I am with my wedding dress.  I highly recommend Young Kim a thousand times.  You will get expert skill for a value.

9/23/2014

Love Fashion Dream!! My boyfriend started going here to get his shirts, suits, and pants tailored. So, when I needed a dress shortened for a military ball, I knew exactly where to go. They are so friendly, super professional, and do impeccable work. What's not to love? Also, my boyfriend is super particular about tailoring and, even though he moved from Arlington to Alexandria, he won't go anywhere else! I have a couple of dresses that need some TLC (including a too-big, couldn't-pass-up sequined dress that needs taking in) that I know will get the perfect treatment here!

5/14/2015

Fashion Dream is amazing!!! I had a bridesmaid dress that was extremely too small up top and wouldn't close. They worked a miracle and it now fits perfectly!! I love it!! Major kudos to them!!!

7/28/2014

I've taken two bridesmaid dresses to Ms. Kim and was pleased with the results both times. Both times cost around $25 for strap adjustments. I'm a bit hesitant to go there for anything non-formal or inexpensive because she's a bit pricey, but if one of my favorite garments needed an alteration I'd definitely go to Fashion Dream.

9/24/2014

I have heard a lot of good things about the quality of Miss Kim's work so I would drive from the District for things that needed her expertise - 2 bridesmaid dresses and 1 formal long dress.  I'm 4'9 so everything needs tailoring.  I am very familiar with this process.  While I cannot argue that the quality of her work is great, her people skills are abysmal at best.  

I called once to make sure that my dress would be ready the day that she promised only to make the drive out there and she thought I was the wrong customer so my dress had not been touched.  It took her over a month to simply shorten a dress.  

Another time, I was fitting a dress for the second time and she asked me how I had gained so much weight.  While I understand that that requires more work on her part, 4 lbs is not THAT much weight.  Nor was it right that she tell me that I could not eat for the next two weeks.  

The final straw occurred today.  She finished altering a bridesmaid dress I need to wear this weekend and when I asked if I could fit it, she yelled "I can not let it out anymore"!  I left her store without trying on the dress.  I will never be back.  

Customer service skills are not her strong suit.

11/19/2013

So far my experiences with Fashion Dream have been fantastic! Ms. Kim is so accommodating and helpful, she makes the entire experience painless.  

I brought Ms. Kim a bridesmaid dress that needed more than just a hem and she meticulously measured and pinned every concerning area. I felt her price was quite fair for the amount of work she needed to do - $125 and it was worth every penny.  My dress fit perfectly and being a strapless dress, didn't slip down one time.

Since I had such a good experience with my bridesmaid dress I felt comfortable bringing in my wedding dress for all of its alterations.  My dress is a lace and tulle princess dress and it's going to be quite the project to get it fitted to my 5'0 body.  Ms. Kim talked me through everything she needs to do and why, which I really appreciated. At the end of my appointment, we discussed the price and she informed us why she is charging us for each item we're altering. Her price was very fair for the amount of work involved. We scheduled my next fitting and we'll have one more after that.  I'll update my review if I don't feel Fashion Dream is worth the 5 stars but I have every confidence that Ms. Kim will do a beautiful job.

For all you brides out there - I highly recommend Fashion Dream as the go-to place for all your wedding preparations!