Gus’ Tailor Shop

11/3/2015

Gus was helpful, knowledgeable, professional, and he made sure to finish my wedding tuxedo in time for the event, of which I didn't exactly provide him ample time, but he still made it flawless.

9/14/2015

I just stopped by here and the owner told me he has no employees and is currently focused ONLY on men's alterations. A shame he didn't answer the phone when I called to tell me this before I actually came by.

4/3/2015

$12 to hem designer jeans, and Gus did a fantastic job.

10/20/2014

If you're looking for a tailor with exceptional attention to detail, then Gus is for you. He will warn you upfront that his leadtimes may be long and his pricing may not be the least expensive. I think this has a lot to do with how popular he is and the fact that he completes all of the tailoring and fitting himself.

He provided excellent consultation when I brought in seven pairs of pants to be taken in due to some recent weight loss.  Not only did he discuss the way that I wanted the pants to fit but he explained how he was planning on completing the alterations. I left the first fitting feeling very confident that he was going to do a good job.

His longer leadtimes and slightly higher prices are totally worth it if you're looking for someone to alter clothing that you've made an investment in.

4/18/2015

Best tailor in the city.  He's a tailoring genius.

3/28/2013

Gus is one of the best, if not the best, tailors in Chicago.

I had two suits tailored here that  required "re-constructive" measures including cutting the canvas within the suit. Gus is unbelievably particular, taking about 1 1/2 hours per fitting, and it's absolutely evident in the perfection of his final work product. After visiting Gus, all of your other tailored clothing looks like crap, and his piece looks bespoke at around 1/3 of the price.

Now, because he is so particular and works alone (two related facts, I'm sure) you do have to be patient. Gus also learned his trade in the zona maquiladora in Mexico, so don't be surprised if he doesn't want to serve you while he's eating lunch, or might close early one day (you should understand that these are quite standard considerations when shopping at a family-owned Latin business).

I will assure you though, it is worth it.

11/27/2012

I stopped by today based on Yelp's reviews. I walked away feeling offended.

The door was locked around 2:30 when I stopped by. Since when I peeked in I saw a guy sitting there, I knocked on the door. After all, I was within the 10-7 timeframe posted on the door.

Gus comes to the door and gives this long, rude explanation that he doesn't have employees and that he is not willing to work on his lunch hour. He went on to say that he was eating food that his wife cooked and on and on.

Point is, he shooed me away without more than sending the message that he values his time more than potential customers. Point taken. There are plenty of places in the city to spend my money. It certainly won't be here.

Boo to Gus.

9/7/2011

So, I'm cheap.

I'll just come out and say it, ok? I bought 2 business suits at the Elie Tahari Outlet and they were both a size too big, (but on sale!) so I knew I'd need to get them tailored. I've never had suits actually professionally tailored before, so I turned to Yelp, and found Gus.

I made an appointment for a fitting, and lo and behold, it took over 2 HOURS for 2 suit jackets and hemming a pair of suit pants. That's a really long time. I was supposed to hang out with my cousin, his wife, and their kids that day, but I had to skip it because the fitting lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. On the plus side, MAN is this guy meticulous! He actually had to step back to look at the "balance". Gus is definitely a perfectionist and obviously takes realy great pride in his work. This aint no cleaner's seamstress. Gus is the real deal.

Unfortunately, 2 + hours later, I got hit with the news: $335. OUCH. Granted, he completely re-worked those suit jackets- tore all of the seams out, etc. But the pants were a simple hem job. I tell ya- I still have sticker shock. The suits I bought on sale are no longer a bargain, but I have never had suits in my life that fit so well.

Don't bother with alterations/ small fixes that cleaners can do- Gus is not that guy. Take them to your cleaner. It'll be faster and cheaper. But if you have a nice article of clothing, and lots of money and time, (a month, for me) Gus is quality.

7/21/2010

Good luck getting Gus to even DO your repairs....

I'd taken a bag of clothes with small holes (primarily vintage stuff) to Gus in January. Several items he felt were too far gone to make the necessary repairs, but he did excellent (and reasonably priced) work on the others.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I make an appointment - he's busy so they're advisable - for yesterday and bring my bagful of clothes in. I'm late getting there, and he tells me he has another client coming in at 6:30, ten minutes later. Perhaps he rushed me out because of this? Don't know. But, he proceeds to tell me that he doesn't do 'small repairs' anymore because the suit alterations keep him busy and he can charge more. (I mentioned that maybe those clients should buy clothing that fits in the first place, so they won't need tailoring.) He tells me to go to a dry cleaner to get my repairs made, to which I state that I have been and they do lousy work.

I'm trying Tino's in Pilsen next....What is it with service people not wanting to take your money anymore?!

1/16/2010

There are many pros and a few potential cons but I want to be clear that when I say 'potential cons' I mean that you, the reader, may not understand what you are getting into at Gus'. Here's my experience:

- Gus will not turnaround your emergency hem job by tomorrow..don't even ask. The man is backlogged into next month.

- Gus will fight you when you tell him what you want to do to those nice pants you just bought. Seriously..I had to convince him that I actually wanted the pants of my new suit to look as high and as tight as Arthur Conley circa 1965. He still didn't go quite as far as I asked him to. And after wearing that damn thing for nearly two years, I want to thank him every time I put it on.

Other reviewers on this thread (no pun..really..that just happened) have hit it on the head. This guy has an understanding of fabric that I simply have to respect. The last alteration he did I simply asked, 'what do you think'. Five minutes and 20 pins later, he had me looking at a new pair of pants. Like they were made for me. It took two weeks for the pants to be done but that's how quality works..slowly, deliberately and with care.

There is nothing like well fitting clothing. A buddy of mine in Cambridge always looked so good in suits and I couldn't tell why. "I know a guy", he'd say.

I know a guy too..

10/27/2009

Gus is my Tailor God / I take all my suits to him and everything else.  My suits can be fairly expensive; made by Oxxford, Kiton, Versace, Gucci, and more. I use to go to Oak street Tailors. Gus was on Oak St. and moved to the west side and can offer cheaper prices. I like his Ashland location better because it has parking anytime out front. Gus is talking about retiring soon and moving back to Mexico. I don't know what I will do when that happens. He's that good of a tailor.

One tip: "make an appointment "and let him do what he wants.  Don't try to tell him how to alter something. Trust me, he knows better than you do.

P.S. Bring your stuff in early and don't rush him to finish your stuff ... its rude. I give him as much time as he needs and I get special treatment everytime I go and he knows me by name.

Dave Goodman / Adam S.

5/1/2011

Gus is pretty awesome, I'd say.

Not the quickest turn around. Not the cheapest place. But, I've never had better service. Gus spent quite a bit of time with me fitting every suit jacket I've brought in making sure the changes he needs to make are perfect. So for he has hit the bullseye EVERY time.

It seems to me that the focus of his business is to cater to those who are having, say, a wedding dress altered. To men having a suit fitted. It's my opinion that Gus would probably rather you take your stone washed jeans to the cleaners. Thats fine with me!

Expert, nothing short.

1/10/2010 Updated review

I just picked up a few pairs of jeans that I had Gus hem for me and once again, his work is impeccable!! This man is a genius with a needle and thread or rather scissors and a sewing machine. He is the reason I got on Yelp 3 years ago to write my first review.

5/25/2010

I read the reviews about Gus and decided to go to him. He has a small shop in Chicago (which google maps couldn't find properly) and everything was real quick.

I'll skip all the details that everyone else has written about and just say that he did a very good job. I had 4 jeans and one pair of khaki's shortened with original hems. It cost me $84. Pretty pricey considering each pair of jeans cost about the same amount to get shortened, but it's worth it. I'm 5' 6" and I've never had a pair of jeans I haven't torn apart b/c of their length. I don't have to worry about that problem anymore. Every pair looked as if it hadn't been touched. I will definitely come to Gus again for any kind of tailoring needs.

7/2/2009

I've always been afraid to have jeans hemmed....until now.  Based on the positive reviews I saw here I decided to risk it.  Gus is a miracle worker!  Sure, he hemmed a brand-new pair of Rock n Republic jeans for me, but he also salvaged a pair of too-long Chip and Pepper jeans I've had for years.  I never got them hemmed and just spent the past two years walking the backs off.  They were raggedy and sad.  Gus saved them for me!  Together we picked out a replacement hem from his bag of scraps and you can't even tell that he essentially sewed two pairs of jeans into one.  

His prices are reasonable but he is worth so much more!

12/29/2008

Gus is straight forward, honest and does a good job. I walked in and asked to have a pair of jeans shorten with the original hem. He immediately told me it would take 3 weeks. I was not in a rush so I said ok. When the pants returned their were tailored perfectly.

Gus takes a lot of pride in what he does and when he quotes you 3 weeks for jeans it is because he is busy and it is going to take that long. Gus is worth the wait. If you are going to spend a lot of money on an article of clothing, don't you want it to look good? Isn't it worth the wait?

Gus is a great guy. Here is an example. A few months agao, I walked in and asked for a pair of jeans shortened with the orignial hem. He told me it would take 4 weeks because he was headed out on vacation. We talked a little and he said that he would try and get it done before he left on vacation, 5 days later. Low and behold, I got a phone call from Gus telling me that my jeans were done and available for pick up at no extra charge.

If you want custom tailoring that may take a while but will be worth it in the end, go to Gus. If you want a chop job that may be done in 2 days but will leave you looking like a moron go to the dry cleaners.

5/21/2008

Gus is amazing.  He completely tailored my (fairly expensive) suit and it came out perfect.  He has tailored dresses, skirts, jeans, and dress trousers for me and every time they fit my body perfectly.  

He is such a great tailor that apparently everyone knows about him and he is super swamped.  Take your clothes to him at least 2 weeks before you need them and you will get the best service.  Don't expect to get a rush job in - he just doesn't have the time.

He is now taking appointments for fittings, so call a head a day or two to schedule.  He said he is going to eventually stop taking walk-in fittings.  

Will you have to wait for your clothes? Yes.
Will you have to wait for an appointment? Yes.
Will it be worth it every time?  Yes.  Every time.

7/12/2009

I found Gus after reading some reviews at Yelp and I was glad I went to him. I had an expensive blazer that needs alterations and I didn't want to go to those alterations/laundry places. I want a true tailor. One who does nothing but tailoring.

Gus did exactly that and he did an excellent job. Prepare to wait about three weeks for your clothes. It's probably not a good idea to rush your tailor. Personally, I think it's important to do the job right. If I ever need any other alterations, I would definitely go back to Gus again.

6/1/2009

You can't beat Gus.  I did some research before selecting him and even went to a few other recommended tailors.  I had 2 suits fully tailored and he did so much work and such a great job they look/feel custom made.  

He is honest with his prices and considering the time and quality of work... he should charge more.

Make an appointment and expect to wait 2-4 weeks for the work to be completed.

9/23/2010

This review relates to a transaction from about one year ago.  I have been meaning to post something about it here but just never got around to it until now.

Anyway, based solely upon all of the positive reviews I read here, I brought two pairs of brand new Banana Republic pants to Gus to have the hems taken up.  I had not brought with me the shoes I intended to wear with the pants (I was wearing sneakers), so Gus insisted that I come back with the correct shoes.  Which I did.  When I picked up the pants a couple of weeks later, I did not try them on at his store, because bringing up the hem on pants is pretty much the most basic tailoring job there is and I have never had any problems in the past.  (I buy almost all of my pants at BR, where they used to do the hems for free (they don't any more); the salesperson would do the measuring and marking and I would come back to pick them up.  And they were always perfect).

When I brought the pants home, the hems on both were clearly too short.  Now, I should have brought them back to Gus immediately and complained, but I didn't.  That is because (a) he wasn't very friendly either time I dealt with him, (b) it really pissed me off that he made me go home and come back with the correct shoes and he still screwed up an extremely basic tailoring job and (c) there was not enough fabric left at the bottom of either pair for Gus to have fixed them.  

I still have the pants and I will wear them, but only as a last resort, when I have nothing else clean to wear to work.  They are "floods", they are clearly to short, and my co-workers laugh at me, but I still wear them because I don't want them to go to waste.   But from my perspective, I lost about $120 worth of pants by taking them to Gus.

Granted, not trying them on in front of Gus and then not taking them back afterward are both mitigating factors, but still, Gus is not a good tailor and should be avoided.