Services
Six groups of clothing work, taken from the poster in the shop window, and the counter services that go alongside them. Each one says what is involved and what to expect, so you know before you walk in.
What each job actually involves
Starting prices for the clothing work are on the price list. What follows is the shape of the job itself.
Alterations & fit
Taken in, let out, shortened, reshaped. Jackets, suits, trousers, coats, dresses, tops, skirts, shirts and jeans.
Most alterations are a question of where the garment sits on you, not what size the label says. Bring the shoes and the underlayers you'll actually wear it with, use the fitting room, and it gets pinned on you rather than guessed at.
Trousers from £13Zips & repairs
Zips replaced, seams re-stitched, linings renewed, boots and bags repaired. Including the ones that look past saving.
A replaced zip is usually cheaper and faster than people expect, and on a good coat it is almost always worth doing. Leather and technical outerwear take longer - they're sewn on different machines and the old stitch holes stay, so the repair has to follow them.
Zips from £14Wedding & occasion
Wedding dresses, prom and party dresses altered or made to measure, fitted over more than one appointment.
A gown is rarely right in one go. Bodice, straps and hem are set across two or three appointments, with the shoes and underlayers you'll wear on the day. As a rule, book eight to twelve weeks ahead where you can - though same-day work is available if you're out of time.
Fitting room on siteMade to measure
Gentlemen's trousers and shirts, and occasion wear, cut from scratch to your own measurements.
Made to measure starts with a conversation about cloth and cut, then a measuring appointment, then a fitting before it's finished. It is not a same-day service - but it is the difference between something that fits and something that fits you.
Ladies’ & gents’Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning alongside the alterations, so a garment can be cleaned and altered in one place, on one visit.
Dry cleaning is on the main sign for a reason: most garments that come in for repair want cleaning too, and doing both here means one drop-off and one collection instead of two shops and two trips. Clare Towle's coat was re-lined and dry cleaned in the same week.
Cleaned & altered togetherCurtains & home
Curtains shortened, re-hemmed, re-lined or made to measure - bring the drop and we'll do the rest.
Curtains are measured from the track or pole to where you want them to finish, not from the top of the fabric. Bring that measurement and the curtains themselves and the job is straightforward - most of the errors we see are measured from the wrong place.
Priced on request
The fabrics that need more care
Chiffon, silk, lace, beading, leather and technical outerwear all behave differently under a needle. This is the work other shops tend to send away.
- Chiffon, silk & satin. Slippery, unforgiving and prone to puckering - sewn slowly, on the right needle.
- Lace & beading. Beads are unpicked by hand along the seam line and put back afterwards, so the line looks untouched.
- Leather & biker gear. Different machines, and the old stitch holes stay in the hide. The repair has to follow them.
- Technical outerwear. Down and waterproofs behave differently again - Cafe Ashiana's Canada Goose coat came back virtually unnoticeable.
- Tulle & layered skirts. Every layer has to be shortened separately and hung to settle before the hem is set.
- Knitwear & jersey. Stretch fabrics need a stitch that stretches with them, or the seam snaps the first time you wear it.
Also at the counter
Not everything the shop does is clothing. These are on the shop’s own list and are priced when you bring the item in.
Shoe repair
Soles, heels and stitching.
Bag repair
Handles, seams, linings and clasps.
Suitcase repair
Wheels, zips, handles and shells.
Leather repair
Jackets, bags and biker gear.
How it works
Three steps, and no surprises at the till. Nothing is started until you have agreed the price.
Bring it in
Walk in during opening hours, no appointment needed. Bring the shoes and the underlayers you will actually wear it with.
Pinned and priced at the counter
It is looked at and pinned on you in the fitting room, and you are given a price before any work starts. If it cannot be saved, you will be told that instead.
Collect
Often the same day for straightforward work. Gowns and made-to-measure take longer and are fitted across more than one visit.
In a hurry? Say so at the counter
A same-day service is advertised in the shop window, with terms and conditions. It suits straightforward work: a hem, a simple take-in, a zip. Ring 07582 633343 before you set off and you will be told honestly whether today is realistic for your garment. A hem pinned in trainers will be wrong in heels, so bring the right shoes. Wedding and prom dresses are fitted over two or three appointments, and made to measure needs measuring, cutting and a fitting, so neither of those is a same-day job.
Pinned, measured, then pricedBring the garment and we will do the rest
Walk in during opening hours, or ring ahead if you are in a hurry or it is a gown.