Let me try to describe in words how amazing Melonie is. Melonie's time is in very high demand because people everywhere know how good she is. She has to turn people away. She is extremely detail-oriented and careful. She wants to do a good job. I have taken 3 dresses to her. One only had to be hemmed, and she did an amazing job very quickly. Another needed to be taken in and she added extra straps inside the dress because she didn't want the invisible zipper to burst. I had no idea they were so fragile. The last item was my wedding dress, which was extremely delicate. It was made with 2-3 layers of lace, chantilly lace, and lace appliqués. It also had very intricate beading and a see through mesh over the entire back that would snag on just about anything. I wanted it taken in and have the hem raised, and I asked Melonie if it was possible to change the shape of the bottom half of the dress and she said yes. It turned out to be a much bigger challenge than expected but she did it! She took apart the bottom half of the dress and meanwhile discovered that all the appliqués were glued on! She hand steamed and peeled off all the appliqués along the seams and then sewed them back on. She didn't just "take in" my dress -- she made my dress fit for a smaller more petite frame. It fit beautifully and we had several fittings so she could make sure it was up to her standards (higher than mine). I'm not sure what will happen eventually when she retires, and no skilled seamstress is left in the area perform that kind of magic. Her prices are very reasonable too!

Fair price, she seemed to really care about how the dress looks and making sure it is perfect. I've met with her and have another appointment (many to come). She's doing a lot to my dress and seems to know what she's talking about as well. I'm very excited to see the finished product :)

Melonie altered my gown for my wedding this July, and the results were fantastic. It was not an easy gown to alter, as it had 3 layers including lace and lace appliques that were machine sewn & beaded as they were sewn on (as opposed to having the beads sewn on to the appliques before sewing the appliques to the dress, which would not require re-beading when the appliques were removed to alter the dress). She did an amazing job taking in the hips and entire bottom half of the dress, had a good eye for what would work best for the shape around my rear (it looked like I had a butt! And I don't, really...), and came up with a very good way of avoiding having to hem the whole thing by adding a few skillfully-placed layers of crinoline. She also did a great job of taking in the straps as well as designing a french bustle that looked great AND stayed put the whole night, through hours of dancing.

Her prices were extremely fair. The final product was more expensive than what she initially quoted, but that is because I requested additional work be done. She went over the additional costs before doing the additional work, so I was not surprised by the higher final price. Overall, for the amount of work she did, the price was extremely good--far lower than estimates I got from a seamstress in NY, where I got the dress.

Melonie was quite flexible in scheduling appointments, and for me, her location (on Chapel St) was extremely convenient. She is appointment-only, and since she's so busy in the spring/summer with wedding and prom dresses, I probably wouldn't go to her with run-of-the-mill alterations during that time. She clearly cared a lot about making my dress look as amazing as it could, and it really showed. I could not have been happier with the final product. When I have another dress to alter, I will definitely return to her shop.