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.

I worked with Melonie to have my wedding dress altered. She worked quickly, even though it was her busy season- she was very mindful of the wedding date, and allotted extra time in case a second set of alternations needed to happen.
Overall, I found her very easy to work with, and most importantly- quite skilled at what she does. I have to admit that I went to her because I was on a time crunch and had limited options so I wasn't in a position to be anything but agreeable to her timeframe, cost, and suggestions. Based on a few other reviews I was a little nervous that it was going to be very expensive to have my alterations done, but I found her completely reasonable and easy to deal with.

As I said, what was most important was that she really seems to care about the quality of her work, and I felt very comfortable leaving my dress with her, though of course anxious about the outcome. It was PERFECT! I am considering going to her to have it further altered, now that my wedding is over, and hopefully repurpose my dress into something that can be used again!

My wedding dress from Jenny Yoo at BHLDN did not come in lengths and being 5"11' my dress was just 2 inches too short to wear with the heels I wanted. I ended up bringing my dress to Melonie to be fitted, thinking I would have to wear flats and instead she came up with a brilliant idea to add a lace panel to my dress to lengthen it. I loved the dress when I bought it, but when I left Menolie's after my final fitting she made the dress truly feel like one of a kind and it fit like a glove.

I came in for 2-3 fittings in total and looked forward to each one as i got to see the dress transform and she worked her magic. Her prices are very reasonable for the amount of work she put in. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a great fit and a custom solution

Choosing Melonie for a seamstress was my ONLY regret throughout the wedding process. My sister recommended me to her (never having been herself) because she used to be a hair dresser in downtown New Haven and she had heard several brides from the city take their dresses to her. (probably for convenience.) I had the worst experience from the moment I met her (she barely even turned to greet me and say hello when I walked in for the first time) and I wish I had gone with my gut and taken my dress back right away. She is SO unbelievably rude. She had me going for fittings ONCE A WEEK (that isn't normal) and I was traveling from an hour away. (I think she was nervous and wanted me to see it/approve of it every step of the way.) Every time I was there she told me how much work my dress was. It was so insulting. I had a strapless, lace dress (very normal - not over the top at all) and she acted like it was WAY more than she could handle, yet when I asked her if she could do the work she said, "Oh ya, I've done work like this a million times" Well then, DO IT AND STOP COMPLAINING. I constantly had to stroke her ego and tell her how wonderful she was to get her to shut up and do the work. She also couldn't figure out how to get my strapless dress tight enough to stay up. (Which is crazy because more brides than not wear strapless and theirs stay up. She opened cups and straps to try different things then charged me for every cheap thing she opened.) Long story short, she was extremely rude to me on several occasions and she made me feel a mix of anxious, sad, and angry every time I went. She originally quoted me $750 which I thought was a lot for what she was doing, and then added another $100 when I went to pay her for the last time. When I mentioned the price being high after she wouldn't accommodate me for an appointment (she constantly tells you how booked she is and how many appointments she has - once again, the ego) the next time I saw her, she showed me