Fact: The clothes we bag off the rack are never one-size-fits-all; they generally have a looser fit to accommodate as many body types as possible. The hem of a dress could be too long, a bodycon number resembles that of a potato sack against our frame… There is simply no winning it all when it comes to ready-made outfits.
The longstanding struggle of bagging ill-fitted garments is one we all know too well but with the right tailor, your problem could be solved.
Ahead, we list 11 alterations shops in Singapore that are recommended by our very own team members. However, when it comes to alteration services not everything is perfect. Here are our most honest reviews, as the team weighs in on service, speed, quality and price points.
“I’ve been going to Vanessa at V.bjorn for more than a decade at this point. As someone who’s on the shorter side and in-between sizes, I have no choice but to get my clothes taken in if I want them to fit properly. At times I have to get the waist of my jeans taken in which can be tricky (and not to mention expensive), but Vanessa never fails to charge me more than $20 for something like that. She’s also great at understanding my instructions when I want to change up the design of some of my items. Once I even had a skirt with leather paillettes that needed to be taken in at the waist. She and her team unpicked the paillettes one by one, sewed a dart and then re-sewed the paillettes back. The total cost? $10.” – Cheryl Chan, Digital Editor
#04-97A Far East Plaza (14 Scotts Road), Singapore 228213
“Apart from the convenient location (it’s located just above Holland Village MRT station), the efficiency and expertise impress me. The seamstresses there are very adept at what they do and always make me feel like I’m in good hands whenever I visit their shop. They never fail to know what alterations need to be done for the garment to look fitting. I once brought in a dress that was a few sizes too big and long for me during the Chinese New Year period. With it being a festive peak period, I was anxious that it wouldn’t be completed in time, as the alterations that needed to be done on my dress were quite cumbersome. To my surprise, I got a call from them just two days later, informing me that my dress was ready for collection. And it fitted me perfectly. ” – Chia Ying Na, Fashion Writer
211 Holland Avenue, #03-45 Holland Road Shopping Centre, Singapore 278967
“I’ve gotten most of my clothes, from kebayas to dresses, altered here. It takes about a week during peak period and about 3 days during the off-season. The prices are pretty reasonable as well – it costs about $5 an inch for trousers. I definitely recommend this place as it’s my go-to for Chinese New Year alterations every year and their workmanship never lets me down!” – Hayley Tai, Lifestyle Writer
Bukit Panjang Plaza, 1 Jelebu Rd, #03-11, Singapore 677743
“I usually head to Clancy at Far East Plaza to get most of my alterations done. They get the job done relatively fast… But, as (expected), they can get rather busy during peak periods such as Chinese New year. Other than that, they have seamstresses with impeccable workmanship and eye for detail. (But) it’s kind of a hit or miss when it comes to this shop; some seamstresses are better than others.” – Ann Neo, Senior Graphic Designer
“Clancy Boutique does a good job in altering all my ill-fitted clothes. I usually lug slightly more expensive gowns (there) to get the hem shortened or (the) waistline trimmed for a better fit. It’s slightly on the more expensive side though — guess we’re paying for the quality of alteration!” -Penny Seow, Associate Art Director
“There was once where I had my jacket altered here. Modifying jackets is tricky business! There’s the inner lining to work around, the seamstress has to follow closely to the original stitches of the garment… There’s a lot of meticulous work involved. It cost me around $50 for that, so I guess it’s pretty reasonable. They do make mistakes sometimes — like a garment may not be altered to fit perfectly. So it’s really up to you to tell the seamstress present to take down your instructions on how you would like to your garments to be altered. Be specific!” – Sherli Chong, Senior Designer
Far East Plaza Singapore #04-89,14 Scotts Road #04-89 ,Singapore 228213
“I always head here to get all my alterations done. It’s a pretty traditional, humble place and they deliver immaculate workmanship. I particularly enjoy how they flexible they are with their services; they’ll add a touch of design element to your clothes should you ask for it. There are times where I asked the auntie to add pom poms or even sequins to my dresses and she agreed to! The auntie doesn’t try to make an extra buck out of me by opting for the most complicated method of altering my clothes as well, she always tries to recommend the most cost effective and fast approach which I really appreciate.” – Sylvia Chee, Marketing Executive
“On occasion, I will get the straps of my dress shortened at Ginz. There was also once where I had my bridesmaid dress tailored to fit me better here. They’re fast with their services and I could find no flaw in the stitching and tailoring. In short, they’re reliable. You won’t be able to tell that something has been done to the clothes that I’ve sent for alteration at Ginz – the workmanship is just that good.” – Hoe I Yune, Features & Lifestyle Writer
503 Bishan Street 11, Singapore 570503
“I’m just going to say this right off the bat; you don’t really go to Michelle’s Alteration to make drastic alterations such as modifying the cut of a garment… They’re mostly great for simple services like altering the size of your jeans or slimming sleeves down. If you go to them VERY basic alterations such mending a torn item, they can do it within less than an hour — they’re relatively fast. And for people who do things so quickly, the team is actually very on point. Not a stitch was out of line! I was really impressed. To sum it up, I’d actually highly recommend Michelle’s alteration for quick fixes” – Bryan Goh, Fashion Stylist/Writer
14 Scotts Road, #03-126 Far East Plaza, 228213
This place always gets it right for me. They’re meticulous and precise in taking measurements and altering garments to get the perfect fit for you. My altered clothes that get sent back to me always manage to fit me like a glove and they also feel so comfortable. Just a heads up: They seem to get a lot of orders, so it may take a fairly reasonable amount of time for them to process and finish up your garments. It took me about a week to land my hands on the finished product… But I’m not complaining — the end product was stellar.” – Lorraine Tiang, Senior Account Manager
284 Bukit Batok East Avenue 3, #01-251, Singapore 650284
“This place is your best bet for good value and efficiency. For patching of holes or simple modifications such as raising the hemline, they’ll be able to get the job done in just under an hour (this depends on how busy they are on the day itself). It was mostly a fuss-free experience for me; I dropped a couple of garments off and proceeded to browse through neighbouring shops at Bugis leisurely. Before I knew it, my clothes were ready to be collected.” – Letty Seah, Beauty Editor
Blk 270, Queen Street #03-35, Albert Centre Singapore 180270
“I’ve always been unlucky in denim love. Whenever I find a pair of jeans which seemingly fit perfectly, there’s always something wrong with it; the proportions are a little off, pockets are unflatteringly placed, or the pant leg opening just happens to be too cropped. Call me fussy, but I believe it’s requisite for every woman to own at least one perfect pair of jeans that checks all the boxes. I do come close, however, when I get my jeans altered at Jeansfix.
They’re coined the denim experts by many satisfied customers across the internet, and they’re serious about their art of mending and tailoring all things denim. I used to own a pair of bell-bottom jeans that were baggy around the hips and way too tight at the knees (my legs practically looked like sausages — not a great look, I believe). Jeansfix nipped the waistband so that I can pull it off high-waisted and made other adjustments which eventually made it my ideal fit. 10/10 would go again when I get my next denim distress.” – Michelle Yeoh, Junior Content Producer
City Link Mall #B1-06 , 1 Raffles Link, Singapore 039393
“I’ve come here many times to alter those ill-fitting clothes I’ve bought online. You know how it is with shopping online… You just never know what you’re going to get. And when the fit fails me, this is the first place I head to. They’re adept at tailoring and their sewing skills are pretty much on point for me. All in all, I had a good experience patronising them – they meet the needs for a professional-looking alteration.” – Diana Wong, Head of Sales & Marketing
Far East Plaza #04-104, 14 Scotts Road, Singapore (S)228213
“My whole family gets their clothes tailored here. We’ve long frequented this humble establishment because the seamstresses are just so friendly and warm! Whether it’s fixing torn garments or tailoring them for a better fit, they’ve always got us covered (they even have dry-cleaning services too). As for workmanship, I would say that they’re thorough and consistent; I have no complains for their proficiency and skill.” – Alyaa Iman, Intern
441 Pasir Ris Drive 6, Singapore 510441