A week and a half before my wedding I tried on my dress and it was a bit too big (continued pre-wedding weight loss) and there was a minor issue with the fit in the back I hadn't previously noticed. My bridesmaids and mom said it was fine and not an issue, but I wanted the dress to look perfect. I called Estee on Tuesday and asked if I could come back in. Despite having a million June/July wedding dresses she was working on, she managed to fit me on Wednesday evening and did two rounds of fittings and alterations within an hour and a half so I didn't have to repeat the drive to/from DC in the week before my wedding. At the end of the appointment, I tipped her an additional $100 which she seemed genuinely surprised by, as she said she was happy to do it so I would look beautiful on my wedding. She's the absolute sweetest! read more

Estee is amazing. The alterations were perfect! She knew exactly what needed to be done. Dress was ready as promised. Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: i did not get alterations done with Estee. But i would still like to add to the already excellent reviews that Estée has received : here is a story of how Estée helped me in a bind! With only one week for bridal gown alterations, I called Estée to ask for an appointment - unfortunately she was booked until August. Despite this she helped me find another tailor, and - after sending her several photos of my dress and explaining at length on the phone what I wanted to have done - she gave excellent advice on how to manage the alterations and how to best achieve the look I was going for. And as all the other reviews have said before me - she was SO nice about it and really took the time to engage in the issue. Although I was unable to get the alterations done with Estée this time there is no doubt in my mind that I will go to her in the future. read more

I purchased my mermaid lace dress online and it was probably one size too big from the waist down. I google and went on every website i could find to find an amazing seamstress... this was MARCH. I called Estee and requested a fitting for a Sept wedding, she fit me in the end of MAY... #1 good sign of a great seamstress.. being booked and busy! I had my first fitting with her today, she was kind and tender and funny and honest. It took her only about 20 minutes to pin me and that included the hem, pinning the sides in, lacing me up, pinning the bustle, and the pseudo sweetheart line. She was quick efficient and just perfect. I can't wait to come back for my 2nd fitting! Her rule of not charging more than $250 still stands! read more

Estee altered my wedding gown more than TEN YEARS AGO and I went looking for her info because I need some altering done now on some scarves and wanted someone with experience in delicate materials. She did a wonderful job on my Italian bustle and created a simple shrug for me to wear during the church ceremony. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and her work is top-notch. read more

Estee Livioco - Photo of houlder shrug Estee made for service and the long train on the dress. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me

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Oh my goodness. I love Ms. Estee. She was well worth the 45 plus minute drive from Alexandria to have my wedding dress altered by her. Her rates are better than anyone here, and I didn't have any of the issues/horror stories I heard about. She is always busy, so book early. Even though she is always busy, she did five fittings for me and made a few changes to my address just a week before I left to go out of town for my wedding. The best part, she wasn't rude or upset. She was always so kind and understanding helping to calm my nerves during the whole process. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone (especially if you're picky). read more

Estee is the real MVP of wedding planning. My dress was very elaborate with a lot of beading and she did an amazing job bringing up the straps, pulling in the waist (I lost 10 lbs between the time I bought the dress and the wedding day) and hemming the bottom, all for $300. She was very flexible in scheduling appointments and accommodated me even though I lived out of town and was only able to come during busy three-day weekends. She was very responsive to my concerns about the dress. During my final fitting, I noticed the dress was just a bit loose and that some of the beading had come off. She fixed it within 24 hours and had it ready for me to pick up before I had to head back home. The dress fit me like a glove on the wedding day and it's all thanks to Estee's patience and supporting energy. Thank you!! read more

Better than the best! I would give her seven more stars if I could. I drove 40 miles one way in DC traffic to see her and she was worth it. She only works on wedding dresses and has been doing it for over 25 years. Her prices are fair and reasonable; she works out of her own home. The only sad part is that she might retire next year. read more

Estee is a wonderfully talented women. She was able to take in my oversized long lace dress and make it fit perfectly. I had 2 months to get it done it with a wedding coming just around the corner. After 3 fittings, which she suggests, the dress was perfect and breathtaking! I would highly recommend her over any other local tailor. She is amazing! She made me feel like a real bride. There is so much to say about her. She has such a great talent with her hands and is such a joy to be around. While she was a way away from me (Fairfax location) she was well worth the effort it took getting to her. I didn't feel nervous about leaving my dress with her at all which was a huge concern from the beginning. I was more nervous about my dress being altered at the shop where I bought it because that seamstress did not have 100% reviews and that scared me more. I highly recommend Estee for any alteration needs. She is a miracle worker! read more

Estee is AMAZING! She is so reasonably priced and so thoughtful into what alterations are best for the dress and for the bride. Her work is fast, good quality, and worthwhile. I am so thankful to find her and for her good humor and character to make a stressful situation easy! read more

Mrs.Estee is amazing. I recommend her 100%. She altered my wedding dress that was two sizes too big and covered in antique lace and crystals. She was so inexpensive and professional. Three visits and i took my dress home with a perfect fit. She added in cups to give me a fuller top and made me a wonderful 6pt bustle. Amazing lady read more

Estee is nothing short of a miracle worker on dresses. She is as amazing as everyone says, SUPER sweet and definitely under charges for her services. She did a LOT of work to my dress as I am very petite...took it up at least 4 times, took it in a few times, added a bustle, shortened the torso (which had a lot of beading)... all for less than $200! read more

I highly recommend Estee. She was extremely professional, efficient and skillful. She made me and my daughter feel welcome and relaxed as she figured out what alterations were needed. We went back several times until we all felt that the dress fit just perfectly. She is so warm and friendly and easy to work with. She made the whole experience easy and stress free!!!! read more

If you're thinking these reviews are too positive and no one can be that good, you're wrong. Estee is AMAZING. She is great at her job and is does not charge much because she does it more for fun than anything else. She's quick and I am so lucky I was able to sneak myself in! Would definitely recommend her! Just inquire earlier because she books fast! read more

Estee was great! She altered my bridesmaids dress and it fit beautifully. Also it was very reasonably priced.

After reading positive reviews of Estee, I decided to give her a chance with my wedding dress. The dress was purchased from a sample store and needed a bit of work, including a new zipper repairs to the lace and chiffon. Estee made the repairs and added a bustle, all for around $150. She is so sweet and wonderful to work with. i can't imagine having a better experience with anyone else. read more

Estee altered my wedding dress and was delightful to work with, and definitely worth a long drive from Baltimore! At my first fitting, she was very receptive to the changes I wanted to make to the dress, which were fairly minor, but a little nitpicky. Because the alterations were minor, I was able to take my dress home after the second fitting! She was very responsive, professional, and reasonably priced! I could tell she really cares about her work, making sure the bride is happy and the dress is well taken care of. read more

I called Estee in April and my first fitting was scheduled for mid June. I was a bit nervous initially because the dress was purchased off rack in a size 8 and I'm a size 2. It had very delicate and intricate lacing, which she worked on masterfully. I'm only 5'1, so she had to shorten the dress significantly. Estee had to cut the dress at the bottom including the lace, she then sewed the lace back on the bottom and it looked flawless! She brought it in at the lower thighs to make it more of a trumpet style and brought the bust in more to make a modified sweet-heart neckline, the dress was straight across when purchased. She built in bra cups for me as well!! I was able to take my dress home at the 3rd fitting, about a month before my wedding, which was awesome. Estee was so sweet and very easy to work with. Her fees are also very reasonable. I will definitely recommend Estee for gown alterations. Thank you soooo much. read more

Estee Livioco - Dress after taking it down 6 sizes and shortening it to fit a 5'1 frame! - Sewing & Alterations Near Me

Estee scheduled an appointment with me for alterations. I was very excited because she has such great reviews. I am not reviewing her work (to be clear). I discussed my wedding date, dress style, and made an appointment with her to come in over the phone about a month prior to my appointment. I drove an hour to get to her home. I walk in, I have my dress, we say hello, she asks me when my wedding is (6 weeks away) and she says, "Oh no, I cannot do it" or something like that. I am confused. Apparently, she's busy, she's going out of town, and she is worried she won't be able to finish it right. Then she says, "I had a question mark next to you in my calendar, I should have called you - I don't know why I wrote the question mark". Um....... yeah, that would have been nice, before I drove an hour out here and an hour back in rush hour traffic. I have a flexible job schedule, what if I didn't? I do want to say that it is great that she did not take on a client if she wouldn't have been able to finish/do it right/etc. due to other commitments. That would have caused herself and myself stress and ended up very poorly. I appreciate that, I really do, and I think that is actually very ethical. However, thank goodness I had made a back up alteration appointment because of my bridal paranoia. She kind of hemmed and hawed about it for about 5-10 more minutes, asked how much I needed done, how far away I lived, had I talked to anyone else, maybe she could do it, no she was going out of town, not sure, etc. Finally, I said, "Ma'am, if you are not going to do it, please be direct. I live an hour away in VA, it is 3 pm, traffic is only getting worse, please decide now." Ok, she was apologetic, but give me a break. How hard is it to call or write the wedding date next to the appointment so you know? Bottom Line: Call her to confirm your date and her availability, prior to going to your appointment - that's my low review - the customer service. I cannot comment on her work and I do appreciate that she doesn't take on more than she can handle. That is a definite positive. read more

I visited 4 bridal salons before finding the dress. It wasn't that I was being picky about the dress itself, nope. It was the bridal salons themselves that made me walk each time... the aggressive sales girl, the snooty salesgirl: "oh your budget is only $2000, ok lets see if we can work with that" grr, the production line mentality of the seamstresses. When I finally found the dress, the idea of having to go back into the bridal salon world several times for alternations gave me anxiety. And then I found Estee Livocco! (angels sang from the sky) She has such a sweet, caring demeanor and made the experience a breeze. On top of that, her rate is extremely reasonable since she works from home. It is absolutely worth taking the drive up 270 from DC during rush hour, which says a lot. Do not hesitate to use Estee! read more

Estee is such a wonderful person to work with. Her prices are VERY VERY reasonable and her work is remarkable. I have never seen someone care for her customers as she does. I visited her so many times to alter my gown and she was pleasant every time. She never gave me limits on the number of visits (which most places do) and she was so fair on her price. Her work is one of a kind and I am so happy that I found her. I would recommend her to any bride! read more

Estee was amazing. I can't thank her enough for all the work she did on my dress at such a reasonable cost. I bought by dress as a sample from Kleinfelds. It was about 5 sizes too big with complicated boning, had a neckline I didn't particularly like, and had a train I didn't want. With Estee's magic touch, the silloute was amazing, the once enormous dress fit like a glove, and she even created a large flower for my hip with the extra fabric from the train. I'm not sure what I would have done without her! Thanks Estee. read more

I cannot say enough good things about Estee. She did the alterations for my wedding dress, which I purchased off the rack. She carefully hemmed the dress (taking special care not to ruin the beading along the bottom), put in straps and a bustle, and even added some additional coverage to the neckline. She made helpful suggestions, was easy to schedule appointments with (she works from her home), and is *unbelievably* economical. She is probably undervaluing her work, the quality of which is fantastic! She was truly a delight to work with. I HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for a seamstress! read more

I am very frustrated with the service I "didn't" receive from Estee. I scheduled an appointment with her a month out. She called me at noon the day of the appointment to cancel because she was sick. Now - I completely understand her getting sick, but her availablity to reschedule me was limited. When I asked her if rescheduling would affect me getting my dress in time she suggested I find another seamstress. I was shocked at this. If I had wanted another seamstress I would have found one in the month I was waiting for my appointment date. Really terrible service. read more