Katherine did my best friend's wedding gown and Katherine has MAGICAL skills! She did what many professionals deemed to be impossible for her dress. I was with my friend when she tried on the dress (off the rack) and I was worried as to how the dress could be made to fit her (even though she is teenie tiny) but her wedding dress was two sizes too small! Katherine made my friend's dress fit her PERFECTLY (from adding the two sizes and somehow making the bra/breast area fit perfectly without a gap (I feel like this is difficult to accomplish with a wedding gown and I see lots of brides with the gap around the bra area and it bothers me). I'm super picky and I was SOLD on hiring Katherine when I saw my friend on her wedding day - she seriously looked like a model in a movie! I told my friend "I need your wedding gown professional's contact info STAT for my own upcoming wedding. So so glad I called! Katherine also made (herself!) a beautiful sash for my daughter's flower girl dress (and for all of the other flower girls) ... they were so classy and so cute!! Super high quality too! The veil Katherine made (also herself) for my friend was GORGEOUS and I'm so excited for mine now (I get married next year)! Katherine has been so nice and so personable in my own wedding gown alteration process - and it's so nice and refreshing to have this! She is available via text message which I also appreciate a lot. Even though my wedding isn't until the Spring, I highly recommend Katherine after seeing the end results for my friend's wedding and for my daughter's dress, and this is such a huge weight off of my shoulders to feel confident that my wedding gown will be taken care of by her (someone so talented and also fun to talk to!) for my wedding day. If you're looking for someone for alterations and it's stressing you out like it was for me, I would call Katherine! read more

I chose this seamstress for my wedding dress alterations because someone recommended her services, but unfortunately my experience was extremely disappointing. The alterations ended up being taken a little too far and it lays weirdly on the sides (puckering etc), and when I received my dress back, it had visible dirt/stains on the back of the dress that were not there when I brought it in. My dress was brand new when I dropped it off, and when I expressed concern, I was told that it came that way/she didn't know what happened, which was frustrating because that simply was not true. I now have to spend additional time and money getting my wedding dress professionally cleaned myself, and no discount or effort was made to make the situation right. Communication throughout the entire process was also unclear. I was never given a firm completion date, which created unnecessary stress during an already stressful time leading up to a wedding. Wedding dress alterations are expensive, and for the amount I paid, I expected much more care, accountability, and communication. I left feeling frustrated and disappointed with the overall experience. While she was kind personally, I would not return and would not recommend her services. read more

See all

Katherine is an actual angel on earth! She did two bridesmaids dresses for me recently. One was for a wedding in September and one that is this weekend. They were both perfection! She was able to add material from the bottom part of the dress to fix a portion in the bust of a Jenny Yoo and it looks like it was made that way. My boyfriend and I lived in Milwaukee for a while and recently moved back to Chicago. I will still drive all my dresses to Wisconsin so that Katherine can do them. She has perfected her craft beyond belief. I wish I met her years ago so all my dresses could have been altered by her. She is AMAZING! read more

Sophisticated Rose - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Katherine made the most beautiful skirt and shirt for my future mother in law for our wedding, AND saved my veil that tore just a few days before the wedding. So great and will come back the next time I need a dress. Her sketches are so amazing too! read more

I had a really lovely experience here with my wedding dress alterations. I had a bit of a rush order but she managed to finish my dress beautifully in the limited time. She not only altered the hem, she removed the long train, and created a custom panel for the front. She has some excellent ideas about what fabrics to use and I loved the final result! She made me feel like a princess when I needed to feel at my best. Lovely atmosphere, very welcoming and accommodating. Exactly what I needed! read more

See all

I needed what I would consider significant alterations to a dress that I bought. I bought an ivory strapless tea-length dress that turned into a magical silver and pink confection. The original dress was white-ish, I sent it to NYC to be dyed. It came back more pinkish than I really wanted but I didn't have time for a new dress and/or re-dyed. Katherine to the rescue! I knew that I wanted to add a neckline and sleeves to my dress but Katherine brought my vision to life in a way I couldn't have imagined. She had this great silver lace that she made into a top overlay on the dress that perfectly matched what I wanted. And she recommended several layers of silver tulle over the bottom part of the dress to "quiet" the pink. I almost said no (oh the horrors!) and thankfully, remembered - SHE'S THE EXPERT. Listen and take her recommendations! She knows what she is doing. But I will also say that while she made great recommendations, she also listens to what you want. She recommended a bow in the back of the dress. I said no and she said why she thought it would be a good idea but that was one of those things where I was like - no, I'm good and she was like, ok and moved on. I always felt that she had a great editorial eye but also listened to my thoughts and executed what I wanted. She also made my headpiece. I sent her images from Pinterest and she made something cuter than I saw on any website and a great price AND that matched the materials from my dress. I was never worried about the alterations themselves - she was absolutely great. She works out of her own shop in Shorewood and I thought her work was excellent and finished within very reasonable time frames during what is her busiest season. VERY VERY VERY happy that I went with Katherine. read more

Sophisticated Rose - End result!!! Dress altered and veil made by Katherine - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

See all

Katherine is a dream to work with!!! I had her alter my wedding dress and she is a miracle worker!!! She is extremely talented, listens to what you want, and her attention to detail is incredible. I promise you won't be disappointed if you go to Sophisticated Rose. It will be the best decision you ever make! read more

Katherine is the best!!! I had to have considerable alterations to my wedding dress because the salon ordered my dress way too big. I was really nervous after my first appointment and panicked. I called her after I had already left and she told me to come back that same day to talk through the design of the dress more. We met every month until my wedding and I was astounded with how beautiful I felt and how gorgeous the dress looked at the end of the whole process. Plus, she has amazing prices! She made a custom wrap for my dress + extensive alterations, and I paid less than I was quoted the salon I bought the dress from to just get alterations. I would recommend her to all Milwaukee area brides!! read more

When I first met with Katherine, it was just 3 months before my wedding. Having few wedding "girly" skills, I showed Katherine 5 photos of dresses I thought were pretty. She sketched something that to my untrained eye looked about right and I left it all up to her! She quoted me a cost that is a FRACTION of what I would have paid in a store. At my first fitting, I'm not going to lie, I was nervous. The dress was unfinished and we chose to make a few changes. For my second and last fitting, the dress was perfection. Katherine is a calm, listening, thoughtful, professional magician. I felt beautiful and, gasp, comfortable, at my wedding. I received many, many compliments on my "custom" dress! I would highly recommend Katherine to any bride or anyone who wants a beautifully crafted gown or outfit. read more

Absolutely amazing! I needed to have my wedding dress fixed a week and a half before my destination wedding due to another seamstress making a mistake. Talk about high stress. I explained exactly what I was looking for and she executed it perfectly. She was very professional and helped me feel at ease even with the shortened time period. My only regret was that I didn't find her sooner and had a custom gown created. I will be going to her for all my alteration needs. I would highly recommend her. read more

A-MAZ-ING!!! My now husband and I decided to get married with 5 weeks notice. I thought finding the dress would be the hard part, but getting it fitted was even harder. After contacting 5 places friends had recommended, I reached out to Katherine and it was a fantastic decision. With only 2 real weeks to alter my wedding dress, she still took on the job. Up to the day before I got married she worked with me to ensure I was in LOVE with my dress and felt BEAUTIFUL in it. Even staying late and missing family time with her husband and son. I am so beyond appreciative and she is amazing!! Thank you again Katherine!! I felt stunning on my wedding day!! read more

The name of the store and my experience here fit perfectly. When it comes to wedding alterations I would only go to Katherine. She really knew what she was doing and her design approach was both sophisticated and contemporary. She was very welcoming and made me feel very comfortable right away. Her suggestions were spot on and she also explained why "this" was better than "that". She did not overcharge me at all. I wish I had known about her earlier. In my opinion you won't find a designer out there that is even close to her ability level. If I could give her 10 stars I would. read more

I have been going to Sophisticated Rose for years. I started with the first owner, Liliana, and stayed when the current owner took over, Katherine Stephens. Katherine has designed many clothes for me, but when she took on my busy daughter's wedding dress at the same time as my mother-of-the-bride dress, I was relieved and nervous. My daughter had very little time to be involved with the dress and lived out of state. She just wanted a beautiful dress within her limited budget. Katherine Stephens listened, sketched, and chose materials that were wonderful and within budget. I honestly don't know why anyone would buy off the rack when there is someone like Katherine Stephens to do the dress. By the way, she successfully made my dress too for the wedding - wonderful. I highly recommend Sophisticated Rose without reservations. read more

Katherine is very talented. I should have had her make the dress a little shorter because I kept stepping on it here and there and then the bustles kept undoing during the wedding, but for the most part, she did great. read more

I always say I will write a review for excellent service but it almost always slips my mind. The service here is great. The owner is friendly, funny and very talented. You want some alterations, no worries- they will come out flawlessly. She pays attention to every detail. Her custom designs are unique and gorgeous. Had I known about her custom work before purchasing my gown I would have had my gown made by her no doubt. Prices are very fair and the experience is overall enjoyable. read more

I have been working with Katherine for years , she's great. I send people to her all the time and everyone seems really happy!