You might be risking your dress if your seamstress or tailor, in order to save time and cost, cut corners in alterations to rip off customers who may not have the eyes for garment details. While you initially may not be able to tell the difference from outside, its lack of quality in time may result in stitching loosening and shape changing. If you plan to dance or walk frequently in the dress, solid stitching is very important.
Some seamstresses and tailors even speed up cutting and sewing process to an unacceptable level which may risk damaging your dress and its stitching. If you plan to resell your dress, you may need to pay more to restore your dress to a sellable condition. They roughly and careless handle your dress in the production room. Delicate fabrics like lace need to be handled with care, or else part of the fabrics might get torn and change shape. These small tearing might not be clearly visible enough to be noticed but might make the dress out of shape on your body. You then might think your body shape has changed but in fact it is the dress that has changed.
Many seamstresses and tailors do not give their customers enough fitting sessions for their situation which is different for everybody depending on the dress structure, customers’ body shape and urgency requirement. Fitting sessions serve an important part of the alteration process. These fitting sessions are to safely and gradually confirm dress fitting to your body measurements which may change week by week. Some alterations and areas of the dress need to have measurements confirmed upon the first alteration completion before subsequent alterations should be carried out. Completing full alteration without careful and gradual fittings are reckless and risky. For dresses, a minimum of three fittings should be conducted as part of the whole alteration process. There is first fitting during initial consultation; followed by one to two fittings for measurement confirmation before finalisation; then one final fitting just before the customer brings the dress home; and there may be extra fittings added as required by the seamstress or tailor.
Therefore, please keep in mind when you get a alteration quotation that every dollar short of a normal good alteration cost would result in extra unnecessary risk for your dress. Unless you are a high risk taker, we strongly suggest you not to bargain down on quality for the same amount of alterations involved. If budget is tight, rather than only look at the the quotation alone, it is better to ask the seamstress or tailor for a less than perfect but acceptable workaround solution for your dress.
