Chasing Tailor

Womp womp… I’m pretty disappointed with my visit to Chaising Tailor. After my beloved Martas was sold I was looking for a good tailor to alter things here and there; given the rave reviews thought I would check this place out, but sadly will NOT be returning. I called Chaising Tailor and realized you have to have an appointment, so booked one and showed up 3 days later, got fitted, and felt confident my jumpsuit would look awesome… Arthur seemed to know his stuff. I was quoted $ 80 when I left– pretty high IMO but again knew the alterations I needed weren’t the simplest (hem pants and sheer overlay along with shortening of straps) so sucked it up and said «OK». I was told to come back in a week to pick up my outfit which I did to find out I was there for a fitting… but did not know (because I was suppose to be picking up my completed item) and therefore did not have the right heels so would have to make another trip. The next week (week 3) I’m back to pick up my jumpsuit… Get it all tried on and first thing Arthur says was «Hummmm think it should be shorter» all this after 2 fittings and 3 trips to his apartment. I point out a few areas that look super crappy and he says «it was a hard hem». Once I get home I do some further inspection and honestly am annoyed and feel ripped off, I paid $ 85 for a hem that looks like a 2 year old could have cut straighter. I decided to reach back out to him with pictures of my concerns (even though I was leaving the next day on trip to wear jumpsuit) because I was feeling really frustrated– he agreed I could come back and he would see what he could do… So I walked back now a 4^th time to have my jumpsuit corrected. Luckily as Arthur originally pointed out it could have been a little shorter so he was able to correct the hem and I was able to pick up before my flight the next day. While I appreciate him correcting the issue I’m more concerned that he thought it was acceptable to charge me $ 85 ($ 5 MORE than quoted) for something that looked like complete crap (see pictures). I will NOT BE BACK to Chaising Tailor because the service received did not at all live up to the price nor these raving Unilocal reviews.

Call ahead! I had to get my suit pants hemmed at the cuffs and Arthur did it for me while I was there. The quality of the hem and break were great! A lot of places I feel like will charge extra for rush. Great place, mad quick and very reasonably priced, like really quick cuz I have a wedding to hit up in two days. Definitely recommend especially if you need a quick job and don’t have a regular spot. Thanks Arthur!

Natalie did an excellent job sewing a petticoat into my wedding dress. Their service was always quick and enjoyable for a job well done. I will use them in the future for my tailoring needs!

Hands down my tailor for my NY life. Not only do they do exceptional tailoring, the creative loft atmosphere makes it a memorable/​warm experience. I’ve used Chasing Tailor for just about every type of alterations– hem, dart– turns things not so flattering to fitting fab. They think outside of the box and always give me results I am beyond happy with!

I needed to get a pair of men’s pants and vest tailored for a wedding that was a mere two weeks away. Arthur was very accommodating given my time crunch, and I was able to bring my suit in the day that I called.
His work space is really cool (it’s in an awesome loft), and I felt right at home as I talked with him and played with the two tiny rat dogs that live there.
He was able to tailor the pants in a way that did not make me look like a pudgy boy (it is no small feat to tailor men’s pants to properly fit a woman’s body) and made me feel super comfortable.
The people that work there are also great, they are very hospitable (offered me water and ginger green tea), and exceptionally queer friendly. I would HIGHLY recommend them, especially for masculine presenting women that don’t want to deal with homophobic assholes.

$ 10 for an overlock stitch straight hem on a tee shirt that was already cut to the length needed (so they didn’t need to do cutting work). It would have cost $ 20 for a cover stitch hem on the same already cut shirt. I think if I had not cut the shirts myself the prices would have been higher.
They did a nice job.

I cannot say enough good things about Chasing Tailor. Nathalie and Arthur are absolute gems — wonderful people and tailoring wizards. My lace wedding dress needed major repairs and tailoring — Nathalie literally had to take it apart and put it back together — and it looks even better than before. She did a truly amazing job and I am so grateful! Plus they have two adorable chihuahuas and a very cool shop — always had a good time hanging out there. I will definitely be going back for any future tailoring needs!

I never had gotten anything tailored before, and so this is my first experience doing so. The tailors here are warm and inspired, just like the space. So far I have just gotten basic alterations, but I look forward to brining an interesting project to these artists one day.

Arthur is an artist who works in clothing and other disciplines. He tailored several shirts, pants, shorts and a suit for me. He breathed new life into each of these items, turning them from forgotten sad sacks into every day favorites in my wardrobe. He is a skilled craftsman, but perhaps most importantly, he has an intuitive understanding of how contemporary visually oriented people, i.e. demanding New Yorkers, want to look and feel in their clothes.

I love Arthur, and he’s truly a godsend.
Listen, if you’re expecting a «normal» studio in a storefront with «professional» features, this might not be the place for you. Arthur’s phone operation is a little weird (I think it’s his cell phone?) and takes getting used to. His studio is a big open loft/​pad, with a kitchen, two funny little dogs, always lots of cool soul/​funk/​psych music blasting, interesting paintings everywhere, and oddball characters all around.
Initially, I was skeptical about Arthur, perhaps because he shattered my expectations of a tailor. He’s not the atypical image you may have: perhaps an old British man in a vest with a tie and slim pleated slacks and freshly polished wingtips, saying «How do you do sir? May I offer you a sprinkling water or perhaps a moist towelette to freshen up?» No, Arthur is the opposite. He’s much more funky, much more rock’n’roll. When I arrived, I think all he said was «Sup. The changing room is over there,» while his dogs barked at me on my way over to it. He himself dresses in super loose clothing, typically from the 70s, is most often barefoot, and I think another reviewer put it very accurately: he looks a lot like the muppet Floyd Pepper, and even kinda talks like him too. I won’t say his clothes don’t fit him, but he definitely wears them loose and so, I will be honest here, my initial thought was, «will this guy really tailor my clothes to fit me well?!»
Then I returned for the results.
And the results were phenomenal.
Shirts and pants that looked like they were made just for me.
Solid and consistent execution.
And now constant compliments from everyone I know.
So I knew I had misjudged Arthur, and I began to bring him most of my warddrobe over time. He’s laid-​back, funny, smart, friendly (always sure to offer me a drink), fast, and genuinely wants you to look your best. He brings his own opinions to play, but ultimately he says, «you’re the driver,» and wants you to be happy. So often times, I will say things that I like or don’t like, bounce ideas off of him to get his feedback, and that helps me make a more informed decision. It should be said that his feedback is based more on a love of clothing and styles throughout history, rather than sticking to one exact style and knowing only that, as some tailors do. That is, you go to some tailors and they will make you look like everyone else, but I think Arthur is genuinely interested in making clothes unique to each person and what they like. So with that, he’s incredibly knowledgeable at helping me nail the perfect fit that is just right for me. Also, I feel very comfortable chatting with him throughout the process, and I’m always learning new and intersting things from him about fashion, history, art, music, life in new york city, you name it.
Quick response to the negative feedback about his timeliness and work: I will say Arthur seems a little bit scatterbrained at times, but he’s never been late, and he’s never stood me up, and he’s never messed up a garment for me, and I’ve brought him easily 30 shirts, some jackets, and pants over the past year. What I have noticed is his business has picked up and he seems to be constantly overbooked, so I’m sure those were strange isolated events that were the result of being overwhelmed. But it looks like he’s hired more assistants from what I’ve seen, so that should likely help.
So maybe he’s not for everyone. Maybe you’re looking for that old british man with loads of politeness to suit you up for a wedding, and that’s fine. But if you can vibe with the oddity of his character and his studio and the way he runs things a little differently, you will be happy you’ve worked with him. I’ve definitely found my permanent tailor for as long as I live in NYC.

I’m going to keep this short, despite everything I want to say.
Arthur kept my clothes for 2 months, despite a 2 week promise (which honestly, is already really long). He stood me up not once but twice when I tried to pick up my clothes. I literally showed up to his place per his instructions that my clothes were ready, and 1) my clothes weren’t ready, 2) he wasn’t even there. After I called him for 20 mins saying I was outside his door, he texted me saying «oops, i guess i texted the wrong number.» What? Two separate times too? He didn’t even really apologize. The 3^rd time when I actually got my clothes, he was 20 minutes late too.
The work came out fine, and the only consolation is that he gave me a final discount on my tab (because I asked, he didn’t offer). He comes off as pretty irresponsible and flippant. When I even showed up for my original appt, he accidentally triple booked the slot so there were 3 of us vying for his attention and changing in front of each other in his apt.
I hope my experience is isolated, I’m just not sure how he could care so little and give such poor service in my case.

Arthur and crew did an excellent job tailoring my suit. His rates are reasonable and his studio is very cool. It’s the kind of place that could only exist in Williamsburg. Make sure and make an appointment before showing up.

Arthur is the best/​most accommodating and entertaining tailor ive ever used. He is friendly (offered my girl and I a beer/​water/​juice while we waited), cordial and the quality of his work is excellent. Ive had everything worked on; from denim repairs and alterations, a brand new suit to my girlfriends cocktail dress and I have to say all his work has been spectacular. I highly recommend using Arthur, prices are fair, just need to make an appointment.

Let me start off by saying that Arthur is a very nice and genuine guy who helped a relative tailor newcomer feel comfortable. I have gotten suits tailored about once a year for the past 4 years. I am very familiar with how tailored suits are supposed to lay and fit on my body, and I expected to pay a solid price to get that fit. I brought in 2 pairs of pants and 2 sport coats. The fitting went great, I listed out the alterations I’d like and overall look I was going for and Arthur made some helpful suggestions. Arthur even saw that I was sweating and offered me homemade tea which hit the spot. I was confident I would be happy with the work that was to be done.
However, Arthur was late on the estimated delivery by over two weeks but it was around the Memorial Day holiday and I wasn’t in a huge rush. When I was able to go back in to try on my items most of the changes I requested were way off. The hem on one pair of pants was off by 2 inches, I brought in the waist on a pair of pants and it was off by an inch making it too tight at my normal height, and the worst was that my off the rack Brooks Brothers sport coat appears to have had the shoulders significantly worsened. On that particular jacket there was a bit of rolling in between my shoulder blades which I was told could be easily fixed (for a very significant fee). Yet when I tried on the jacket the rolling was much worse, AND the shoulders were now horizontally twisting.
This is when I learned that Arthur had not at all worked on my items and instead his assistant/​apprentice had. I chose Chasing Tailor mostly for the reviews of Arthur; had I known his assistant would be working on my items I would not have chosen Chasing Tailor. Arthur spent an extra 30 minutes fixing the mistakes I listed above and having the assistant fix the rolling issue on the jacket but the jacket still looks worse than when I had it off the rack because of the shoulder issue. To conclude, I paid quite a considerable amount of money for alterations and my items look «alright» at best. I would be very hesitant to choose Chasing Tailor again except for basic alterations, or without the direct statement that Arthur would be working on my items.
The irony is that today I received my bespoke suit from China where I emailed in my measurements and it’s flawless and fits like a glove. Go figure.

An extraordinary tailor — sad I only had things to repair. Although pair of pants — a complicated pair of Yohji sweatpants made of parachute material had been poorly repaired and he got them back to their former glory seamlessly. Thank you for that. We realized when I went to pick up a shirt that it might look better with short sleeves, so that should be fun. Altogether the man and his art transcend Unilocal.Clearly though, I don’t.

I actually really liked Arthur, so I feel bad saying negative things. However, I’ll try and keep it constructive in case he reads this.
A) Separate your work and personal phones– it’s very disorienting to get a gruff «hello» when calling for the first time.
B) Or heck, just get rid of the phone altogether and move business correspondence to email. Our interactions brightened considerably once we moved to text.
C) I go to somebody with a good reputation because I don’t always know what is proper or what will look good. If I wanted to tell somebody exactly what to do, I would have chosen somewhere more convenient.
D) Most good tailors are late– but loose threads and erratic stitches make this seem less ok.
E) Keep my stuff in one place and remember where that place is. I spend a lot of time finding and altering my clothing. The idea of losing something worries me.
Overall, I get the feeling that Arthur is an excellent Tailor who might be considerably overbooked. My experience was pretty bad, but I wouldn’t necessarily let that stop someone from calling– especially in the off-​season.

Excellent tailor. Took a $ 300 Macy’s suit and made it look like a custom suit. I knew my suit looked dumpy and I wanted it to fit better but didn’t know exactly what to ask for. Arthur was able to interpret what I wanted and execute it to perfection. He set up a private time to find out what I wanted and then a private time to pick up the finished suit and then hemmed my pants on the spot. I’m really happy with the results AND the price.
The setting, though unconventional, is endearing to me, too. Loft with windows looking out on to the J line and two yappy dogs.
Was also able to rush it for me to have it ready in time for a wedding.

Arthur altered a very complicated Ports 1961 sweater for me, and I’m so happy with it. It had batwing-​like dolman sleeves, and the shoulders were too wide, making me look like a football player.
I put it on for him, and he marked everything with chalk and had it done within 2 weeks. When I came back to try it on, the shoulders were still slightly too wide, so he altered it for me right then and there.
I have to admit that I was a little worried as I would’ve been with any tailor since the sleeves were so complicated, but it turned out beautifully and looks very chic. I paid $ 35, which I thought was fair.

I had a wool coat altered here that was a little too big and sloppy looking. It came back fit like it was completely custom made for me, and I’m incredibly pleased with the result.
Note that you have to call beforehand; it’s not a storefront.

A Master Artist. That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Arthur.
I am from the SF Bay Area and had a very important business meeting in NYC. I had recently toned down quite a bit and needless to say when I arrived, I was very disappointed by how baggy my jacket and pants fit. I found Arthur here on Unilocal and called him at 8:30am from JFK.
Even though I had no prior appointment and he had just finished working a very long Fashion Week, he graciously offered to take me in and even further provide a 1 hr turnaround, so I would not be late to my meeting.
You might think he would do a mediocre job because he knows I’m not from the city and he was doing me the favor of a rush order, but that was not the case. Arthur took Great consideration to carefully examine the proper fit for my new slender physique and I could further tell he took Tremendous pride in his work.
The result was a suit that fit like a glove and dramatically boosted my confidence for my big meeting. To say Arthur did a Great job is an understatement.
I employ you to visit his shop and let him work his magic on you as well. I promise you will not be sorry.