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January 2024 by Martina Thomas
A warning to all potential customers:
I had a horrible experience meeting with Svetlana. It was the worst client service interaction I’ve dealt with. Firstly, phone conversations with her are 2 minutes max, with minimal information, as though you are bothering her by calling in the first place. I met with Svetlana twice, first for a consultation on crafting a wedding dress (which she advertises on her website). My timeline was short, and it was more just an inquiry to see if it was possible. Svetlana immediately dismissed me and insisted on scheduling another time for me to come back with a dress I’d purchased. I met with her again a month later, I tried on the dress I bought and she was extremely negative and rude to the suggestions I made. I am eloping, with no family in the area, I was completely alone during my interactions with her. I did not bring shoes to the alteration, I didn’t think about it and she never told me what to bring in the phone calls. She was very upset with me, throwing her arms in the air multiple times, mumbling about how ridiculous it was that I didn’t bring shoes. The entire fitting made me feel like a fool. After I changed out of the dress she gave me my bill. Over $800. I was shocked. She very snidely told me that she “had to take apart the entire top of the dress and I charge $80 an hour and if you don’t want to work with me then find someone else.” I stood there shocked and horrified to spend more on alteration than I did on the actual dress, she never mentioned to me in the fitting that it would take over 10 hours of work. I walked out of the store crying. She was cold and rude, and her words were sharp. It was hard enough doing wedding planning alone and both my interactions with her made it so much worse.
The happy ending of this story is I found another tailor. Mattie at Seams Right in Jefferson was FANTASTIC. Mattie charges $40 an hour, was extremely kind, worked quickly and efficiently, AND best of all she found a way to take the dress in at the sides so she did not have to disassemble the front piece. Saving herself time and me money.
Svetlana quoted me $850 and had the worst customer service imaginable. Mattie charged me $100 and gave me the wedding dress of my dreams.
I would NEVER recommend working with Svetlana. I had a horrible experience and I hope I can prevent another bride from having one too.
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October 2023 by Michaela McVetty
I brought her a pair of jeans that needed to be hemmed, she was super nice and we agreed what should be worked on. I paid her $50 for a simple pair of jeans, but I thought jeans are difficult work so it’s ok. When u picked up I noticed she decided to do a single stitch instead of a normal denim stitch but she told me it was good. After 2 washes, the jeans split at the hem. I brought them back to her and she said “I didn’t do this, it’s not my work” which is actually nuts because I’m like - I stood in this room with these jeans with you not long ago. She acted like she didn’t know me. I got 3 dresses and these jeans. All very expensive which is fine if it’s good work but this is insane. I venmo’d her for the work so I can’t even dispute with my credit card company.
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October 2023 by Michaela M.
I brought her a pair of jeans that needed to be hemmed, she was super nice and we agreed what should be worked on. I paid her $50 for a simple pair of jeans, but I thought jeans are difficult work so it's reasonable to pay that much... When I picked up I noticed she decided to do a single stitch instead of a normal denim stitch but she told me it was good. After 2 washes, the jeans split where she sewed them. I brought them back to her and she said "I didn't do this, it's not my work" which is actually nuts because I'm like - I stood in this room with these jeans with you not long ago. She acted like she didn't know me. I got 3 dresses and these jeans. All very expensive which is fine if it's good work but this is insane. I venmo'd her for the work so I can't even dispute with my credit card company.
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October 2023 by Lauren Baranowski
Svetlana helped me turn a plain wedding dress that I bought off the rack into the custom dress of my dreams! She was so patient with me as I explained my vision to her and she worked with me over multiple months to bring it to life. She’s fantastic to work with and I highly recommend her!
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October 2023 by Kelly Gorham
Sevtlana did a GREAT job with my wedding gown. She does amazing work and is extremely talented!
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August 2023 by Micaela Tepler
If you got your dress as Madeleine's Daughter but are worried about going to a tailor that isn't in their network, never fear! Svetlana is the best seamstress in Southern Maine. I procrastinated a little getting my dress tailored for my wedding, but Svetlana works so efficiently, that it wasn't a problem and she is extremely skilled at what she does. My dress was 95% finished by my second appointment (third appointment is when you pick it up) and it fits like a glove. My bustle is perfectly draped and easy to use. I had a fabulous experience.
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March 2023 by Samantha Gerokoulis
Went to Svetlana to have my wedding dress fitted a few months back! She was wonderful to work with and my dress fit me perfectly! So sweet and kind and truly talented at what she does!!
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March 2023 by Ray MacLearn
Taking in my pants going from 38, 36 to 34 waist. Excellent work!
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December 2022 by Tamlyn H.
Svetlana is amazing. I recently moved here from a big city and I was super worried about finding a good place for my wedding dress alterations (since the brand of dress is not sold here). My dress was also super patterned with thick lace straps in the back. But Svetlana made the job look easy. The dress fit me like an actual glove. Seriously couldn't be happier. Price was super reasonable too (compared to a quote I got from a place in Boston 4x the price!). Highly, highly recommend.
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November 2022 by Julie Waterman
Svetlana was very professional, meet with me the same day that I contacted her to talk about my project and was able to give me quote/timeframe. She was very easy to talk with~
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October 2022 by Kate Dorsey
I called her for an emergency, I won’t specify so she doesn’t get peppered with requests. She did the most beautiful, phenomenal work. I saw the outcome last night and I was floored. She is kind, hardworking, and so talented. Thank you!!!!!!
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June 2022 by Callie Friel
Svetlana is amazingly talented. I brought in a wedding gown and tulle skirt overlay with a specific request - use the skirt's material to create an ethreal attachable sleeve/cape that I could slide on and off over the dress. She was so patient and kind, and nailed my vision perfectly (and at a super reasonable price for a custom wedding piece). Not only that, but I ended up switching wedding gowns halfway through the process, and she altered the new one to perfection without missing a beat. I couldn't be happier and would HIGHLY recommend Svetlana to anyone looking for alterations, wedding-related or otherwise!
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May 2022 by Callie Walker
Svetlana is amazingly talented. I brought in a wedding gown and tulle skirt overlay with a specific request - use the skirt's material to create an ethreal attachable sleeve/cape that I could slide on and off over the dress. She was so patient and kind, and nailed my vision perfectly (and at a super reasonable price for a custom wedding piece). Not only that, but I ended up switching wedding gowns halfway through the process, and she altered the new one to perfection without missing a beat. I couldn't be happier and would HIGHLY recommend Svetlana to anyone looking for alterations, wedding-related or otherwise!
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February 2021 by Heli Anthus
A few weeks ago, I brought in a pile of dresses and one skirt that needed to be taken in, let out, reworked, repaired, or taken up in the shoulders. I have not been able to find a good tailor since I moved away from the Bangor area and had actually had terrible experiences with two tailors in the Augusta area, so I was nervous about going to yet another one who might let me down, but Svetlana had such great reviews, and I had so many things piling up that I thought it was time to finally take a chance again. And I am so glad I did. She is wonderful. Not only is she extremely skilled, but she is also adventurous and unafraid of a challenge, and at the same time, very professional. I am happy with every single thing she altered for me, so much so that I'm bringing her another pile to fix next weekend, and plan to commission some dresses from her as well. Svetlana is not the cheapest tailor in all of Maine, but honestly, you get what you pay for when it comes to these things. I would rather have someone who knows what she is doing and who I can trust to bother showing up at appointments and finishing a job when she says she will than someone who doesn't charge much but makes you feel like you're taking a huge risk and don't know what you're going to get in the end. I'd rather pay a little more for quality and reliability anyday. Highly recommend.
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June 2020 by Patricia Riley Odone
I'm particular and I've been very happy with her work on my wedding dress so far
