Alfred Angelo

After working as a subcontracted seamstress for Alfred Angelo, I have seen a number of outrageously priced alterations.Let me clear up one thing about the cost of alterations. Alfred Angelo takes 40% of the total right off the bat. 10% then goes to the contract seamstress who writes out the checks to the subcontract seamstresses ( the ones that actually do the work). Now, those subcontract seamstress get the remaining 50%. It is their job to do the alterations, store the gown until the fittings( and pay the homeowners insurance to protect your gown), pay for the upkeep of the machines, purchase the thread and other notions needed.
As far as alterations go in general one comes to mind of a little chubby 8 year old flower girl. They ordered her a size 16 just to get the waist and chest measurements right. They told the mother of the bride when it came in we would cut it down to fit. What they didn't tell her was the alterations would run well over $150. The mother of the bride had paid about that much for the gown! This same mother of the bride brought in a junior bridesmaid. Her dress just didn't hang right. When I opened it up, I found that it wasn't put together right. Her alterations were well over $100. I felt so bad for this mother of the bride that I took it upon myself to take the top apart and put it together right and not charge her. And where alterations were really needed... on the bridal gown... the manager of the store told the bride that all she needed was hooks put over the zipper to get the flap to close on the zipper. It was SO tight that honestly, I don't think it would have help for the ride to the church. I let that dress out an inch up and down the sides. While I am on the subject. When I first met with the junior bridesmaid, flower girl, bride and mom, they were furious with me because I kept leaving and coming back to them. They complained to the assistant manager that the MANAGER had made the appointment for all of them. When I heard that, I pulled out the appointment book. Their name was no where to be found. At the store that I work / worked at there were times when I had a second fitting scheduled and find out that someone scheduled a bridal first fitting too! I was allotted 30 minutes to check the second fitting and pin more if needed, pin the bodice of the first fitting bride, pin a hem and bustle the gown. FOLKS! This is impossible! There was even one time that I was scheduled a second fitting, then the store scheduled on the same page, a first, and had an associate tell someone that just walked in that I could do her bridal fitting all in the same 1/2 hour. I was told by the contract seamstress that I was just to move quicker. I could move quicker but then you don't get a very good fit. I am what some people call a Master Seamstress and take pride in my work.
On another note, I had a bride come in with her gown and shoes that she had picked out for her wedding. The gown was the right length all but for one place that the hem went up 4" for about 8" across the hem line. I asked the assistant manager what to do and he asked me to drop the hem. I did at the cost to the store. I was later told by the manager that the proper way to handle this was to tell the bride to get lower heels and then charge her for the hem! By the way, it was like pulling teeth to get the store to pay me for that hem. The excuses were unreal.
You know I could go on and on with the behind the scenes things that go on but I think I said enough... you decide. Oh and by the way, this isn't even the Alfred Angelo store that I work from.