Best San Francisco (or Bay Area) Tailor??

Does anyone have experience with a great tailor in SF/the Bay Area? There are a number of threads on the same topic, but they're a few years old.

I've used Oxford Tailor for a year now and am very happy with their work. They don't have their machine to do working buttonholes anymore, so if you want them, you have to cough up $120 for hand sewn buttonholes.

Apparently Carlos ( and his son Marcos) used to work with Carlos' brother, who's also a tailor. They have split up their business, dont speak to each other, but are still in the same building. His brother ( according to Horace at Borrelli) does equally good work, but is a bit more consistent on delivery times. His shop is on the 4th floor, whereas Oxford is on the 2nd.

You probably cant go wrong with either of them.

Carlos is on a vacation for another week or two, maybe more, so I'm entrusting some of my work to his son. I will post some pics of before and after stuff when it is finished on the 2nd.

I like San Francisco Tailors for minor alterations and have used Seymore brothers too, good work as well.

I was told Oxford and Jon Minor are good too.

I have pants I am going to bring to San Francisco Tailors this afternoon.

Originally Posted by farfisa23

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I like Cable Car for minor alterations and have used Seymore brothers too, good work as well.

I was told Oxford and Jon Minor are good too.

I have pants I am going to bring to Cable Car this afternoon.


Stay away from John Minor. He ruined a pair of slacks of mine about
10 years ago. Also, his people skills are limited. If you can get to Menlo Park
I can recommend :

Bob Stankovic: 650- 323- 9614

He is the principal outside tailor for Wilkes, Palo Alto.
He's done complicated alterations for me. He's also
well-liked.

I use Ricardo @ Ricardo's Tailoring in Sunnyvale.

765 East El Camino Real

Originally Posted by Chips

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Apparently Carlos ( and his son Marcos) used to work with Carlos' brother, who's also a tailor. They have split up their business, dont speak to each other, but are still in the same building. His brother ( according to Horace at Borrelli) does equally good work, but is a bit more consistent on delivery times. His shop is on the 4th floor, whereas Oxford is on the 2nd.

.

Carlos and his son at Oxford as well as his brother on the 4th floor are both very good. I have had them do everything from shortening jacket length, shortening sleeves from the shoulder, adding working buttons, adding cell phone pockets inside jackets, taking in shirts (without darts), etc. They are not cheap. They are usually pretty busy and it often takes two weeks or more for major work (cuffs he can do quickly). Left to their own ways, they will tend to leave pants and sleeves a bit long. Be sure to discuss the look you want first and they are happy to follow. I highly recommend them for your better clothing.

Victor's Tailors on Sutter St. (391 Sutter on 3rd floor) was recommended to me by Tom Mahon of English Cut. I had a RTW jacket shortened and taken in. Work was pretty good, but not especially cheap. Still a slight sleeve pitch issue, but fit of the original jacket was pretty poor, so I'm OK with it.

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

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Carlos and his son at Oxford as well as his brother on the 4th floor are both very good. I have had them do everything from shortening jacket length, shortening sleeves from the shoulder, adding working buttons, adding cell phone pockets inside jackets, taking in shirts (without darts), etc. They are not cheap. They are usually pretty busy and it often takes two weeks or more for major work (cuffs he can do quickly). Left to their own ways, they will tend to leave pants and sleeves a bit long. Be sure to discuss the look you want first and they are happy to follow. I highly recommend them for your better clothing.

PSG, what do they charge per buttonhole? I have a new suit that's basted at the sleeves and need them shortened and buttonholes added.

Also, I meant to say, I like San Francisco Tailors for minor alterations, not Cable Car. San Francisco Tailors is above Peter Panos and they do inexpensive and fast work. For pants shortening, it a good place to go.

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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I use Ricardo @ Ricardo's Tailoring in Sunnyvale.

765 East El Camino Real

I've heard good reports about him.
I'll probably use him when Stankovic
retires in a few years.

Oxford tailors are good but expensive.

Bob Stankovic is very good but if you need sleeves shortened at the shoulders I'd be cautious as he screwed it up royally.

Seymour's Tailors do a very good job and I would use them over the rest. But there is always the sell job the ygive you.

Originally Posted by comrade

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Stay away from John Minor. He ruined a pair of slacks of mine about
10 years ago. Also, his people skills are limited. If you can get to Menlo Park
I can recommend :

Bob Stankovic: 650- 323- 9614

He is the principal outside tailor for Wilkes, Palo Alto.
He's done complicated alterations for me. He's also
well-liked.

This is who I used, he was very skilled in what I asked him to do (sleeves, pants slimming, 2" cuffs, waist suppression, etc etc) but more than once he didn't have my items on time (1+ week). If I lived there I would still use him, however.

Case in point for Oxford Tailors. They are working on my overcoat, lengthening the arms and bringing in the overall size quite a bit. In additon, I wanted to shorten the coat to around my knees. When he quoted me $120, just for the shortening, I told him not to bother.

Another basic tailor that I take my pants to for cuffs, or the occasional SC simple work, in Westlake, charged me only $30 each, to shorten both of my other overcoats and did a fine job. So, if I really feel like having it done, I likely will take it to Pulido's Tailor in Westlake.

I've used Bob -- he's good but you need to be clear with him about what you want -- and make sure he marks it down. He's hemmed pants I wanted cuffed before, etc.

He's very good at suppression in jackets and the like. He's not inexpensive but he's good -- and I've yet to meet a good tailor (for jacket work, for example) who is inexpensive. For cuffs and hems an alteration shop tends to do.

Originally Posted by Girardian

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I've used Bob -- he's good but you need to be clear with him about what you want -- and make sure he marks it down. He's hemmed pants I wanted cuffed before, etc.

He's very good at suppression in jackets and the like. He's not inexpensive but he's good -- and I've yet to meet a good tailor (for jacket work, for example) who is inexpensive. For cuffs and hems an alteration shop tends to do.

Good comments about him here and then one thinks to read Yelp. That's always a mistake.

Thanks for input folks.

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

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Carlos and his son at Oxford as well as his brother on the 4th floor are both very good. I have had them do everything from shortening jacket length, shortening sleeves from the shoulder, adding working buttons, adding cell phone pockets inside jackets, taking in shirts (without darts), etc. They are not cheap. They are usually pretty busy and it often takes two weeks or more for major work (cuffs he can do quickly). Left to their own ways, they will tend to leave pants and sleeves a bit long. Be sure to discuss the look you want first and they are happy to follow. I highly recommend them for your better clothing.

In my experience, Franz (the brother, on the fourth floor in the same building as Oxford) is the man. He rescued a Kiton for me that someone else botched terribly. He originally quoted me a price based on 1.5 hours of work and then proceeded to spend 3 or 4 hours on it to get it right--and didn't ask for anything more than the price he originally quoted me. Since then, complicated alterations (things like sleeve pitch and divots) haven't always turned out perfectly on the first try, but it's never been an issue--he spots problems before I do and works to get it right.

Working button holes are not cheap ($150 for 8), but the quality is excellent--not as good as what Kiton or Attolini would do at the factory, but the best I've seen from a tailor in SF.

SF tailors across the street is a good (less expensive option) for simpler jobs like shortening pants. In my experience, Panos is to be avoided despite the fancy real estate at street level.