anyone? i have a lot of stuff that needs major alterations so i want someone with a lot of talent. should i try any of the major dept. stores? nordies is next door to me.
Sometimes you can ask the sales people who they recommend. I remember finding out about a tailor in the basement of my mall who does pretty good alterations from a clerk at Forth and Towne.
Back when I lived in NOVA, I used to have a good one in Vienna, off Chain Bridge Road. Can't for the life of me remember the name of the place though. I would take a look at yelp.com and see if any close to you have really good reviews.
Most department store tailors are independent contractors who do the work at home or in their own shop and keep half of what the store charges. Although they may not be allowed to talk business with you while they're working, you can always ask if they have a shop or a biz card.
Not from your area, but the way I found mine was to use the one that a local boutique uses to hem their jeans. Maybe call a few boutiques that sell high end denim, I'm sure they offer alterations, and see who they use.
thanks for the help, everyone! FP, Aurora - you make a good point about getting recs from boutiques (and suasoria thanks for the tip about getting a biz card from the dept store's tailor). jettie - i would love to have one in vienna b/c i go there three times a week to take my daughter to school. going to check yelp now . . .