Karen Tierney At Studio Trousseau

Oh Karen… I really couldn’t have asked for a better person to make my wedding dress. I could say that my whole dress was couture and made solely and whole heartedly by Karen. She is such a compassionate person and cares so much about what she does as I could tell with the quality of my dress.
As a designer myself, working with her was such a delight as we worked through laces, colors, trims and fittings! Her hand work is truly exceptional and impressive as she hand sewed my train as well as many many other parts of the lace on my dress. Her attention to detail is pretty amazing. One thing I really appreciated was how realistic she is about her projects. She’s honest about how much time she thinks it will take and honest about execution and works through it with you.
Everyone at my wedding was completely awed by her work and I will forever cherish my wedding dress because of the time, effort, and care Karen put into this dress! Karen made the experience so special for me and it was very much appreciated.

I knew I would be getting a custom wedding dress, as I wanted to involve black lace, and you aren’t going to find that off the rack in bridal. I had recommendations from friends to work with Karen, since she does a ton of work in lace and bridal.
Working with Karen was fantastic –s he stayed in close communication with me, went to fabric stores herself and sent me photos of potential lace options, and met up with me in fabric stores on two separate occasions so I could see the lace in person to make a decision.
Karen is a perfectionist, and made sure my dress fit like a glove. I am so thrilled with how my dress turned out, got bucketloads of compliments, and would be happy to bring her any work in the future.

I can’t say enough about Karen, her studio, and the work she did on my dress. Everything about the experience was magical, just how it should feel, you know? First you go to Alameda, which is a magical little village that you should get to know anyway, then you enter her adorable lavender Victorian apartment and follow her up two flights of stairs into what must be the most adorable and storybook studio in the Bay Area. Then you discover that you are talking to an incredibly interesting, intelligent, and accomplished person who happens to be able to do just about anything you can dream up. She knows so much about design and history and is such a good listener — you will end up with an amazing dress, or whatever it is you are working with her on.
I brought her a fifties dancing dress that was kind of beat up and tiny that I wanted to turn into a wedding dress. My deadline was a month. She understood entirely what I was going for and made it happen on time. I enjoyed my visits with her so much that I often ended up staying just to chat. If you want not only a beautiful dress but a lovely experience, go see Karen!

Karen is talented and beyond amazing. I came in with some vague concepts and notions for my marriage outfit, and Karen patiently drew them out, fleshed them out with reference to a variety of period patterns that matched various parts of them, and then pulled everything together into an amazing gestalt. My jaw outright dropped when I first saw the muslins! Karen is incredibly knowledgeable, meticulous in her work, and wonderful at guiding people new to the world of couture. My now-wife’s friend is a devotee and recommended her, and we shall be forever grateful!

A friend recommended Karen to my wife and I, and she was everything my friend claimed and more! Karen helped me design my wedding dress, and was so kind and professional at every step of the way. She takes real pride in her work, and obviously loves what she does. It was so much fun to work together to design a dress I had only vaguely in mind, and every inch of it came out perfectly. I learned so much in the process, as well! We went together to pick out fabrics, and talked carefully through every detail. She had several ideas for details that made the dress completely perfect. I am still getting an endless stream of compliments on the dress. I really cannot imagine having a better experience in creating my wedding dress. Karen is absolutely brilliant, and a pleasure to work with!

Karen is a sweetheart! Her studio is atop her gorgeous home in Alameda that my bridesmaid and I just fell in love with. From the moment we stepped in, I felt at ease and knew my dress would be in the right hands. I bought my dress off
after a frantic search for this one Tadashi Shoji dress that was constantly sold out in my size. After I got it, my sister and housemates suggested I get it altered to fit just right. I was nervous because it has such unique and intricate lace that I didn’t want to trust just anyone with it.
Luckily, Karen specializes in lace and she was referred from a friend of a friend who had the most exquisite vintage lace dress. I put on my dress for Karen to see and she gave me an honest opinion: my dress actually fits just fine and if I just wear a bustier underneath, we won’t have to do any major surgery to my dress at all! What a relief! I’m glad she was so honest about it because I can imagine other seamstresses to take a go at it for profit versus doing what’s best for the bride and the dress. Even though all that is needed now is a hem, I am still super glad we found Karen to do it.
She also makes veils apparently! If I can’t find the right veil for me, I just may need to see Karen’s creative work and ask her to do it! I’ll update my review again once it’s all done, but I can’t give more than 5 stars :)

I highly recommend anybody wanting a custom gown, alterations, restorations or reconstruction of an existing gown to hire Karen! Her extreme attention to detail is of the highest standard and it shows in every stitch of her work. I have worked in the vintage clothing industry for years– including manager at La Rosa Vintage; a very well known vintage boutique in San francisco. I have sent many clients to her as i would only endorse someone with the highest level of experience to work with such high-​end garments of the many types of fabrics and construction.
When it came time for me to find a wedding gown of my own I contacted Karen. I hadn’t given her much time as my wedding was only four months away! I needed someone who could execute my modern approach to a 1940s design– It would take someone with extensive knowledge of vintage fashion and style to understand exactly the look and QUALITY of the garment i was going for. A few appointments and fittings later and my custom gown was absolutely gorgeous! the fit and tailoring, superb!
I look forward to working with karen again in the future!

I cannot express enough the dissapointment and frustration that my friend has gone through with this woman. Nore can I express my frustration of not being able to do anything to help her. She got taken by this woman and she owns my friend an apology and a refund. She brought her dress there after a recommendation from La Rosa in San Francisco where she purchased the vintage dress. It fight her like a glove in the shop and she took the recommendation. She was looking to have some fabric removed from the neckline (a newer peice that was added by someone else), have some adjusting of the shoulders and some lace had a few spots that needed to be mended. 8 months later, countless phone calls/​emails, dress fittings to fix what she hadn’t finished or even started, and a whooping $ 800 that she wanted in full before she would let Rachel take the dress. The second to last «fitting», Rachel was there with her maid of honor for 4 hours dealing with her and her shotty work. She said she would fix them and then just flat out didn’t. She also wouldn’t let her try it on before she left the shop as well. The dress is beautiful but no thanks to Karen. The few things Rachel asked of her in no way were finished or done correctly. She did however, graciously take her money. Shame on Karen and the way she runs her business. Let’s make sure she doesn’t do this to any other ubsuspecting ladies out there! Planning a wedding is hard enough without some one’s incompetence make it harder.

I brought Karen my family’s embroidered silk veil that is 50 years old and has not been kept properly. Not only did she remove all the age-​stains, but she also found fabric to match it so that she could patch the holes. Beautiful work.

I can hardly believe the excellent, beautiful work Karen does with such delicate materials. I picked up my wedding dress today and she showed me a custom couture gown she’s creating, and it’s art.
I needed the hem of my pleated lace dress brought up, and multiple seamstresses I visited before finding Karen told me that it was beyond their equipment and level of skill. Not Karen. She explained to me how the work would be done and was extra careful in checking to make sure the length was correct. The work was even done a week before I expected, and the price was comparable to what I was finding with other places.
Though I don’t know if I’ll be lucky enough to ever have couture gown work needed, I’ll definitely recommend Karen to friends and visit her again when I have a project that must be done right.

Karen is a very talented and skilled seamstress — and truly delightful to work with. She did a gorgeous job on alternations and adjustments needed for my wedding dress. My lace dress needed someone with her expertise and I had talked to several people before deciding to have her do the needed work. I’m so glad I did — it was just perfect! In addition to the adjustments on the lace bolero and length of the dress, she suggested some changes in the way it was bustled. Oh my — it was stunning and truly a work of art!
Through the entire process she communicated very clearly about what was involved, and kept me apprised of the cost on everything before we proceeded. For someone of her caliber — pricing is very reasonable.
She is a wonderful to work with and I highly recommend her if you need any alteration or design work done!

I had the pleasure of working with Karen, twice (accidentally)! I first came to her with my grandmother’s wedding dress from 1957. I had previously visited a less skilled alterer who had done a small amount of work on the dress that I was not satisfied with. I was certainly on a budget… She was very careful to always keep me aware of what was possible and what was not. She really listened to me when I bashfully admitted that I was not raking in the dough, and would need to be paying attention to the bottom line. I received email updates alerting me of how far she’s gotten and whether I was ready for the potential next step (again, it made me feel comfortable that she was waiting for my approval before more time and money would be put into the dress). A few months into the project and I started to realize that the dress is more and more beautiful on the hanger, but when I see myself in it… Its just not me. I was very upset and embarrassed to have to tell this woman who has just done fantastic work on a very special dress, that I was backing out. Karen responded promptly with very reassuring words and comfort, she was focused on making me comfortable. How great is that? I went out and found a great dress on etsy that I could puck up right away with just a few alterations needed. I of course went to Karen, who once again did a beautiful job.
Thank you so much, Karen.

I can’t recommend Karen and Studio Trousseau highly enough!
I purchased my lace mid-​century wedding gown conditioned on finding a suitable restorer within a week. I took it to Karen for a consultation and immediately trusted her with the dress. She is thoughtful, highly skilled, diligent, and a pleasure to work with. I always looked forward to appointments at her sweet, light-​filled studio as they represented 30 minutes of calm in the hands of a true professional.
Karen remained in excellent communication throughout the restoration and alteration process, and was clear about her charges and asked me before beginning any time-​consuming work. She kept meticulous records of her time and also of what we had agreed upon for each «next step» in making the dress perfect.
The week before the wedding, Karen invited me and my mom to the studio to learn how to bustle the dress and to give us handling tips. She even let me practice sitting, standing, and turning, all with her trademark patience and kindness.
I could hardly believe how perfect the (very damages) sleeves on my gown resulted after her skillful work!

Karen took my consignment purchased Anne Barge gown and made it a masterpiece. I would trust Karen on any alteration. My dress was 4 sizes too big, had a rip in the train, and did not have a bustle. She deconstructed it, made it fit, added an extra piece that made the dress never fall down, and made a beautiful french bustle.
French bustles are complicated but with Karen’s printed directions and labeling underneath the skirt, my mom and wedding planner put it together in a matter of minutes.
Karen is the best seamstress I know, is punctual and a great communicator. Thank you, Karen for making my wedding dress beautiful!

Like Kate C., I was referred to Karen Tierney by Glenda Pongiglione, and I’m so happy that I was! She’s really got an eye for design and talent for working with fabric. Karen does everything from making dresses from scratch to simple alterations. Her portfolio of work is simply amazing!
The alteration on my wedding dress were fairly simple, but she also gave me excellent tips on making the dress feel more secure on my body. As cheesy as it sounds, I know my wedding day will be that much better for having met with Karen, and that kind of value is priceless.
Speaking of value, I thought the price she charged me was very fair. Karen could’ve charged me more for it being kind of a rush job, but she didn’t. Basically, I think you get what you pay for.
On top of that, Karen’s such a cool lady. I always enjoyed my visits to her studio because we’d end up chatting up random things, like our mutual appreciation for Regency period clothing. =)
I wouldn’t be deterred by the sole negative review. It’s so out of place among all the 5-​star raves (and when you meet Karen, so out of character as well!), and I usually find in those cases that the reviewer tends to have a high frequency of bad reviews, so you kind of have to wonder…

Karen Tierney, seamstress extraordinaire, clearly has so many 5 stars for a reason. I’m slightly shocked by the review that says she’s dishonest, bullying and unprofessional. My experience with Karen was the polar opposite. I came to Karen after trying to get an appointment with Glenda Pongiglione. Glenda is highly sought after in San Francisco but she recommended Karen to me since she was already booked through November (in April). I figured if someone with Glenda’s reputation was willing to recommend this woman she has to know what she’s doing… and she does!
I came to Karen with quite an expensive, intricate, lace gown that I bought from Kleinfeld’s in NYC. When I received the gown, it was 2 sizes too big, too long (which is normal) and also had almost 2 inches of satin sticking out from under the lace of the gown on the train (not supposed to happen). After taking a look, Karen told me that she hoped I didn’t have a budget in mind because this was going to take a lot of work. Because my gown didn’t have seams on the side, Karen had to take all of the tiny buttons off the back, remove the zipper, pull in the satin and lace from the back… let’s just say take it apart and put it back together again! This kind of altering doesn’t come easy because you have to take the dress in at the correct spots without being able to alter the sides. She also made a number of other adjustments including taking up the length, trimming the extra satin from the train, creating an amazing bustle, stiffening the lace at the sweetheart neckline, etc. etc.
The final result was stunning. My dress fit me like a glove and showed off all of the amazing details I fell in love with. The ONLY reason I’m giving 4 stars is because the alterations were a little pricey… I had only expected to pay around $ 600 for my alterations (which is pretty much the average so I hear) and I paid well over that but, the price is worth it and I’m willing to pay for quality! She did an amazing job, was flexible and easy to work with and was always very communicative and honest about the work she was doing.

Karen offers a service unlike any other in the Bay Area. You walk into her adorable studio in the attic of her Victorian home, and you instantly know you are in the creative den of a professional. Karen is a genius at repairing or constructing from scratch vintage gowns, as well as all the other parts of a bridal trousseau. I loved going to fittings in her cozy studio.
I brought her my grandmothers wedding dress from the 1950s, which my mother also wore. Frankly I had no expectations that I was going to end up loving this dress, I just wanted it to be acceptable for the ceremony to make my Mom happy. Karen took my ideas and turned it into my dream dress, it was unbelievable. I felt so beautiful and elegant on my wedding day. The dress was truly mine, but our changes held true to the 50s era and retained a great deal of the original design, so it still felt like the dress my grandmother and mother wore. You can see the evolution of the dress on Karen’s facebook page (Rebecca’s restoration ⁵⁄₁₁).
I can’t share pictures of our wedding day on facebook as our photographer is trying to publish them, but if you want a picture please feel free to contact me directly.
The only thing I would caution brides about is to really push for a price estimation as early as possible if you are on a budget. Karen is a professional and is worth every penny, but it can get expensive very quickly when repairing old gowns.

I came to Karen in 2008 with my aunt’s handmade wedding gown from 1959, which I’d foolishly taken to a dry cleaner a week before. It had come back in shreds. I felt absolutely awful.
But Karen didn’t chastise me for taking that gorgeous, delicate dress to the cleaners (which, let’s be clear, was really silly of me). Instead, she seemed sincerely interested in the challenge that my situation presented, and she came up with options and ideas for fixing it that transformed my mood from dismal to delighted.
It only got better from there. The following months included visits to Lacis to hunt down the exact lace that was originally on the dress, and the Silk Road fabric store to get fabric for my custom corset. This kind of work can only be done by someone with a perfectionist’s eye and an artist’s heart. She’s got both.
Meanwhile, I was gaining weight the whole time! Poor Karen. Did she ever make me feel bad about it? No. Instead, she did the impossible, pulling fabric from the train to achieve the perfect fit. She also worked with my husband to create a red silk vest for the wedding that matched his exact specifications.
There’s so much more that she did for me, but it’s difficult for me to put it into words. It was the supportive, positive way she approached every obstacle, and the excited attitude she had that really made me feel special.
I’m looking forward to seeing her soon about creating something for my infant son.

Karen made the most beautiful wedding dress I could have imagined! I wanted something new, but with a vintage style and she knocked it out of the ballpark!
We began when I e-​mailed her photos of antique dresses I loved, and we went shopping together for fabric. I chose a beautiful lace, and we worked together to envision a style and she told me exactly how many yards of lace to buy (to the square inch!). I found this so helpful, as the lace was pricey, and in the end she used every bit of it! I am very particular, and she worked with me through 2 big changes I made throughout the process without missing a beat.
Karen told me exactly how much I should expect to spend at the very beginning, and she was right on the mark. I appreciate her work ethic, creativity, and calm demeanor during the process of making my dream dress! This was the most fun part of planning my wedding. Thank you Karen!

Karen made a custom dress and corset for my wedding. She helped me to design exactly what I wanted. My dress was amazing. She is both professional and talented. I could not recommend her more highly.