Back Bay Tailors

Celio is truly a master tailor. I am an extremely skinny male, about 5’6″, and so everything I find off the rack tends to fit me like garbage bags. I have been coming to him over the past year with my clothes, often with little hope that anything could be done to get them to work on my body. And Celio has performed magic every time.
He has tailored nearly everything imaginable for me, from khaki shorts, to jeans and slacks, to fleeces and winter jackets, to dress shirts, and to full suits. My entire wardrobe owes much to Celio.
Celio pays meticulous attention to detail, and he is steadfastly uncompromising in his fidelity to quality. He takes absolutely zero shortcuts in his work, always going to the greatest lengths to preserve the integrity of the clothing he works on. Indeed, none of my peers are able to discern any effects of his alterations on my clothing, other than the remarkably improved fit on my body.
Last but not least, Celio is respectful and attentive to my needs. He listens carefully to my wishes, and over time, he has gained an almost telepathic sense of what I am looking for. Whenever I bring a piece of clothing to him, he takes his time to look it over carefully, then walks me through exactly how he plans to approach his work. His passion for his work shines through massively, and I have had the pleasure to learn a lot from him. Furthermore, Celio is extremely accommodating — I have had a few time-​sensitive pieces for him, and he has always come through for me in these situations.
In summary, I would give my highest recommendation to Celio for anyone looking for top quality tailoring. His skill and experience shine through in all of his work, and he is a fantastic man to work with.

I have never written a Unilocal review, nor do I write reviews on anything. I am usually the «sit back and read other people’s opinions» kind of guy, but this experience was so off-​putting that I am taking the plunge. I’m guessing that the Celio whom other people mention in their reviews is the owner and the only person with whom I spoke. I wouldn’t know because he never introduced himself. The first time I walked through the door he groaned… actually groaned. He said (out loud!), «I was almost out the door. So close. Now I’m gonna miss lunch.» I said, still not really in the door «I’m sorry, I’m happy to come back» and he said, «No, no I’ve already missed beating the rush so I might as well just stay. It’s so funny I was just going to put the sign up. I was so close.» During the pinning of my pants he TWICE more said some version of that– him being disappointed to not have his lunch and how «funny» it was that I walked in just as he was about to put up the sign. I was thinking that he was actually trying to drive me away. But I was already there and had my pants on and frankly was too lazy to go anywhere else at that moment. He said the pants would be ready «late next week.» Granted, this is partly my fault for not asking specifically, but when I showed up the Thursday after — 7 days after dropping them off — he said, «I told you Friday. Won’t be ready til tomorrow.» He didn’t apologize for any miscommunication, and he did not tell me Friday. Anyway, today I made the trek over to pick up my pants. I told him I was there for my pants and he found them and slapped them onto his cluttered counter on top of a pile of someone else’s clothes. He rang me up, mumbled thank you and turned away before I even began to exit.
In summary, this man is the rudest vendor whom I’ve encountered in Boston. The tailoring work on my pants ended up being mediocre and the prices were much more expensive than those of other tailors in the area.

Celio, the brains and brawn behind the operation here, really is an expert at his trade – he is an excellent tailor.
The quality of work is impeccable. I definitely do not have a build that lends itself easily to purchasing «off the rack» suits, making my alterations something a lesser tailor would have difficulty not screwing up. Not an issue with Celio. For instance, there were some inconsistencies and construction issues (i.e., sloppiness) with a custom suit I had had made for me by some dude in NYC. When I brought it to Celio, he easily identified the problems and thanks to his keen eye and careful & skillful tailoring, the suit now fits and looks 10 X better.
Another time, he hemmed my Diesel jeans to the perfect height & 100% straight, retaining the original hem with color-​matched stitching.
It is pretty cool how Celio quickly sizes up a garment and details what needs to be fixed. Even better is the finished product. Pricing, particularly when you consider location and the consistently high quality of work put into making that suit look good on you, is beyond fair.
Also, he’s a great guy. No snob factor or scoldings for being a fashion noob, which for someone who works on some seriously high-​end marques (Brioni, RLBL, Isaia), is refreshing.
I recommend him to anyone needing quality tailoring.

Back Bay Tailors was recently opened in the Vendome building by Celio Franca (formerly of Sordillo’s on Boylston Street). He’s so good, it inspired me to finally set up a Unilocal account!
Celio does a fantastic job — takes time to have you try the item on to pin/​measure for alterations (even when you’re convinced you know what’s needed — I’m usually wrong) and has you check it again when you pick it up. As a 7′ 11″ woman (okay, okay 5′ 11″) he has performed miracles to get me an extra inch or two on my pants inseams.
I’ve been going to him for years, and his service is outstanding. I think his prices are pretty typical for this area, and he’s always been very accommodating in terms of fitting in the occasional ‘emergency/​just bought it, have to wear it now!’ job.
Check him out!