Moda – Emanuela Palazzo

I bought my wedding dress in England and it needed some alterations. My dress is very delicate (Jenny Packham) and full of beatings, definitely not an easy work, Emmanuela did such an amazing job, I could not be happier with the result
I am glad I found Emmanuela on Unilocal,she did an amazing job on my dress and she is such a sweetheart, highly recommend!

i called this place based on the reviews and thought i would see if she could alter a dress for me. when she answered the phone all i got was a «hello?»… i didn’t even know if i had called the right number. i had to ask if i had called an alterations number and she said yes. i needed my dress altered via rush and when i asked her if it was possible to have a dress done in 2 weeks she said «no, i’m too busy» and hung the phone up on me.
now a good way to get new business. i definitely wouldn’t recommend to anyone

Is this place still in business? No one ever answers the phone, there hasn’t been a review written for it in the past two years, and the phone calls go to a generic voicemail.

Emanuela has an old-​school Italian charm that would make her a nice person to know under different circumstances. But in terms of wedding dress alterations, she is DEFINITELY NOT the person to go to!
Being new to the Bay Area and in need of a tailor to alter my wedding dress, I researched some options and decided on Emanuela based on her great recommendations on Unilocal.And because of that, I feel the need to write this review to warn other people and to help them avoid what I have gone through.
Before I begin, I have to be honest and say that I am partially responsible for my terrible experience. There were a number of red flags that I didn’t heed, and looking back now, I should’ve used better judgment overall.
The first red flag was raised on my first visit with Emanuela. After deciding that my dress only needed «minor alterations», she decided to charge me $ 650. It’s a lot of money, and I agreed to pay it mainly because I was quoted a similar figure when I bought the dress at Kleinfeld’s. I just figured that range was the standard for quality wedding dress alterations.
The second red flag was when she completely forgot about our next appointment and was unreachable on all three of the telephone numbers I had for her. But she called me later to apologize and to reschedule.
The third red flag happened when she told me at our appointment that she was leaving in two weeks for a two-​month long vacation in Italy. This meant she wasn’t going to be available a month and a half before my wedding. I was surprised that she failed to mention this when I first contracted her services, but I figured that once she was finished, I wouldn’t need anything else.
Finally, the fourth red flag was raised when she asked me to pick up the dress the same day she was leaving for Italy and then insisted that there was no need for me to try it on. Emanuela was literally packing her suitcase for her trip, and even though my gut told me I should, of course, try on the dress, I had developed a nice relationship with her and genuinely trusted her. It was just a really stupid mistake on my part, especially since after trying on the dress, I realized that the top silk chiffon layer was uneven and way too short. At first I tried not to panic, but when I started to face the fact that Emanuela had done a terrible job and there wasn’t any way to hide it, I got unbelievably upset. Not only was the quality of her work terrible, it had cost me $ 650. With her miles away in Italy, I knew I had to pay someone else to try to fix her mistakes, but I could see no way of fixing the length without making the dress too short.
I called Emanuela on her cell phone hoping she would answer. She did, and even though the reception was bad and our conversation was cut off, the gist of the conversation was that I could take the dress in somewhere else and she would reimburse me the cost.
I took the dress to Essy’s in Fremont. The tailor there looked at the dress and told me that she would shorten the lining just a little and try to stretch the chiffon layer while steaming it so that they matched. One of the straps that Emanuela had shortened was still too long, and when the Essy’s tailor looked at it, she showed me that not only had Emanuela had sewn the strap twisted, she had also sewed the entire top of the back of the dress with a working hem instead of a blind hem like the dress needed and was originally sewn with. She told me that fixing the bottom hem, the right strap, and sewing back some flowers which were undone would cost $ 58. She also told me that if I had gone to her to begin with, all the alterations — shortening the length, adjusting the straps, letting out the dress and adding pads to the bust — would have cost $ 230.
Essy’s did a miraculous job of fixing the dress, and it looked perfect. For them to correct the length of the chiffon when there was no material to work with is a testament to their skill level. I even sent one of my bridesmaids to them after seeing what they can do.
Emanuela called me when she got back from Italy to see what happened, and I respect that she reached out to me instead of avoiding the situation. At first, she was only going to reimburse me $ 50 because she didn’t think shortening the lining warranted any more than that. And I certainly appreciate the hypocrisy of overcharging me $ 420 for her work and then saying $ 58 is $ 8 too much for someone else to charge. When I explained to her that her mistakes totaled up to a lot more than that, she agreed to reimburse me the full amount and she sent the check right away.
I had a bad experience working with Emanuela, but I hope I can prevent other people from making the same mistakes that I’ve made. The silver lining is that I’ve found a great staff at Essy’s, and I learned that on Unilocal,a place is sometimes only as good as its weakest review.

This review is 2 years overdue. I admit I was young and a bit naïve 2 years ago, and should have spoken up to Emanuela at the time that I was getting my wedding dress altered. All I can say is, do not trust this woman, and ladies, please please do not go to her for any wedding alterations! Can I please give her zero stars?
Here’s the scenario:
1.) She quoted me one price, then charged 3 times the amount on the day that I picked up my dress. «I worked my butt off for you», she had said.
2.) She only saw me for one fitting, and took only 2 measurements.
3.) The dress ended up being wrinkled around my abdomen on the day of my wedding. Poor measuring and poor attention to detail by Emanuela. She had guaranteed that she would «have no problems working on my complicated dress. I’m an expert!»
4.) This is the killer. She cut the tags off of my designer wedding dress! Without my permission! WTF??? Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until a few months after the fact.
5.) I can totally relate to Stephanie S. Emanuela also tried to get me to buy sillicone boobs because she couldn’t correctly alter the dress to fit my 34B bust.
Sure, she’s cute and talkative and reminds you of a grandma — but deep down this woman has some kind of evil going on and really takes advantage of young engaged women who are looking for a dream dress. Do NOT trust her. I do NOT recommend!

This is my first review on Unilocal and one I have thought a long time about writing it. But my experience with Emanuela was the exact opposite of these posted reviews.
The absolute WORST part of my wedding experience was getting my dress altered with Emanulela earlier this year. Sure, she is a cute Italian woman but I cried multiple times while getting my dress altered and no cute Italian woman is worth that! From the price ($ 700!!!) to her forgetting I had an appointment to making me buy silicone boobs for $ 80 because she could not alter the dress to correctly fit my 34B bust (and the boobs didn’t work anyway), to finally getting straps put on the dress THREE days before flying to my wedding and then asking me to pay another $ 100 at the end for ‘all of the work’ she put into it– I would not recommend her in the least. I moved to the Bay area right after buying my dress in NY and wish that I would have bought the dress at a salon out here instead of having her alter it. To this day, I still cringe when I am any where near Union Square– it was that bad of an experience! The dress was my absolute least favorite part, of my otherwise great wedding, and it still hangs behind my closet door because I have no idea what I am going to do with it. Now I won’t even get started on the bustle she did…

Emmanuela came reccommended to alter my wedding dress, but it was a big mistake. Not only did she charge TOO much, but when I got the dress home she had not completed was contracted and had undone some of the alterations that we had agreed upon at the last fitting. She is a very nice woman but I was completed disappointed with the service. I had to take my dress to be altered at the Amy Kuschel Salon — who I cannot give enough stars too. Fortunately Amy Kuschel fixed my dress and it was perfect for the big day.

You could not ask for a better seamstress! She worked wonders on my delicate lace wedding dress. It arrived too short, and the lace that it was made from was discontinued, so she came up with a genius way of adding some length in the front. She also helped me find lace to add to the plain straps of my dress, made a top that could fit a woman with DD’s fit my humble mountains, shortened the torso, and made a beautiful bustle. Emanuela is all about customer satisfaction. I wasn’t happy with the first bustle we came up with because I felt the dress dragged to much. Even though she loved the first bustle, she worked with me through several trial rounds to come up a bustle that I absolutely love and one that just kisses the ground.
After my dress was finished I tried it on at a bridal salon to look for veils and thought the straps were uneven (I was mistaken). Emanuela squeezed me in to her packed schedule (she was leaving for italy) and gave the dress a once over — turns out I had the straps snapped at different lengths, whoops! But nevertheless she was absolutely sweet about my mistake and not huffy that she had to squeeze me in. If I could give her 10 stars I would and I feel it was $ 550 well spent. My dress fits like a glove. She even offered to get me in touch with a seamstress while she was away in Italy incase anything came up while she was gone. A true pro and sweet italian lady!

Emanuela does outstanding alterations. I went to C&W Tailoring for a complex wedding gown bustle and after two attempts, it looked awful… I almost cried because it was not the Lazaro dress I purchased. With two weeks left until the big day, Emanuela was able to make the bustle look like a beautiful flower. I love it! Expect to pay for quality, but it’s better than being unsatisfied and having to pay twice to get it done properly. She is also a lovely person and a perfectionist!

I felt immediately at ease meeting Emanuela. I have a bridesmaid dress that needs alteration and I trusted that Emanuela would do an excellent job with it. Emanuela is friendly and sweet. She was realistic with the alterations that could be made and still keep the integrity of the dress. The dress turned out perfect– Emanuela’s work is very professional. I am completely satisfied with her work and highly recommend her.

Emanuela is an amazing tailor. I was a professional wardrobe stylist for Celebs in Los Angeles for 9 years. I have to say I met a lot of tailors. Emanuela could teach the best a thing or too. I wish I knew her back then. I brought in 5 things to her and picked them up today. Wow, I am blown away. Her workmanship is flawless. The fit was perfect. She is not the cheapest but her prices were fair and she does things right. Besides all that, she is such a lovely lady. She is an old world Italian woman who bursts of love the minute you walk through the door. She is a keeper! 100 Stars!!!

Emanuella was one of my favorite wedding vendors! My wedding gown had complicated, intricate beading on the bodice as well as partway down the skirt, multiple layers in the skirt, and a very long train. I had bought it off the rack at a sample sale and thus needed extensive alterations to the bodice, bust, length, and needed a bustle.
I took the dress to Emanuella after another seamstress turned down the job due to its difficulty. Not only did Emanuella tell me with confidence that she can do the job, but she assured me that it will be beautiful in time for my wedding. She was true to her word, and although her prices are steep, she was worth every penny!
Her customer service is superb, her skills are stellar, she keeps her promises and sticks to her deadlines. I agree with the previous poster that she has an old-​world Italian grandmother type of charm. My bridesmaids and I enjoyed hearing her stories during my fittings. She even altered my bustier to fit with my dress as a wedding present to me! =)
Overall she’s a great seamstress who specializes in wedding gowns. =) I highly recommend her~

If I could give 6 stars I would.
Emanuela altered my pre-​owned Melissa Sweet wedding gown, and I can’t rave about her enough.
I went in for my first fitting and she showed me how the previous seamstress had cut the dress unevenly – it was clearly longer on one side than the other and the bustle wasn’t even either.
I didn’t need extensive alterations, but I did need the dress shortened, cups put in, bustle reworked and and some other minor adjustments.
She went to work pinning and telling her funny stories. She’s really a doll and just too cute.
I went in for 2 more fittings and she had the dress ready for me within about a month! I didn’t even need it that quickly.
Her alterations are expensive, but 100% worth it. I recommend her completely!

My friend needed her wedding gown altered. It’s not like we had someone in our speed dial for this sort of thing, and since it was a designer gown, we wanted to find someone who wouldn’t, to put it bluntly, screw it up. The gown was given to her by another friend, which is why she didn’t have the alteration service that most bridal salons offer if you buy from them.
Thanks to a recommendation from Neiman Marcus, Emanuela was able to make my friend’s wedding dress dream a reality. She was very friendly and her work was exquisite. The dress ultimately looked like it was custom made for my friend.
The alterations were expensive, but worth every cent. I wouldn’t bring my day to day clothes here, but for those pieces that need that extra care and attention, I wouldn’t hesitate to call up Emanuela.

Top notch work.
She is a pleasure to work with.
From now on, all of my tailoring will be done by Emanuela.
I brought her a wedding dress that needed massive alterations. Let’s just say it was not a simple job and I did not give her a lot of time to complete it. But she got it to me right when I needed it, and the job was done beyond my expectations.
She is pricey, but worth every penny if you want real quality work done.
Not to mention that talking to her is so much fun. She reminds me of the little Italian grandmothers in the movies.
I would highly recommend Emanuela to anyone who can appreciate high quality workmanship.

I went to Emanuela with a pretty big undertaking. I needed to get a suit jacket reduced from a 42 to 38. She literally had to take the whole coat apart and remake it. She did an excellent job with the fitting and the quality was great. A major plus is she finished the job ahead of schedule.
In my opinion Emanuela is not cheap. Be prepared to pay top dollar for her services. However, I would rather pay her top dollar knowing my work gets done right with high quality than pay a lower rate and run the risk of poor quality and errors.
I will definitely be back getting all my tailoring needs done at Emanuela’s.

I’m short.
I like to buy high fashion on the cheap on Ebay. And to find Phoebe Philo or Tom Ford pieces in the «affordable» range — 90−95% off — you’ve got to be rather flexible about size. And length. And cut.
So I need a tailor.
I’ve tried a couple in the city, and while I’ve found a few that I’d trust with simple hems, I’ve had disasters giving them more complicated work.
I finally called the snooty stores and asked what they recommended. Neiman Marcus recommended Emanuella — apparently she worked for them for 10 years before starting her own business — and my search was over.
I tried on the dress du jour — and she instantly said, «It needs to be hemmed 3 inches, the straps need to be shorter, and we need to do something about the front.»
She’s talented — she took three quarters of an inch out of the *front* of a Proenza Schouler runway satin corset dress without it showing. To give you an idea of the complexity, a friend described this dress as, «If there were an alien planet of ant-​people, and their queen had a corset fetish, she’d wear that.»
The alterations weren’t cheap, but they were reasonable rates for the quality of work she does. She gives good advice, and she can match the work of the original designers quite well. I *trust* her, which is saying a lot, given that I place (entirely too much) value on my precious, precious ebay finds.
Highly recommended for complex alterations on nice clothes. (Though for hemming my Levis, or de-​busting my curvy 1940s slips, I’ll probably still go to the quick-​and-​cheap shops. Though I should really just spend one less evening a week down at the pub, and do them myself.)