Ricardo’s Tailoring

Great place. Fast and reasonable. We had special request and Ricardo did it with style!
Perfect job. Will be back soon for more.

Husband and I have known Ricardo for a very long time. From the days when suits were de rigueur he has tailored suits, special occasion dresses, a friend’s off-​the-​rack wedding dress, jacket sleeves just a tad too long, ski pants, and jeans. A beautiful wool dress munched by moths was expertly and undetectably rewoven. As a seamstress, I appreciate the impeccable craftsmanship. You are alway greeted with a warm friendly hello. He has built his business from the ground up and is worthy of your business. He represents the best!

I’ve been taking several suits, trousers, jackets, and outerwear to Ricardo’s for the last couple of years since I moved to the ‘burbs. I got the recommendation from an old post on styleforum so yes, I did my research. I have to say, Ricardo does some excellent work taking in suits, shirts and jackets to fit me. Btw this includes items that were tailored when i had a little more weight as well as off the rack items which are built for barrel bodies.
Is he cheap? No. But he is good. Very good. And he ensures that his work is adjustable over time (within reason) — so that suit you bought 6 years ago when you were in banking and a lardball will fit you now that you’re a cross fit athlete. And when you become a dad and gain a few lbs, it’ll fit you again. Boom. Btw, if you take into account what it takes to tailor clothes right the first time and compare that to what J Crew paid to have that suit done — you’ll find Ricardo’s fees + the cost of that suit to be very in line with what bespoke tailoring is like.
Very happy with the results and a great relationship to maintain.

Ricardo is both a talented tailor and just plain nice. Every interaction is pleasant and easy. If he doesn’t have what you need or want, he’ll direct you to where you can find it. Definitely knows what he’s doing. Highly recommend.

recommendations:
good at alternating pants

Today I had one of the worst experience in any shop in US. The shopkeeper is rude and probably racist. Here is the transaction exactly,
I walk into the shop as I spotted some nice sweaters from the Window as I had some to kill in this area.
I spotted a sweater I liked and asked the shipowner, «Whats the price of these sweaters?» — pointing at the pile.
First comes a reluctant answer, «They vary»
«Well, can you tell me the range?» By this time I have picked one up and started unfolding that I like.
He said, «Somewhere between $ 75 and $ 200»
At this time, I am checking out the sweater of my choice and spotted the price was $ 90.
«Hmm, why they are so expensive» I asked.
«Because they are good», the shopowner by this time has come by my side and strangely snatched the sweater off my hand.
He continues, «You don’t have to buy it if you can’t afford it».
Now that felt rude, but I was not sure what he means. A little rattled, I said «You don’t have to judge me. I am asking what makes the sweater expensive thats all».
Not only he folds the sweater and keeps it back in the pile, he looks at me and says, «Its not for people like you.»
Now thats an experience you don’t come across everyday. I want potential customers of this merchant to know that this is who you are dealing with. So shop with caution.

Don’t take anything valuable here to be tailored keep it to the basics. There is no set price list. He seems to size you up as you walk in the door to determine what you can afford to pay. Also there is way too much trial and error going on here. Which means you have to take multiple trips to have it done properly. He charges way too much for the quality of work that he does. Again, basics probably OK.

Every man needs two things in their life: A good woman and a great tailor. If a guy has both, everything else will fall into place.
Ricardo turned one of my average looking suits into something I could wear at a red carpet premier. After he worked his magic I looked taller and slimmer. I was shocked when I tried it on. Literally, my body looked «Hollywood». Comparisons to David Beckham and Ryan Gosling came to mind.
If you’re looking for a great tailor, don’t go anywhere else. Give Ricardo a shot, he won’t disappoint. I have another suit that needs adjusting and I plan on taking it to him next week.
FYI, if you’ve never taken your suit to a professional tailor, you might be shocked by the price of their services. Trust me when I say you can’t put a price on a perfect fitting suit. I’ve seen guys in ten thousand dollar suits that looked horrible because you can tell they wore it right off the rack — no bueno.
I highly recommend this place!

Yesterday took my old suit I bought from the shelf (Express) to alternate to be more fitted. I’ve lost some weight since then and it was a bit big. Ricardo immediately knows what I wanted in terms of «fitted.» He asked me to try it on and he immediately start making marks and explaining. At first he did not suggest to make so many alternation if I wanted to be perfectly fit (it’ll cost too much) but I did not want to spend more money to buy another suits that I rarely wear. He provided a reasonable quote at last.
Today I picked up the suits and tried it on, I would have to say the suit came out perfect (not asking for a lot coming from a off-​shelve suit). Overall the fit was good! I would say he did a good job on the alternation.

Had a few items done here, from simple sleeve shortening to more difficult things like shortening an entire jacket. Overall, I’m pleased with their work and it was done on time. I didn’t get a call saying my items were done but when I called them they did get it done on time.
When I went in there the first time to get pinned, Ricardo gave me some advice on what I should have done — which I agreed with. Some things that I’m very particular about are sleeve lengths on shirts and suits (and most tailors get this wrong in my opinion) — and Ricardo knew what I was looking for and got the sleeves exactly as I wanted.
But it is really quite expensive here. Not only that, but when I asked how much everything was when I got pinned up, he didn’t say and commit to a price. He said he’d make it worthwhile. OK, I can trust that and good work can be expensive. But it was a lot.
I’ll still come back despite the costs, but only for more involved alterations that require the skillset. For simpler hems and sleeve alterations I’d go some place else.

My first visit was when my co-​worker needed tailoring to the suite he purchased online.
Ricardo had my friend wore the suit, and he started his thing; fitting… I was very impressed how he put pins to various places and does a wonderful job of alterations.
He’s very quick with the outcome, too. I was so impressed with his service with my friend, that I went back to him with some trousers that I’ve been wanting to alter. Not only he did a great job, his charges were pretty reasonable.

I called around to check quotes on getting my suit pants taken in for that skinny suit look that’s all the rage. Some of the other places I called had Korean or Vietnamese ladies answer and give me a quote, but I knew I would feel more comfortable with someone who actually wears men’s suits. Is that sexist? I guess it would be the same for a girl who wanted to go to a female gynecologist. Am I off the hook now?
Anyhow, Ricardo ending up charging about 30% more, but I felt confident he would get it right. It didn’t happen on the first time after I showed him pictures of Daniel Craig in a suit. He said if he had a model to work with, it would be better. So I went to Nordstrom, bought a pair and let him measure it out so that he would have a guideline. He got it right the second time. While it was kind of a drag, it was exactly what I was looking for. And now he has experience with skinny suits!
Just tell him, do you remember that annoying Asian guy with the light grey suit? Can you do the same for me here? That may work.

As a short gal, I almost always need to get my pants hemmed. Since Ricardo’s has good Unilocal reviews and since it’s close to work — i.e. can fit into a lunchtime errand slot — I brought a pair of too-​long pants to get hemmed.
Ricardo (?) measured the hem and, much to my surprise, said the pants would be ready the next day. When I picked them up, they were ready on time, and they were the correct length.
The only thing I’d change? The price! I think he charged something like $ 15 or $ 16 for the hem, and that seemed a bit much for something so straightforward. For this reason, I’ll only go to Ricardo’s if I’m in a rush for a hem, as my usual tailor usually needs several days to a week to get the job done.

Not happy with the recent alteration experience.
He Charged $ 15 for a simple alteration work, which worth $ 10 at the most. an half inch repair for my jacket where few stitches are loose., when I tried to ask for a $ 10 charge he was furious and questions on my Earnings and says that ‘you might earn or charge 150 or 200 an hour at your work but I charge for my work. «I did not like his words as it was so unfair of him to make such comments about my earnings without even knowing about me. I guess he forgot to respect the customers who comes for alterations…

Finding a really good tailor is always easier said then done, so when you actually find one who does outstanding work, and goes the extra mile for their customers, hang on to them, because they’re almost as rare as ten-​term Congressmen with intelligence, integrity, and a selflessness dedication to their constituents.
I found Ricardo’s Tailoring many years ago, right after I moved to the Bay Area from La Jolla. I’ve always had a hard time getting my clothes to fit right, as I’ve been working out since I before I could shave, and am about as far away from a standard rack size as you can get. My shoulders are a lot broader then average, and my waist is narrow, so anything that isn’t extensively tailored or custom made either fits me like a tent or makes me look like a gorilla.
Ricardo is the real deal — whether you need hemming, major alternations, or a custom made suit, he and his staff will do the work impeccably, in a reasonable time, at a fair price.
Way back when, I commissioned Ricardo to custom make me several suits, and was very happy with the end result. They fit me perfectly, without being too loose, too tight, or uncomfortable, and they looked great — classically styled and beautifully made from the highest quality wool. Right after I did my first 21^st century startup, I gained 25 pounds over the course of several years. I stopped wearing the suits Ricardo had made for a while because they didn’t fit anymore. Then I went back to him to have them let out. When the deed was done, they once again fit perfectly, with no sign that they had been altered.
When I did my next startup, I lost the 25 pounds again — it took about two years. I went back to Ricardo, and had him take the suits in. They again looked wonderful, and showed no signs of alteration! That was in 2009.
After two years at the same weight, I made a New Year’s resolution to be the best I’ve ever been physically. I upped my workout/​hiking schedule from four to six times a week, totally changed my eating habits, lost 10 more pounds, and added both muscle mass and definition. I’m now leaner and more muscular then I’ve ever been in my adult life, and I feel wonderful!
I decided to put my new physique and resolve to the ultimate test: I joined Unilocal three months ago, and earlier this summer I went on vacation to Maui for two weeks, eating in restaurants every day. Either one of these activities can often be the «Kiss of Death» to the most well thought out fitness plans, but I managed to come through both of these waistline challenges without gaining any weight.
I never could have done it without pizza, Fred Steak, and vintage California Cabernets :-)
To celebrate my accomplishment, I went to Ricardo’s Tailoring earlier this month to have my custom made suits taken in for a second time. Ricardo did his magic, and now even though they’ve been let out once, and then taken back in twice, the suits look even better then they did when they were first made (though the combination of ten less pounds and some extra muscle probably contributes to that).
In summary: whether you’re hard to fit, have gained or lost weight, or just need quality alternations, you can’t go wrong with Ricardo’s Tailoring!

When my tailor of many years retired I had to find a replacement fast I had a job interview the next week. Luckily I found Ricardo!
He is the best tailor i have found so far, hes fair on price does a solid job on all my clothes makes repairs without pointing them out myself. Just recently I went in to have a fishing vest repaired it had been eaten by a bear during a recent fishing trip, I brought in not sure if he would even touch it but to my surprise he told me to pick it up this Friday now that’s a tailor! he is the bomb!
They also have a fine line of suits, ties, jackets to purchase. His price on some suits are pretty good plus he will do the tailoring in house. I take all my work to him.
I say check them out!

For years, Ricardo’s was the only place I trusted to tailor my clothes. I have a weird shape and the higher cost was worth the extra drive and extra money.
The last couple times I went in there the clothing and entire shop smelled of stale cigarette smoke.
I had a logo’d track suit from a special event I wanted the legs and sleeves shortened and the zippers moved and replaced. When I went to pick it up, the arms were and legs were each two inches too short. Ricardo was mortified and tried to adjust the length – but it was a lost cause. He offered to pay for the suit-​but it was one-​of-​a-​kind.
I haven’t been and won’t go back.

Ricardo is my go-​to tailor for more complex jobs. Unlike some Asian tailors I used to go to, and God Bless their souls, Ricardo understands suits and suit trends of today, aka shorter and slimmer. This is pretty key… because even if you attempt to describe a certain style to an unknowing tailor, there’s a good chance they’ll screw it up, or you’ll screw it up in your directions.
He’s not cheap, but he’s done a masterful job on several suits, even suggesting fixes that I couldn’t even articulate. Like he read my mind — sartorial ESP if you will. I’ve also received a number of helpful tips re: suit upkeep. And he can be quick if you need him to be… like 2 day turnaround for suit alterations, which is pretty amazing.
I should add that my friend, who also loves Ricardo for the most part, has had less success… we think it’s due to the fact that Ricardo employs other tailors in addition to himself. So if you want the A team, be sure to specify it. I wish he moved his store to the city.

Revised (June 20, 2009): Turns out one of the suit jackets Ricardo tailored didn’t drape properly after his alterations, causing it to wrinkle easily around the lower back. I took it to one of the most highly-​regarded tailors in San Francisco, who diagnosed the wrinkling as an improper attachment to the inside lining of the coat. My new tailor fixed it for just $ 30, and now the jacket is well-​balanced and drapes freely and properly as it was designed to do. So I have to dock an additional 2 stars from my initial review of Ricardo’s for his tailoring faux pas.
Updated (August 7, 2013): I’ve received and responded to several private messages over the years since my 2009 update, requesting the name of my San Francisco tailor. I went to Andreas Gorges in San Francisco to fix my suit, and I’ve since ordered custom-​made shirts from Andy in addition to using him for many suit and shirt alterations.
I now live primarily in Miami and Chicago, but I still save my important alterations for Andy when I visit California on business trips.

When looking for a local tailor, this was the first place we went. It was one of those places we’d always passed by and said, «if we ever need a tailor, here’s a place.» What a joke!
Upon entering the store, we noticed two people casually yakking (possibly one was the owner; the other, dunno) and no one shopping/​discussing alterations. The owner (?) never attended to us nor stopped talking for a moment, despite our approaching, browsing, and holding up clothes we’d brought to have tailored. We hung around for at least 5 minutes. Might as well have been invisible. We didn’t come right out and ask the guy to help us because he didn’t seem to want us there. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t necessarily like it when salespeople swarm me, but to be completely ignored was unacceptable.
With that lack of attention to customers, it could safely be assumed there’d be just as little attention paid to our alterations, so we walked out. His loss, because Valley Custom Tailor ended up getting $ 300′ worth of our business on the first run and we’ve been their customers ever since!