NYC’s Top Tailors
You know the feeling: You have some garments altered, and when you pick them up from the tailor and try them on, you realize the sleeves are suddenly too short, or the jacket has lost its elegant profile. If fit is the key to dressing right, there can be few greater frustrations for a gentleman.
Finding a tailor you can trust isn’t as easy it would seem in a city full of well-dressed men. Which is where we come in. Here are a few true experts—whether you need to taper a pair of pants, add buttonholes to a jacket, or give a boxy shirt a slimmer fit.
LNC Tailor Shop
Open since the late 1980s, this small Cantonese tailor shop in Chinatown can fix almost anything—as long as you can find the place. Spot its bright yellow sign arching over a flight of steps leading down from the sidewalk and step inside, where head tailor Mr. Chui will help you with everything from suits to jeans. Chui speaks limited English, but as long as you tell him exactly what you want, you shouldn’t be disappointed. If you play your cards right, he’s liable to cut you a discount off his already low prices.
LNC Tailor Shop: 83 Baxter Street, 212.406.9527
Bhambi’s Custom Tailors
This family-owned business, established in 1968 and run by father-and-son team Lal and Harry Bhambi, is known not only for alterations but for custom suit-making. Often recommended by salespeople at big-name brands like Luigi Borrelli and Ermenegildo Zegna, Bhambi has a clientele of Fortune 500 CEOs, athletes, and entertainers that reads like a who’s who of uptown NYC. Harry deals with the customers, while head tailor Lal can often be seen diligently checking up on his employees to make sure that their work is up to par. Prices are a bit steeper than at most other city tailors, but the quality work that’s always done by hand is well worth it.
Bhambi's Custom Tailors: 14 East 60th Street, Suite 610, 212.935.5379
Stanton Tailor Shop
Owner Pablo Vargas has been tailoring clothing since he joined the family business, in the Dominican Republic, as a teenager. Now operating on the Lower East Side, Vargas is famous for his inexpensive and speedy service. Lines are often out the door and around the block, but if you get there at an off time, your clothing can be altered while you wait. Just be sure to be specific and to bring cash—this place doesn’t accept credit cards.
Stanton Tailor Shop: 90–96 Stanton Street, 212.353.9753
View Alterations/Tailors in a larger map
