Mannikins Tailoring is the best tailor in San Luis...

Mannikins Tailoring is the best tailor in San Luis Obispo county. I sampled the quality, accurate fit, and speed of service of the main professional local tailors, over a three week period, in what I call The Great "Fit Off". I had several suits and an event deadline. I spread the suits among the main alteration operations in town; let the best Fit Win. Mannikins won.

Within two weeks of the great Fit Off I already had two perfectly fitted Jackets and a pair of slacks back from Mannikins, but only additional fittings at two other local tailors, with mediocre results at all other places.

It was within the first five minutes of standing on Catherine's box, I knew I was watching the first true professional in my Great Fit Off. She was my third stop in the secret competition, but was always and remains my clear first choice.

As an artist, I can tell she has the 'artist's eye for form' and attention to detail; just the way she adjusts the jacket on me, to make sure it is hanging optimally, before taking any measurement is a gift, and makes a difference in the final product. She doesn't just do what you tell her to do, she sees what the garment actually needs to hang right... on your body; which is the point of a Tailor. You can get a sack that doesn't fit, off the rack,

I have taken every other piece of tailoring to Mannikins since that educating first two weeks of the Fit Off. I have also taken a suit, rescued from a competitor tailoring outfit, (and taken back, and back) that was still lopsided with one arm longer than the other, along with their pants, to Catherine to "repair".

The lazy competitor, who left a poor Image of the Fitting experience in my mouth, 'refused to take in the legs on' the pants, (but charged me for) by telling me that clown pant width was more masculine... I didn't care; I wanted something reasonable and I knew this because Mannikins had just done this very thing for me -perfectly.

I just can't stand to even go in that 'other place again'. I got my suit from them and GTFO, and will never go back.

A True Professional, when I regaled to Catherine, my stories of my "Demon Suit" that the other tailor just kept making worse, she dutifully tried to get me to take it back to the original tailor to fix my concerns, since I had already paid an outrageous cash price, and had spent a month battling with them. I coincidentally had 3 pairs of slacks and 7 jackets tailored perfectly by Mannikins in that same month they 'worked on that one suit'... for perspective. If you really need it, go to Mannikins; don't mess around.

So when I took her that lopsided jacket, she stopped suggesting I go to back to that other Tailor; and I never will, again.

There is a clear difference between someone who does rote alterations and a Fabric Artist; Mannikins is the best, the fastest, and the most reasonably priced Tailor in San Luis County. You definitely get more than you pay for because you get a Perfect Fit.