I wanted simply to take a maxi dress and have it altered to a Hi-Low hem line. Even though it's not your traditional white dress, it's still MY wedding dress, and so very important, and I made sure to tell Mrs. Lee this.
I picked it up in a hurry, so just very quickly tried it on and then rushed out. I ended up going back to have the front shortened (probably my fault that it was too long) tried on the dress again.
Well... turns out the front being too long wasn't the only problem (and I'm willing to take the blame for that part, but not the rest!) The hem is totally uneven. The overskirt is exactly the same length as the underskirt in some places, much longer in others, and even a little shorter in one spot. The left side is visibly 4 inches longer than the right. Both front and back are cut on an angle. Standing with my feet about a hands width apart, the hem at the back comes below my left ankle, but about 2 inches above my right ankle. Same idea on the front.
Mrs. Lee proceeded to argue with me that it was cut right, and that this type of flowy fabric hangs funny, so I can't go by how it looks. Well, yes I can!! I'm not walking down the aisle in a lopsided dress.
I finally said that I didn't care how "even" it was cut, it didn't look that way, and we needed to fix it. She pinned up one side to match the other (and of course now the back is shorter than I wanted, but I decided that I could live with that) and also pinned up the front to a length I was happier with. As I'm checking the length to decide if I'm happy with it, I see Mrs. Lee grab her purse. I turn back to the mirror and decide that I still would like the front about 3-4 inches shorter than it is. I turn around, and Mr. Lee tells me his wife has left... Pardon me??? Left, as in gone for the day?? Yup, gone!
I explain to him what I want (the front hem above my knees) and he says "it is above your knees" Um... nope, can't see my knees in the mirror. My fiancé can't see my knees, and he's farther away than the mirror... needs to be shorter. Mr. Lee actually got down on the floor, looks at the hem and tells me it is at my knees, and it's only because I'm looking down at it that it appears otherwise. Well guess what?? All our guests are going to be looking down at it, too... not sitting on the floor! Needs to be shorter. He can't do anything, and his wife is now gone. Fine. We take the dress and leave.
Needless to say, we won't be taking it back. I'm now looking for another seamstress, preferably one who can cut a straight line!