Alterations at Nordstrom

I never knew you could get alterations at Nordstrom until I got a Nordstrom credit card and enrolled in The Nordy Club, the Nordstrom rewards program. Rewards including earning points towards “free” alterations at Nordstrom. Also, you get benefits during the annual Nordstrom Anniversary sale.

Overview of alterations at Nordstrom

The purpose of this article is to answer the most common questions people have about getting clothes tailored at Nordstrom. My answers are based on my firsthand experience having everything from dresses to denim altered at Nordstrom. In addition, my husband has had suits and trousers tailored here, too.

So, how do you go about getting clothes altered at Nordstrom? Easy. You make an appointment at the Nordstrom nearest you. You can do this by calling your local store. Or, you can make the appointment online, as I did recently. There are a handful of different kinds of alterations you can get at Nordstrom. Let me outline them here.

Basic alterations at Nordstrom

These basic alterations include hemming. This is usually free for Nordy Club members and credit card holders. Plus, hemming fits into the category of express alterations. This is something Nordstrom can do in a day, when you pay an express fee. Last year, I worked with a personal shopper at Nordstrom at the Northshore Mall in Massachusetts. I bought a pair of Wit and Wisdom wide-legged jeans that were too long. So during my appointment in the fitting room, the tailoring service came, measured the pants for hemming and three weeks later they were ready.

Sidenote: Sadly, Nordstrom has now closed two of the four remaining department store locations in Massachusetts. Peabody, where the Northshore Mall is, was the closest to me, now that I’m living in Maine. It closed in January. Braintree is the other store closing. The only remaining stores are in Burlington and Natick.

Men’s tailoring services

My husband recently took advantage of the men’s tailoring services after losing weight. He had two suits that needed taking in. They were in good shape. Plus, they were expensive suits that were worth keeping albeit once they were tailored to fit. The Nordstrom tailor took in the waist of his pants, tapered the legs and altered the jacket so it wasn’t hanging off of him. Plus, with the tailoring, his old fashioned, conservative suits suddenly looked modern and new.

Tailoring for women’s special occasion dresses

I took advantage of tailoring service after receiving two cocktail dresses from Trunk Club (RIP!). Both almost fit perfectly. However, they just needed some nipping and tucking. Also, one of these dresses, a fit and flare dress from 1901 brand, a Nordstrom store brand, had big bows on the shoulders. These bows were not flattering with my big bust. So I had the seamstress remove them during the alteration. You can see the before and after here.

Denim tailoring

Found the perfect pair of jeans at Nordstrom but they’re too long? No worries. Nordstrom’s alterations team can take care of them for you. In fact, you have a few options for hemming and other tailoring of jeans at Nordstrom.

With hemming, you have four hem options:

• Plain
• Topstitched
• Original hem
• Raw hem finishing

In addition, the tailors can make waist adjustments as well as taper the legs of your jeans. Levi’s Tailor Shop also repairs and hems jeans.

Clothing repairs

Part of the alteration services at Nordstrom includes fixing and repairing clothing you already own. They just ask that your clothing is freshly laundered before you bring it in.

In fact, when my husband brought in the two suits for alterations, he also brought a pair of slacks. Recently, he’d gotten up from his office chair and caught the front pockets of the pants on the chair’s arms. Instantly, the pockets ripped.

They are wash-and-wear trousers. So we cleaned them at home before our alterations appointment at Nordstrom. As I mentioned, that’s because Nordstrom requires all garments that you haven’t just purchased to be clean before you bring them in.

Nordstrom express alterations

This was a new service to me–express alterations. In fact, when we went to the store to pick up Bill’s suits, I noticed the signage for express alterations. Here’s what you need to know about same day tailoring and in-store alterations at Nordstrom.

• One, Nordstrom can hem a pair of pants the same day or for the next day for a $10 express fee.
• Two, Nordstrom can also alter other pieces of clothing for next-day pickup. However, the rush fee for expediting your tailoring is $25. This is in addition to the regular alterations fee.
• Finally, if you want these express alterations in two to four days, you’ll still pay a rush fee. It’s still $10 for hemming (at that point, get it the same or next day, am I right?). However, for general merchandise, waiting a few extra days knocks the express fee down to $15.

How long do Nordstrom alterations take

Outside of the express tailoring mentioned above, you should expect your Nordstrom alterations to take about two weeks. Sometimes that timeframe is longer.

For example, last month my husband had to wait almost four weeks for his alterations to be complete. That’s because the tailors at our local Nordstrom were short staffed. Too many people were getting sick, and they couldn’t get alterations done in two weeks as promised. However, the next time we dropped off clothing for tailoring, we got a text that they were ready before two weeks were up. As I mentioned earlier, I had a pair of Wit and Wisdom jeans hemmed and they were ready three weeks later.

How much do alterations cost at Nordstrom

Since I’ve just outlined the rush fees for express alterations, now is a good time to get into the nitty gritty of how much Nordstrom’s alteration services cost. This information was accurate at the time I wrote this article. Also, I should point out that Nordstrom has three categories of clothing. Each has different prices for alterations.

One is regular price merchandise that a Nordy Club member purchased at Nordstrom. Two is regular price merchandise that a non-Nordy Club member purchased at Nordstrom. And, three, is sale and outside merchandise. That’s why I’ve included ranges here.

• Hemming; $15+
• Taking in a waist: $17
• Tapering legs/letting them out: $14-$25
• Sleeve tailoring (jackets, coats, dresses, shirts): starts at $17
• Side adjustments (jackets, coats, dresses, shirts): starts at $17
• Buttons (moving or adding button holes): $5 and $10 each, respectively

What we paid for our alterations at Nordstrom

Like I mentioned, my husband had brought two suits and a pair of trousers to be altered at Nordstrom. They were all from Jos A Bank.

It’s important to note that his tailoring wasn’t just taking in a waist or hemming pants. There was a lot more done. So the price list above is just the starting point for each part of an alteration. Because Bill had so much more done, one jacket’s tailoring was $95 and the other was $74. They were two different jackets that fit differently. However, the pants both cost $58 to tailor. Finally, we paid $53 for the ripped pants to be repaired.

Could we have paid less at a local dry cleaner? Probably. However, the quality of the alterations was far above what we’d ever experienced anywhere else before.

Free alterations at Nordstrom

As I mentioned, Nordy Club members and Nordstrom card holders qualify for free alterations at Nordstrom in certain instances. Here is a list of the clothing items and the free services when it comes to in-store alterations and tailoring:

• Pants hems (open bottom and pre hemmed)
• Jeans hemming (open bottom and pre hemmed)
• Skirts waist (taking in or letting out)
• Pants waist tailoring
• Plain sleeve tailoring on suit coat, sport coat, blazer and raincoat
• Side adjustments on suit coat, sport coat, blazer as long as they’re plain, non vented
• Moving front buttons on a coat

Tailoring on non-Nordstrom clothing

As I mentioned, you can bring your own clothing to be tailored. However, there is a benefit to having clothes purchased at Nordstrom tailored at Nordstrom — some of that tailoring could end up being free.

For example, if you’re a member of The Nordy Club and you just need basic alterations, such as hemming, it’s likely going to be free. In addition, if you’re a Nordstrom card holder like I am and have achieved Influencer or Ambassador status, then you can earn up to $200 and $300, respectively, towards tailoring services. You get your tailoring “reimbursed” to you as Nordstrom Notes.

Finally, there are certain items that Nordstrom stores will not alter or tailor. One, used, dirty clothing. Two, any, items that you purchased in store on clearance. And, three, purchases from Nordstrom Rack stores with tags still attached.

This article explains the differences between Nordstrom vs Nordstrom Rack.

Alterations at Nordstrom Rack

Believe it or not, some U.S. and Canada Nordstrom Rack stores also offer tailoring services.

I was under the (false) impression that you could get alterations at Nordstrom department store locations only. I’m happy to report I was wrong. Now, it’s not every single Nordstrom Rack store that offers alterations. So, I can’t tell you, off the top of my head, if the Nordstrom Rack near you is included in the list.

Getting alterations at Nordstrom Rack

As far as how alterations work at Nordstrom Rack, it appears that it’s offered on a walk-in basis. Also, you cannot get the free hemming or tailoring services at Nordstrom Rack like you can at Nordstrom full-service department store locations. So, keep that in mind. Finally, you will have to pay for all alterations at Nordstrom Rack. You cannot “cash in” Nordstrom Notes or alteration credits here.

Here are other department stores and retailers that have tailoring services.

Nordstrom Rack U.S. locations with alterations and tailoring

However, I did some digging on the Nordstrom Rack website. In the end, I came up with this list of more than 200 Nordstrom Rack locations in the United States that do have alteration services.

Express alterations at Nordstrom Local

Nordstrom has smaller footprint stores called Nordstrom Local. I mentioned Nordstrom Local in my article that compares Nordstrom with Nordstrom Rack. These Local locations aren’t for shopping, per se. Nordstrom refers to them as service hubs where you can return merchandise, pick up an online order and get express alterations.

Where will you find Nordstrom Local locations? Right now they’re just in New York City and the Los Angeles area. In New York, they’re in two Manhattan neighborhoods. They are the Upper East Side and the West Village.

In California, you’ll find Nordstrom Locals in the following places:

• Brentwood
• Manhattan Beach
• Melrose
• Newport Beach

Final thoughts on alterations at Nordstrom

Look for the Alterations & Tailoring link at the bottom of the Nordstrom.com website to make your appointment. Finally, here is my review of working with a Nordstrom personal shopper. And yes, I ended up needing alterations on the clothes I bought.