Formalwear & suits
Evening dresses, school formals, suits and jackets — including shoulder work most shops decline.
Formalwear & suitsSonia Fashion · Brisbane City
The clothes you wear
every day.
Hems, taking in and letting out, sleeve length, zips and seam work — the small adjustments that quietly make your whole wardrobe fit better.
Tailoring · Structure & line
★★★★★
4.9 · 35 Google reviews ↗
Level 3 · 141 Queen Street
40+ years in the craft
Walk-ins welcome · Mon–Sat
Everyday alterations, done properly
Most people have three or four things in the wardrobe they never wear because something about the fit is slightly wrong. Usually it's an hour of work.
The Queen Street workroom is a short walk from most of the Brisbane CBD, so it's easy to drop something in on a lunch break. Straightforward alterations are often ready within a few days, and Sonia will always tell you upfront if a garment isn't worth the cost of altering.
Work clothes, jeans, dresses, coats, uniforms — Sonia has refined thousands of uniforms over her career, and the same standard applies whether the garment is designer or from a chain store.
What Sonia does
- Trouser, jean and skirt hemming — including original-hem jean finishing
- Taking in and letting out at the waist, side seams and back
- Sleeve shortening and lengthening
- Zip replacement in dresses, trousers, skirts and jackets
- Dress and top strap, neckline and bust adjustments
- Coat and jacket resizing
- Uniform and workwear alterations
- Curtain and soft-furnishing hemming
The jobs people bring in
What it costs,
and how long it takes.
Two questions come up before any other. Here are honest answers, plus what actually happens to the most common garments.
What drives the price
Nobody can quote an alteration from a description, and anyone who does is guessing. The cost comes down to four things: how many seams have to be opened, whether the garment is lined, what the fabric is, and whether the finish has to be rebuilt afterwards. Hemming a pair of unlined cotton trousers is a different job to hemming a lined wool pair with a cuff, even though both are “a hem”. Bring the piece in and you will get a firm price before any work starts.
Turnaround
Straightforward work — hems, zips, simple taking in — is usually ready within a few days. If you have a date, say so when you drop the garment off rather than afterwards; Sonia would rather schedule around it than rush at the end.
Trousers and jeans
Trousers can be shortened with a plain hem, a blind hem or a cuff, and the right one depends on the cut and the fabric weight. Jeans are their own case: the original hem can be kept and reattached so the faded, worn edge stays, which matters on raw denim and on anything with a distinctive wash. Say which you want — it changes the work.
Taking in and letting out
Most garments can be taken in a size or two through the side and back seams. Letting out depends entirely on how much seam allowance the maker left, which on fast-fashion pieces is often almost none. Sonia checks the allowance first and tells you what is there before quoting.
Sleeves and shoulders
Sleeves shorten from the cuff on most tops, and from the shoulder on anything with detailing or a working cuff. Shoulder adjustment is the more involved job, and the one that most changes how a jacket reads — see formalwear and suits.
Zips
A failed zip is almost always worth replacing. The garment is otherwise sound, and a new zip in a dress, skirt, jacket or pair of trousers costs a fraction of replacing the piece.
If a garment isn’t worth altering — the fabric is tired, or the work would cost more than the piece is worth — you will be told so before you spend anything.
Visit the workroom
In the heart of
Brisbane City.
- Address
- Sonia Fashion
Level 3, 141 Queen Street
Brisbane City QLD 4000
Get directions ↗ - Phone
- (07) 3211 5060
0411 814 457 - soniafashionalter@gmail.com
- Monday–Friday8:00am–5:30pm
- Saturday9:00am–4:00pm
- SundayClosed
Walk-ins are welcome for simple work. For bridal or involved alterations, call ahead so Sonia can set aside proper fitting time.
Common questions
Good to know
before you come in.
How much does it cost to hem trousers in Brisbane?
It depends on the fabric, the hem style and whether the garment is lined. Sonia quotes when she sees the piece — bring it in or call the workroom for a guide price.
How quickly can simple alterations be done?
Straightforward work such as hems and zips is often ready within a few days. If you have a deadline, mention it when you drop the garment off.
Do I need an appointment?
No — walk in during opening hours for everyday alterations. Appointments are only needed for bridal and involved formalwear work.
Where exactly in the city are you?
Level 3, 141 Queen Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000, in the Queen Street Mall precinct.
Can you keep the original hem on jeans?
Yes. The original hem is removed, the leg shortened from above, and the worn faded edge reattached so the jeans still look like themselves. Mention it when you drop them off, as it is a different job to a plain hem.
Can a dress be taken in two sizes?
Usually, through the side and back seams. How far depends on the cut and where the panels and darts sit. Letting out is the harder direction because it depends on the seam allowance the maker left, which is often minimal.
More from the workroom
Other work
Sonia takes on.
Repairs & remodelling
Zips, seams, moth holes, and reworking older or inherited pieces into something wearable.
Repairs & remodellingLeather repairs
Jackets, coats and suede — resizing, shortening, zips, tears and new linings.
Leather repairsBring in your garment.
A short fitting tells Sonia more than any photograph. Call the workroom or send a few details and she’ll talk you through the work, the fit and the timing.