Mela — Local services in North Bethesda

Pros: they had sari blouses in 5xl sizes and they did honor the return policy. A few of the blouses seem likely to go with a lot of designs. Their complete sets seemed better quality but still probably over priced.

Cons: many. Very poor sewing quality for the price ($40 per blouse for badly made items), inattentive staff, no indication of sizing. See below and photos.

I needed sari blouses for a wedding in a few weeks. My aunt and cousins are loaning me the actual saris. Because I am a tall & broad shouldered woman, I’m a 5XL in Indian sizes which has been a major challenge when shopping. When we got to the store, there was one male staffer who pointed us in the direction of a rack of blouses but provided no assistance. The blouses were not sorted into sizes, so my friend and I had to paw through everything with a measuring tape (if the staff would do this initial sorting, it would make for a better shopping experience).

I did buy some blouses from Mela but the sewing is very sloppy. I know how to sew (although with a demanding job it’s very hard to find time) and I’m going to have to clean up most of the seams. The blouses are nice fabric but lots of snags, loose threads, the lining and piping are sewn in messy and often with errors or crooked lines, seams are not very finished, so likely to fray, hooks are barely sewn in and I will have to hand sew the hooks and eyes on better to be stronger so as to avoid a ‘wardrobe malfunction’. One blouse the fabric panel with eyes wasn’t sewn on - it’s just a random piece barely held on and could be detached from the whole blouse and lost. These blouses are $40 each which feels like a rip off for the quality but I am too short on time to get something made custom for me. Honestly I’ve seen better sewing on theatre costumes and sewing 101 classes. I think the worst and most obvious problem is the ties don’t have finished ends. Most of the ugly seam issues are at least hidden inside the blouses but badly done ties will be visible to anyone who walks near me, so I will have to do finishing on the ties. It’s normal to take ready made items to a tailor for fitting (hence the large seam allowances), but for the amount of fixing errors, now I have a project or I will spend the cost of the blouse on just repairing errors.

I returned one blouse because while the side seam allowances were good, there wasn’t enough of a seam allowance on the bottom to extend it, and the blouse looked too short, also the piping and other details had obvious errors in terms of jagged seams. The armholes were also not cut right. I got questioned more than once about why I was returning the blouse, but I think my obvious irritation made the clerk stop trying to coax me into keeping the item, a more timid person might have given up on getting a return.

I gather from friends that this store used to be much better when it was at a prior location; I hope the quality improves but right now I think half the reviews are made up by friends and family...

I have been to Melashops when it was in the Lakeforest Mall! I was really happy to see the rich blend of South Asian apparel, Jewelry, great Khussa collection and much more! Now it is opened on a full scale store at Montgomery Mall! Can’t be happy enough! We did our Eid shopping 2023 from there! We bought women outfits as well as for our little ones- the boys collection was super cute. GREAT quality and COLLECTION - and the lady Ms.Roohi is just Awesome! So adorable ❤️ She would listen to your needs and requirements! You can even get your outfit stitched or altered if you need! I would say must try! It feels like home away home...

I had such a wonderful experience shopping at MELA! The store has a beautiful and diverse selection of items that are both unique and high quality. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warmth and genuine hospitality. The staff was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, answering all my questions with patience and care. You can tell they truly care about their customers and the products they offer. I left with exactly what I was looking for and even discovered a few unexpected treasures. Highly recommend visiting MELA – it’s more than just a store, it’s...