Saks Fifth Avenue has agreed to settle a suit - the legal variety - by tailoring its policy on alterations.
The department store chain said Tuesday it will offer free alterations on skirts and dresses, as it does already on suits, blazers and slacks.The action settles a sex-discrimination suit filed by feminist attorney Gloria Allred on behalf of two women charged $40 each for alterations on dresses. The suit demanded Saks charge equally for altering men's and women's clothes.
"We are now adding several free alterations on dresses and skirts, and we will continue to review the policy for similar appropriate revisions," said Patricia Fox, spokeswoman for the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Costa Mesa.
Saks also agreed to pay the plaintiffs nearly $25,000 in legal fees, Allred said.
At the same time, the store chain insisted its previous policy was fair. Saks "has never had a double standard so it can't agree to end one," said Bill Acton, spokesman for Saks, which has 45 stores nationwide.
Acton said Saks had charged for altering dresses and skirts because they involve more work than men's clothing. There was no charge for minor alterations to clothing considered "unisex," such as blazers and slacks.