Ask Michelle Turpin about some of her unique jobs, and it soon becomes clear that her custom-tailoring boutique is about much more than hems, patches and buttons.
For example, Tailoress offered to help customers create costumes over Halloween one year — with prize-winning results. “We did a fantastic Maleficent,” Michelle says, referring to Angelina Jolie’s big-screen fairy tale role. “She had green contact lenses and we did a spectacular collared cape. She won her competition.” At the other end of the costume spectrum: “We turned a two-year-old girl into a pickle. Plus, we quilted her costume to be warmer while trick-or-treating.”
But it’s not all pickles and evil sorceresses at Tailoress. “There are standard things we do every day” — taking in suits, altering wedding attire — “but we approach everything from a fashion and design perspective. Everyone here has some kind of drafting background, so we have a real knowledge of how garments are made right from the beginning.”
