Cherokee Street
Jones lives above her shop. “I wanted to be in a place where everyone was a lot younger than me,” says Jones. “They can take phenomenal chances. It makes you want to keep doing that, too.”
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Fabrics
The pattern maker/draper sources globally—most recently, she brought back 230 yards of textiles from Mumbai. “We get these beautiful things, and we try to figure out a way to make them a part of people’s everyday lives,” she says. A dark green-and-metallic paisley brocade, for instance, was transformed into a tailored women’s suit.
Mission
“I like the technical part,” says Dorothy. “I like the math part. That’s a lot of fun for me. But I could be doing it in a backroom, and no one would ever bother me. Here, I’m constantly giving people the ‘princess’ moment. To do that for a woman—who is going to walk out of here going, ‘Yes, I am rocking this’—I just don’t think women get to feel that way that much.”
Clients
“When you have a job to do—whether you’re in court or at a wedding—you need to not worry, ‘Is my bra strap showing?’ Or ‘God, this is so tight, and I have four hours left.’” She creates clothes with functionality and uses visual tricks to combat customers’ negative feelings about their bodies. “It changes their view of themselves.”
Collaboration
Customers often show Dorothy an idea, asking, “Can you do this?” Most recently, a client whose wife is a fan of the film Enchanted wanted a frock coat similar to Patrick Dempsey’s character for a ball. After initial consultations, Dorothy will create muslins, or sample garments for fittings. Once it’s created in 3-D, it’s easier for clients to see what works and what doesn’t.
