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6 janvier 2018

C. Simpson and Co. Tailoring and Design

What she makes • In addition to making limited editions of custom bowties, Simpson performs tailoring and alterations services for both men and women. She also designs and makes custom designs, including wedding dresses.

How much • Custom bowties $40 and up; tailoring prices are listed on the website.

When designer Carmella Simpson discovers an interesting vintage garment or a length of intriguing fabric, she often turns her finds into unique custom bowties, which she makes in limited editions of six, 12 or 20 bowties. Brides employ her services not only to alter or make their special dress, but also to craft unique bowties for their wedding parties. • For Simpson, whose business encompasses tailoring and alterations for women and men as well as the design and construction of custom garments, the bowties add a little whimsy and a lot of connectedness to life. “I see bowties not only as fashion, but as a social connection. People notice the person who wears a bowtie. If that person happens to be a woman, she often gets a second look,” Simpson says. “If two people recognize they are each wearing the same print of my limited edition bowties, right away they know they share a special connection.”

A stitch in time • “I actually started sewing in high school, when I took a home economics class at Southwest High School,” Simpson says. “Fashion and sewing have always been part of my life, but after high school, when I joined the military, my world expanded. I fell in love with European fashions, which influence my work in fashion to this day.”

Flying high • “I had an amazing job on active duty in the Air Force. I was one of five people who worked full-time with the air medical unit transferring patients around the world for care.” Simpson was able to see fashions the world over. “Unfortunately, the military culture was not for me. I’m one of those ‘me too’ people. I couldn’t give two weeks notice and resign, but the experience did get me transferred to the air medical unit. I stayed in the Air Force for eight years. After I left military service, I enrolled at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago and earned a degree in clothing design. I did my internship in costuming at the Goodman theater. After graduation, I worked in theater and created designs for private clients.”

Unearthing the unique and extraordinary • In 2007, Simpson, who had returned to St. Louis, opened a boutique she named Od’diction, a play on words that defined the direction she took in fashion. “I didn’t want looks in my store that you could see everywhere. I found limited editions from designers whose styles fit with my European-influenced sensibilities,” she says. “Unfortunately, my timing was terrible. Opening a high-end fashion store in the middle of an economic crash didn’t go well.”

Practical magic • Simpson turned on a dime, as it were, and entered the tailoring business. “In 2008 and for years after, people didn’t have money for expensive new clothes. They had to take care of the fine clothes they owned. I started my tailoring and alterations business to help people look good without spending a lot of money,” she says. Over time, she met customers’ needs for special services as well. “A woman would come to me with her mother’s wedding dress. Together, we’d figure out how to make the dress work for the daughter. I’ll often remake the style, using the same fabrics, laces and trims. Even today, this is a big part of my business.”

Unexpected pairings • Simpson, a resilient business owner, never lost her love of the extraordinary in fashion. With the creation of custom bowties, she expresses her unique design sense in limited editions, each with a touch of the unexpected. Whether it be a unique vintage fabric or an inspired juxtaposition of materials, like soft, worn denim fabrics bedecked with pearls and lace, Simpson’s ties surprise. “I like to describe my style as ‘conservatively rebellious,’” Simpson says. “I’m proud to be making things in St. Louis. We have so many good St. Louis designers working here now — we don’t often get in the spotlight — but we strengthen the design community with our work every day.”

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