DOWN THE AISLE

Anita Pagliaro began as a designer and purveyor of very elegant evening gowns - until she took notice of a trend that was happening over and over in her store. Customers would fall in love with one of Anita’s gowns that came in red or black or some other color and ask Anita if she could make it in white or ivory or pale pink for their wedding gown. So Anita obliged. And she obliged again. Until she thought about making a line of dresses that were designed specifically to be wedding dresses. And so she did. Anita's wedding gowns aren't traditional. They’re something special. And as for the evening gowns... they’re still there. In fact, they're just right for mother's-of-the-bride, attendants and wedding guests.

Anita's sister, Lisa Pagliaro, tells us about Anita Pagliaro, Ltd. and just what it is that sets her sister's gowns apart.

DTA: Who is your typical bridal customer?

LP: We do get some of the younger brides, but not many. Most of our bridal customers are over 28. Often, they're shopping for their dress by themselves. Later on, they may bring in their mother or their fiance.

DTA: Do you have an ideal client?

LP: Yes we do. She's a professional woman who knows what she likes and can make up her mind. If she has a sense of style and knows what looks good on her, it makes all the difference. It's a funny thing, but when a bride is happy about the marriage, she's usually more decisive.

DTA: Are your designs mostly custom made?

LP: The way we work is kind of unique. Because of space limitations, we only have room for one sample of each of our styles. But any of our dresses can be made up in sizes 4-12 and in many different colors and fabrics. Once you pick a style, we can make it long or short. Often we can change the neck, sleeves or pattern size. And we can completely custom-design a dress, but that starts at $5,000.

DTA: What is the price range of your wedding gowns?

LP: They run from $900 to $3000. About 85% of them are between $1000 and $1900.

DTA: What bridal trends do you see these days?

LP: One thing we've come across lately is brides in their late 30's and 40's wanting to wear traditional wedding dresses. We used to see very little of this, but that has changed. Another trend is the mermaid style body dress or a Joan Crawford kind of silk charmeuse that is very sleek on the body. Our most popular styles are separates.

DTA: Are most of you gowns white?

LP: We do more ivory than white. Ivory is more flattering on 80% of the women who come in here. We also do a lot of shell pink and silver gray which is a very, very light silver.

DTA: What looks best in a large woman? On someone very petite?

LP: Most large women do have an indent to their waist, even if it is very small. Rather than dress them in something straight, we like to show some definition in the waist and keep the skirt slender. Petite women should wear a tiny waisted dress with a full skirt and a fitted bodice.

DTA: How long does it take to make one of your dresses?

LP: Anywhere from 2-14 weeks with the average being 5-8 weeks. Generally, we require only one fitting.

DTA: Tell us about one of your more unique wedding ensembles.

LP: One of our most popular dresses is called the Marilyn and it's named after Marilyn Monroe. It's a short dress that's shirred down the body and beautifully draped. It has a slight V-neck and a little sleeve. It's a very, very sexy dress and when the bride walks in everybody has to catch their breath. It is worn with a traditional veil that goes to the floor or even longer - with a big poufed tulle on the head. It's very french.

DTA: If money were no object, what kind of wedding gown would you like to do?

LP: We would do a simple and understated body dress which would be ankle length. But the veil would be very dramatic. It would be long and pulled up - actually looped under so it would come out in a pouf for this incredible cloud effect. The dress would be done in lace or a very expensive satin. It would not have a lot going on and wouldn’t cost more than $2000 or $3000.