Millerton springs into fashion

MILLERTON — Loosely conceived as an opportunity to shake off the winter doldrums and celebrate the early spring the area has been enjoying, Millerton shopkeepers Kate Carty, Jan Gilmor and Barbara Walker of BW’s Eagle Eye are throwing their shop doors open wide and inviting customers to “Spring Into Fashion” this weekend, Saturday, March 31, and Sunday, April 1.Gilmor Glass is not a clothing store but Jan Gilmor has invited Annie Walwyn-Jones to have a trunk show of her made-to-measure and made-to-fit fashions in the Gilmor Glass showroom. Walwyn-Jones has been designing clothes since she graduated from Parsons School of Design with a Golden Thimble award in 1975. Though she spent some time on Seventh Avenue her preference has been to work independently serving a customer base that has come to rely on her for distinctive clothing that fits well. She has had long-term relationships with Bloomingdale’s, Josie Natori and Paul Smith, but these days she relies largely on her website and trunk shows to showcase her designs. Walwyn-Jones makes made-to-fit and made-to-measure clothing as well as original bridal designs. Made-to-fit describes clothing that is already made but that can be altered to fit the customer. Walwyn-Jones designs for real women — not mannequins. She has a skirt that she describes as perfect for someone with a pear-shaped body and for the woman blessed with boy’s hips but without J Lo’s butt she has a skirt that will look good on her too. With made-to-measure designs, the customer has more of a voice in the style and design. It might involve radically changing a design to fit the customer better. This attention to detail and concern for the customer may be why one 80-year-old woman told Walwyn-Jones, “I feel so confident when I’m wearing the clothes you made me.”In an interview with The Millerton News she described her customer; “Funnily enough, my customer is the person I would most like to dress — elegant women who have to look good all day, a lot of professional people,” Walwyn-Jones said. “I try to help people be their best selves, but not be someone else.” She also admitted that, “When I dress-up I like to make a bit of an effort. I love making special-event clothes, like dresses for the mother-of –the-bride.” She recently designed and made her daughter’s wedding dress which can be seen on her website, www.walwyn-jones.com. Across the street at Kate Carty many of the winter goods will be on sale as well as cotton sweaters, scarves and shoes. Carty makes custom-made dresses and has clothing for men as well as women.BW’s Eagle Eye is known for its vintage clothing but also has a selection of new T-shirts and spring handbags.