Downtown couture: Shop adds to local flavor in Waynesboro

Couture fashion – not exactly what you’d expect to find in Waynesboro, but that is one of the latest additions to Downtown Waynesboro with the addition Mariah Amine Couture.

Don’t be too intimidated by the word couture, though; the shop still has the local feel that local shoppers are comfortable in. It’s within a few miles from home, not big enough to be lost or confused in, and you may even see Mariah’s dog, Turbo, lounging back in the workshop. It’s a place where you won’t feel out of place, but you can still find unique artistic pieces that make great gifts or stylish splurges for yourself.

The store opened in December, but the story itself began back when Clark was in high school. She was taught the basics of sewing by her mother, but then branched off and experimented, teaching herself as she went. Her main interest was in historical clothing, and her first pieces were historical replicas.

“My first piece was actually an Elizabethan dress. I did all the undergarments and the hoop skirt and all that stuff. I spent a whole year working on it; crocheted all the lace for it and did it all from scratch,” Clark said fondly of her first creation, which she still has and does not intend to sell.

She had planned to continue her education at Virginia Tech as a chemistry major, but her hobby of clothing design turned into a passion after assisting the Theater Department’s costume shop. “I just really enjoyed it and decided I wanted to focus more on that direction than chemistry. So I went to the Apparel Department because in the Theater Department you had to be a theater major. You couldn’t just be a costume major. So that was when I started getting into more modern apparel.”

During this time, Clark applied for a competition with the International Textile and Apparel Association, a professional, educational association composed of scholars, educators and students in the textile, apparel and merchandising disciplines in higher education. A long red ball gown of hers (that is currently exhibited in the front of her shop) won first prize and granted her a one-month scholarship to study in Paris. (She had had two pieces accepted over two years, but that particular piece won the award.) She traveled to Paris after she graduated from Virginia Tech, with a degree in apparel housing and resource management with a concentration in apparel design, a mouthful of words that translates like a BS in apparel design.

Only five scholarships had been given out through different organizations; to four Americans, Clark as well as three Texans, and one Australian. The program itself only accepted between 20 and 30 students from across the globe, including young designers from the U.S., China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and England.

For a while Clark did not sell her apparel. She would make clothing for her own use or for the enjoyment of a project. However, she had begun selling bags that she had designed and sewn at craft shows and off of her website. The idea of owning a shop did not become a reality until last year when she felt a space of her own would be necessary.

“I was looking for a workshop area. I had sort of outgrown the space I had in my house, and I decided if I was going to go ahead and get the space, I might as well get a space that I could have retail and workshop, which I have my workshop in the back. It was last summer that I first started looking, and I bought the building in the end of September.”

The store opened its doors Dec. 15, but the official grand open and ribbon cutting ceremony took place April 8. A key part of the store, Clark’s ready-to-wear line of clothing was debuted the following day, April 9.

“I love history and I love historical clothing, but I don’t want my stuff to look dated, so I try to find inspiration in history and then make them modern, which I’ve had a lot of fun with,” Clark said. “The dresses are sort of ’50s-esque with the flared skirts and tight bodices, but at the same time they don’t have sleeves, they’re much more modern. I try to do styles that can be worn by a wide range of ages. I’ve had people try on those dresses from early 20s to 50s, and they look fine on all of them. I try to do things that look nice on different body types as well, because I do have a small line and I want to make it as versatile as possible. The skirts are A-line; they’re very simple and basic. I want pieces that don’t necessarily says, Oh, this is spring 2011, I want something that you can put in your closet and wear it this summer, wear it next summer, I’ve worn it last summer. It’s not trendy, and it’s not going to be out of date in a couple months.”

Mariah Amine Couture is not just limited to the work of Clark, though. She has welcomed in dozens of pieces from other artists with only two regulations: items must be handmade and U.S.-made. Some materials are made somewhere else, but everything has been somehow altered in this country. Works from 16 different artists make up the present inventory of the store. These connections are people that she had known before owning the store as well people who have approached her with their work and received her approval. Not all of these artists are local to the Shenandoah Valley; currently she is featuring work from a photographer out of Pennsylvania and a jewelry artist from New Hampshire.

The store offers bags, ranging from a very small knitting bag designed to hold double pointed needles for sock knitters, all the way up to a large travel bag with pockets all the way around the outside and several pockets inside and another bag with a zipper that snaps in and out. Or maybe you’re looking for hand-woven silk scarves, hand-turned pens, jewelry, woven alpaca blankets, hand knitted items, dog collars and leashes and key fobs that are hand-sewn, note cards that are hand-made, hand painted yarn made in Staunton, or books that are written by local authors on local topics.

Also, if you’re looking for a skill rather than a physical object, Mariah Amine Couture can still accommodate you. Sewing classes range from absolute beginner, “turning on the machine, how to wind a bobbin, how the machine works, and the different kinds of stitches”; all the way up to advanced pattern making classes are offered in the workshop, as well as private sewing and knitting lessons. Additionally, in the fall, Clark plans to offer group knitting classes.

The sense of giving back to the economy, buying things that are handmade, and buying gifts that are made from recycled materials helps shoppers feel more comfortable and confident in their purchases and gives all items at Mariah Amine Couture a one-of-a-kind guarantee. So go ahead, grab your wallets, head downtown, and check out this new addition.

To learn more and view items visit www.mariahamine.com.

Story by Suzi Foltz