Making Special Occasions Even More So

By Shannon Hicks

Ivette Worrell, the owner of Fashion By Trevette, has been providing help to brides-to-be for more than 15 years. She has an eye for the details that most women getting married count on, and can find the bargains when they are needed. Having been a crafter with an interest in costume jewelry for longer than that, she can suggest accessories for all tastes and budgets. She handles everything not for only brides and their parties but also for the quinceañera crowd, when families go all out to celebrate a young woman's fifteenth birthday, and high school students looking for prom dresses.
 

"We try to make every occasion special for every client and it's a lot of work," admits the Newtown resident, "but it's worth it when you get those phone calls after an event and you get thanked for everything you've done."
 

Ms Worrell began her latest career while working as an accountant and participating in fashion and trade shows. She designed costume jewelry for a number of years, eventually meeting and then working with promoter Nora Tripp. She took her jewelry designs and punched many of them up for weddings, and said she soon saw that she could incorporate her work into catalog sales and storefront opportunities.
 

"We booked by appointment to go into a customer's home with catalogs after they had seen my designs," she said. "That was all done on a part-time basis."
 

By the late 1990s she was also providing material for fashion shows and it was while locating inventory - now including the fashions - for these shows that she began to learn the business of formalwear. That work has carried into the current decade, and into the boutique she operates in Newtown. Many of her clients have found Ivette (her shop's name comes from the nickname her father gave her as a child) online and through referrals of current and former clients.
 

Ms Worrell opened a storefront in Village Square, the shopping center at 43 South Main Street in Newtown, last May and has been able to continue her love of making other women's wedding dreams come true at that location since then.
 

The shop is open by appointment only, in large part because Fashion By Trevette is primarily a one-woman show. Clients receive one-on-one service, often including visits with and from the consultant at their home.
 

"I'll schedule fittings at their homes, which means I can't be here at the same time," said Ms Worrell. "I find that brides appreciate that kind of service, especially when you find things for them like better prices."
 

While the majority of those who find their way to the South Main Street location are looking for wedding and prom fashions, a growing percentage of her patrons are the quinceañera crowd.
 

"It's usually the parents and the godparents who are coordinating these events. It's a beautiful event, really very special, and the styles are incredible," said Ms Worrell. It makes sense that a boutique of prom and wedding styles would also feature quinceañera fashions considering the majority of the gowns for the guest of honor bear more than a passing resemblance to a wedding gown. Ms Worrell prefers Princess Collection Mary's Quinceañera dresses, which she says is one of the most popular lines available.
 

She keeps a selection of gowns and dresses for all occasions available in her store, but says she prefers to bring in what her clients have in mind. She also keeps color samples from all designers because colors vary between materials and artists.
 

"Color tones are different for every designer," she cautions. "Rosewood by Da Vinci is not the same as Mary. They use different contractors. Da Vinci's red looks deeper than Mary's, whose dark red looks like burgundy."
 

In comparing two dresses that looked nearly identical by two designers, Ms Worrell pointed out another variable that changes hues.
 

"Da Vinci's fabric is silk and Mary's is taffeta. Color appears differently on those two fabrics. We work with color fabrics a lot. When you're shopping it's kind of nice to know exactly what the color will look like."
 

This is one of the reasons she encourages orientation and consultation appointments.
 

"We'll orient them to gowns, and find out if there are lines they're looking at. I'll wait for a client to request someone rather than carry too many specific designers," she said. "I can try to get almost any gown."
 

Among her favorite designers are DeMitrios and Kitty Chen, the latter of which prompts "a lot of calls about her gowns," said Ms Worrell. "I hate to name too many favorites, though, because every season there are designers who come out with brilliant dresses. Brides range -- they want simple, elegant, upscale, bargain... I see the full range and work with everyone."
 

One of Ms Worrell's favorite dresses is the Brier Rose, from Kitten Chen's 2008 line. The dress offers embroidered translucent lace over a chiffon gown, all tied together with fabric flowers. Demure lace cap sleeves and beading on the front give way to a daring bare back. It is perfect, she says, for a garden or other outdoor wedding setting.
 

"So many women are calling about that dress," she said. "It's simple, elegant, and a little different. It's a little medieval, and extremely feminine."
 

The showpiece of the shop's front window is a Da Vinci wedding gown. It is red, which is a symbol of good luck in a few Asian cultures, and also follows a growing trend among brides elsewhere. The dress has been featured since nearly the boutique's opening and it continues to draw attention and positive chatter.
 

"It's an incredible gown," Ms Worrell says of the design and color. "A lot of brides now are looking for color. While most are going for a splash of color, this one is for the daring bride. Women are getting away from white and ivory."
 

The Da Vinci is available in the traditional colors, however.

Another dress that has created buzz for Ms Worrell is the navy satin and chiffon gown by La Femme that country singer Taylor Swift is wearing on the cover of the spring 2009 issue of your prom .
 

"I'm getting a lot of calls about that one. The girls are going crazy over that dress," laughed Ms Worrell, who keeps stacks of your prom , The Wedding Steps , and Connecticut Bride in her shop.
 

"I love to give away those magazines," she said. "As women, we love to sit and browse for ideas. We have a lot of fun."
 

She prefers My Pink, a line of dyeable satin by Paradox London, and Saugus for shoes and keeps a full display of most available styles for women and girls (little miss pink) on hand. Fashion By Trevette also coordinates bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, and the shop regularly features veils, tiaras, jewelry, floral bouquets, and other accessories.
 

While the boutique is geared more toward the female side of weddings and special events, Ms Worrell also arranges tuxedo rentals for gentlemen.
 

Ms Worrell admits the current economic climate makes her nervous - "We have to sit a little, and wait and see where everyone goes. It's very difficult for many people," she said - but she is not going anywhere.
 

"I learn something every day. It's hard to say if my customer base is growing, and word of mouth is the most important thing for me. Fortunately I see a lot of repeat referrals from customers, and that's good."
 

Fashion By Trevette is at 43 South Main Street, Suite 5, within Village Square. The boutique is open by appointment only. Call 203/364-1882 or 203/304-1202, send email to irevette@FashionByTrevette.com, or visit FashionByTrevette.com to reach Ms Worrell.