Working -- Alice Cetinelian

* Story by Deepa Bharath; photo by [tk]

SHE IS

Using fabric and thread to erase old patterns and create new ones

SEW, THAT’S HER THING

Right from her days as a young girl playing on the streets of

Istanbul, there was nothing more Alice Cetinelian wanted to do than sew.

And that’s what Cetinelian, now 55, has done for most of her life. For

the last 23 years, she has been doing alterations and restyling at The

Velvet Hanger, a tailoring store on Via Lido.

EARLY BEGINNINGS

Cetinelian has been working in a tailor shop since she was 10, she

said.

“I started my training under three sisters who were my neighbors in

Istanbul,” she said. “I helped them out and learned all the basics

there.”

People think restyling or altering is easier than creating original

designs, but that is not true, Cetinelian said.

“It’s not that easy,” she said. “It’s quite a challenge to change

something that’s already there.”

Cetinelian, over the years, has won over several loyal clients in

Newport Beach, she said.

“About 70% of those who come to the shop are repeat customers,” she

said. “I even have one who moved to Arizona but would still want some

work done when she’s visiting or is in the area.”

Her biggest satisfaction comes from satisfying her customers,

Cetinelian said.

RESTYLING IS A CHALLENGE

“You need a lot of patience to do this job,” she said. “You have to

give your customers time. People can be very picky about what they want,

and you need to be gentle with them.”

Recently, Cetinelian worked on a 100-year-old wedding gown that

belonged to a customer’s great-grandmother.

“The dress was in pretty bad condition,” she said. “She wanted the

same design but on different fabric. So I copied the old design for her.”

Although she has good ideas, Cetinelian said she does not design.

“I’m happy just restyling,” she said. “I love my job, and I’ll

probably do it as long as I’m healthy.”