GETTING PERSONAL WHAT MADE YOU GO INTO BUSINESS FOR YOURSELF?
“Since I was nine years old, I always dreamed of having my own store in town and making beautiful dresses for people. I learned to sew from my mother. In high school; I made quilted vests for my classmates.”
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
B
ehind a modest storefront on East Putnam Avenue, across the street from Citibank, Marietta Contadino and her team of seamstresses create swoon-worthy gowns and dresses for debutantes, bridal parties, socialites and more. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, who earned several prestigious awards along the way, Marietta says she dreamed of opening her own shop in Greenwich. But first she spent years learning the ropes and fine-tuning her individual style at fashion houses in Manhattan. “My passion lay with evening wear and special trims,” she says. In 1997, Marietta opened a studio in the city, where she did a brisk business designing cocktail dresses for an upscale clientele. “They’d fly into New York and coordinate going to the opera and coming for their fittings,” she recalls. Eventually, she followed her heart and with the help of her brother, Louis, who designed the space, opened her Cos Cob boutique eleven years ago. With a range of styles and fabrics to choose from (she has more than 100 styles to pick from), she is involved in every step of the process—from the initial sketch to the final fitting. As a designer, her biggest goal is to make her clients look their best. “I always give my opinion. A client might not be happy to hear it, but that’s what they come to me for. We have a joke here, ‘They come in wanting an all-over beaded dress, and they leave with a gown without a stich of beading on it.’”
“My clients. You become part of the family, their special occasions. A young lady got married, and I did her wedding dress. Then she got pregnant and I did a maternity dress, then I did the dress she wore for the baptism, the baby’s dress and the dresses for her mother and her mother-in-law. You become part of their life. Recently, a husband called me to say, ‘When I saw my bride in your gown, she took my breath away.’ That’s rewarding.” WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
“Getting the word out. People are surprised when they walk in the door. They think, what are you going to see in Cos Cob? The first time they come here, people compare me to big-name designers. They leave the boutique, run into New York City and go up and down Madison and Fifth avenues, and then they circle back here because of the quality of my designs. Or they might see one of my dresses in a Christmas card photo and ask their friends where they got the dress made.” WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ENTREPRENEURS JUST STARTING OUT?
“It’s easy. They have to do what they love. Even when I worked for other people, my ex-bosses would say, you are the hardest worker I’ve ever had. When I opened my own shop, I didn’t expect anything else. I’m very hands-on, even today. I still do all the lace work and the trim on every design.” »
AUGUST 2018 GREENWICH 75