Atelier
2616 Monroe St., 233-7575
www.atellier-arttowear.com
11 am-4:30 pm Tues.-Fri., 11 am-4 pm Mon. & Sat., Closed Sun.
She's one of those people who ooze talent from their pores. She's the one who said she was going to learn how to sew...and actually did it. And she could, without a doubt, serge circles around any 'Project Runway' wannabe.
She is Geri Ager, owner of the quaint, unassuming women's clothing store, Atelier. A few amazing facts about this shop: Every item is an original design by Ager; the fabric for each piece is prewashed and preshrunk by hand; half of the business is custom order; and 'Hello! Where have you been all my life?' ' the store has existed since 1985.
'Atelier' is a French term indicating an artist's studio, and the store is nothing less than that. Ager has a workshop in the back and sells her varied clothing and accessory designs in the front. The pieces are most definitely singular displays of art: not of an era, not of a fickle trend, but wholly distinct. Contemporary but timeless.
'I'm influenced by art ' early modern, African and Asian,' says Ager. 'My clothes have little details that make you say, 'Oh, that didn't come off an assembly line!''
Elect to wear art every day with these chic selections: Of-the-moment royal purple wool and mohair shrug ($189); a pieced cropped jacket with stand-up collar in red plaid Italian wool ($138); petite black chinoiserie print purse ($36); a light-as-air, hand-dyed burgundy crossover blouse with abstract silkscreen ($119); and a multi-color skinny accent scarf that 'works as a necklace' made of rayon and silk ($40).