Here’s a story that ran in our local paper today that I thought you would all enjoy.
Teaching the all-but-lost art of couture – baltimoresun.com
Clothing designer helps bring the meticulous craft to Baltimore
By Jill Rosen
March 18, 2010
For most women who shop at Gap and J Crew, maybe Nordstrom or a local boutique for something fancy, couture is simply a foreign concept. They might have caught a glimpse of it during a television awards show, but not many have run their hands over true couture quality, and even fewer have been lucky enough to wear it.
But in a Timonium office building, of all places, women for have been learning for the past few months how to ply the elusive trade.
Ella Pritsker, a Russian native who immigrated to the United States in her 20s, started the Maryland Academy of Couture Arts last year. With the Towson Town Center nearby and York Road’s discount shops around the corner, she is introducing women to the world beyond ready-to-wear, where with fine fabric and meticulous attention to detail, a dress, Pritsker likes to say, “can cost as much as a house.”
With the school, Pritsker hopes to preserve what she considers to be an all-but-lost art, the high art of sewing.
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Miss Celie's Pants 
I only have one question – when do you start?
What a resource to have locally. Sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
AJ
what a great resource. that would be a wonderful class!
Great article. Thank you so much for sharing. Maryland is only a couple hours away. When are the classes?
Oooh… I wonder how much that class would cost? If the traffic is right, I can get to Baltimore in about 45-60 minutes….
Thanks for the articles! I love to read about sewing too!
Wow! I would so sign up for that class!
I would so love to take the class. If you do,, please let us know about the class.
Ouch! Nothing like a good bitchslap from the Swiss. đŸ™‚
But living in an area that also has Russian émigrés, I tend to agree with Inkstain.
Peppermint Penguin, my guess is that hell will freeze over before Cidell sews an entire garment by hand. Check out the link and read the entire story. There are no sewing machines allowed at this sewing school.
I thought it was funny that the reporter wrote that the garments are “lined twice” with a lining of silk that is often not even seen.
Clf, Thanks for understanding my comment. It wasn’t meant as a “bitchslap” at all Russians, just gives my impression of the relationship between Russian women of a certain age (mine, incidentally) and what I understand as couture. We just don’t happen to see it highlights of great Moscow taste here in Geneva. As I said, they just pile it on which isn’t my idea of chic. I guess it all migrated to Cidell’s neighbourhood. Boohoo, I see I’ve been censored! Well, what the hell, it’s true. There are a whole lot of Russian girls on the game here in the city of jewellery, watches, banks and lots of idle rich men…
That said, I’m sure the lady teaching the class in the US is doing her best to share what we all love about sewing.