What makes Duchess different?
Communication is our secret to success. Our approach has always been to sit with the client and listen to their preferences, observe their personal style, and ask the right questions. The advantage we have is that most retailers view apparel as either masculine or feminine, rather than appreciating the subtle nuances that exist within and between these two ends of the gender binary. Our mission is to ensure that each client – from those who walk in not knowing what they want to those with particular taste and needs – feels comfortable, confident, and celebrated throughout the entire process.
Each individual has a unique style, and our designs are simply a starting point for a larger conversation with the client. Every detail will be lovingly and painstakingly gone over during the consultation process, including the choice of fabric, stylistic details, fit preferences, and body measurements.
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Duchess Clothier believes that each unique individual deserves to feel beautiful and confident in their clothing. Our team shares a deep and collective commitment to facilitate thoughtful, kind and empowering experiences through custom garmentry. We believe that the unique process fosters creativity, self-love, body positivity and validation. We are dedicated to respectful, ethical production, and roundly reject the idea of the gender-binary. With our extensive and wide-ranging tailoring experience, we make folks feel confident being exactly themselves.
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Our goal is to positively reflect & affect and serve our clients, community, families and environment. We hope that our contribution will lend itself to the momentum of the un-doing of the gender binary and the dismantling of the gatekeeping in fashion. In this way, we hope to assist in building a world where all people belong.
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Duchess is a friendly and inviting space to talk about clothes and fashion, for everyone. We will continue to work every day to provide a safe place for individuals to dream up their sartorial delights.
We will unabashedly support your suit vision and give honest, thoughtful guidance.
We will always stand up for the underdog; we strongly believe in treating all people with respect and kindness, no matter the situation.
We believe in building relationships among diverse groups and across disciplines. We believe in sharing knowledge, resources and support.
We believe in advocating for fair working conditions for our manufacturers and fair wages for our employees.
What We Believe
The suit has remained virtually unchanged for two hundred years, and for good reason. A well made, properly fitting suit is comfortable, attractive, and commanding. When a person dons a suit that is made specifically and especially for them, they experience a higher sense of self-esteem, dapperness, dash, and pride that is generally lacking in our present era of casualness.
Duchess Clothier finds the concept of people in suits rather exciting and is here to help every person find and embrace their best look. Today, there is more flexibility in how a person chooses to dress and express themselves - and that sometimes runs contrary to society's expectations. Duchess strives to provide the stylish human with whatever type of clothing suits their fancy and best expresses their authentic self.
Meet Our Team
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Katie
GENERAL MANAGER & LEAD CONSULTANT
Katie (she/her) has been with Duchess for over a decade, and loves working with clients to create their dream garments, designing new pieces and organizing (and re-organizing) office supplies. In addition to owning/operating her vintage & handmade shop in her hometown in Florida, she has worked extensively in art education, apparel/soft goods production, manufacturing, and design. She feels incredibly lucky to get to work with such a wonderful team, and to make folks feel confident, valued and beautiful. She is particularly partial to Donegal tweeds, soft pretzels, horror movies and pugs.
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Baili
CONSULTANT & ALTERATIONS ASSISTANT
Baili (she/her) is never one to turn down a pastel suit, or a 10-button cuff for that matter. She is all about the details, the colors, the cheeky monograms...anything that can transform "a suit" to "YOUR suit." When Baili isn't pouring over the newest collar felt options, you can find her living out her cottagecore dreams in her vegetable garden or her reading nook with her cat, Baby. Baili particularly enjoys artisanal pickles, ABBA, British TV, "hygge" anything, Thomas Hardy, and a spicy bloody mary on a rainy Sunday morning.
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Foley
SHOWROOM MANAGER
Foley (they/them) is a long-time Duchess client who, when presented with the opportunity, jumped at the chance to work with the team. They bring a long history in customer service in all kinds of custom goods… as well as a background in theatre, fine art, and woodworking. When they’re not out in their workshop building beautiful, useful things, or in their studio making art, they are probably taking their cats, Robin and Toby, for a walk in the park. Foley is a huge nerd for history, science, sharks, and TTRPGs. They are also a champion hugger. Just an FYI.
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Erin
HEAD OF ALTERATIONS / DESIGNER
At any given moment, Erin (she/her) is likely thinking about a piece of clothing. How was it constructed? What does the fabric feel like? What mood or era does it evoke? Her passion for apparel became a career path when she completed the Apparel Design certificate program at the Portland Fashion Institute. Altering garments at Portland's finest clothier is a dream come true for Erin. She hopes to continue this line of work for many years to come. If you know Erin, you know that she hates spiders! You might not know that one of her favorite types of duck is the Common Merganser--alias, "Goosander"--because of its crazy hairdo and its tendency to make like a submarine.
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Alexa
ALTERATIONS ASSISTANT
Alexa (they/them) is a collector of anachronistic arts with an emphasis in needlework and fiber techniques. They have always been curious about how things are made and have bins full of half-finished research, knitting, lace, etc. projects to prove it.
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Tobias P. Toebeans
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT CAT
The crowned duke of Duchess, Toby (he/himbo) spends most of his time harassing his siblings Robin and Birdie. When he sees fit to come to the office, he provides valuable support and expertise to our Alterations team. Please feel free to enquire with Foley as to his wellbeing.
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Seyta Selter
FOUNDING DUCHESS
The founding Duchess was born in a forest of evergreens at twilight in Washington state. Duchess began as a vintage reproduction shop for the people of Portland, but metamorphosized when Seyta wished more people would wear dapper suits. If Duchess then, is a dream made real, it was dreamed a long time ago by a young, feisty Leo with a penchant for subtle brilliance and an abiding connection to nature. Seyta will always be present with the Duchess dream, but her focus is on her private practice in depth psychology and ancestral healing. (Innerlands.org)
Our Garment Manufacturer
Duchess Clothier has partnered with an industry-leading manufacturer in Hong Kong to bring you our offering of fine tailored, custom-made garments. Those of you familiar with Duchess will remember that our company started by designing suits that drew inspiration from past eras (the Edwardian age and the 1960s being our favorites). As the Portland fashion market evolved over the last decade, we realized that a growing number of our customers were embracing more current suiting and styling trends.
We needed a manufacturing partner that could meet the diverse style and design needs of our clientele, as well as meet our high standards for quality and reliability. The decision to work with tailors in Hong Kong was an easy one. Hong Kong has a long tradition of outstanding tailoring. The reasons for this are a fascinating chapter in the history of the apparel industry.
In the late nineteenth century, Britain’s trade and colonization efforts resulted in the First Opium War and the occupation of Shanghai. British merchants and expatriates moved to Shanghai, resulting in a demand for the high-end tailored garments that they missed from their beloved Savile Row establishments. Talented British tailors emigrated to Shanghai and by the time of the Second World War, the industry was booming.
In 1941, the Shanghai Cutting and Tailoring College was established to meet the demand for training new talent. The availability of comprehensive training in the trade further advanced Shanghai as a flourishing center of tailoring.
During the Chinese Revolution in the late 1940s, many of the Shanghai tailors fled to Hong Kong (a British colony at the time). Although there was a long-standing tradition of tailoring in Hong Kong already, the new tailors brought their specific manufacturing techniques that were heavily based on the British tailoring tradition and therefore well suited to meeting the demands of the British citizens and expats residing in Hong Kong.
Throughout the twentieth century, tailoring in Hong Kong continued to thrive and adapt to changing trends in the industry. The result was a distinctly modern approach to tailoring that allowed for speed, consistency, and scalability. With the advent of computer-aided pattern drafting and specialized machinery, fine custom tailoring became an accessible luxury for a wider market than ever before.
Today, as many are rediscovering the cachet of wearing a well-fitting and stylish suit, it is interesting to pause and reflect on the evolution of suit manufacturing. If you are considering the investment in a fine suit, you can rest assured that years of industry experience have gone into ensuring a garment of long-lasting value and enjoyment. We are looking forward to helping you design something special so that you can experience the skill and craftsmanship of our overseas partners.
Find us in the historic Ford Building
2505 SE 11th Ave, Suite 102
Portland, OR 97202
Hours
Tues - Sat By Appointment Only
Call or Text
503-281-6648