Essays

INTRODUCTION - A. & L. Tirocchi: A Timecapsule Discovered

 

Thanks to Anna and Laura Tirocchi's ability to adapt to changing circumstances in the fashion world and to interpret Paris fashion artistically for their American clientele, they continued to maintain their business at a time when their craft was under assault from all sides. "That's Paris,"said Lucy Wall's friend of Lucy's garment, and many others must have agreed. The Tirocchi sisters were able to wrest their fashionable customers from other dressmakers in Providence, despite speaking almost no English at first and having few contacts among the wealthy. Their success may be attributed to their sewing skills, their creative talents, and their great fortitude in the face of overwhelming challenges. The sisters had cachet as Italians, trained, as they were said to have been, in the salons of Rome, and perhaps their charming accents actually helped, rather than hindered, their success. Judging from their long tenure at 514 Broadway and the enduring loyalty of their most faithful clients, their success was great, perhaps as great as any dressmaking establishment of their era. Among Italian immigrant women, they were very unusual indeed. The Tirocchi shop is an important historical record of aspiring women, their work, and their times.

 

 

printer version
(will open in
new window)

 
 

< back

 
 

back to contents >