• Sorelle Tailor Shop

  307 W. 36th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-564-2827

  Your overcoat may be the most expensive thing in your closet, and as long as there are taxis to be slid into and belts to snag, the lining invariably gets torn long before the shell wears out. That calls for an old-fashioned re-lining job, and yours will be in good, patient hands at this tiny shop operated by sisters (and daughters of a master Armenian tailor) Mary Ipekcian and Jean Salvemini. It may not look like much, but fashion insiders from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein take their most delicate pieces here for nipping, tucking, and other altering. A re-lining job is on the pricier end of the spectrum—starting at $150—but it’s still a bargain for the kind of meticulous, can’t-bust-it craftsmanship that’s becoming harder and harder to come by these days. If it gets you another five years out of a coat you love, it’s downright cheap.

From the 2012 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine