(Photo: Brad Paris)

Who shops here?
Smaller designers, like Mara Hoffman, and Dana Foley of Foley + Corinna, as well as big houses like Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Donna Karan. So many design students, too.

And Project Runway contestants.
They’re back on May 20 to shoot season three. I love Wendy Pepper, and Robert hit on my sister. Austin is very reserved.

Is there a fabric mogul designers answer to?
Mrs. Gandini from the Gandini mill, who goes to the bigger houses worldwide and shows suitcase-loads to Oscar himself, or Marc. They’ll pick a few designs; she says, “Okay, this is solely yours.”

What trends do you see?
Embroidery is very hot; lace on basic shirts; paisley and black-and-white prints. Jacquard’s big for interiors.

Cloque, scrim, whipcord: I’ve never heard of these fabrics.
I took a class at FIT, I read WWD, I check into fabriclink.com. For trends, there’s ˇHola!, L’Officiel, and Book Moda magazines.

What would you suggest for a custom suit?
Super 120 or Super 160, lined with something heavy. We can take your measurements and send the fabric to India for tailoring. What could’ve cost you $3,000 is $1,000, and better quality.

What’s the best silk?
Silk charmeuse. Fairly inexpensive; great body, drape, shine. My friends make fun of me for checking out the fabric before the girl wearing it.

Related:

• Archive: “Ask Shop Clerk”
• Articles by Denise Penny
• Table of Contents: May 15, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!