Studio Irenes

“When I was a little girl, I remember seeing a photograph of a beautiful wedding dress in a magazine,” says Irene Eftrin of Irene’s Studio. “I decided then and there that I would love to make a dress like that one day. Today I am doing just that, so it’s like a dream come true.”

It isn’t solely wedding attire that Irene crafts with her needles and thread, laces and satin. She also makes outfits for the mother of the bride, proms, anniversaries and other special events as well as fitting and altering men’s suits. Plus, she does soft furnishings to help give your home a fashionable new lease on life. “I get home at midnight sometimes,” she says, “but I don’t feel tired because I love what I do.” In the winter, Irene has three staff members helping her at her Bayview studio while in the summer, she needs five extra pairs of hands to keep up with demand.