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By John Black
The star, a best actress nominee, struts down the red carpet, looking gorgeous. She stops next to the reporter from E! who, after gushing about how phenomenal she looks, asks who she is wearing…
“That’s when she says Casa de Angelina,” Boston designer Angelina Monteiro says in an interview with Color Magazine. “At least that’s my dream, to see the clothes that I’ve designed worn on the red carpet for a big awards show.”
If there is anybody who knows that dreams can come true, it’s Angelina Monteiro. Since she was a young girl she’d dreamed about designing clothes. All through school and into college, she dreamed of designing clothes. She graduated from Bay State College in 2008 with a degree in Fashion Design, while completing an internship with Newbury Tailoring, and started working for other designers…still she dreamed of designing clothes and launching her own collection.
Then, encouraged by friends and loved ones to go after her dream, Angelina made her Boston Fashion Week debut on September 28, 2013, unveiling her Casa De Angelina 2013 Fall/Winter Collection at the Boston Winery.
“It was such an incredible experience to see clothes that I designed in a real fashion how like that” Angelina said. “It was not only a dream come true, but it made me hungry to do more and to create more clothes that really showed who I am as a designer.”
Who that is can be seen in two ways. Part of Angelina’s collections these days consists of elegant, handmade evening wear that she custom makes for her exclusive client list. The other part of her fashion sense can be found through the 19th Amendment, a group of designers who have partnered with Macy’s to sell ready to wear, yet still fashionable designs.
“I think everybody likes to dress up and look nice, whether if it’s for a big event or just a special dinner, you want to look your best,” Angelina said. “And looking good does not mean you have to be a size zero or take out a loan to buy a dress. My clothes will make you look your best within the price range you can afford.” A Casa De Angelina creation purchased through 19th Amendment, Angelina said, will cost anywhere between $150 and $450. Having her create a one-of-a-kind outfit designed just for you runs a bit higher, anywhere from $1,000 to $7,000 depending on materials and the amount of time it takes Angelina to actually make the dress. “I’m still at the stage where I cut my own patters and sew my own clothes,” she said. “Someday I’ll have people who will do it for me, but for now, it’s just me.”
Talking with Angelina, whether she has a staff to make her clothes before or after that Oscar dream comes true seems only a matter of time.
