Discovering New York's Garment District

  For locals and visitors looking for something fun (and different) to do in New York City, we suggest you check out Tailored NY, an up and coming Tour Company that curates custom designed tours for the fashionable side of New York.

  The brain child of this company is Liz Evertsz, a legit fashion designer and industry insider.  She has combined her knowledge of fashion and styling and her interest in New York’s Garment District history (as well as her penchant for being well connected to showrooms and design houses) to bring a unique look inside the world of fashion.

Below Liz shares some insight on her company.

What do your tours offer people curious about the fashion industry?

  Tailored New York tours help give people an insider's look at the fashion industry. We learn about the history of the fashion industry in the City and the reasons behind it being here. From the historical foundation, we then work our way through various fabric, trims, and notions stores, as well as visits to local workrooms. This opens the door to a multitude of resources most designers and fashion students already know about but are largely unknown to the general public.

"The Garment Worker" By Judith Weller 

What is the most requested destination on your tours?

Mood Fabrics, hands down! The majority of my guests are Project Runway super fans and "Are we going to Mood Fabrics??" is always the number one question. The number two question is, “Will Swatch be there? (Swatch is the shop’s resident Boston Terrier).

Mood Fabric's Mascot, Swatch

Tell us about some of the showrooms and businesses you tour.  How does this behind the scenes look at the fashion industry make your tours unique?

  One of my favorite places to visit in the Garment District is the oldest custom fabric flower house in NYC, Custom Fabric Flowers, a successful family business that has been around over 100 years. Great family businesses like this are so rare these days, so I love to highlight it. The shop creates amazing fabric flowers for many of the world’s most famous fashion houses, costume designers and milliners. My guests love to see what goes into making flowers and the running of this business.

  We have groups visiting showrooms and studios of local jewelers and designers as well as businesses that create luxury fabrics, trims and notions like Trim Lab. Along with being informative, these visits allow people to stop and think about what goes into every article of clothing they wear or buy. It helps them appreciate the work that goes into even the smallest of details, but most importantly, it humanizes these local small businesses. With the Garment District under constant threat from developers and rising rents, giving a face and a voice to these long running mom and pop businesses helps people care enough to want to save them. I'd like to think this is what makes my tours unique. 

You also offer Personal Styling Tours/ Services.  Tell us a bit about that.

   TNY's Personal Styling Experience is a service offered to people who feel they need a little help in the wardrobe department. More than just clothes, this is a journey that helps the guest see themselves in a different light and helps them learn about what looks good on them.  The experience starts prior to meeting with a questionnaire to be filled out by the guest and a request for pictures. This helps me better understand what they are looking for, if they have any body or mobility issues, and personal preferences. Before meeting with the guest I visit iconic stores such like Lord & Taylor to assemble clothing, accessories, and shoes for the personal styling experience. During the session, the guest tries on the looks I've created for them in a comfortable and private environment. Guests are never obligated to buy anything but they always do! For many, the hardest part of this journey is choosing what not to take.