Jane Loves Ali
When Glee’s Jane Lynch had to pick out a dress for the Emmy’s she didn’t turn to one of LA's ubiquitious stylists, but to one-of-a-kind couture designer Ali Rahimi. It makes sense, Lynch and her character on Glee are very original so why not get a unique dress too?
Rahimi got Lynch’s specifications for the dress she wanted, measured her and designed the gown in a whirlwind two days. They organized a last fitting at 9:30pm the night before the Emmys. The frenzy paid off. Lynch was named ‘Best Dressed’ of the evening by fashion critic Steven Cojocaru in an “Entertainment Tonight” feature: Cojocaru said Lynch’s look was “Grace Kelly 2010.”
With celebrity clients like Lynch, “Burn Notice” and “Queer As Folk’s” Sharon Gless, “Seinfeld’s” Julia Louis Dreyfus and “Ugly Betty’s” Vanessa Williams,Rahimi is used to designing within the parameters of crazy creative schedules. There’s no typical design period. “A client walks in, tells me what they want, I start suggesting fabrics and I’m sketching as I drape different textures, patterns and colors against their bodies. We take measurements, especially for the corset which is the bones of any couture dress. It takes about a staff of 4 to do one dress.” It can sometimes be a rush but one dress can also take up to 18 months. The result: always beautiful.
Although he was born in Iran and went to boarding school in England, at 17, Rahimi ended up at the Virginia Mardy School of Design in Lakewood, Ohio because his parents refused to let him attend New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology (they didn’t want him to live by himself in NYC). He moved to LA in 1986 and was lucky enough to immediately have 2 clients who loved his work and wore his dresses to tons of charity events and glamorous night outs. More clients soon followed.
He’s worked non-stop ever since and opened, Mon Atelier, his couture business, 15 years ago. Made-to-order and at least 25% hand-sewn (the criteria for true couture), Rahimi’s designs can run clients anywhere from $2,500 to a whopping $75,000. But money is not the final measure of his success. “I love finding out what makes someone feel beautiful,” says Rahimi. “That’s the part that I love.”
--- Andrea Marie Thompson
