Designer Christina Kara’s custom dress studio, Blue, looks like a Parisian seamstress’ back room circa 1921. From the street, plate-glass windows afford a view of a work in progress, placed front and center on a dress form, and worn-out floor samples hanging messily on racks. Clients understand that the studio’s dingy walls and haphazard mountains of fabric bolts, tattered pattern pieces, spools of thread, and tools (barely concealed by bits of velvet curtain) come with the territory when working with this premier artist. Brides, ’maids and party girls all over Manhattan have made Kara the go-to Euro diva for custom cocktail dresses and bridal gowns that reinvent classic glamour—think ’40s Dior replicas—and add a youthful, sexy twist. Kara offers many styles that clients can alter according to their taste and ideas, from short, strapless knockouts with sweetheart necklines and piles of ruffles to long columns with bustled flounces in back and a variety of bodices covered in Kara’s signature silk ruching. At all hours, passersby can admire blissful gals standing in the middle of the bright, chaotic shop, modeling nearly finished one-of-a-kinds as the designer makes her changes. Believe it or not, part of the bliss comes with the price tag: cocktail dresses start around $400, and Kara even offers a discount for groups of bridesmaids.

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A fixture in fashion magazines and on famous wrists and necklines, Karen Karch’s handmade jewelry is bold and refined. Drawing on influences as diverse as Native American artwork (she grew up in Texas and has a home in New Mexico) and Victorian, gothic and art-deco styles, she favors rich colors (think Australian rubies and champagne and cognac diamonds), raw textures (like hammered and rough-hewn metals) and striking shapes. Her three signatures – a faceted heart, a rose and a “lucky horn” can be found throughout the collection, as rings and pendants, in rose and platinum gold, and laden with a variety of gemstones. Although all of Karch’s designs are distinctive, those interested in couture services can collaborate with her to create one-of-a kind designs, like an engagement ring adorned with black diamonds.