CUSTOM COUTURE

Chicago’s Veronica Sheaffer’s custom designs reflect a quiet escape into decadent dreams.

The flicker of a black-and-white film. The sweep of a bias-cut gown. The quiet opulence of Old Hollywood. This era marked the beginning of a love affair between fashion design and Veronica Sheaffer, whose young mind re-imagined her childhood in small-town Illinois into a decadent, glamorous life of the 1930s and 1940s.

“Everything goes back to my complete obsession with old movies as a child,” recalls the Project Runway Season 18 alumna. “I escaped through these old films and loved dreaming about another time and place.”

That longing for the old world became the fabric of her career—quite literally. Teaching herself to sew with patterns from the 1960s and 1970s gifted by a family member, Sheaffer honed in on her signature style early.

“The silhouettes of the 1970s, which were influenced by the 1930s, are so, so important to me,” she says. “That’s really the root of my aesthetic.”

Sheaffer designs feel like heirlooms from the future. Based in Chicago, she’s one of the most sought-after designers for custom garments (especially for weddings), red carpets, and editorials. Her work is intimate, distinctive, and deeply personal—every stitch telling a story.

Mostly offering custom designs, Sheaffer also creates one-of-a-kind pieces when inspiration strikes, hosting one or two events a year, where she features a signature one-of-one capsule collection of seasonal pieces.

Most recently, the fashion designer dabbled in film and television work.

“I just did the finale bridal look for Meg Stalter in Lena Dunham’s new show Too Much, which was very thrilling,” Sheaffer exclaims. “I’ve made pieces for Meg before, so it was fun to get to work on this project as well.”

The Veronica Sheaffer brand is built on the belief that every sketch, every design, and every stitch is executed beautifully.

“I put a lot of heart and time into everything,” she says. “I want exceptional, special clothing that’s eye-catching, special, and unique.”

The things Sheaffer loves the most are historical.

“That’s what draws me in, and I think it’s much more important that you hit the right balance—that you don’t overdo any detail, even when something is really over-the-top,” she says. “You have to understand the design, your eye has to see the balance of it, and if you do that, it will be beautiful forever.”

That’s the magic of Sheaffer designing custom pieces. Not only is a custom piece able to reflect the individual, it’s made for that person’s body—no size constraints or trying to fit into somebody else’s piece.

“It’s about you,” she says. “It’s important to me that the clients feel beautiful, special, and I don’t let anybody say any nonsense about their bodies—that’s the least interesting thing about any of us.”

Reinforcing that sentiment, Sheaffer’s Instagram bio leads with “I just want to make you feel good.” “That’s the most important thing to me,” she emphasizes.

And that all begins with conversation. When working with a custom client, Sheaffer doesn’t dive straight into sketches or fabric swatches. She starts by listening, asking about the wedding, the relationship, the overall energy of the day, down to the flowers and mood they want to convey. Moreover, she’s interested in how her clients want to feel. Sheaffer is genuinely curious about the person. From there, she sits with the wide breadth of information received and takes it all in.

“I rarely just sit down and start sketching,” she says. “I take time, I look at fabric, and when it comes time to put pencil to paper, it usually just flows.”

After presenting sketches to the client and landing on a design, the custom experience continues.

“I never start from a base silhouette or have them choose from a set of fabrics,” she explains. “It’s entirely custom for every single stitch and every appliqué, and I almost never use the same element twice—and honestly, it’s more fun that way. They have a true custom piece that is so sentimental, so special, and is exactly only for them.”

Today, Sheaffer enters a more reflective chapter. “Just a little stillness is really great for your art and probably great for all of your work,” she says.

Her why, it turns out, hasn’t changed.

“I started doing this because I was a kid in the middle of nowhere without any glamour in my life and I wanted to wear beautiful things,” she says.

And she’s doing exactly that—making beautiful, meaningful pieces for herself and others. “This world goes so fast, and you start to question what you bring to this world,” she says, “and I feel grateful that I live this life that allows me to bring beauty and joy into my life and the lives of others.”

To learn more or contact Sheaffer, visit @veronicasheaffer.