Dressing for your most special days

(l-r) Lorene Wade and Sheila McQueen

By: Claudie Benjamin, Guest Writer

Subtle and classy in plum or taupe with a splash of sequins or flamboyantly theatrical in tropical orange or in lemon with sparking lace highlights ….and everything in between. House of Aliehs is a place to find that dress to wear on your special day. The shop is named for its owner Sheila McQueen (Aliehs is Sheila spelled backwards).

If your dream gown is not already hanging among the very many on display, bring in a photo and Sheila will copy it to perfection. She has many photos of gowns she’s created illustrating her creativity and skills.

Fancy heels for women and tuxedos for men (for rent or purchase) are not neglected at this enterprise. You may want a sparkling red jacket for a karaoke event or very dapper gray formal attire for your wedding. It’s all here. Plus there’s something very special about finding this workshop in Upper Meeting Street where just about anything wearable can be created.

Sheila loves being a seamstress and she enthusiastically embraces challenges. Teenage girls thrilled about going to their first prom or for their quinceanera, women shopping for their wedding day and others finding just the right mother of the bride gown. The customers have purchased and carried away their beautiful gowns and then sent Sheila photos of how marvelous they looked and felt at their special occasion. Sheila is thrilled to have, in a way, been part of the event.

Sheila McQueen

One girl brought in a photo of a model wearing spectacles.

“She’s big like me,” said the girl who later sent Sheila a copy of her prom photo.

It’s not surprising that there are plenty of anecdotes attached to the formal wear. Sheila recalled a flight attendant who saw in the shop window what she felt would be the perfect mother of the bride white dress. It was blue tulle. The store was closed. She called the next day, purchased it over the phone and Sheila sent it to her customer in Florida. Another woman flew down from New York to attend an event her daughter was catering at the Galliard Center. She saw and rented a tuxedo which her husband wore that night to the event.

How did all this begin?

At 13, Sheila entered a Sears & Roebuck contest. She won a small sewing machine. However, her mother (name) upgraded it to a larger one. She urged her daughter,”since you don’t know how to sew, you’d better learn. Lorene Wade is still close to her daughter and regularly works in the shop.

Sheila took her mother’s advice and dedicated herself to learning how to draw, cut patterns and put together a completed garment. “At 17, I made made my first suit. It was khaki., made for her boyfriend at the time.”He wore it.”

At 18 Sheila married. As a young mother of three she made clothes for her children. She was particularly proud of the little blue Easter suits she copied from boys’ suits she had seen but couldn’t afford at an expensive local store.

”I taught my children to sew,” she said, showing a photo of work done by her daughter, an RN at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. She explains that the tiny garments are made for Babies cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Tailoring was Sheila’s first area of expertise although she did carry some bridal and formal gowns. Over time, Sheila opened and closed a number of stores. In 2020, she moved into her current business on Charleston’s East Side. Now, there’s an overwhelming selection of gowns and full service tailoring available.(including suede and leather.) Everywhere you look in this shop is an opportunity for discovery. There are sets of jewelry and lots of gift baskets.

“Just something to send to a friend to say, ‘I hope you’re doing well,’” said Sheila.

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