The skinny on Alter Engineer

Tag : shirting fabrics

Hey, guys - you still there? See, I haven't forgotten about you.Some of you may think I am hard-pressed to find a shadow of men'sfashion in Wilmington. Would you believe me if I told you a localmale fashion designer is creating the impossible-to-find skinny tieyou've been looking for?
I first became familiar with Alter Engineer ties when localdesigner Robert George approached my styling partner and I aboutusing his ties for our spring fashion show. He arrived at the Grey Gardens screening at Jengo's Playhouse with several samples.
As he pulled out one fashion forward skinny tie after another - onewith a black and white butterfly print, a sky blue tie embellishedwith grommets and cording, and another with a button - we faced thedesigner and his girlfriend with a mixture of astonishment andsurprise.
Robert laughed and said, "Yes, I actually sewed them myself."
Robert, a Wilmington local born and raised, earned a degree inelectrical engineering at N.C. State and spends his days as a salesengineer. By night, his alter ego as a designer emerges.
"I have loved clothing for a long time but couldn't always find thethings I wanted here in Wilmington, so I began learning to createon my own - starting with ties," he said. "And now I'm hooked!"
Attention to detail, eye-catching embellishments and stylish fabricare signature details of the Alter Engineer line. Robert makes ithis mission to find fabric whenever he travels, and he spends hoursonline looking for fabric that "strikes" him. When it comes toembellishment, he uses eyelets and cording, along withmilitary-style epaulets arranged to form a diagonal stripe.
"My personal favorite tie is my military-style tie with the fabrictab and button near the bottom of the tie," he said. Robert alsolikes to use traditional shirting fabric in a nontraditional way,as seen in his summer collection with ties made fromsouthern-inspired fabrics. By far, the defining characteristic ofRobert's ties is their handmade quality. Each tie is designed, cutand constructed by the designer himself. Robert concludes, "I am aone-person operation."
I most recently spotted Robert's ties on the shelves at 008 incandy-colored dandy-licious stripes, pink and white gingham andpastel seersucker for $68 while his "detail ties" withembellishments sell for $78.
According to 008 owner Teri Shaw, I'm not the only Alter Engineerfan. Last week, Chad Michael Murray scooped up Robert's favoritemilitary-style skinny tie embellished with a button.
jess.james@starnewsonline.com