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You pass Barney’s, Prada, Frette, and Jimmy Choo, then climb up a narrow, mirrored flight of steps to Oak Street Tailors, nestled in a bright and cheery space. Nick Fetea, a slim, chic Romanian with clear, chocolate brown eyes, bustles about with Milou, his fourth "employee," a six-year-old Schnoodle – a mix of schnauzer and poodle – at his heels.

"Yes, Milou," Mr. Fetea says, ruffling his dark fur, "you show up every day for work like a good boy, don’t you?"

A hipsterish young man – someone definitely from outside of the Gold Coast cocoon – comes in to pick up a suit. They banter amiably about timing and miscommunications. But the suit is ready. That’s what matters. It’s clear from their exchange that Mr. Fetea is in control and does not tolerate anything less than perfection from himself.

In the front near the windows are three seamstresses sewing away. The back of the shop looks like a small boutique with dressing rooms, a three-sided mirror, candles and flowers. On a coffee table between two comfortable chairs is François Baudot’s Fashion Memoir, about Christian Lacroix. It brings to mind the days when, in a film like "Daddy Long Legs," Fred Astaire might bring Leslie Caron into the shop for a fitting of an entirely new wardrobe, to make her style more au courant.

Nick Fetea is indeed just the man for that kind of job. He is the sole tailor for Gucci and Hermès, doing all their alterations on site and serving the same customers for any other alteration needs they might have, including custom suits. In addition, his clientele ranges widely from "twelve-year-olds celebrating their Bat Mitzvahs to grandfathers in their nineties."

One would assume that the grandfathers are every bit as particular as the Hermès customers. Some famous people have passed through, but Mr. Fetea is too discreet to name names.

Trained tailors in the area are part of a proud but dying breed. Nick Fetea says that at fifty, he is one of the youngest. "No one wants to study tailoring anymore. Before they all came from Europe. Now the younger generation wants to do other things." There was a tenor of pride in his voice, but also exasperation.

Mr. Fetea started as an apprentice to Luciano Lupu in his home town of Timisoara, Romania, at eighteen. "It was sad, because before he died a year ago, Lupu was also feeling the effect of the lack of students and customers. So many more could have learned the art from him!"

Mr. Fetea believes that if he had not started young, he would not be the kind of professional he is today: "It’s the same as training for serious sports. If you are not 'molded' properly, it shows in the work." By way of explanation he mentions a recent piece on NPR, "Tailor Hones Craft in Pennsylvania Shop," about a young man learning the craft from a ninety-year-old Italian tailor named Joseph Centofanti. "This guy is twenty-seven. That’s too old! Sure, he may be able to learn something, but it will not be the same."

As it is, the people living and working in the area are the lucky beneficiaries of this kind of rare, personalized service. Exiting through the hall of mirrors, it seemed a shame not to have spent more time with Nick Fetea, hearing more stories, and watching the endless flow of interesting people coming through his door.