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Catering to the needs of the numerous local seamstresses, costumiers, knitters, crocheteers and dressmakers, it thrived.

Maria Barnard worked at Browns as a seamstress and costumier for 19 years.

On a whim, she called up the costume house Angels, one of the world’s largest suppliers of clothing for film, and where a young Alexander McQueen worked as a costumier.

Gere recalled that one of the men he met was a costumier: “He said 9/11 happened, he had some mental issues, it all fell apart and he ended up on the streets.”

The atmosphere was often one of a family fete, with horse riding and circus sideshows, costumiers and storytelling.