From Kids To Couture—

One Woman, Two Helping Professions

By Kaaren Valenta

As a registered nurse in Danbury Hospital’s newborn intensive care unit, Laura Mitchell spends much of her life dressed in hospital scrubs, nurturing tiny babies. So perhaps it is no surprise that outside of the hospital, she has launched a business that focuses on helping others — to dress well.

“I’m a personal shopper,” Ms Mitchell explained. “I want everyone to look elegant and beautiful.”

Laura Mitchell is a consultant for the Carlisle Collection, a company founded in 1981 by William D. Rondina to offer classically tailored clothing and accessories by private appointment to women throughout the country.

Four times a year, samples of the season’s collection arrive at the house on Kent Road where Laura Mitchell lives with her husband, Dr Kevin Mitchell, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and their blended families.

“Kevin is learning new words like ‘exquisite’ and ‘fashion forward,’” Ms Mitchell said, laughing. “He is beyond supportive. My family is the best — I couldn’t do this without them. When the clothing arrives, my husband helps, the kids help, my mother comes over to help.”

Display racks fill the foyer and living room; accessories are displayed in the adjacent bedroom suite where clients, who come by appointment, can try on the clothing in complete privacy. The collection is only in town for a week and during that time Ms Mitchell is busy.

“I usually have 150 to 200 pieces per show, including accessories,” she said. “My clients range from size 18–20 down to size zero.”

A combination of flawless European construction and American fashion spirit, the Carlisle Collection is made to mix and match so that pieces are versatile and collections blend from year to year.

“There are funky pieces — we have a new Per Se collection for those who like the youthful look — as well as traditional and evening wear,” Ms Mitchell said. “A lot of my first-time customers come and buy one piece and that is fine. You can add pieces each year and build on your wardrobe.”

Ms Mitchell said she tries not to sell the same piece to more than one client. “I want everyone to be unique. That’s why I wait until the end to buy for myself — I want to be unique, too,” she said.

Besides being a personal shopper, she also helps clients go through their personal wardrobes to see what works and what doesn’t.

“I help them match things — a lot of people are afraid to experiment,” she said. “Shopping can be overwhelming.”

Laura Mitchell became a Carlisle consultant two years ago.

“I work two 12-hour shifts a week at the hospital and that is intensive work so I didn’t want to do more of it, but I needed something to do the rest of the time,” she said. “This is a lot of fun. Owning my own business also is very empowering.”

Headquartered in New York, where its design and production staff is located, Carlisle has more than 1,000 representatives nationwide. The company is a member of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Million-Dollar Council to support breast cancer research, and has raised more than $1 million through its “Fabric of Hope” program. Carlisle consultants throughout the country offer a different custom-designed silk scarf each year for a minimum donation of $125. All money raised in the Fabric of Hope program goes directly to the Komen Foundation.

“I am so blessed and want to give back, so I make it a point to donate items for auctions that support groups like Ann’s Place — The Home Of I Can, Catholic Charities, and the Tercentennial Ball,” Ms Mitchell said.

Laura Mitchell grew up in Newtown in the house on Smoke Rise Ridge where her parents, Gene and Maryann Kiely, still live. “My sisters, Carolyn and Jennifer, and I were all lifeguards for Park & Rec,” she said.

She graduated from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in 1985 with a degree in nursing.

“I always wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “But I also liked to emulate my grandmothers, both of whom dressed very fashionably. I met Bill Rondina, the owner of Carlisle, at a cocktail party through my first husband, who is still a very big part of our lives and my children’s lives.”

Her children include Brendan, 15, a sophomore at Canterbury School in New Milford, and Hillary, who is in the eighth grade at the Newtown Middle School. The family also includes Kevin’s daughter, Karen, 25, who is to be married on August 6, and Kaitlyn, 23, a nursing student in Charleston, S.C.

When the Carlisle Collection leaves, Laura Mitchell will start working on her next task, organizing a premie reunion at Danbury Hospital.

“The reunion will take place on September 17 at Capellaro’s Grove in Bethel,” she said. “We haven’t had one in five years. We’re inviting all the babies that came through the newborn intensive care unit in the past 20 to 25 years and their families.”

Laura Mitchell can be reached at 426-2223. The fall collection can be viewed at www.carlislecollection.com.