By Tammy Smith
Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville recently debuted its luxurious VIP lounge — and one of the highlights was the striking costumes the staff wore.
Jacqueline Tran and Tien Nguyen, owners of Luxe Cleaners and Alterations in Biloxi, crafted the gorgeous green ensembles. The wife-and-husband team usually are not costume creators, but “Ms. LuAnn’s ideas and thoughts from Scarlet Pearl gave us the opportunity, as she wanted the staff to wear a uniform that is something unique and different from the other casinos,” Tran says, adding thanks to Scarlet Pearl CEO LuAnn Pappas and Director of Promotions, Events & Entertainment Vickie Haskins.
The costumes, which Tran describes as “elegant, classy and comfortable,” echo the glamour of Old Hollywood and reflect the VIP Lounge’s sophisticated palette of emerald green, gray and black.
Tran and Nguyen usually develop ideas from their own vision, but for the Scarlet Pearl, “the client had a broad set of ideas that she wanted, and she would meet with us and discuss her ideas,” Tran says. “A sketch would be created and shown to her, and we would suggest any ideas and thoughts with her and work from there.”
Tran and her husband made 22 dresses for the employees.
“We did fittings for each employee individually, and, depending on the shop being busy or not, we made two to three dresses per day,” she says.
While Luxe Cleaners, which also offers alterations, is their main business focus, the couple also make outfits for special events, including some Mardi Gras costumes. Their ideas come from a variety of sources.
“We enjoy making our clients look beautiful and feel special,” Tran says. “Sometimes it comes as a ‘dream,’ but it’s not always that. Rather, it’s getting inspiration from other things and brainstorming other ideas and thoughts. We begin to create sketches with different ideas and experiment with what works best.”
What is it like to see one of their creations “come to life” on the person wearing it?
“We feel very excited when we see our clients wearing their outfits and feel very good when they praise … their outfits,” she says.
The VIP lounge creations certainly impressed Pappas, who says the couple “executed our vision amazingly.”
“The Scarlet Pearl is lucky to have such talented vendors in our community,” Pappas adds, “and we are thrilled to collaborate with and give our business to local vendors.”