By Anna Yoder | Columnist

How many of us remember when Federal Street was bustling with hundreds of businesses and trolley cars from Perrysville all the way to the river (yes, prior to the Allegheny Center Mall)? And how many 100-year-old women do you know who continue to design and sew their own dresses? Well, I became acquainted with one remarkable woman — Miss Amy Bell Stephenson who turned 100 this past March — who not only remembers those Federal Street businesses and trolley cars but owned a popular fashion design business on that busy Federal Street. And she is still sewing!

Born in 1925 on the Northside, Miss Amy is the eldest of 10 children. Her interest in fashion was sparked by sewing and altering clothes for her younger siblings. This task of sewing for her family “spurred a love for sewing for others” and ultimately created a longing for a career in fashion. And a very successful career in fashion is exactly what Miss Amy achieved.

Miss Amy’s formal education in the fashion industry began in 1943 shortly after high school, when an uncle who resided in New York City encouraged her to come to the Big Apple. After arriving in New York City, Miss Amy was accepted to and attended the prestigious Pratt Institute of Fashion, where she perfected her skills as a fashion design sketch artist.

Miss Amy shared with me a fond memory of her time at the Pratt Institute and described how she felt the first-time unclothed models arrived at the studio for her to sketch. Initially a bit “astonished and embarrassed” by the unclothed models, Miss Amy came to understand that “you need to see the structure of the body” and “shape of an individual” to properly design clothes. These sessions without a doubt proved their worth in the distinctive and exclusive dress designs that Miss Amy created for decades.

In addition to being the city where she embarked on her formal career in fashion, New York City holds an extra special place in the heart of Miss Amy. New York City is where she met her beloved husband, Sam, who resided in the same building where she lived. During our chat, Miss Amy casually mentioned to me that she also met many famous jazz musicians in New York City, including Louis Armstrong, because her uncles were musicians and part of the New York jazz scene.

Miss Amy worked in various fashion houses throughout New York City before she eventually returned to the Northside of Pittsburgh. With just a staff of “four girls,” Miss Amy started designing and producing gorgeous gowns in her home where she turned her basement into a factory.

When the time came to build the dress design business outside of her home, Miss Amy sought out a loan. Sadly, she recalled encountering a barrier to that dream because most bankers “wouldn’t lend [her] the money.” A woman of conviction and undeterred by this temporary obstacle, Miss Amy persisted and found one banker that “believed in her.” With that single loan, Miss Amy’s vision evolved into a brick-and-mortar fashion business called Amy’s Fashions and was conveniently located on Federal Street (near what is now PNC Park).

Miss Amy “gained recognition” as a top prom dress designer in the 1980s and 1990s, and her dresses and gowns were in high demand. Miss Amy’s French and Italian inspired prom dress designs were influenced by those appearing in fashion magazines and created from designs that were “in her head.” Her dress designs were one of a kind, so no two dresses she designed were alike. For her unique gown designs, Miss Amy insisted that no ordinary fabric would do. Her favorite materials to use for her designs were satin, silk, and wool, along with cotton. Yet when she could not buy certain fabrics in Pittsburgh to elevate her prom dress designs, Miss Amy traveled regularly to the New York City fashion houses to purchase the materials. Miss Amy even featured “live models” in her store window to showcase her gown designs and entice customers into the store.

Amy Stephenson shows off the dress she’s working on to commemorate her 100th birthday. Photo by Anna Yoder

In 1997, Miss Amy and her daughter Sharon Watkins, “made history as the first African American women to own a business licensed by Major League Baseball.” Miss Amy and her daughter manufactured hundreds of baseball holders and bat bags to hold autographed memorabilia for the statue dedication of Roberto Clemente at Three Rivers Stadium.

And to come full circle, Miss Amy later opened a “customer-designer” store at PNC Park near her original store on Federal Street. Ultimately, Amy’s Fashions moved to Western Avenue where she continued to design and create high fashion dresses for many people including Mrs. Art Rooney. Miss Amy retired from her store in the early 2000s.

However, retirement did not stop this fashion trailblazer from continuing to design dresses for her family or herself!

Miss Amy designed and created a stunning rose pink satin cocktail dress adorned with delicate butterflies that she wore for her 95th birthday celebration. At 99 years of age, she designed and sewed an extraordinary dress covered with hundreds of multi-color flowers for her granddaughter to wear at her baby shower.

Always impeccably dressed for any occasion, Miss Amy also intended to create her own unique dress for her 100th birthday celebration. After designing and creating part of her newest dress with a dramatic butterfly design on rich velveteen fabric; Miss Amy said one night “she couldn’t sleep” and wondered whether she would finish the dress. Because “her hand doesn’t work” as well as it did and her vision is not what it was, Miss Amy said she relied on “God to help her make a decision” whether she was going to finish the dress. When she woke up the next morning (and with the help of God), she decided to buy a dress for her birthday celebration. Still determined, Miss Amy has total faith and confidence that she will “finish her dress” someday. In hearing what Miss Amy has accomplished in her lifetime, I too have total faith that she will complete that dress!

At 100 years old, Miss Amy’s advice for young women (or men) to fulfill their dream is to “get something in your mind” to “keep that thought and work toward it.” And that is exactly what Miss Amy did!

Fun fact: Musical talent also runs in Miss Amy’s family. Miss Amy plays the piano and she is the sister of renowned jazz musician, Roger Humphries.