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For Fashion Week Wardrobe Malfunctions, Fashionistas Send For Upper East Side Cleaner

By DNAinfo Staff on February 18, 2010 1:32pm  | Updated on February 18, 2010 2:17pm

By Nicole Breskin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UPPER EAST SIDE — Madame Paulette has seen it all during Fashion Week — makeup, blood, vomit, food stains and whatever else could soil a couture garment.

"There are all sorts of last-minute emergencies," John Mahdessian, president of the Upper East Side high-end dry cleaner, told DNAinfo during a break in between shows at Bryant Park. "Our philosophy is to under promise and over deliver.”

Less than 24 hours before the Alexander Wang show on Saturday, the designer’s assistant called complaining that a model had caked foundation on one of the Fall 2010 collection’s white gowns during a fitting.

That same day, Lacoste reps called up in a panic that a dozen jackets weren't crisp enough for the runway. Then Zac Posen's friend needed a quick hem on a party dress.

A Nina Ricci dress that Madame Paulette cleaned and repaired for Anna Wintour's daughter, Bee Shaffer.
A Nina Ricci dress that Madame Paulette cleaned and repaired for Anna Wintour's daughter, Bee Shaffer.
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Courtesy of Madame Paulette

Christine O'Donnell, a manager at Madame Paulette, said there's hardly a stain they can't get out or a stitch they can't fix. The store boasts a host of celebrity designers from Oscar de la Renta to Yves Saint Laurent.

Vera Wang has said: “The only establishment I can trust to maintain, renew and preserve my bridal collection is Madame Paulette.”

Madame Paulette was established 50 years ago as a mom-and-pop shop by Mahdessian's great-uncle, Andy Mamasian, who had immigrated to Manhattan from Eastern Europe.

In 1987, Mahdessian graduated college thinking he would start a career on Wall Street, but went into the cleaning business to help his family. From there, the brand grew.

“We took everyone else’s headaches – things that other cleaners said were unsalvageable. We took out those stains that no-one else did,” he said. “We spread by word of mouth, and I took the business to a whole other level.”

Now the cleaner has 80 employees with clients all over the world and dispatches tailors or repair staff to off-site locations to help celebrity clients Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Britney Spears. Donald Trump’s private jet was also groomed by Madame Paulette, along with an Andy Warhol tapestry from a German castle and Coco Chanel garments for an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

During Fashion Week, a car service is on call 24-hours a day to run garments back and forth from The Tents.

When he’s not fixing high-end goods, Mahdessian can be found schmoozing with friends in The Tents, supporting designers with whom he has built relationships with over the years.

But, in between running his business and the runway, Mahdessian likes to relax and pamper himself.

“I’m the ultimate metrosexual,” Mahdessian told DNAinfo while he was getting a manicure. “Everything has to be spotless.”