1. Please give us a brief introduction of yourselves.
We are Andy and Michèle, currently sheltering-in-place (also known as lockdown) in San Jose, California. We’ve been married for almost seven years. Michèle is an event and meeting planner and Andy is a software engineering manager. We are lucky that we can work from home during this crisis, recognizing that not everyone is so fortunate
2. Why did you decide to buy a bespoke suit?
Andy has a gazillion bespoke suits and Michèle thought it would be fun to try that option, too. Caroline Andrew reached out to us after Summer Pitti 2019 and Michèle decided to commission a suit from her for Winter Pitti 2020.
3. How has your dress code changed since lockdown?
Well…it’s gone from tailored clothing every day, let’s say business dressy and high heels, to comfy casual and Hello Kitty slippers for Michèle and casual shirts and trousers for Andy. He doesn’t own any Hello Kitty slippers. Except for Fridays. Fridays we dress up for Formal Fridays and virtual happy hours via Zoom. When we go out, say to forage for food, we do dress as we normally would to leave the house. A dress and heels for Michèle, and a suit and tie for Andy.
4. Will you change the way you dress after lockdown?
Yes, we will probably resume our usual manner of dressing.Unrelated to tailoring….
5. What do you miss most that you have taken for granted before lockdown?
Traveling. And time spent with family and friends. Neither of us have seen our children (who are all adults) since the California shelter-in-place order was put in place and we miss them.
6. What has been the latest addition to your daily routine?
Regular exercise. This has definitely been a positive change for us. It enables us to stay healthy and gets us out of the house for about 45 minutes. Time we would have spent commuting we now spend exercising.
7. What has kept you sane during these bleak times?
Michèle says getting to be together every day. Andy agrees. One of the things we most enjoy about traveling together is that we spend all day together, for the entire trip. Well, sheltering- in-place is like one extended trip, only we don’t actually go anywhere. But we are each other’s best friends and we love being together every day.
