IN an age of ready-made clothes sold in glitzy shopping malls, Wang Xianyang is a cut above the crowd. Drawing on traditional skills, she is a tailor providing a discriminating clientele clothes that fit, clothes that last and clothes that charm.

Wang's crowded but tiny Chengyang Clothes shop on Zhengli Road in Shanghai's Yangpu District turns out about 1,500 made-to-order dresses a year, employs six people and is open seven days a week until 9pm.

Prices range between 700 yuan (US$103.74) and 1,300 yuan a dress. That's pretty steep for most women, even in a city the size of Shanghai, but Wang's customers keep coming.

Wang, 50, looks much like the ordinary housewives seen scurrying to the food markets every morning. Her short hair hangs a bit unevenly around her ears, and she is hardly clad in the delicate sort of dresses displayed elegantly in the shop window.

Wang has run the shop for 17 years.

"I am no beauty myself, but I know how to make clothes that bring out the beauty of other women," she said. "I think it's true that you are what you wear."

Born into a traditional Shanghai family, Wang was influenced by her mother, who was an intermediate tailor specializing in making cheongsams, slinky long dresses most commonly associated with Chinese traditional clothing. She learned how to sew at an early age.

After failing a college entrance exam in 1982, Wang attended a vocational training school in Luwan District and spent two years learning how to tailor fine suits for men.

Then she worked with her mother for about eight years, making clothes for teachers at a school in the district.

It was there, at a time when China was just opening up to the outside world, that Wang began to appreciate the notion of fashion.

"They were always following the latest fashions," she said of the young teachers. "That was a new concept at the time."

Wang decided to cut to the chase and try her hand at dress making. She opened her first shop near Handan Road in 1993. It was a tiny business on a shoestring.

"My mother was getting old, and my daughter was still young," Wang recalled. "We needed someone to take care of the family, and someone to earn the money to support it. So I became a breadwinner."

Customers may bring in their own fabrics or choose from bolts of cloth in her shop. They can choose the colors and designs that suit them best. They then tell the dress makers what style they want. Measurements are carefully taken. Options are discussed. Advice is offered. When the fabric, style, fit and price are finalized, the cutting and sewing begins.

Wang invests little money on advertising. Most of her business comes from repeat customers and word of mouth.

"At the beginning it was really hard for me," she said. "I sometimes worked all through the night to get clothes done on time. I was diligent because giving people reliable service is a key to success."

The tradition of custom tailoring in China is a disappearing art. Where once there were about 10 shops in Wang's area, now there are only two.

"There was once a big shop next to mine run by a couple whom I admired very much," she said.

"But they eventually had to give up their business. But I was determined to persevere."

Picky customers

Most of her customers are college teachers, doctors and senior-level white-collar workers between the ages of 30 and 60. Many of them have lost their youthful figures to childbirth and old age, making it difficult to find clothes that fit on the mass-produced market.

"Despite age, most women want to pursue beauty and fashion," she said. "Many of my customers are very picky about how they look. And, most importantly, they can afford to buy quality."

One long-standing customer, who recently ordered five summer dresses during one visit to the shop, has nothing but praise for Wang.

"I used to shop in the big malls on Nanjing Road, searching among racks and racks of clothes and getting nothing in the end but an exhausted body," the customer said.

"Now I seldom go shopping," she added. "Wang has a pair of excellent hands, and I am satisfied with what she has made for me over so many years."

Fan Cuihong, an economics professor, is another avid fan, though she spends a good deal of her time abroad. She often takes her clothes from abroad for alterations at Wang's shop.

"She is really a skillful tailor," Fan said. "You see this dress. After her work, it is much more like my dress."

In 2003, Wang made another big business decision.

With the number of customers increasing, Wang found she needed a bigger shop. She invested 1.4 million yuan of her profits, a large sum of money at that time, to buy and redecorate her current two-story loft on Zhengli Road.

"Many people thought I was crazy, but as things turned out, I was right," Wang said. "I believed that the surrounding community of universities would certainly prop up my business."

It's still quite an ordinary street-side shop, covering no more than 60 square meters. Bolts of fabric are neatly arranged along a wall, and the display window features fetching designs to attract the attention of passers-by.

Wang said her net income is about 300,000 yuan a year. She now lives a comfortable life, with more free time to spend with her family.

Wang's husband was once also a tailor, and helped at the beginning of the business. But he decided to take care of the family, since Wang is more skillful in dressmaking.

Their daughter, 23, graduated from college last year, and is now working in a small company.

"I seldom take risks," Wang said. "I think things over and over before making changes. But I have to admit that I never thought I'd become a successful businesswoman."

Looking ahead, Wang knows she is a dying breed.

"Seeing so many tailor shops closing down, I just want to keep doing my best for as long as possible," she said. "I would like to pass this shop down to my daughter, but I don't know if that's what she wants for a career. Whatever she chooses, I will respect."