McCaffreys seek perfection -- even in their wedding dresses

By Shelley Page , The Ottawa Citizen

The daughters of the captains of American industry demand her wedding gowns. Southern belles and New York fashion mavens utter her name in the same breath as Vera Wang. Little girls laminate their faces to the window of her Sussex Drive store, fogging the glass with the syrupy warmth of their princess dreams.

But none of this matters to Justina McCaffrey, at least right now. She is planted in the middle of a veritable princess palace, 1,000 wedding gowns on three floors in an Atlanta, Georgia, bridal salon. While gown-seeking brides shimmy into Justina's opulent dresses and entourages wait to offer critiques, she holds forth on her meeting with the Pope.

Two years ago, she was on the set of the Robert Altman film, Dr. T and the Women, in which actress Kate Hudson wears a Justina McCaffrey gown, now a bestseller known as The Kate. An actor whom Justina declines to name (although Buddhist Richard Gere was the film's star), dumped all over the church and the Pope.

"I thought, how do I respond to this?" recalls Justina, swinging her long blond hair dramatically.

For someone who has drawn on divine inspiration before, the obvious reaction was to make the Pope an outfit. Working night and day for more than a month, Justina handstitched beads and jewelry onto a silk liturgical vestment she'd made. On the vestment's inside, from elbow to elbow, she stitched in silver and blue thread Jesus' words to St. Peter in Matthew 18, which begin: "On this rock I will build my church ... "

Then, to get the vestment into the Pope's hands she had to draw on her own religious connections, including her priest "Father Fred" Dolan, the Canadian head of Opus Dei, a conservative group within the Catholic church to which Justina and her husband David belong. She secured an invitation to meet Pope John Paul II at the Vatican along with other fashion designers in December, 2000. She was the only designer invited from North America.

"I kissed his ring. I was so overwhelmed by the whole experience that I forgot to give the vestment to him." She ended up behind the Pope inside his huge bulletproof box, talking to his cardinals, members of Opus Dei, who protect the Pope and are, in David's words, "like the good Mafia."

Justina recalls the meeting: "These Italian dudes were exactly like DeNiro, they talked in this deep 'Hey whatcha doing' kind of voice, and I showed them what I'd made. And they thought I wanted the Pope to bless it. And I'm like, no, 'It's for the Pope.'" In return, she got a Pope-blessed pearl rosary.

She clearly made an impression on the Pope, or at least his handlers, because she and her husband are on the hook to raise $175,000 for the Pope's visit to Toronto for World Youth Day in July. Justina will also speak on a panel, composed mostly of theologians. The topic? Beauty.

Justina is known, primarily in the United States, for creating romantic, bodice-hugging, strapless, impossibly full-skirted gowns that are often described as medieval. They flatter a woman's form, accentuating her bust and waist. She gives them ethereal names such as Rosalynne, Sincere, Paulina, Patrice.

The beauty of these gowns has a direct connection to her devotion to God. As a member of Opus Dei, she is required to seek perfection in life, from her gowns to her spiritual life. The perfection in her gowns is evident, but when she describes her attempts to achieve personal perfection, it takes on a comedic tone.

"So, I've promised God that I'll say the rosary three times a day. But I'm busy, so I've told God it won't be perfect. I do it in my car. So it's like 'Hail Mary, full of Grace,' turn right. 'Hail Mary, full of Grace,' turn left." She laughs girlishly. "You think they need a cellphone law for cars? What about for people who do rosaries?"

When she's not saying her rosary or doing ballet ("I have a ballerina's body. Problem: I just don't know what to do with it."), she jokes that she's eating salmon. There are a dozen tins stacked on the fridge in husband David's office. "Salmon keeps skin looking young. But I'm worried my skin is orange." But it's lovely and unlined, making her appear much younger than her 36 years.

While being interviewed, Justina offered so much about herself, her marriage, her beliefs, openly and unselfconsciously, that she seemed the antithesis of a snooty fashion designer who has the Pope on speed dial.

"You expected me to be a diva?" she asked, assuming the position of a snooty designer, legs apart, hands clapping together: "My gowns must be PERFECT. I must have PERFECTION. Better silk. Better seams. Better seamstresses." Clap. Clap. Clap.

If there is truth to her self-mocking characterization, it's that her religiously inspired drive for perfection has gotten her farther than she ever imagined possible. "I guess, I thank God for my success. But I also thank Dave. I really owe all this to Dave."

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