Attorney and Fashion Artist

For Mark Roscoe, both professions involve creative problem-solving.

by Laurie Wink

What woman doesn't dream of appearing at a red-carpet event, looking stunning from head to toe in a couture ensemble designed just for her?

Mark Roscoe makes these dreams come true from his design studio in Valparaiso. Operating under the business name Mark Roscoe Designs, he creates everything from suits to cocktail dresses and ball gowns for women who aren't celebrities but are willing to pay a premium to look their best. And he designs hand-crafted neckties for men that are actually worn by celebrities, including Michael Keaton and William Shatner.

“Every woman and man should have the opportunity to look as beautiful and handsome as they can,” he says.

When not designing clothing, Roscoe is a family law mediator with an office in Portage. Although the two professions are worlds apart, Roscoe says they both involve finding creative approaches to resolving people's problems.

Roscoe received a law degree from Valparaiso University in 1983 and went to work for the Porter County prosecutor's office. He recalls that, as a trial attorney, he got caught up in the ego-driven need to win. Fifteen years ago, after one highly contested divorce trial, Roscoe had an epiphany.

“My job was to make the client look great, even though he was not,” Roscoe says. “My father had been at the trial and afterward he shook his head and said, ‘That's not what I sent you to school to do. You destroyed a family.'”

At that point, Roscoe decided to go to mediation training so that he could help bring people together rather than tearing them apart. And he now uses his talent as a designer to make clients look great.

Roscoe grew up in Gary and was inspired to become a clothing designer by his mother, who was a plus-size woman. “She would come home empty-handed from shopping trips,” he says, “so I bought a sewing machine and made clothes for her.”

Roscoe notes that the plus-size market is still an overlooked segment of the fashion industry, and he enjoys filling that niche.

“Clothing looks beautiful on a size 2, but the true artist can make it look good on a larger size,” Roscoe says. “When people start feeling better about how they look on the outside, they take better care of themselves on the inside.”

Mark Roscoe Designs has expanded to include clients from major cities across the country, with the majority coming from the Chicago area. And he's starting to reach new markets in other countries. Recently, he completed a fashion shoot for a four-page spread in a Dubai magazine.

Roscoe takes a personalized approach to each customer, reflecting the individual's personality in his one-of-a-kind fashions. Clients generally come to him because they want a special look for a special event. Before creating a design, he factors in aspects of the event such as the season when it will take place and the individual's role in it. Then he considers how certain fabrics will complement the person's body.

“The process evolves as we're making the dress, from sketches to fabric samples, to muslin patterns specifically fitted to the client's body,” Roscoe says. “It's a very intimate process.”

The process typically takes three or four weeks. And he doesn't stop with the dress. After completing a custom-made garment, Roscoe will choose a complementary hairstyle, makeup, shoes and jewelry. He often appears at the event to add finishing touches and see his design vision unfold.

“When we dress a woman and present her to her husband, they're like two giddy kids who are enjoying the evening,” Roscoe says. His line of men's ties developed when women he designed for wanted their husbands to wear ties to go with their outfits.

Since his mother died of cancer in 2005, he has volunteered for fundraising events that benefit cancer-related organizations. At the time of this writing, he was preparing for an event at Chicago's Drake Hotel to benefit the Silver Lining Foundation, which provides mammograms for women who can't afford them. He donated custom couture gowns valued at $20,000 for the fundraiser's auction.

At the age of 56, Roscoe says he's experiencing the joy of following his heart and doing what he loves. “At the end of the day, you have to say you made a difference.”