What’s it like to leave a corporate career and pursue a dream in fashion design? How do you break into the insular world of high fashion? How does a designer face her struggles when navigating the intimidating New York fashion scene?
Author Fotini Copeland learned the answers to these questions one stitch and scrap at a time. Alterations in Life is the inspiring memoir of a designer who broke into the fashion industry, experienced its highs and lows, and grew into a leader best suited to serve her niche: women who are aspiring and influential, like her.
Few memoirs show what it’s really like to make success in the most glamorous industry of them all. Fotini’s behind-the-folding-screen look at running a design house takes readers from the old-world ateliers of northern Italy to New York, today’s epicenter of luxury fashion design.
On her journey to the top, Fotini shares the senses and thoughts of both an experienced businessperson and a designer-in-progress. Her obsessions and ambitions. Her inspirations and doubts. Fashion week, catwalks, trunk shows, and laugh-out-loud scenes featuring Amy Poehler and Betsey Johnson—Fotini tells all.
Authentic, vulnerable, and never one to shy away from a tough lesson, Fotini shows us how she found her way in fashion—and made a dream come to life.

FOTINI COPELAND, In 2007, Greek-born author Fotini Copeland left behind a successful corporate career to spend three years traveling Italy and studying the construction of corsetry—her design passion—in the ateliers of luxury fashion. In 2010, she founded FOTINI, her New York-based fashion design house, with her luxury ready-to-wear dresses at the forefront. Her collections reflected femininity and strength through a realistic and wearable approach to fashion—a woman designing for women. Today, Fotini applies her expertise in design and lifestyle to help aspiring women tell their stories through their personal brand. As a personal brand enhancement consultant, her focus is on matters relating to fashion, demeanor, design, and expression capability—to inspire women to be the best version of themselves.

Fotini Copeland's profile page