As Seen In
Press & Recognition
Nearly three decades of coverage. Charlotte and beyond.
For nearly thirty years, journalists, editors, and television producers have found their way to Denise Capers. She never sought them out. She was always too busy sewing.
The Charlotte Observer · February 8, 2013
Charlotte designer sends gown to Michelle Obama
Denise designed a red halter-style gown and mailed it directly to Michelle Obama at the White House two weeks before the 2013 inauguration. She was not asked. She was not expecting it to be worn. She simply believed it was the right dress for the First Lady and she made it.
She spent years hiding her newspaper clippings in a drawer. She did not think she deserved the attention. She was wrong.
The Charlotte Post · April 26, 2001
A Needle, Thread, and Some Faith
Charlotte Women Seek Success in the Fashion Industry
The Charlotte Post found Denise in 2001 and told the story of how a former third-grade teacher built a fashion business from her basement on word of mouth alone. She had been doing it for fifteen years before anyone thought to write it down.
The News Journal · Florence, SC · April 4, 2001
Hartsville Native Making Her Way in the Fashion World
Her hometown paper found her in Charlotte. By 2001 she had already produced five fashion shows, dressed hundreds of brides, and built a client list entirely through reputation. Florence, South Carolina had sent her to Charlotte with a sewing machine. Charlotte made her a designer.
The weddings. The fashion shows. The brides who called her back years later. The gowns she traveled to West Virginia to adjust on the morning of the ceremony. This is what the newspapers kept finding.
Today's Charlotte Woman · January/February 2001
It's All In The Design
The Business of Custom Wedding Attire
Today's Charlotte Woman featured Denise alongside other top designers in a deep dive into custom bridal fashion. Her philosophy: the gown should describe the person wearing it. Not a trend. Not a template. The person.
City Thrills · Charlotte, NC · March 2001
Capriccio Designs — Weddings Are Our Specialty
City Thrills profiled Capriccio by Denise as the go-to destination for brides who wanted something no one else would ever wear. By appointment only. By reputation only. By Denise.
The Charlotte Observer · March 8, 1998
Designer Glories in a Career That She Fashioned Herself
The Charlotte Observer came to her basement studio and found a woman surrounded by fabric floor to ceiling, Vogue patterns on the walls, a sewing dummy dressed in a work in progress. She had been designing for twelve years at that point. She still called herself a seamstress. The Observer called her a designer. They were right.
These are not all of the articles. There were too many to fit on the wall. The rest went in a drawer.
Additional Coverage
From the Archives
Ebony Child Magazine. Florence Morning News. The Charlotte Post. Fetish Magazine. Dozens of stories across four decades. Each one found her because the work spoke for itself.
Television Recognition
Nine Who Care
WSOC-TV Channel 9 · Family Focus Partners · 2003
WSOC-TV and their Family Focus Partners recognized Denise R. Capers as one of their 2003 Nine Who Care nominees — honoring individuals making an extraordinary difference in the Charlotte community through their work, their craft, and their commitment to the people around them.
Literary Recognition
The Rock Has Been Removed
By Dr. Blanche Penn · 2026
Dr. Blanche Penn included Denise Capers in her book recognizing Charlotte's Queens — women in different fields of work who never sought the spotlight but whose contributions to their communities were too significant to ignore. Denise did not give Dr. Penn her information. She did not need to. The story had already been told by everyone around her.
Most Recent
From Fabrics to Fashion
Halton Theater · Charlotte, NC · March 1, 2026
Introduced to the stage by Rene Johnson, City Council Member for District 4. Capriccio by Denise presented Short and Sassy, Swimwear, Evening Wear, Bridal Wear, and a Grand Finale. The show was produced and directed by Denise Capers herself. It was not her first show. It will not be her last.
The work continues.
Capriccio by Denise · Charlotte, NC · Since 1984
Nearly thirty years of press. Over five hundred custom jackets. Every single one made by hand.