"My lines are usually simple and classic, but I do love to use rich and unusual fabrics," she told The Inquirer in 1961.
Mrs. Pakradooni bought material on trips to Europe, such as brightly colored tablecloths from a restaurant where she dined in Italy. Her designs included cocktail dresses made from Indian saris and a tailored sheath made from an Irish damask tablecloth.
Some of her creations were innovative: a raincoat made from waterproofed artists' canvas, a large handbag with a zipper compartment for an extra pair of shoes, and a stretch-denim dress featuring plastic-lined pockets for an exhibitor at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
Her paper fashions were exhibited in the Canadian Pulp and Paper Pavilion at Expo '67 in Montreal, and a paper bikini made the cover of Women's Wear Daily.
In 1976, she designed an official Bicentennial scarf that sold for $20, with a percentage of sales going to the Pennsylvania Bicentennial Commission.
"It was like Alice in Wonderland, with one door opening to another," Mrs. Pakradooni said of such triumphs in 1992.
Her success, though, wasn't just happenstance. She hosted fund-raising fashion events, art exhibits, and book-signing parties in the boutique to bring in customers.
In 1974, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's son John launched the book tour for his memoir, Strictly Personal, from Joie de Vivre. When he was ambassador to Belgium from 1969 to 1971, his wife, Barbara, bought a wardrobe from the boutique. Mrs. Pakradooni designed dresses for embassy events from fabric presented as gifts to Barbara Eisenhower when she accompanied her father-in-law to Europe, Asia, and North Africa in 1959.
