"Robes" resembling the RISD Museum example were expensive and not always appreciated by the fashion press. In 1869, La Mode Illustree contained a remark that they were not worth the cost of plain silk, as they paralyzed the imagination of the dressmaker.(12) Despite such criticism, the use of "robes" during the early twentieth century helped dressmakers like Anna to survive the radical changes in the fashion industry that occurred after World War I, including the emergence of ready-to-wear. Like their nineteenth-century ancestors, the twentieth-century "robes" arrived ready to cut and sew, often with a picture attached so that there could be no question about the look of the finished garment. [figs. 25-26]. Anna would often show the pictures to her clients when they were considering their orders for the season, so that she would not have to handle the delicate embroidered "robes," according to Emily Valcarenghi Martinelli.

The model books and the availability of "robes" not only saved Anna time and labor, but helped her in another less obvious way. After World War I, a new focus on youth culture emerged. The garments Anna had produced prior to and during the War were seen as old fashioned by the daughters of her loyal clients. Ruth Trowbridge Smith remembered that her mother loved going to visit the shop, but that she "couldn't wait to get out."(13) Alice Trowbridge, Ruth's mother, had been Anna's client since at least 1915 and had begun taking her daughter to the shop when she was a girl of sixteen.(14) In October 1922, Anna made Ruth's wedding dress and trousseau. Ruth made good use of the convenience of the model books and had two of her dresses constructed from "robes" provided by the Harry Angelo Company. A cerise velvet evening gown designed by Miler Sœurs was probably made from embroidery no. 4928 [figs. 27-28], while a chocolate-brown afternoon dress, designed by Drecoll, was made from embroidery no. 4930 [fig. 29]. The pieces for both of these are referred to as "model sets" in the Harry Angelo Company invoice and would have provided Anna with all of the materials needed to recreate the garments as they were pictured in Harry Angelo Company's Fall 1922 book of model gowns. By ordering her dresses in this manner, Ruth was assured of the latest Paris styles and did not have to rely on Anna or her mother's taste. Ruth Trowbridge's parents spent $160 for their daughter's evening gown and $98 for the afternoon dress, not an insignificant amount at the time and almost equal to the cost of custom-made gowns.

Clients like the Trowbridges paid dearly to purchase dresses created by the Tirocchis. Anna's prices were significantly above those of ready-made dresses offered in American catalogues, but her clients were willing to pay for the privilege of having their gowns custom made from the finest materials Anna could obtain. A few of the entries in the customer ledger include very detailed accounts of the materials used and show that they were a significant aspect of the final cost. In February 1920, Mrs. A. T. Wall had an evening gown of black-and-gold brocaded fabric made. The total cost came to $195.75 and was broken down as follows:(15)

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In contrast, an embroidered chiffon evening dress from B. Altman's Book of Styles, the Spring/Summer 1923 catalogue of ready-mades, was selling for $42 and a silk afternoon dress for $44.50.(16) Sears, Roebuck and Company was offering an all-silk canton crepe afternoon dress for $15.95.(17)