A dress for day wear was as complicated as an evening gown. There was little change in the cut or construction of the basic garment to differentiate one from the other. The main difference was in the materials used, as may be seen in the record of a day dress ordered by Mrs. Wall in the winter of 1916-17 for a total cost of $118:(18)

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The fabrication of new garments was one aspect of Anna's work. More challenging, perhaps, was the making over and alteration of older garments to keep them in style. This work was usually commissioned after women reviewed their wardrobes for the coming season. A look at the transactions of one of the Tirocchis' most loyal customers, Mrs. Charles B. Luther, shows that she had her clothing restyled often. In January of 1917 she was billed for the making and furnishing of a velvet evening dress with black and blue stripes. In November 1917, she returned and paid $2 to have a new collar put on it, and in November 1918, she brought the dress back again and had it remade for afternoon wear at a cost of $40. Between the years 1916 and 1920, Mrs. Luther had fifty-six business transactions with A. & L. Tirocchi: thirty-one involved the creation of new clothes and twenty-five the remaking or altering of the old. Clients also relied on A. & L. Tirocchi for the upkeep of their wardrobes. Women would bring to the shop clothing that was difficult to clean and press, particularly the elaborate evening gowns made by Anna early on. The delicate net sleeves of many of these appear to have been a constant problem, and women often brought back their dresses to have the sleeves repaired or replaced. Between 1917 and 1922, Mrs. Luther had Anna put new sleeves on at least six dresses. Later in the 1920s, as fashion moved away from the elaborately constructed garments of the 1910s, new difficulties arose, and many of the clients returned to have their velvet evening dresses steamed and the beads on their gowns resewn or replaced.

Custom-made garments and the restyling and upkeep of older garments formed the core of Anna's trade; however, as early as 1914 she had begun to offer her clients ready-made clothing. In the summer of 1914, she sold Mrs. A. T. Wall some ready-made lingerie and by the winter of 1915 was offering a selection of ready-made waists and blouses. The earliest surviving record of Anna's purchase of wholesale ready-to-wear is a September 1915 order. She received two waists and four dresses on approval from H. J. Gross Company, New York. Anna often ordered fabrics, laces, and nets from this company, but the supply of ready-to-wear appears to have been a new endeavor. Anna was pleased with the waists, but the dresses would not do and were returned on the same day. On November 20, 1915, she received another shipment of seven waists from Durante Brothers of New York, and in December Anna sold three of them: to Mrs. Erling Ostby, Mrs. A. T. Wall, and Mrs. Charles D. Owen, Jr. The acceptance of ready-made waists by Anna and her clients is easy to understand. Shirtwaists were widely manufactured in many styles and price ranges by the end of the nineteenth century. They had become an important part of American women's wardrobes, especially for those who, in unprecedented numbers, had started working outside the home in the garment industry, in department stores, and in offices as typists and secretaries. The shirtwaist, coat, and skirt became the professional working woman's uniform [fig. 30]. These three garments, the first women's separates, suited an increasing interest in practical clothing that could be worn daily on the job.