Bicycle covered wrap dresses, cashmere cheetah-print overcoats and paper flower lapel pins beckoned the women of Pittsburgh to Boutique La Passarelle, a dream made into reality by Adele Morelli.
Adele Morelli, owner of Boutique La Passerelle (BLP) on Wood Street, passed away from “complications of an unexpected illness while on a buying trip in Portugal on Sept. 21, 2024, the day before her 56 birthday,” according to her obituary.
Morelli purchased BLP in 2013 from Cidalia Duarte, a Portuguese immigrant who was known for the new sense of style she brought to the city.
“Adele was a great businesswoman,” Donna Johnson, a frequent shopper at BLP, said. “I think that she was really on a roll, so it’s so unfortunate. She was a lovely spirit, and she was a real positive [in Downtown Pittsburgh] and that’s what we need down here.”
Johnson, who knew Morelli from her frequent visits to the store, said BLP was such a special place because of how well Morelli knew her clientele.
“She came here with a vision, and she did a great job of curating what she brought in as time went on,” Johnson said. “If you didn’t look good in something, she told you.”
Morelli served on the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Board of Directors and, in 2022, was awarded the Herb Burger Award in recognition of her service and dedication to the city.
Since BLP is located right across from Point Park’s University Center, Morelli connected with Point Park’s students and campus setting as much as she could.
“Adele would call me and say, ‘Today’s move-in day!’ she loved that day,” Kelly Kuzemchak, who has been close friends with Adele since their days at Shaler High School, said.
Kuzemchak said that Morelli formed bonds with Point Park parents who became regular customers, stopping at BLP any time they were in town to see their kids performing in shows.
Kuzemchak said that on some Mondays, when new inventory arrived, Morelli would invite her to the store. Then she would don various new looks and take photos in Point Park’s Village Park for BLP’s Instagram account.
“She was a vital part of my life,” Kuzemchak said. “The loss of the store is horrible for the city because she was such an advocate, but she was my best friend.”
BLP had two final sales on Oct. 11 and 12, giving patrons of the store one last chance to shop before it closes.
Trudy Williams, a close friend of Morelli who would watch the store while she was away, worked to make these final sale days possible.
Williams met Morelli when she was working at Point Park, shopping at BLP under its previous owner until it was bought by Morelli.
While Morelli was on her last buying trip in Portugal, Williams was running the store like she typically would.
“It was surreal, and I felt completely stunned [to hear of her passing],” Williams said.
“Adele was a strong, independent and interesting woman,” Williams said.
She was a minimalist, despite owning a high-end boutique. She was known to ride her bike, take public transit or walk to get around the city.
“She was, in some ways, such a contrast to the shoppe she owned, but she had a knack for hand-picking items that her customers would love,” Williams said. “We used to joke that she was ‘Sporty Spice.’ She would come to work in her tennis clothes or her yoga clothes, yet help women put together chic outfits for special occasions.”
Morelli was known to love tennis, pickleball and indoor roller skating.
“She was just fun to work with,” Williams said. “When she first started indoor roller-skating, she got her skates out one afternoon and practiced around the boutique before heading to the rink.”
Morelli was known for her advocacy for Downtown Pittsburgh. She viewed the other women-owned boutiques not as adversaries, but as partners in making Downtown Pittsburgh’s shopping scene special, finding camaraderie in “boutique crawls” they would host, said Williams.
“Adele was intelligent, organized and could see the ridiculous in things,” Williams said. “She had a great sense of humor, and she gave people a safe space to be themselves; she was always honest with her customers and would tell them if something didn’t work for them. She listened to her customers, like a mini therapist and knew their backstories.”
Williams said that the outpouring of love since Morelli’s passing has been incredible.
“Many of her customers, especially the ones who came around a lot, are devastated by this loss. I don’t know if Adele ever knew how much she was loved,” Williams said.
Williams said the customers, some of which she now calls friends, played a large role in making BLP the place it was. The customers the store attracted were kind, generous individuals who shared a love for fashion and the City of Pittsburgh.
“[She taught me] to lead with love, not to judge, and to be kind to everyone,” Williams said. “Even our unhoused neighbors cried when they heard about her passing. Imagine that for a minute. I’m truly heartbroken about it.”
