Made with Love by ME for You

Skirt:  Grandma  I  Boots:  Enzo Angiolini  I  Top:  Urban Outfitters  I  Belt:  NY&C

How much are you lovin the bun? I know, me too.  You know, back in the early 2000's, I rocked this same, over sized bun, but with a hair piece!   I borrowed (read: stole) my sisters fake strawberry blond pony tail to make a gigantic bun, a la SJP.   Unfortunately, the class in me told anyone and everyone who complimented the bun that it was, in fact, fake hair. Why? I don't know. I guess I never got the "A lady never tells" memo.    Anyway, imagine my delight when I stumbled (read: stalked) upon another hair tutorial from Beth of B. Jones Style, titled, yeup! you guessed it, the Carrie Bradshaw Bun!  So above is my first pass using REAL hair. Looks aight. A little fuzzy, but an overall success.

Now, to the skirt! Another gem from the Gma*.  I love shape and length of this skirt.  Beautifully 70's.   Anyway,  G informed me that it was made for her by my Aunt Mary Ellen.  She is, in case you didn't know, an expert seamstress.   And by expert, I mean she could have worked in a couture atelier as a seamstress for the House of Dior.  Seriously, the woman is incredible.   In addition to making me the cutest little girl purse out of the hems of my toddler Osh Kosh b’Goshs, she’s made a bajillion other one-of-a-kinds, including my mothers wedding dress.    She’s just one of those people.   You know, the kind that can literally create with their hands a beautiful vision, whether it be yours or their own?   That's her!  Plus, most of her pieces carry a special little tag that reads Made With Love by ME for You.  How can you NOT love that?

You see, back in the day, before Cherry Red Kenmore's and Kelly Rippa, my great grandfather owned the laundry in the town I grew up in. My Grandmother, mother, aunts and great aunts all grew up working in the laundry, learning the skills of sewing through tailoring the britches and blouses of the locals. They can all sew.

I still to this day, in the age of YouTube, call my mom for instructions when I’m seam-stressing.  

*You know, I should do a quick style file re-cap titled , "Gems from Gma" showing a visual retrospective of all outfits using her pieces. Note to self officially taken.