mayumi me

I'm not sure how many of you out there have heard of minnie and james, the new brainchild of Tiffany Jewell, and the beautiful clothing that she is sewing up while she's not busy being a montessori school teacher. I can't remember how I first discovered Tiffany, but I'm so glad I did. And when she started selling clothing from her own patterns earlier this year, I knew I had to get my hands on one of her pieces.

I've written here before about my ongoing dilemma about buying clothing. Fighting sweatshops (and worker exploitation in all forms) has always been an issue close to my heart and I really do my best to avoid buying clothing made in factories that I know nothing about (which is most factories). Luckily, there are more and more small clothing companies out there that are being responsible, both ethically and environmentally, and transparent about their manufacturing practices. I also buy a lot of clothing second-hand, places like this make that easy.

I've (obviously) begun one of my solutions to this dilemma this past year by making a lot of my own clothing. However, I am only one woman. And even if I did have all the time in the world to sew my own wardrobe, I really like the idea of supporting other talents out there and including some other beautiful pieces of clothing in my closet. Needless to say, I've been delighted by all the small, independent designers that are popping up all over the internet. Maybe at some point soon, I'll post a list of a few of my favorites...But anyways, I did finally order the Mayumi Mini Dress from Tiffany earlier this summer. Sadly, when it arrived in the mail, the fit was not perfect. Since Tiffany makes each of her pieces to order, and is pretty much just one of the most awesome people out there, she was more than happy to remake the dress for me. Seriously, she made me another dress! And I love it. It's extremely well made and all the details are accounted for. It's comfortable and stylish and I'm sure the second I wear it out of the house, I'll be getting compliments left and right. This dress is super light for summer, but would also look great with tights and boots (okay, so it was too hot for boots when I was taking these photos, but I really love how it looks. Maybe I could moonlight as a go-go dancer?). Have I mentioned that I'm ready for fall? Right then.

If any of you are in the market for some new clothing this fall, I highly recommend checking out her shop. Happy Thursday, friends!