Introducing... the Ruth and my Bearded Bloke

Forget the box of Roses. The ultimate way to say "thanks!" is by giving a custom skirt!

All of the ladies pictured here, in addition to being eminently gorgeous and talented, are big-time deservers of massive bunches of my thanks. So I made skirts.

Making its debut amongst these skirts is a new design which I'm hereby calling 'the Ruth', named for it's stylish and lovely new owner. Now, as you may or may not have noticed, I make A-line skirts. With infinite variations, it's true (buttons, zips, pockets, short, long, wrap, whatever) but A-line nonetheless. So let's just say that I was a little surprised and pleased with myself when I turned out this little number.

It's got pleats! And proper pockets! and not an 'A' to be found! The fabric is a re-made skirt of Pearl's, which was a re-made tablecloth. And the top,

which Ruth bought quite some time ago, before we'd ever met, is P&E too, from back in the day, before kids, when I retailed at a super-cute little shop called Pigeon Ground. What a co-inki-dink. And what a match, right? Considering I'd totally forgotten I'd ever made a top that looked like that, then it worked out to be a perfect fit with the skirt... Spooky.

In other news... something VERY exciting happened last week: I got a Bearded Bloke in the mail. Just as Frankie magazine makes my little brother "want to be a chick," beards, and websites like this, make me want to be a bloke.

When I saw these gorgeous gentlemen advertised in Frankie a few months ago, it was love at first sight, let me tell you. All my boyfriends - Ernest Hemingway, Colin Meloy, Herman Melville, Matt Berninger et al - rolled into one. In brooch form. With an embroidered face. And a knitted beard. And they're handmade by a lady called Evie who has a blog called Handmade Romance, and seems REALLY NICE!

If that's not cool, I don't know what is.

While my love for the bearded bloke runs deep, some of my friends have been less than forthcoming in their affection for him. My friend Mithra, for example, thought he was "really weird" and said she'd "probably have nightmares" about him. Not me. I love him. And all his bearded friends.