Thoughts on a vintage Bebe suit, a bank teller who had audacity before she had the word for it, and the daughters who called her out — lovingly.
A few weeks ago, I pulled this red suit out of storage and showed it to my daughters. What followed was one of the funniest, most clarifying conversations I've had about who I've always been.
They looked at it. They looked at me. And then one of them asked, completely sincerely: "How did a divorced bank teller with kids afford Bebe?"
(The answer, for the record, was my dad. Obviously.)
But they weren't wrong. This suit is from the mid-2000s. I was a bank teller. My kids were in elementary school. And I was showing up to work in a small suburban bank in a fire-engine red Bebe blazer and matching mini skirt like I was on my way to a corner office. Was it practical? No. Was it aspirational? Perhaps. A touch delusional? Probably. Was it, in retrospect, a little bit of a preview of exactly who I would eventually become? I think so.
Fast forward to yesterday. I went to a vintage pop-up shop with two of my girls, and when my daughter Skylar pulled up to get me, she took one look at my outfit and absolutely squealed: "Is that THE suit?!" The suit now has lore. It has a reputation. It preceded me.
Apparently, this is the aesthetic the kids are calling "office baddie" For the record? I'll take it.
Twenty plus years ago I was a bank teller cosplaying ambition and faking confidence in a red Bebe co-ord. Today I'm a self-published romance author and content creator living out loud in the same suit. The suit didn't change. I just finally caught up to it.
I styled it the way I style everything — maximally. White button-down with oversized cuffs, a black tie because no one looks better in a tie than a woman, polka dot sheer tights, and leopard print pumps with a black velvet bow and a red heel that matches the suit like it was fated.
The Full Look
The Suit | Vintage Bebe
The Layer | Thrifted Mens Tuxedo Shirt
The Twist | Black jeweled necktie | Amazon
The Detail | Black polka dot sheer tights | h&m
The Shoes | Betsey Johnson Leopard pumps
Have the audacity. Wear the suit. Keep the suit. Pass down the stories the suit carries.
With love, leopard print, and a little bit of whimsy
—C