I stopped in at Atelier on Elmwood today after hearing some great things about the place. I had the pleasure of talking to the owner Sebastiana Piras. Sebastiana is a woman whose passion for fashion was passed down from many generations of Italian women. Since coming here in 1993, Sebastiana has never missed a summer when she did not go back to Italy to see her family. "I have to thank my mother for getting me into fashion. She loves fashion too."
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As a young girl, growing up in Italy, her mother made her clothes, "After I grew up, I started to make clothes for my mother!" Going back to Italy every summer refreshes her vision and her passion. "There is so much there! Everyone in Italy dresses up. Everything is so beautiful and elaborate! It really inspires me."
Walking around the shop, Sebastiana pulled pieces from the shelves and showed them off. "I made this with the fabric I brought back from Italy. Everything has to be Italian!" Sebastiana has lived all over Europe and worked in all phases of fashion. "In London, I worked with a stylist, and I made hats and we also did interior decorating. I love to work with fabric, and I love dressing people."
When talking about the state of the economy, Sebastiana did mention that things were slower this year than last year, but it's true with everyone. "I have a very solid group of clients, and the pieces at my shop are one of a kind." The stock is a mixture of pieces by Sebastiana herself and also pieces she picks up on her trips to Italy. From a beautiful collection of belts and hats, to coats, dresses and scarves, there is a little bit for every type of shopper and every price range too.
Sebastiana loves beautiful fabrics, and she brought up the fact that in Italy, people do more with windows. "Here, people use a lot of blinds. I love beautiful curtains. It does so much for a room when the curtains are something worth looking at." I asked Sebastiana about her past as an interior decorator and the possibility of making a future out of that. Sebastiana responded, "There are a lot of big, beautiful houses in Buffalo that I would love to take a look at!"
Atelier is located at 820 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, NY 14222. 716.332.6935
Walking around the shop, Sebastiana pulled pieces from the shelves and showed them off. "I made this with the fabric I brought back from Italy. Everything has to be Italian!" Sebastiana has lived all over Europe and worked in all phases of fashion. "In London, I worked with a stylist, and I made hats and we also did interior decorating. I love to work with fabric, and I love dressing people."
When talking about the state of the economy, Sebastiana did mention that things were slower this year than last year, but it's true with everyone. "I have a very solid group of clients, and the pieces at my shop are one of a kind." The stock is a mixture of pieces by Sebastiana herself and also pieces she picks up on her trips to Italy. From a beautiful collection of belts and hats, to coats, dresses and scarves, there is a little bit for every type of shopper and every price range too.
Sebastiana loves beautiful fabrics, and she brought up the fact that in Italy, people do more with windows. "Here, people use a lot of blinds. I love beautiful curtains. It does so much for a room when the curtains are something worth looking at." I asked Sebastiana about her past as an interior decorator and the possibility of making a future out of that. Sebastiana responded, "There are a lot of big, beautiful houses in Buffalo that I would love to take a look at!"
Atelier is located at 820 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, NY 14222. 716.332.6935
I'd love to hear her story of how she ended up starting a small shop on elmwood in buffalo.