First Friday Fashionistas: A look at the stores for the best dressed

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First Friday Fashionistas: A look at the stores for the best dressed

POSTED: Monday, August 9, 2010, 7:40 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Shopping Fashion

First Friday continues to outshine each every other day of the month (Carolyn Huckabay knows what's up) and Fri., Aug. 6 in Old City was nothing short of epic with plenty of threads, drinks and oral clay demonstrations for all.

Nyidera Edwards

Liz Burt and Maggie Copeland

Brand new, one-of-a-kind boutique Franklin Square popped its cherry on Friday, celebrating with a live DJ, kegs and wine, and non-stop Italian cuisine catered by the good folks next door at La Loconda Del Ghiottone (130 N. 3rd Street, 215-829-1465). Owners Maggie Copeland and Liz Burt (pictured above) have worked with countless Philly seamstresses and designers to compile their goods in addition to their personal, It's Already Been Broughton. "What sets us apart from the others is our well-edited selection of reworked vintage items and our price point. Almost everything is priced under $200," says Copeland. The former Foley and Corinna handbag designer adds, "We're keeping things local because we want to see more made and produced here."

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Customers can also purchase pieces from Burt's jewelry line In House. "I do this because I want to create youthful and fun but, timeless pieces that can be passed down," Burt says. Not only is the merchandise reworked, but so is boutique's layout. Much of the hardware was salvaged and restored from shipyards including, a ship door, anchor chains and wooden trunks. Other metalwork and fixtures are courtesy of Leo Razzi and wooden fixtures are by Anthony Clark and Eliot May.

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Just up the block, Third Street Habit (153 North 3rd Street, 215-925-5455) was celebrating its sixth birthday with buttercream goodies and bubbly. "We have grown into our own and grown with our customers, developing a more cohesive and defined aesthetic," says store manager Liz Pizzo about the boutique's evolution. Known for its selection of local brands, like Astrid, and unattainable international designs such as Parisian line Isabel Marant, Third Street is launching an e-commerce site at the end of this month to lessen the headaches of their customers, and themselves. "What really propelled the online store was the snowstorms, first foremost. But we've also been receiving a bulk of phone orders since the launch of the blog," says owner January Bartle. "In its six years, the shop has become the hub of independent boutiques while many others have closed down. We have the biggest concentration of independent fashion in the city with a solid inventory and a bulk of everything".

Nyidera Edwards

Kozma with her work, "The Hunter" (right) and "Love's First Kiss."

Luxury furniture and mattress store Hollandia International (149 N. 3rd Street, 215-923-2616) kicked off the night featuring its second local artist, Kelly A. Kozma in its monthly art exhibition. The recent Moore graduate leaves room for interpretation in her paintings and aims to introduce art to non-traditional audiences by expanding from typical galleries and utilizing a variety venue spaces; even bars. "Colors and patterns are ever-changing. I apply those elements, along with shapes and let them speak for themselves," says Kozma. "There's no name and there's no label. You just see an image.". She and Hollandia's showroom manager, Steffan Sklaroff are both in favor of hanging pictures above the showroom beds because it allows clients to visualize what the art will look like in their own rooms. Kelly will also be featured at Dirty Frank's (347 S. 13th St., 215-732-5010) on Aug. 12 and The Midwives Collective & Gallery (1241 Carpenter St., Ste. #2, 609-828-2048) on Sept. 10th.

Nyidera Edwards

Radland's women's designs

This Friday also marked the night of Topstitch Boutique's (54 N. 3rd St., 215-238-8877) launch party for its collaborative line of Radlands women's designs, with plenty of potion and snacks to go around. The predominantly male brand has introduced three new styles, handmade in Philly and a few limited pieces, which will be exclusively sold at Topstitch.

Nyidera Edwards

Steve Cleff's Fluid Beauty

In more artsy news, Steve Cleff was in attendance to launch his solo exhibition titled, "Fluid Beauty: Streams of Consciousness." The exhibit features women in a collection of works with dramatic, colorful and aquatic sceneries. Cleff hopes the imagery of collection will enable viewers to "learn more about their thoughts and stream of consciousness and connect to their own limitless imagination." His work will be on display and available for sale through Sept. 30th.

Nyidera Edwards

Alicia Crosby

And for the grand finale of an eventful night, Hana & Posy (35 N. 3rd St., 215-733-0505) featured staff member Alicia Crosby in their store display window for an exhibit appropriately entitled "RAW." Onlookers gawked and snapped photos as Crosby orally constructed a clay sculpture while blindfolded, plastering the window with remnants of clay and saliva. If Play-Doh was potentially harmful to ingest, I'd hate to imagine Alicia's digestive system. Not to mention that cute white dress. RUINED! I guess art is truly sacrificial after all.

Nyidera Edwards

Alicia Crosby

K.M.P.

Posted 2010-08-11 11:20:35

WOW! Old City really know's how to have a good time, i hope i can make i to one of the First Friday's to have a some fun and do a little shopping but i think i'm going to have to pass on the raw clay exhibit, you have to luv the talent but watching, let's just say it would leave a bad taste in my mouth =)

Ms. New York

Posted 2010-09-15 23:57:19

Two little fat kids playing trust fund boutique owners -- how cute. "Ever since I was a little girl..." 

6 yr anniversary to declare a bunch of ego based lies... "In its six years, the shop has become the hub of independent boutiques while many others have closed down.  We have the biggest concentration of independent fashion in the city with a solid inventory and a bulk of everything".-- Are you kidding me??? What a total load! And you actually publish that? So small town of you,. so foolish. can you say Kick Back? 

Anyone can stay open and be delusional when bankrolled by Star. So independent. 

-- TopStitch rocks and do all the other hard-working shops. 

Go on, censor this post. Ms.NY

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Posted 2010-09-27 03:19:10

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