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Shopping
As new fall runway fashions make their way onto the streets, it can be hard to create sartorial singularity. Saving you from the world of copy-cat design, the Philadelphia Design Initiative, a new local-design repping org created by Melanie Gershman and Scott Yesner, is hosting a fashion show called Fresh and Local. The runway extravaganza is meant to showcase the creative forces in style that are springing up locally, including fall collections from Katra Michener of Love Illuminati, Linda Smyth of Topstich Boutique, and Sarah Muhl's Make.Love.Not.War.
Michener’s Love Illuminati hails from Newtown, Pa. The boutique is known for its feminine-flattering silhouettes, especially when it comes to their dress line. For the Design Initiative, Michener’s work stood out as “timeless and thoughtful design … [that's] tailor-made for each figure.” In a world of high-end fashion models and Victoria Secret push-up bras, it’s refreshing that a local shop makes its mark by creating pleasing looks on various body shapes and sizes.
Topstitch Boutique has become a forerunner in stipulating the standards of Philadelphia fashion design. Smyth’s success has led her to move forward with her fashion line, leaving behind the storefront and putting her time and effort into a more extensive collection sold nationally.
Conversely, Make.Love.Not.War is creating a niche for itself in the visible market. The brainchild of model Sarah Muhl, the shop is a young yet vintage mashup. Muhl’s work is one of a kind, transforming hand-me-downs into unique boho-chic pieces. The local artisan’s work is eclectic and eco-friendly — a very fresh invention that screams Philadelphia design.
When it comes to vintage duds, there's a sad fact us fellas have to accept: There are far more vintage clothiers that cater to the ladies. Etsy has nary an ascot, waistcoat or derby. So what gives?
Briar Vintage in Old City seeks to remedy this sorry state of sartorial-ism. The newly opened men’s clothing, accessories and collectibles salon (part of Amanda Saslow’s Sazz Vintage empire on N. Third) has the feel of an old world dressing room, an overstuffed yet rarefied airy closet. “When picking inventory, I gravitate to material that resonates with age,” says Saslow who has a 6,000 square foot wholesale vintage warehouse, and still spends hours at country auction just to snag one immaculate condition circa-1910 top hat. “I can see the older wools and cottons. They have a different look, a texture … a richness.”
While Briar advertises men’s clothing from the 1800s through the mid-1960s, the groove here is cosmopolitan and gentlemanly with a majority of refined suits bouncing between the lean-cut and slim lapels of the '60s and the fuller shoulders and double breasts of the '40s. There's more than just suits at Briar: cuff links, bow ties, flasks, cigarette cases and a selection of hats from bowlers to fedoras also line the shelves and racks. But it’s how it’s all knitted together that’s key.
When making purchases, Briar C.E.O David P. Lochner looks at the quality of each item, finding its "special something," then picking an item in the store to pair it with to make multiple outfits. “Say for instance a double-breasted blue blazer,” states Lochner. “It's a very traditional jacket. But pair it with deasdstock yellow drop-loop gabardine pants, a bright-blue bow tie, and brown and white spectators and it's quite a dandy ensemble. But I also have to be able to pair it with something a bit more conservative like a pair of tan slacks, cordovan wingtips [and] a plain red tie. This way the blazer will look attractive to any potential customer. "
Hey, what about that question — why are there more women’s vintage shops then men? “Most of the vintage store owners I know of are women, some even find men's wear boring,” says Lochner. “A friend of mine once asked, 'How much can you really do with a grey glen plaid suit?' If you are me, you can do a lot.”
Photo: Briar Vintage
Neighborhood Watch looks for Philly's most fashionable. This week, Diana talks to a trio of not so touristy-looking tourists.
Isabelle (17) and Nienke (18) told me that they're on a three-week vacation from Holland. Both girls were wearing black dresses (Isabelle’s from Pepe Jeans and Nienke’s from H&M) that covered bikini tops from Victoria Secret.
Both agreed that they were big on neutral colors and classic, causal pieces spiced them up with chunkier jewelry and accessories. They like to look to magazines for inspiration and then hunt down a less expensive version.
Because Holland has cooler seasons, the girls were on the hunt for summer items (shorts and tanks) that are harder to find back home. They do a lot of shopping in H&M and Zara, but also do online shopping. When asked what shops they'd be hitting up on their holiday, they said they were excited to hit up places that we take for granted, like Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie — which they can only find in major European cities like London.
Last week we ran a contest for readers to send in snapshots of their favorite when-in-a-hurry hairdo. Congats to Allison Edmonds, who submitted this shot of her twisty, bouffantish up-do. She'll recieve natural hair product supplier E'Tae's Carmelux-line shampoo and conditioner, a bottle of Deep Reconstucting Treatment (made with real bananas!) and a container of shea butter- and rosemary-enriched hair and scalp cream.
Here's what she had to say about the styling process:
"The funny thing about this hairdo and many other up-dos I've done is that they are happenstance. I tend to have a general idea in mind of what I want, but I basically just tease up my hair, twist it around a bit, then pin it if it looks cool. For this one in particular, though, I have some more specific directions.
My hair is kind of fine so I always do an all-over tease to create body. That may not be necessary for everyone. Then to get your hair to the top of your head you could either braid it up from the back (turning upside down helps for this) or you can gather all the hair in the back and twist it up like you are doing a French twist, then pin it in place. Now you should have a pile of hair on top of your head. This is the part where you have to tease a little and just twist and pin to get it to the right height and securely fastened. For the front, I held my bangs straight up and teased them from the back (lots of teasing! It also helps me get the hair pointed in the direction I want). Once I got my desired height in the front, I gently twisted the ends back and pinned them down amid the rest of the teased and twisted beehived/pompadoured hair."
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CP clothes hound Grace Ortelere makes shopping even more fun (and cheap!) with her weekly roundup of the best bargains in Philly.
While you’re sipping those cocktails and pretending to understand the modern art at this month’s First Friday, don’t forget to shop for some things you may actually be able to afford.
➤ The kitschy Blendo Boutique (1002 Pine Street, 215-351-9260) on Antique Row is offering 20 percent off summer hats and select handbags and wallets. Check out the Harvey seat belt bags and Latico leather wallets, and peruse the overflowing vintage wares while you’re there. They'll be open late tonight for the First Friday festivities
➤ In Old City, J. Karma (62 N. Third St., 215-627-9625) will keep late hours tonight, as well. Although the boutique recently downsized to exclude shoes, anyone would be satisfied by their small but well-chosen selection of jewelry and handbags. This weekend, the artistic jewelry is 20 percent off and handbags are up to 50 percent off.
➤ Arcadia Boutique (819 N. Second St. & 265 S. 20th St., 267-519-3633) will offer an additional 15 percent off all sale items, which were already 30- to 60-percent-off, at both of the store’s locations. This shop has a great selection of women’s clothing and accessories for a high budget, so be sure to peep the sales.
(grace.ortelere@citypaper.net)
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Natural hair care products are picking up steam in today's beauty market. To keep you up-to-date on what's out there, City Paper's Cassie Owens is spearheading a weeklong series that highlights locally based natural product manufacturers.
A Beautiful Life’s product line marries environmental consciousness with chic, adorable style. With that combo, it’s no surprise they’ve earned props from all over the place: People Magazine, Marie Claire, Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly … the list continues. Some of our faves? Their honey bear-shaped shampoo and conditioner, the soy-based nail care line and the PreGame texturizing spray, which, as coincidence will have it, we're giving away today. The beachy-smelling spritz is made with aloe vera, Himalayan pink salt and coconut fragrance. We tested it out to see how it works on different hair types. The verdict? It doesn't give those with color-treated hair that icky brassy tone. And it adds volume to curly, kinky hair-types without adding frizz. And it makes it easier to play with and re-style your hair throughout the day.
To win a bottle, call 215-839-9160 and sing us your favorite summer tune by Wed., Aug. 10. The song that gives us the biggest smile wins. And don't worry, it'll go straight to voicemail, so you don't have to fret about someone picking up. Just wait for the beep, sing until your heart's content and be sure to leave contact info.
Okay, start warming up those pipes. We want some songs!
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With only six days to meet its goal, a Philadelphia-based company still needs to raise $7,343 to launch a wholesale apparel line that promises to drop a little extra change into the city's pockets. Rittenhouse clothing boutique SA VA (1700 Sansom St., 215-587-0004) is using Kickstarter, an art-focused online lending platform, to raise the funds needed through even the smallest donations — the minimum is $1. After the death of a friend, founder and CEO Sarah Van Aken realized life was too short to waste time, so she decided to start doing what she loves once again: designing clothes. SA VA, founded in 2005, is “committed to being the most sustainable apparel company in the country,” Van Aken said, meaning it focuses on producing organic, sustainable, fair-trade and recycled fashion. The line focuses on “effortless individual style and very easy pieces that can fit into the wardrobes of many different women.” The company opened a factory in Philadelphia in 2009, providing local living-wage jobs to the city. If Van Aken can raise her target $8,500, she plans to sell her clothing in stores across the country, while keeping the company and manufacturing in Philly. She also hopes to spread awareness of how the apparel industry pollutes the environment, and to make sustainable fashion the norm. Depending on how much you donate, you get a special gift from SA VA. Plus, you’ll help reduce our carbon footprint and bolster the local economy.
(grace.ortelere@citypaper.net)
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Last week we ran a contest for people to send in their most terrifying hair experiences. The winner will receive a bottle of coconut-lime conditioner from local natural beauty product purveyor Duross & Langel. Are you ready for this? Here are some of the best — err, worst — entries:
1. Alexandra Harcharek: WINNER
"When I was a freshman in college, I rocked the pink-haired pixie look — think the color of chewed bubblegum mixed with some inspiration from the cartoon character Jem. It was bright, is what I'm sayin'. And it was cute, for a good while, since I was just petite and outgoing enough to pull it off. It had the added bonus of grabbing attention across campus, making me a fairly well-known fixture that year.
That summer I applied for an internship with a prestigious film studio in New York, where a friend of a friend worked. They assured me that my résumé was fantastic and early school projects looked good. "Great! I'm a shoo-in!" I thought, practically broadcasting the (premature) news through email and every social network available back in the day (that is, all two of them). When my mother found out, she insisted on dragging me to her overpriced, ritzy hair salon the next day for a respectable haircut and color. Gasp!
The trouble started when the stylist said her student apprentice would be taking over my color that day, with supervision from one of the higher-ups or grand wizard colourist or whatever. "We'll have to bleach it first..." she said, which seemed odd, since I always just put darker color over the pink if I wanted to cover it. But the bleach went on ... and on ... and on, completely burning my scalp and leaving me in agony for an hour while it set. Three times this chick applied bleach to get the color out. Then — THEN, we started on the real color, in a shade described as mahogany brown.
Neighborhood Watch looks for Philly's most fashionable. This week, Diana chats with two ladies, who, while rocking a similar style, approach shopping in completely different ways.
Ingrid considers herself a master thrifter. "You just have to be willing to put the time in.”
I spotted Ingrid (26) eating al fresco while waiting for her sewing machine to be repaired in Chestnut Hill. She was sporting this pink and purple ensemble (sundress from GAP, tank from a clothing swap and her chunky necklace from the Art Museum gift shop). She admitted that she does the majority of her shopping through Ebay, clothing swaps and consignment/thrift stores like Circle Thrift and the Salvation Army. Her thrift store strategy to find those great items is simple: “You just have to be willing to put the time in.”
Ingrid believes in "mixing highs with lows" in fashion. “You can look at the magazines but you can’t always afford that stuff, so you have to mix it with other pieces,” she explained. She describes her own style as eclectic, and doesn’t always stick to one style-type. “I love clothes so I don’t like to limit myself.” Girl after my own shopping heart.
View galleryNatural hair care products are picking up steam in today's beauty market. To keep you up-to-date on what's out there, City Paper's Cassie Owens is spearheading a weeklong series that highlights locally based natural product manufacturers.
This series had been covering the benefits of using natural ingredients on your hair for over a week now. What I haven’t mentioned is that some things in hair care are easy to make yourself. You can make a great conditioner with ingredients already in your kitchen. Honey, olive oil and eggs? Avocado and coconut milk? Simple, easy, quick combos that will make your hair sing.
Moisturizing spritzes can be made from water, glycerin and your favorite plant oils (jojoba, coconut, olive, the list continues.) For moisturizing creams, take the aforementioned ingredients and whip them with shea, mango, or cocoa butter. Really, it’s that simple. The internet is swimming with hundreds of recipes and demonstrations. I make my own mango butter cream and always will. Whatever I don’t use on my hair, I use on my skin. Both wind up feeling terrific.
Shampoo, on the other hand, isn’t so simple. Unless you plan on synthesizing detergents in your kitchen, saponifying is the way. Purchasing all the tools and ingredients can break the bank, so I went to soapmaker Julie Margulies to find out if there’s a way to do it on budget. There is. Margulies was kind enough to list the necessary equipment with tips for the frugal. From that conversation, we now have a shopping list for anyone interested in getting started. You can download that shopping list here (FYI: Don't skip on the protective gear!).
What began as a hobby for Julie Margulies has become a full-blown passion. Her soaps and shampoos are in a word, fantabulous. She now makes made-to-order soaps for Falls Flowers (3421 Conrad St., 215-888-1754) so if you’re in the mood for lovely bars with real flower petals inside, give them a ring.
See Also:
- HONEYCOMBED, PART 1: Breaking down hair care basics
- HONEYCOMBED, PART 2: Beekman's C.O.P.A Soaps
- HONEYCOMBED, PART 3: Duross & Langel
- HONEYCOMBED, PART 4: E'Tae's crowning achievement
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