grand old lady of broad street

located on the corner of broad and locust in the heart of center city, philadelphia, lies one of the city’s most historic buildings and interesting music venues.  it sits calmly in the shadows of skyscrapers on a street lined with flashy buildings, but don’t let its unassuming exterior deceive you – on the inside it is one of the most breathtaking buildings in philadelphia. built in 1857, the academy of music is the oldest opera house in the united states that is still used for its original purpose.

i can vividly recall my parents dragging me here as a child to see the orchestra… the smell of perfume and lingering cigar smoke as we made our way through the crowds of people in their finest evening wear and were shown to our seats by the usher.  curling up in the red velvet seats, my view obstructed by a column but not minding because my eyes were usually fixed on the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. falling asleep with the sound of violins and horns fading in and out of my dreams.

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while i lacked appreciation at my young age i’ve come around now and have a whole new love for the building as a concert venue.  most recently, i saw the monsters of folk there and they completely blew me away.  it’s really cool to hear modern music played in such an old, historic space – and despite the small floor seating area and the multiple balconies that extend towards the ceiling the venue has an unexpected intimacy and leaves you feeling like you were a part of something quite special.

Philadelphia Academy

they don’t have concerts there very often so if you’re able to catch one, do. for more info check out their website.

do you have a favorite or unique venue that you love where you live? i’d love to hear about it!

A Peek into a Texas Thanksgiving

 My first American Thanksgiving

So, my first Thanksgiving has passed and it didn’t disappoint. I went to Texas and ate enough food to feed an entire nation!!!

I woke with sleepy eyes greeting me and a big birthday hug as it was also my birthday. I walked into the kitchen and it was already hustling at 10am, big love and laughter filled the room as the sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, vegetables and the best southern pecan pie around was prepared.

American football played in the background on the flat screen TV — as I understand it, big games were played that day. A big turkey bird was deep fried out on the drive in the cold frosty air – southern style — while I sat on the porch gazing at Friesian horses walking majestically across the pasture.

I felt very blessed to have experienced such a beautiful celebration in the US, and I sure did give thanks to a bountiful Harvest :)

I packed light; it was only a 3 day stay so I stuck to basics – a pair of jeans, 3 tops one of which is WTF striped burnout tee.  Accessories included the Chevron Tall Sock Boot which were perfect to snuggle up in and two rings that added a little bit of sliver to my look Long Metal Ring and the Arabian Sand Ring.

I hope everyone had an extra special day too!

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Oh my sweet goodness

I have never heard of this place before and was slightly gutted when my sister beat me to it after I’ve been here much longer than her.

The Benjamin Franklin old fashioned ice cream parlor is the place I’m talking about. Isn’t it the perfect place to take some cool photos.

The aesthetic of the place is so delightful and oozes character. I know, I know, it’s getting a bit cold for ice cream, but it’s goooooooooood any time of year, right?!

“The Franklin Fountain aims to serve an experience steeped in ideals, drizzled with drollery, and sprinkled with the forgotten flavors of the American past.”

I was blown away by the original porcelain mosaic tile floor. I wish I had this in my own home!! It’s definitely a place to head to if you want to beat the Sunday blues.

Go here to visit their beautiful website. Their history is pretty magical.

www.franklinfountain.com

 

have a warm weekend :)

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thanksgiving day began with a light snowfall outside the window and ended with a fire-lit private gathering at my favorite philly bar… i hate winter but it made me long for a blizzard. there’s nothing better than a snow day that shuts down the city… sleeping in, playing in the snow till your cheeks are rosy and warming up by the fire. have a great weekend! xoxo

black friday

the office is deserted today – everyone’s either off for the holiday or working in our stores. the few of us that are here feel a little lonely, but the quiet is kinda nice compared to the craziness that’s probably going on at stores today…

cute shirt on our creative design assistant :)

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hahaha… typical.

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chau wearing something one of our designers whipped up in mere minutes. amazing!

thursday poll – edition 120

good morning! hope you all had a very happy thanksgiving! due to the holiday we missed the thursday poll so let’s do it now shall we…

how cute is this image our creative team did? they had the thermals pinned up on a wall in the office :)

in addition to our standard thermals we have some other really cute layering tops that would be so cozy on a dreary day like today in philly. which of these is your favorite?

the long sleeve sweater and lace turtleneck:

the ladder rungs sweater:
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the heart on your sleeve thermal:
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the we the free v-neck freckles sweater:
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or the we the free fairisle sweater sleeve thermal:
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time to vote!


and here are last week’s poll results – look eight was by far the winner with 35%!
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office space

doodles on the whiteboard in our conference room make me smile :)

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they have chewbacca…

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…we have elvis.

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the vintage loves set.

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pumpkin and apple pies in our kitchens this morning!

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the office is quiet today… lots of people took off for the holiday and everyone else is wrapping things up.  we’re out at noon today and off tomorrow but i’ll be back on friday! happy thanksgiving :)

wednes-diy

some of you asked for a tutorial on how to make the sequin hangers in our holiday displays… well ask and you shall receive! one of our lovely visual display gals was kind enough to put this together for the blog. the hangers are actually quite easy to make!

a hanger, scissors, needle & thread, marker, pins and fabric! we obviously used sequin fabric, but any kind of fabric works and would look great. i’m already thinking about all the other fun fabrics i want to try :) and if you can’t find sequin fabric, try looking for a sequin top at thrift stores!

steps

steps (pictured above):
1. trace outline onto fabric 1/2” around outside edge of hanger – do this twice for front and back pieces.
2. cut out both pattern pieces on marker outline.
3. place the two patterns on top of each other, with insides of fabric facing out. pin together. sew tops together only, 1/4” in from edge of fabric, along pink dotted line.  if you are using sequin fabric, we suggest sewing by hand – the sequins might break your sewing machine needle!
4. turn cover right side out.
5. cut small hole in top center of hanger cover.  poke metal hanger through hole.
6. cover hanger with fabric.  sew bottom shut by hand.

all done!

In touch with our designers

We caught up with our crafty knits designer to find out what she is inspired by.

In the outside world, what inspires me?…

I’m really loving all the costumes on Boardwalk Empire. The girls are dreamy, milky white skin with burgundy lips, and then all of the amazing 20s styling, oooh! So inspiring. Also loving the outdoorsy/early 90s styling on the classic TV series Twin Peaks for Fall. There were at least 3 awesome boxy tops I wanted in my closet from season one alone.

Sheer sheer sheer legs! Sheer stockings, maxis, skirts, pants & leggings. I know after the fall silhouette meeting the girls were feeling this way, but personally I think it might have more to do with my relatively new leg tattoo?!

I’m always listening to New Order, Morrissey, The Stone Roses, etc. but lately I can’t stop listening to oldies and lady gaga! Go figure! I can’t get enough of the color red. Red lips, and accessories. And ginger boys and girls too. Hehe ;)

Design-wise I’m going crazy over doing really fashion forward bodies with embellishment/ fp trim details. Finding the perfect combination of cool body with cool artwork/trims details is the best – It feels so fresh and makes me really happy!