Posts tagged philadelphia
The Scene: Fashion’s Night Out Philadelphia
Photography & Words by Swabreen Bakr
Philadelphia participated in its first ever Fashion’s Night Out. When this event was first announced a few weeks ago Mayor Michael Nutter spouted some rather lofty goals,
“Philadelphia is now able to show the world we are a city that’s ready to assume its rightful place among the fashion capitals of the world. Whether it’s New York or Paris or London or Milan, we are a city of creative ingenuity and entrepreneurship.” - Source
Although I agree with the last part of his statement, Philadelphia still has a long way to go before we can try and compete in the league of fashion capitals around the world because although we have access to fashion, we don’t necessarily have style. Like it or not we live in a city where you’ll see guys go on a date to 3-bell rated restaurant or a high-end and much lauded cocktail bar in cargo shorts and flip-flops. In the winter most women stick to boot cut dark denim jeans, knee high black boots and black North Face jackets. I guess the old adage you can buy fashion but not style definitely applies to us.
Joan Shepp boutique
In order to help propel Philadelphia into worldwide fashion scene, The Philadelphia Collection is taking place over this coming week. There will be 75 events from pop-up shops, to fashion panels and runway presentations. We’ll be posting a guide to some of the events we’re most looking forward to.
There is a lot fashion available here with our indie boutiques, outlet shops and international retail shops, but currently we are just not a fashion conscious city. However we definitely are a city filled with creatives who have a strong sense of entrepreneurship; in the last year a lot of independent streetwear brands have launched. The fashion scene is bubbling but it’s not quite mainstream yet, however you see pockets of it with the monied women at high-end events, and with young people’s street style.
Indie brand Couture Vulture
The Guide: Philadelphia Fashion’s Night Out
Zara Fifth Ave. NYC
Photo by: Swabreen Bakr
This year Philadelphia participates in Fashion’s Night Out, a worldwide event that takes in over 500 cities. This event serves as the kick off party for New York Fashion Week.
“American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company and the City of New York created Fashion’s Night Out in 2009 as a collaboration intended to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, boost the industry’s economy and put the fun back in shopping. Proceeds from sales of official FNO gear will benefit the New York Community Trust’s New York City AIDS Fund.”
Since it’s our first year hosting FNO we won’t have anywhere near the star power in terms of designers and celebrities as New York, but this is a great opportunity to support our local boutiques and help our local fashion economy. When it comes to style Philadelphia has a way to go, but our boutiques do offer some of the best brands in the world.
Check out the events guide after the jump!
The Interview: Photographer Neal Santos
Photography by Swabreen Bakr
Neal Santos works as the Chief Photographer for City Paper. His style caught my eye over the summer with a series of photographs from a piece penned by Drew Lazor about the impending explosion of ramen in Philadelphia. His photos have a very clean aesthetic featuring a fantastic use of light and color, as well as strong compositions and styling.
Photo by Neal Santos
He shot another series that I was really impressed with featuring Chef Chris Kearse of the newly opened Will BYOB on East Passyunk Ave. Neal’s photos have a fine art aesthetic that I really appreciate, and it’s a style that really mixes well with the stories his work is usually attached to.
Photo by Neal Santos
As with most Philadelphia Creatives, Neal is also involved in another project that he is passionate about; Farm 51 in West Philadelphia is run by him and his partner Andrew.
I’m the lucky bastard that gets to grow food and document it professionally in a city that I love.
I went to visit this amazing project last week and spoke to Neal about working as photographer, what it’s like to run an urban farm, and how it impacts the neighborhood he lives in.
Style Shots—Beau & Co. Chambray Pt. I
Photography & Words by: Swabreen Bakr
Chambray has really taken off this summer, this soft lightweight fabric was first designed in France some 400 years ago in the town of Cambrai. The way the threads are woven distinguishes it from denim. It was adopted by blue collar workers and the Navy in the early 1900s; super stars like Marlon Brandon and Steve McQueen also helped popularized the garment.
Tailor Michael Beaumont of Beau & Co. says,
A chambray shirt is definitely a nice versatile cloth to have in your closet. It’s strong, but has with a smooth, soft surface, making it durable yet extremely comfortable to wear. The cloth, depending on how it’s treated when being woven, can also handle wrinkles well and though it will show creases after a day of wear, the casual nature of the coloring means it’s much easier to pull off when creased, than say a more formal shirt like a cotton oxford (which should always be sharply pressed). Color wise, chambray shirts are typically a dark or medium blue, both of which are incredibly versatile and will work with most other colors in your wardrobe.
Photographed here is Beau & Co.’s take on the chambray shirt, a modern and paired down version with a larger collar than seen on traditional chambray shirts. There are contrast colors on the inside of the collar band and sleeve cuffs. The white top stitching remains and is paired with a pale blue thread inside the buttons for a little extra contrast. The front placket underneath the shirt buttons has also been replaced by the much cleaner, pressed back front, again for the purpose of modernizing. The overall shirt is reminiscent of the classic chambray, but has been brought nicely up to date with these subtle additions.
URBSVOX has teamed up with one of our featured Philadelphia Creatives, Beau & Co. to show you how to wear chambray as a transition piece throughout the rest Summer and into early Fall.
Follow this series:
The Interview: Artist Dewey Saunders
Photography by Swabreen Bakr
Young creatives these days are multi-taskers, they’re not defined by one job alone, some might be working two or three jobs at once. They’ve got the one job that pays the bills and the other job(s) that fulfill their passion. It’s been said a lot lately that the jobs millennials take aren’t defined solely by income potential, but by happiness and how creative and personally fulfilling it allows them to be. I find that mindset to be pretty accurate among the Philadelphia Creatives that I’ve profiled so far.
I came across Dewey Saunders work on Instagram a few months ago. He was posting previews for an art show called Indian Summer. A bright collection of work that combined painting, pencil sketches and collages made from vintage photographs. The work had a beautiful and bright quality to it; loose lines created a nice flow in each piece.
I didn’t make it to his show on opening night but I went the next day, and was really impressed by what I saw. Dewey designs album covers, makes music and is the creative director of Bold New Breed, an independent record label-slash-creative collaborative for artists, musicians and cinematographers.
I visited his home in South Philly for our photo shoot and to get to know more about the process behind his work.
How did you develop your artistic style? Who or what inspires you?
I have many styles and I am inspired by David Hockney, I really enjoy John Baldessari, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Leonard Baskin, Ben Shan and Van Gogh. I am also inspired by my collections of printed matter, vintage ephemera and old publications. I archive my findings and collages on the Humble Wonder tumblr.
High in the Sky
A dramatic look up at Philly’s skyline.
Photography by: Swabreen Bakr
Philadelphia has a rich architectural history, you can find anything from classical Grecian to Art Deco buildings across the city. The buildings clustered in the downtown area show the emerging power of the business district, anchored by a majestic glass beacon; the Comcast Center tower, and Liberty Towers I & II. Older brick buildings hold down the forth for the city’s rich architectural heritage. One of the joys of living in Philadelphia is seeing American history reflected on some of these buildings.
Fashion Landscape Vol 4.
Location: Philadelphia Waterfront; Penn’s Landing & Race St. Pier
Photography by: Swabreen Bakr
Model: Diana
Nautical fashion trends return every Spring and Summer, we’ve given it a twist with the neon trend currently sweeping the fashion world. One way to wear the neon trend is by playing it up against a neutral outfit. We shot this at the burgeoning Philadelphia waterfront, the area has seen a revival recently with the addition of the beautiful Race St. Pier and new restaurants like Morgan’s Pier.
Fashion Landscape Vol 2.
Location: FDR Skatepark, Philadelphia
Photography by: Swabreen Bakr
Model: Tymbre
We were super excited to shoot at this location and had quite the adventure. It’s kind of an intimidating place for two girls to be wandering around by themselves while young guys are trying to skate, but it was worth it to get these amazing shots!
The whole FDR Park is an amazing place and almost a hidden gem in Philly. We highly recommend going to check it out, it’s just a train ride away on the Broad St. line.
