Live and Let Tie
Well now. I’d like the boys of Tie or Die: Who Wore It Best? to take a bow: for those of us watching, they were two very dapper gents all October long. Jon and Ryan have helped me set my wardrobe expectations a little higher for young dudes in the work place.
You hear that, boys born after 1980? It is no longer enough to merely wash your work clothes– from now on, you’re going to have to match.
These lads were hardly at a loss for votes; the verdict came in at Jon: 2795 total votes and Ryan with 3532 total votes. Despite some nail-biter weeks, the verdict is out: Ryan won.
Congrats! And for the record, Ryan: I think you look damn fine in a vest. We’ll be awaiting Jon’s …aftermath.. in photos. High fives!
Genetic Denim Trunk Show
Genetic Denim (based out of LA) is having a trunk show in Philly! The party takes place this Thursday at 7pm at South Moon Under (17th and Chestnut). For more details, go here. Hope to see you there!
What To Do This Weekend
//catFlowers at Crafty Balboa While digging around on Indie Craft Shows, I discovered our fav ladies, catFlowers, will be hanging out in South Philly on Saturday with their hand-made, cat-themed pillows, and accessory/ jewelry collection. Add Crafty Balboa as a friend on facebook for more deets!
//FrankenFestival at the Adrienne This awesome show runs until Monday 9/14 at the Adrienne. There are plenty of deets here and here, but I have to say this blurb does it no justice compared to my own review:
FrankenFestival is a collection of four titillating, bizarre, and downright hilarious ten-minute monster plays stitched together and violently shocked to life. A must see for fans of B-Horror films and outrageous comedy.
My review: Um, all you really need to know is that they have a Sasquatch in space, people are afraid of pennies and someone wears an Ikea clock as an accessory. It’s awesome. Seriously.
//GreenFest Philly Street Fair I’m super proud to be participating in this year’s event! Remember the call for artists for B.A.N.G.’s Fringe Festival event, Atomic Catwalk? Well, GreenFest Philly will be showing some of our disarmament couture during the day! The picture below is a snap of my NPT Globe Dress on my lovely model, Katie.
What To Do This Weekend
Happy friday, folks. Before I give you the weekend forecast, I want to make sure everyone understands today’s lesson: Get a REM cycle in tonight. Why? Um… because everything on the planet appears to be happening in Philadelphia and it’s all happening on Saturday night.
Have a great weekend– you’ve earned it!
Friday:
//That Bites: An Oral Fundraiser I read a great interview in City Paper. Check it out!
“….Dentists told Sara Schuenemann that surgery would cost her $10,000, she knew she couldn’t raise the cash by herself. She needed the operation to implant into her mouth a pair of false lateral incisors… rather than ask friends and family to lend her the dough, she organized an art show and silent auction…. Give Back a Smile, a program that provides free dental care to victims of domestic abuse”
That Bites: An Oral Fundraiser is at Pageant:Soloeev, 607 Bainbridge Street from 6-9pm, free.
Saturday:
//Art Beat: Making the Music at Studio 34
“Have you been slacking off on that project you started months ago? Maybe you’ve been trying to stitch together that creature you crocheted…? How’s that collection of embroidered coasters coming along? Are you still sketching out ideas for that book you want to illustrate?
A night of live music and making. Bring your art / craft projects, sketchbook, yarn, etc. There will be an open mic, so if you like, bring some instruments. First 50 people receive a free homemade cookie. Baked goods will be provided by Sheila and Sharon’s Cookies. Activities will include free workshops and a supply swap.”
http://www.phillyartbeat.com/
//Red Bull, Block to Block The kids over at Uwishunu.com kept me in the loop about this one.
“The Red Bull Block-to-Block Racing Spectacular, on Saturday, August 15th, will pit participants against each other with no predetermined route, using any combination of running, biking, and skateboarding. Starting in Clark Park in West Philadelphia, participants will race to Nocturnal at 3rd and Bainbridge, then to Mad Decent at 12th and Spring Garden, before ending at the two.one.five Magazine Adrenaline issue release party held at the Piazza in Northern Liberties“
Sunday:
//Fee-Free National Park Week is upon us! Check out some of Philly’s local finest sites for free including the Edgar Allan Poe house and the Liberty Bell Center. Images from Uwishunu.com.
Phanatical
This kid in this picture isn’t me, but I super dig his retro Phillies uniform!
Before Tuesday, the last Phillies game I attended was at the Veteran’s Field in 6th grade. My parents, two of my hometown team’s softball coaches, took me and some friends from the team up to the game in a 12-seater van. I clearly remember silently cringing in pre-teen embarrassment as my mom put her terrycloth visor on her mane of curly hair and pulled out her super gigantic ziploc bag– the maternal version of the barney bag –of protective UV blocking gear and cosmetics, insisting we all wear it. We all ate hot dogs and I proudly wore my black leather glove in hopes of catching a stray foul ball.
This was also the same game that the adorable little girls in their phillies caps witnessed a pitcher being nailed in the face by a hard pitch from the man up at bat, and was wheeled off the field on a stretcher. I’m next to positive he was in a short-term coma. Needless to say, I didn’t play softball that next season.
My Phillies cap from that game is tucked away in a drawer, dusty with nostalgia, somewhere in my parents house, as is my kids Phanatic shirt and little Phillies bat. As someone who has only since held a baseball in required gym classes post pitcher-coma-trauma, none of those souvenirs made it into my post-college apartment. (Not like that Phanatic shirt would fit, anyway)
As a gal who only wears dresses in the summertime, I was in quite a whirl as what to wear to a game. What do people wear to Phillies games?!, I tweeted. I seriously think my mom was picking out my outfits the last time I saw them place. After pacing around my room (and grumbling about wearing pants in the heat) I finally settled on cargo capris and flip flops. I have bright auburn hair, and as a result of clashing, own very few red shirts. I settled on a royal blue shirt, and deemed it patriotic enough for a Philadelphia home game and complimentary to my red hair.
Unfortunately, the Phillies were playing the Chicago Cubs… whose away uniforms pretty much entirely matched my outfit. Oops. Whatever, they have the better uniforms anyway!
…or do they?
After getting a little playful grief from my friend Colin for wearing the “wrong team color”, I decided I would do some investigative uniform research. The Phillies are apparently one the oldest established teams in the national league, and have been around since 1883! The uniforms have changed a lot in 126 years, as you can imagine. This is what I found:
Lookin’ studly… and kind of like a chef in 1899.
No red in town in 1938! The official colors were blue and yellow.
I love these uniforms from 1948. Dig the socks!
Retro fabulous: 1982 with the old logo on the cap!
The uniform I grew up knowing from the early 90s
A more recent training uniform.
2009: The current away game uniform!
What To Do This Weekend
It’s Friday in the City of Brotherly Love… and for the first time this week, I’m no longer contemplating buying a paddle boat or building an ark. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful into this weekend, because there are quite a few things happening in town!
FRIDAY:
//REWARD Mid-Season Sale REWARD Boutique in Old City had me at hello; unique clothing, sweet staff and they may or may not have hosted a secret show for one of my favorite bands around the New Year. This coming Friday, May 8th, a mid-season sale is starting for swim, shorts, sandals and dresses. Selected collections for both men and women are going to be on sale– with up to 40% off SS’09 Wood Wood, Paul & Joe Sister, Ksubi, Tsumori Chisato, and many more!
//PAFA 108th Annual Student Exhibition “A PAFA tradition for over a century, this exhibition allows visitors to see and purchase works by BFA students… A free public preview reception of the Annual Student Exhibition will take place Friday”
The ASE Public Opening takes place on Friday, May 8, 2009. The event runs from 5.00 pm – 8.30 pm in the Samual M.V. Hamilton Building. More info here.
//JENNA LEIGH Runway Show featuring America’s Next Top Models “Local designer Jenna Leigh, along with America’s Next Top Models, Caridee English and Jaslene Gonzalez, and world-renowned celebrity spin master, DJ Berrie will unveil the Autumn/Winter 2009 Jenna Leigh collection”
Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Runway Show begins promptly at 8:15
The Piazza at Schmidts
2nd Street & Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
SATURDAY:
//Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival This is a favorite of mine. Starting Saturday morning, Walnut Sreet will be closed down from Broad to 19th to host a pedestrian parade and events. The event is rain or shine and there is more info here.
//Second Saturday Don’t miss the final Second Saturday open mic of the season! It will be held at the Painted Bride in Old City.
“Second Saturday was created to provide a less commercial, open, inspirational cafe in which local artists can gather to share, discuss, and perform their work. At Second Saturday open-mic events, anyone is welcome to perform, hang out, and enjoy the free organic coffee and wi-fi. These free events are held from 12-3pm, so we strongly encourage performers to arrive by 12:30 to sign up in order to secure a spot.
Past performances have included spoken word artists, vocalists, jazz guitar, a tabla and sitar duet, folk music, ‘rhapsodic essayists’, collaborative poetry writing, and more! So bring your instruments, voice, poems, stories, miming/juggling skills, monologues, etc. and hang out with us this Saturday afternoon.”
For more info, contact laneshe@paintedbride.org or 215-925-9914 ext. 17.
SUNDAY: Happy Mother’s Day!
//If your Mom totally rocks, go to World Cafe Live The Mothers Day Brunch at World Cafe Live seats from 11am- 2pm. There will be a special Mother’s Day Menu created by Executive Chef, Matthew Babbage; The menus is a la carte and ranges from Smoked Salmon to Cheese Blintzes to Eggs Norwegian. The brunch will take place upstairs and there will be – of course- live music by the LP Stiles Trio. Reservations recommended (215) 222-1400 or here.
//If your mom is a little batty, go to the Philadelphia Zoo! On Sunday the Philadelphia Zoo will be seating Brunch attendees at two seatings– 9:45am and then at 12pm noon. The breakfast includes a buffet, “an up-close animal encounter”, a craft for the kids in the Zoo’s Peacock Pavilion. What I think is the coolest is the self-guided tour of the Zoo’s animal mothers (aww!). All reservations must be made in advance here.
//Scarlett Alley If you want to go shopping for Mom and help moms across the world, be sure to check out Scarlett Alley in Old City. If you visit their website here they will donate 10% of your purchase to the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women & Children, when you use promo code 1231 at the time of checkout.
I live for the weekend mid-morning: brunch!
When everyone else is in bed or at church, I somehow always find myself wandering around different neighborhoods in the Illadelph on Sunday mornings. It’s usually before noon and always in the interest of something delicious. Brunch is a staple in my weekends that I wait for all week. Since it doesn’t conventionally exist during the weekdays (who needs business hours, really?), I’ve decided that brunch is simply a meal made for a lifestyle.
So, needless to say, Philadelphia is loaded with adorable bruncheries or in-town favs that do this mid-day meal on Saturday and Sundays. I’m going to showcase a few each month that tickle my fancy, starting with one of my favorites: Cafe Estelle.
My love affair with Cafe Estelle started around the new year. I met some friends there and immediately understood their dedication to the spot. The food is amazing– and they smoke their own bacon! The coffee cup is bottomless, and you can try all four blends available at a time. The server brings a cup and you pour yourself at the coffee bar; they’re all are fair trade and organic.
There’s a great selection on the weekend brunch menu; from bacon pancakes (yes, these exist), frittatas to quiche, I’m never disappointed. I was there this weekend and enjoyed a slice of Rhubarb Pie a la mode after my steak and eggs, and I felt nothing short of a queen.
The food isn’t the only great part of the cafe: The wait-staff is friendly, attentive and –in general– totally adorable. The table tops are adorned with mini-vases, pages from retro cookbooks and the sun peeks through the curtains on the window walls.
The other great thing about Cafe Estelle is it’s mini-gallery. The art on the walls is different every few visits, and always enjoyable. Many locals show their work, and I make sure to take a gander by the sofa with each visit. A recent favorite of mine was up a few weeks ago, “Say Hello To My Little Friends” by Philadelphia based artist Shannon McLaughlin.
Be sure to check Cafe Estelle out!