philly fashion week, day 1

(dress/belt: vintage, jacket: urban outfitters, shoes: target)

Last night, I got a chance to wear one of the vintage dresses that I bought this past summer at Sixteen Hundred Below. Its black and white houndstooth (my favorite pattern!) and is in great condition. The leather belt is also from Sixteen Hundred Below and I believe from the 30's which is really cool - I love when clothing (or most things really) have a past life.

Last night was also the first night of Philadelphia Fashion Week. All of the events will be held in the 23rd St. Armory, which I've walked by a million times but have never peeked in. It is an incredible space. Perfect for a huge party - which are what the events are like for fashion week. Yes, there's fashion and runway shows but there's also food, drinks, shopping, music and amazing people watching! I had such a good time and also saw some good fashion too!

I had thought that last night would showcase student designs, but I was wrong and that will be tonight. There were four runway shows and my favorite of the night was by Ban Thor Phan. The designer and founder is a man named Kampanart Buahombora who is based in Thailand. I really like the clothes because they have a relaxed and comfortable style to them but are also interesting. They look natural and organic and in fact most of the fabric that is used is made from cotton and hemp. And this company is more than just a clothing company - much of the profits are used to support an orphanage of over fifty children in Thailand that they have been caring for over the past twenty-five years. You can read more about their company and also purchase their clothing here.

This dress was one of my favorites - I love that it can be dressed up with a pair of heels and some jewelery or be more casual with cute sandals or flats.

This photo doesn't do this jacket justice. I really like how it drapes and although its technically a men's jacket - I would totally wear it.

I also found these gold stacking rings by Cristina V that I wanted to buy...if they set up shop again tomorrow I'm definitley buying myself one...or a few. They're so simple and pretty. And affordable - only $11 each. You can also order them online here.

There was lots of great music...

And this interesting performance. It was two dancers swinging from a metal cube hanging from the ceiling. It was pretty impressive - can't imagine how strong they must be.

I was surrounded by so many well dressed women! I wish I had taken more photos of them...I'll be sure to do that over the next couple of days. I did come across this girl whose vintage style I loved. I had all this information written down about her in my little handy dandy notebook - but I must've dropped it somewhere walking around and couldn't find it:( But I do remember that she lives in West Philly and shops at this great thrift store near her which is where her entire outfit is from. She said that her outfit is partly inspired by Scully - she has been really into watching old episodes of the X Files and loves how Scully always wears oversized trench coats. It's hard to see in this photo, but she's also wearing a petticoat! Cute! Goes to show that you can definitely look good and unique on any budget.