Ragas Report: Shop Talk: bSHEHU
Pluck bSHEHU from Philly’s burgeoning 13th Street district, and you could plop it down in any of the world’s most fashion-forward neighborhoods. NoLita? Definitely. Le Marais? Pas de problème. Brera Garibaldi? Prego. This avant-garde boutique belongs to 25-year-old, Armenian-born Bela Shehu, a former accountant with a ballerina’s physique and an eye for edgy, upmarket design, starting with the shop itself. Hand-forged steel displays look industrial, while 900-year-old Indian architectural elements lend a Far East feel. The effect is that of an art gallery — where the art just happens to be dusty-pink chiffon dresses by Jill Stuart, heavily layered and bejeweled necklaces by Erickson Beamon, one-of-a-kind leather clutches by local designer Elizabeth Bayou, luxe cashmere wraps and pullovers by Chris — and L.A. classic Rock and Republic jeans to pair with all of the above. Add Shehu’s own line, Karmish, to the mix — enzyme-and-silicone-washed silk-screened t-shirts (named for boyfriend and La Colombe co-owner Todd Carmichael) — and it’s pure nirvana. “I sell pieces for women who are not afraid to take risks,” says Shehu.
>>bSHEHU, 113 South 13th Street; 215-574-1300
