Bag Lady
So, I’m not great at making decisions, which is why I logged some serious online time becoming acquainted with all of 1154 Lill’s oodles of fabric, bag and trimming options before I even dared to venture into the new 13th street store to create my own bag. See, 1154 Lill is this new Washington Square West store that is a DIY bag boutique. Despite all my planning, when I arrived to create my own carry-able creation, and could first hand inspect 20+ bag options, and feel all the insanely hip 150 ever-changing fabric choices, I was back to square one.
Thankfully, the in-store stylists calmed my nerves and encouraged me to grab anything that struck my fancy, not worrying, for now, about what matches what. I landed on this “Drea” bag (one choice down) because it’s big enough to carry my be-prepared-for-anything arsenal, but fun and flirty — and reversible! — with a buckle and sash. Then I got to work mixing and matching the fabric choices from bright solids to girly florals to vintage-like tweed. At the design table, I whittled it down to my faves for the exterior, the lining, the handle and sash, and even the little interior pocket’s lining.
As soon as my picks were made, they were plugged into the computer and zipped off to Lill headquarters in Chicago, where my bag will be hand sewn and mailed back to the store for pick-up in about three weeks (or they’ll ship to wherever you are for an extra fee). Need a new purse, like, tonight? There are pre-made bags for sale designed with some surprising fabric combinations that can also serve as creative inspiration.
Bags range from $26 to $185 and are priced according to style, not fabric choices. And if you really love your combo, Lill fabrics are available by the yard, so you can make pretty pillows, duvet covers and accessories to match, yes, your bag. — Stephanie Twining
So, I’m not great at making decisions, which is why I logged some serious online time becoming acquainted with all of 1154 Lill’s oodles of fabric, bag and trimming options before I even dared to venture into the new 13th street store to create my own bag. See, 1154 Lill is this new Washington Square West store that is a DIY bag boutique. Despite all my planning, when I arrived to create my own carry-able creation, and could first hand inspect 20+ bag options, and feel all the insanely hip 150 ever-changing fabric choices, I was back to square one.
Thankfully, the in-store stylists calmed my nerves and encouraged me to grab anything that struck my fancy, not worrying, for now, about what matches what. I landed on this “Drea” bag (one choice down) because it’s big enough to carry my be-prepared-for-anything arsenal, but fun and flirty — and reversible! — with a buckle and sash. Then I got to work mixing and matching the fabric choices from bright solids to girly florals to vintage-like tweed. At the design table, I whittled it down to my faves for the exterior, the lining, the handle and sash, and even the little interior pocket’s lining.
As soon as my picks were made, they were plugged into the computer and zipped off to Lill headquarters in Chicago, where my bag will be hand sewn and mailed back to the store for pick-up in about three weeks (or they’ll ship to wherever you are for an extra fee). Need a new purse, like, tonight? There are pre-made bags for sale designed with some surprising fabric combinations that can also serve as creative inspiration.
Bags range from $26 to $185 and are priced according to style, not fabric choices. And if you really love your combo, Lill fabrics are available by the yard, so you can make pretty pillows, duvet covers and accessories to match, yes, your bag. — Stephanie Twining
There’s nothing like a brand-new store — gleaming floors, well-stocked and well-arranged aisles, gleefully rendered customer service — to get you in the mood for spending. So, of course, after my trip to the new Cherry Hill outpost of The Container Store last weekend, I left with enough variously sized but matching containers to tuck away and divide everything behind my closet door. Note for those who can’t stand creepy crawling things: When it comes to closet organization, The Container Store buyers looks for items that are not only stylish but also free of glue because glue can attract bugs. Here’s to bug-free order!
The southeast corner of 21st and Locust is all aglow thanks to Kazan Spratt’s cleverly named lighting showroom Bulb. Equally clever is the design of his retail space: Displays are hardwired so customers can flip the switch on any model at a will, and there’s plenty of room to highlight (oh yes, bad pun intended) fixtures ranging from desk and table lamps to sconces and chandeliers by designers like Arturo Alvarez — modern in style but not so supermodern that you can’t find a lovely piece perfect for your Main Line transitional or your 19th-century Rittenhouse.
The outlet of that trusty SF-based purveyor of khakis, jeans, tees and cozy-but-comfy weekend sweaters (saving graces for we who are allergic to wool) has quietly and quickly (in about one week) moved to the 1900 block of Chestnut. If you avoided the old Chestnut St. location because it felt a bit, um, cramped, you’ll relish the new spot’s warehouse-high ceilings and well-organized open space as you snap up deals like a gray super-soft cotton sweater (only four days until Saturday!) for $24.49.
Sure, you can call me biased. You go right ahead. 
Quick! Complete this sentence: New Zealand, Hong Kong, ——— 
I thought elephants would be walking down Chestnut Street — or, at the very least, pigs would be flying by my office window. But there was none of that. Just a soft opening — as far as I heard — for the long, long, long awaited Center City Sephora.
My buddies, Steve Duross and James Langel, over at, um, Duross & Langel, recently moved their fabulous and darling hand — actually on premise— made soap/cream/lotion/shampoo/etc. shop to bigger and better digs at 117 S. 13th (Matthew Izzo’s old haunt). And while I couldn’t make their champagne-toasting party this past Saturday night, I was able to pop in during my afternoon errand-running. 
My nephew and niece are undeniably the cutest children in the world. There’s just no question. They’re also pretty darn lucky: Their aunt is a sucker for clothing, toys and books that will complement their cuteness, and, as of this Monday, she has a stunning children’s boutique within shouting distance of her studio apartment where she can purchase multiple gifts to spoil them completely, thereby ruining them for their parents. Yipee!
This just in: Elaine Tse, jewelry designer-slash-girl about town, just took over the lease of that teeny-weeny corner dress shop at the corner of 20th and Walnut (across from random travel agency/tanning salon-looking place, diagonal from natural foods café/lottery-ticket vendor — you know, the shop you never went into because you knew the tiny-ness would obligate you to buy).