this book recaps my experience as an intern for urban outfitters styling during summer 2014. i was fortunate enough to make friendships that will last a lifetime as well as the memories i created with each friend and fellow intern. please take this journey with me, through each of my blog posts as the urban outfitters contributor to the urbn tumblr, from the past seven weeks.
week one philly thrifting as we successfully finished our first week as URBN interns, the weekend came along and we took on Philadelphia’s best thrift shops
PHOTOGRAPHS KENDEL MCFARLAND
As an avid thrifter from Savannah, Georgia, I made it my mission to find the ultimate thrift stores here in Philadelphia. I find so much inspiration through social media, the streets of where I am living, and magazines on fashion. But the thought that always crosses my mind is “I know I can find that look cheaper”. I feel so accomplished when I find a thrifted look that I just saw in the current issue of Nylon Magazine or via Style.com. So I mapped out a list of thrift stores that I researched from Yelp.com and called a few friends and made my first Saturday here in Philadelphia, a day of thrifting in the city. One thing I will mention about our day Saturday is that we drove everywhere but I will be mentioning what Subway stop to get off at if you’re limited to public transportation. First we adventured our way to a shop called Circle Thrift at 2233 Frankford Ave. They had hours posted on Yelp and on Saturday they’re opened from 9AM-7PM. This would also be about a 15-minute drive from University City. It is located in the most adorable little area called Fishtown. So we got in there and everything is priced and listed which always helps when thrifting that way you don’t have to keep asking the employees how much something is. Prices ranged from $2 Tanks, $3 Tops, $1 Hats and Accessories, $4 Shoes and $5 Dresses! They also have constant promotions like 50% off and 75% certain colored tags. I bought a top, a pair of shoes and a hat for $13! So happy with all of it! While we were in Fishtown we ate a cute little place called Rocket Cat Café and it was so delicious! Then we drove over to another little area of Philly called
Queens Village; it’s such a lively, young-spirited part of town that is full of shops, restaurants and fabric shops! We went here in hunt of a thrift shop called Philly Aids Thrift at 710 S 5th St. The hours were posted on Yelp and on Saturdays they’re open from 11AM-9PM. The drive would be about 10 minutes from University Village and if you’re taking the subway I’d get off at the Lombard South station. It was huge! It was 3 floors of clothes and housewares. We made our way through the store and once we got to the top floor, before we could go up they had to take the items we had found from downstairs and they said, “Play nice”. I was really confused at first but as I got upstairs I realized it was bins and bins of clothes for only $1! I found an adorable maxi dress from J.Crew and a Brighton handbag for only $2! My friend Alexis found an Oscar De La Renta blazer, See By Chloe shorts and Levi’s jeans for only $3! Best store yet! Lastly, as we started to wind down and were getting a little tired we wanted to make it to the Phila Flea Market at Washington Park, which was at 400 Washington Ave. This flea market was amazing, it was just like an outdoor antique store and there were so many vendors! One really cool part about this flea market association is that it rotates locations and it is only open every other Saturday. My friends found some great things like vintage jewelry, a vintage cutting board for paper and a retro record player! These flea markets generally run from 8AM-5PM. Luckily I still have three more thrift shops that we didn’t get to on my list! Can’t wait to fill you all in on the rest!
week two kop weekend luckily my grandparents made a motorcycle trip up to Philadelphia (one of many stops up the east coast they were making) and stayed the weekend with me in king of prussia
PHOTOGRAPHS SARA SPICER
Well I’ve officially made it through my second week here in Philly as an Urban Outfitters intern! I’ve finally gotten the subway down to a system, so that I’m not constantly pulling out my map on my phone. I can honestly say that I’m falling in love with this city because there is always so much going on and there is so much to offer. With that being said, I will admit that since this is my first time being so far from home I was extremely excited when my grandparents told me they were coming to visit! They got a hotel in King of Prussia (KOP) for Friday-Sunday. Since we were staying almost 45 minutes from downtown I could either pay $80+ for a cab or I could take the SEPTA – Public Transportation system and it only cost me $4, can you guess which one I chose? I bet you’re thinking “why don’t her grandparents just pick her up?”, well my grandparents are the coolest and were riding their motorcycle all the way from Florida! I wound up taking the subway to 69th Street, then hopped onto the Norristown Trolley, then after about 20 minutes I jumped onto the 123 Route bus and it took me right to the hotel! It was such an easy commute! (This is me, highly suggesting that you take the SEPTA out to KOP!) Saturday morning after breakfast my grandma and I took a free shuttle from the hotel to the mall. I wish I had gotten a picture of us when we first saw the mall because if I remember correctly we had to pick our jaws up off the ground because we couldn’t believe how huge the mall was! My grandma and I started our shopping around 11AM and didn’t leave the mall until 6PM. They literally had every store that you could possible imagine! (Except Anthropologie, sadly). I was so impressed at the size of these stores as well, the Urban Outfitters was 2.5 floors, the Free People was much bigger than the one in Savannah, Georgia (the one that I’m used too) and there were plenty of department stores to keep us busy like Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, etc; you name it, they have it. I was very impressed with Madewell’s merchandising as well as a new store to the KOP mall, UNIQLO. It was very cool to see all the different types of fast fashion arising from UNIQLO, Forever 21 and H&M. I’m so very lucky to have grandparents that like to travel and I’m happy they could drop into Philadelphia and see me during their three-week long motorcycle trip up the east coast!
week three uo cardigan found the perfect grey cardigan while shopping at UO and decided to style it three different ways
PHOTOGRAPHS KENDEL MCFARLAND
You know and love the slouchy, cozy fit cardigan that you see styled year round in fashion magazines, blogs and especially Pinterest. Through my stylist internship for Urban Outfitters I have definitely been exposed to the perfect UO knit cardigan and how to style it in many different ways. Last weekend while I was shopping I finally got my hands on that same cardigan and I wanted to share with YOU on how to style this cardigan 3 different ways- Causal, Comfortable & Fancy. I love the artsy, playful touch this cardigan added to these BDG overalls. I think styling overalls can go one of two ways; one being very masculine in that you might look like you could do yard work all day or you can make it girly and cute and add a pair of heels to it for a cute look for exploring around town or just running to a farmers market or flea market. This comfortable look was finalized by adding the cardigan to tie together the color palette to make the outfit look more cohesive. This cardigan really helped tone down the “fancy” aspect this dress usually has. I think that by pairing it with a pair of slip on shoes, a hat, and this knit cardigan really made it very versatile as well. This definitely being a look that can go from a day out shopping with friends to a date night at a casual restaurant! Lastly, who says you can’t layer in the summer? I say layer up! I work in a building where it can go from hot to cold in just a few minutes, so to make life easier (and cuter) I like to layer on light pieces that way I can adjust to the climate change. This is the casual outfit that I would wear to work as well as to dinner with a friend after, very versatile!
week four find inspiration on the weekend of week four of our internship, a few friends and I went around the city on the hunt to find inspiration
PHOTOGRAPHS SARA SPICER
Since I’ve been in Philadelphia for almost 5 weeks now, I have realized that there is so much to take in while touring this city and so much inspiration that the city has to offer as well. On Saturday, Hannah, Lauren and is an Architect major at Auburn University, so when we’re I decided to take on the city, in style, while on the hunt out exploring the city, this girl definitely knows what for fashion inspiration within the city. she’s talking about when we’re exploring the architecture that Philly has to offer. Hannah’s fashion inspiration was really pulled from textures of architecture in the city. One of Hannah’s I was inspired by the idea of contrasts in the city. My favorite trends is the texture in sheer fabrics. Hannah outfit was full of lighter colors and pastels but I was was immediately drawn to the texture and pattern that surrounded by dark blacks and browns throughout the this sculpture on Market Street had to offer. city. My style can usually be color coordinated and that is what my eye is most drawn to when exploring the city, in Lauren was inspired by the LOVE artwork found on patterns of color. UPenn’s campus that went perfect with her graphic floral prints on her UO dress. Lauren’s style can usually be described through graphic, all over prints, especially in florals. Lauren
week five handbag story I personally knew that I carried a lot in my bag, but I was curious as to what other interns were carrying in those big totes everyday to work
PHOTOGRAPHS KENDEL MCFARLAND
My bag philosophy is ‘nothing to fancy’ but at the same time I still like it to complete an outfit. This is my go-to tote from Free People that I can practically store my entire life in. I like to always carry inspiration with me, whether that is a magazine (or two), a notebook, and some pictures. Pinterest always inspires me, so you will most likely see that pulled up on my phone 99% of the time. Plus, a small batch of fresh flowers never hurt anyone, right? –Sara Spicer; Stylist intern for Urban Outfitters
“Everyone who knows me knows I always have snacks on me. I also always carry a sketchbook, a micron and a pencil to sketch out or jot down any design inspiration. I am a sucker for purchasing cheap CD’s and books so I usually have some of my latest finds with me as well.” –Alexis Jankowski; Design intern for Urban Outfitters
“I love to read, so I always have at least two books with me and usually a magazine. I also always have a notebook to write down outfit ideas or things that inspire me throughout the day. Also I’m always cold and carry a sweater or layer.” –Hannah Stern; Stylist intern at Urban Outfitters
“The things I love: architecture and music. I always keep my sketchbook and phone with me to document the amazing world around me. I find inspiration in the eclectic architecture of cities and Philly definitely does not disappoint. And what better way to traipse through the city than with a solid soundtrack and your handy, dandy tape measure. You’ll never find me without my iPod, my phone, and a few extra pens, just in case.” –Lauren Lloyd; Store Design at URBN Design Studio
“I’m actually just a pack rat and have no idea how to keep my bag organized (or when I’ll need a pack of sparklers). But I always try to carry the essentials: a camera, Burt’s Bee’s, a book, and sprinkled in loose change and bobby pins. I like to be ready for any situation whether it be an impromptu photo shoot or down time to doodle.” –Kendel McFarland; Photography intern at Urban Outfitters
week six out and about some weekends you are busy until the last minute; this weekend I sure was with the URBN sample sale, a free concert, movies, and museum trips
PHOTOGRAPHS SARA SPICER
Being an intern that wants to explore every inch of Philly any spare second I have, sometimes it’s nice to let your camera capture the memories you’ll remember for a lifetime. This weekend I let my camera and phone do the work in capturing what I was seeing Thursday evening to Sunday. Thursday after work a few co-workers and I stopped by Shake Shack to get some burgers and milkshakes, took it on over to Rittenhouse Square and talked for hours. It turned a long day of work into a fun summer evening with friends. This Saturday there was a free concert being offered by Rock 104.5, the bands included Neon Trees, The Fray, Oh Honey, Barcelona, and Bel Heir. Enjoying the company of others, singing your hearts out and dancing to the music is definitely a way I would like to spend every Saturday night from now on! Lastly, spending Sunday exploring the Philadelphia Museum of Art was just what we needed to wind down the weekend with. There were so many great exhibits. Some of our favorites included the Patrick Kelly Exhibit and the Asian Art Exhibit, such a learning experience from them both. If you’re around the museum make sure you check out Fairmount park, the views from the bridge and on top of the rocks are really breathtaking.
week seven intern scrapbook I’ve collected so many knick-knacks like ticket stubs, maps, brochures, postcards, pictures and polaroids since I’ve been in Philly, it was time to start a scrapbook full of it all
PHOTOGRAPHS KENDEL MCFARLAND
After being in Philadelphia for 8 weeks now, I’ve collected so many little knick-knacks and I’ve taken so many polaroids that I was just starting to wonder what I would do with all of it. Thank goodness the team at the Urban Outfitters blog recently posted a UO DIY: Scrapbooking post (or here: http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/blog/ uo_diy_scrapbooking). Check out how I took a different spin on my Summer ’14 intern scrapbook. Some essentials that I took note of from the UO Blog was a simple Moleskin Notebook, Papermate Colored Pens, Washi Tape, Polaroids and my extra knick-knacks. I’m a very organized person, therefore I wanted to go a touch out of my comfort zone and just tape pictures down and move onto the next page. The pictures, postcards and polaroid’s already had so much meaning behind them, I wanted to capture that forever in this simple little scrapbook.
URBN SUMMER 2014 INTERNSHIP FINAL PROJECT