A fashion and lifestyle magazine and blog produced by Students in the Design and Merchandising program at Drexel University

Sunday, November 25, 2012

La Dominique Creperie


By Nicole Pollitt
Savory or sweet? It’s not an easy question to answer, especially when looking at the menu for La Dominique Creperie. Located on 34th  and Market Streets, the food at this little truck packs a big punch. The owner Zbiginiew Chojnacki, a Polish native, offers a small array of crepes for breakfast, lunch and dessert.
For this breakfast enthusiast, the breakfast crepe made with egg, sausage and onion topped with pineapple sauce was tempting. Then there was the strawberry, banana and nutella crepe that only a fool would pass up.
However for this fool, the winner was the Italian Crepe complete with chicken, tomato sauce, string beans, rice and hot pepper flakes. The first bite into the crepe didn’t scream Italian cuisine. Yet the flavors of the assorted ingredients worked well together, like your one of your mother’s casserole concoctions. The crepe had a little kick thanks to the hot pepper flakes, but the biggest surprise had to be the green beans, which complemented the crepe quite well.
All crepes cost between $5-7 and are big enough for two people or even two meals. La Dominique is not for those short on time however. The crepes are cooked fresh to order. But if you have time, you’re in for a treat.

Monday, November 12, 2012

NINObrand Brings the Genderless to Philly

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By Catherine Drussell

  Draped capes and cocoon silhouettes are two signature styles one might associate with the designs of Bela Shehu of NINObrand, but genderless clothing? The adventurous Philadelphia designer is now branching out into the realm of sexless clothing - cutting and sewing henleys, hoodies, capes and pants. How can this be so, you might ask? The idea is not as outrageous as it sounds, for the enthusiasts that the Albanian-native designs for. Her customer is not afraid to layer piece after piece in luxury fabrications, creating androgynous shapes for the body. In other words, her customer is not concerned with flaunting his/her figure. These American-made garments are neither feminine nor masculine, but wearable because of their functionality.
 NINObrand gear cannot be found just anywhere. There is a level of exclusivity to this line, where one must either schedule a fitting at Bela’s hidden South Philadelphia studio, or make an appearance at one of her monthly trunk shows. Teaming up with Studio Christensen, NINObrand and HYLO boutiques have joined forces to host monthly pop-up shops in Rittenhouse where locals can experience the collection, and meet the designer herself. You can visit her website at http://www.ninobrand.com.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Staten Island and Sandy

 By Bianca Vasaturo, from Staten Island

 Nikki and Sarah, a typical Staten Island couple, have been dating for over four years. This past May, Sarah had to tell her parents news that wasn’t so typical: she was pregnant. A baby girl was on the way, She was 24 and not married.
 Sarah’s parents were initially outraged, and the story quickly spread throughout the entire island. Two months later, Nikki proposed to Sarah in what would soon be their new apartment on the bottom floor of his brother’s house. After much drama, Sarah, Nikki, and both families made up and eagerly anticipated the arrival of the child.
 They threw a baby shower soon after, and the couple received tons of gifts. The carriages, cribs, clothes and other baby supplies were all placed in the nursery on the first level of Nikki’s brother’s house. They were pleasantly surprised at the support their family and friends showed and were beginning to feel at home in the new apartment waiting for the arrival of their baby. What they didn’t expect though, was the arrival of Sandy. On Monday, October 29th, Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast like a bully knocking over sand castles at the beach. It destroyed.
 Although Nikki and Sarah had been warned to evacuate their house, many neighbors and friends were convinced that the area was totally safe. They had dealt with heavy storms before and never been flooded, and they convinced themselves that they would be fine. The night of October 29th, after a black-out and dramatic temperature drop, huge rivers of water broke through the first floor windows of the house and swept through the entire apartment. The couple grabbed a few things and left quickly, their unborn baby’s safety their only concern.
 The next day, in the calm after the storm, Nikki and Sarah went back to look at the damage. The house still stood, but six feet of salt water had flooded their apartment and destroyed almost everything, including all of the brand new baby supplies. They have nothing but each other now, and a baby on the way.
 While the hurricane was traumatizing for all New Yorkers, it hit Staten Island the hardest. Thousands of families have been displaced from destroyed neighborhoods and homes, and Staten Island Representative Michael Grimm says it will take almost three years for a complete cleanup. Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, is spending more time and money on other boroughs even though more lives have been lost in Staten Island than in any other part of New York City. Just the number of businesses lost alone is threatening to push Staten Island down a path of economic crisis that has never been seen before. Staten Island needs more money, more volunteers, and more effort on Bloomberg’s for the borough to recover. This story of Nikki and Sam is just one of thousands of examples of families that need help.