Philly Fashion- Smak Parlour

As it is my fourth year as a Philadelphia resident I am amazed at how little I still know about this amazing city. Growing up just 30 minutes away in the suburbs, I have visited the city for special events, but never truly got the opportunity to explore. That is until I came to Drexel and had many opportunities to do so through class projects. Reaching the end of my college career, I have come to realize that I have much more exploring to do especially within the fashion culture of Philly. 

Just last week I was assigned an area of the city to research by physically going there and figuring out what the “flavor” of the area was. Old City was where I visited and I could not believe that I have been missing out on all of the shopping opportunities there. The fashion ranges from vintage to current popular brands in independently owned boutiques. I went into Vagabond, The Geisha House, Sugarcube, Philadelphia Independents and Smak Parlour which was my favorite of the few stores that I explored. I thought it was charming from the second I looked at the very pink and vibrant window display on 2nd and Market. Apparently I am one of the very few that did not know about this boutique. As I began fishing around the internet for more information on this boutique, I realized that the owners are actually Drexel alumni and reading about them has definitely inspired me. 

For those who do not know about it, I highly suggest visiting. It encompasses a very girly, pin-up, but fierce feel with merchandise including women’s clothing (tops, bottoms, dresses, tees, rompers, jackets), jewelry and other accessories. There are a range of current brands, but they also sell vintage pieces along with old graphic tees that are cut up and made into unique styles. Smak Parlour is owned by two women, Abby and Katie who have shared the same passion for fashion since they met in high school. Together they have created a successful and beloved business. The store opened in 2005 and later in 2013 the stylish team of two would open a mobile boutique, the “The Smak Parlour Fashion Truck.” This is a way to bring Smak directly to their customers, also doing private events and parties. As I researched further I grew to love this company even more when I found out that they support local animal charities because that is something that I too support. Overall, I felt very at home walking through the store and I wanted to examine every single item that they had (if only I had the money to purchase everything). I feel like most things were one-of-a-kind and very “DIY" and I kept saying "wow, this is awesome." It is so cool to walk into a store and later find out that it was created by previous Drexel students, because it shows that can accomplish what we want if we stay true to our passion and work hard, while being extremely stylish at the same time of course.