Miss Linda Smith, proprietor of Topstitch Boutique, is the featured seller this week at Etsy. Linda is also known for her jewelry lines Fleathers and Rabidfox.

What first made you want to become an artist?

Probably my first crayon, as soon as i figured out how to hold a drawing utensil I knew my purpose in life and from there on out I have always had to keep my hands busy. I used to sketch at the dinner table (drove my mother crazy) and would get in trouble at school for drawing on the desks. That was probably my first art show in first grade when Mrs. Kumar made the whole class walk around my table to see what I was so busy drawing, embarrassing yet exciting. My parents have always been very supportive of my passion for art. These days my productive pastimes are cutting up leather and small animals made of wax

Check out the full feature at Etsy

More info: Fleathers.com and Topstitch Blog

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The first time I ever saw Tina was in college, she came into our figure drawing class (where we would mostly use charcoal to draw) and I remember thinking to myself…..”who is this girl wearing deisel jeans just to get charcoal all over them!” Is it not a wonder Tina found herself smack dab in the middle of the Philly fashion world?? Tina Nguyen, 27, a fellow Moore College of Art and Design alum, grew up, not too far away in Jersey, but has had her roots firmly planted in the Philadelphia fashion scene for quite some time. Soon after graduating from school she found herself working at Echo Chic. And that soon lead her down a path into being part of opening Topstitch Boutique, as their first ever employee. She is now curator, manger, and part of production complete with her own studio space, while finding the time to do freelance fashion styling, including two one five magazine’s first print issue.

Topstitch is nothing like any other boutique in Old City. The store is complete with Women’s, Men’s and Baby clothes, a gallery and a fashion design studio. As Tina reminisces on how she got into fashion design/styling, she explains, “well, most of the girls [in Philly] started from having no money, so you get stylish and the way you are from working with what you have…and getting creative.” Their clothes are all vintage or handmade, and all priced under $200, so they can aptly accommodate us who have to deal with a tighter, more form fitting budget. “The girl who shops here is definitely looking for something different that nobody else can find. [A girl] who is willing to take risks” with her fashion choices. They carry a ton of different local Philly designers, “we’ve got people from Ohio to Cali to London…it’s really more about supporting independent designers,” no matter where they’re based. Topstitch has as much of a focus on accessories as they do clothing and what girl doesn’t LOVE the little extras?! Nguyen explains, “we are so accessory heavy because all of us know that you can hook up a tee shirt in eight different ways with, y’know, the right accessories!”

So, on my visit to Topstitch I decided to put Tina to the test. If she was going to sell me on how important my necklace and shoe choices were, I was gonna need some hands on convincing. I picked out three different items from the shop and had her work her MAGIC!!! Check the pics after the jump.

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From Babooshka:

So………Today at TOPSTITCH boutique we will be having a SIDEWALK SALE.

All sidewalk items are marked down as well as some of the vintage inside the store. We are overflowing with amazing vintage pieces as well as local designer duds. So much that we have run out of hangers!! So here is the DEAL… ALL VINTAGE (no matter if it is already on sale or not) IS BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF. We also will have our $10 BIN as well.

NOTHING LIKE STARTING YOUR WEEKEND OFF RIGHT….

ALSO WE HAVE NEW EXTENDED HOURS AT TOPSTITCH BOUTIQUE!!!!

MON - WED 12 - 7
THURS - SAT 12 - 8
SUN 12 - 6

311 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA PA 19106
267.322.4057

Photo Credit Kelly Turso

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