fashion: Philadelphia Metropolis

Sleight of Hand

It's early in the year, but I feel confident in predicting that the biggest political train wreck in Philadelphia in 2012 will be the AVI, the city's plan to reassess all properties to more closely reflect market value. AVI... (Comments)

The Case of the Crumbling Shoes

Best of VoxPop» On Christmas Eve day, as I was getting out of the car, I noticed an odd-looking thing on the ground: an oval plastic pillowy thing a little smaller than a credit card. It turned out to be the inner heel cushion from the Nike boots I was wearing. They looked fine when I put them on in the morning, but now the heel had separated into a top slice and a bottom, spitting out the air cushion that had been imprisoned inside. An hour or so later, the other heel started flapping and disgorged its cushion. Next, the front of one sole started flapping like a clown shoe. All day, everywhere I went, I left a Hansel-and-Gretel-like trail of black crumbles as the bottoms of my shoes continued to disintegrate. (Comments)

How I Lost 50 Lbs.

By Randy Robbins» I've lost a lot in 2011--my job, an alarming portion of my savings, and, at times, hope for my future. But one loss has balanced out many deprivations: I've lost 50 pounds. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision shedding so much weight, not after battling the bulge much of my adult life. I was in great shape when I graduated high school. Slender, toned, and "love handles" had yet to enter my vocabulary. It's easy to forget after 24 years -- and more than three times as many pounds -- how one's own body once looked. So, when a close friend e-mailed some recently uncovered photos of us taken on his family's boat in Manahawkin Bay the summer after high school, I gawked in amazement that my abdomen ever knew such geometric appeal. (Comments)

Where Did the Outside Go?

By Lynda C. Wharton» I came home a couple of days ago to find my 13-year-old daughter and my 11-year -old son just lying around in our family room. I asked them was something wrong? Everybody looked so melancholy. As any parent has heard a million times they gave a two-word response: "I'm bored." I joked with them about how I was sure they could keep themselves busy if they cleaned their rooms. Cleaning up could possibly take all day. My daughter cringed and looked away (you don't want to see her room), but, my son said: "Awww, mom. My room is good." Well, I said, its 75 degrees outside. The sun is high, the humidity is low, and it's a beautiful day. He still looked bummed. Apparently, he couldn't figure out if he had left some attachment to one of their game systems at their grandmother's house or lost it at ours. (Comments)

The Blacksmith Revival

By Stuart Geisler» I make a living buying and selling anvils, as well as being a professional blacksmith. The craft movement in America is making a come-back because of these tough economic times. People are fashioning their own hand-made goods to economize. Recycling old iron into functional objects is gaining popularity and profitability as people seek new and unique ways to increase their income. I used to show many pictures of myself blacksmithing in my shop 25 years ago, and people were always curious about the craft, so I started working again in my shop and studying the history of what I thought was a dying craft. Suddenly, people started asking me for lessons in this ancient craft, and how to acquire tools of the trade. (Comments)