Neighborhood Watch finds fashionable folk all across the city. This week: The glory of spring and winter purgatory.

Don’t let Nancy V. (59 and proud, thank you) catch you looking fugly. She’s got a fashion police badge and she ain’t afraid to flash it — unless she’s at work where her colleagues have forbidden her to slap a bitch with her fashion fines. She wasn’t afraid to lay a little on us, though: 1.) Women over 40 shouldn’t wear leggings or white go-go boots, 2.) Men shouldn’t wear sandals with suits and 3.) God forbid, never wear socks with sandals. We’re apt to heed any advice from Ms. Nancy. She bought that funky, one-of-a-kind jacket (that pretty much speaks for itself) 10 years ago and it will definitely be making a statement for centuries to come. Click For More »

Neighborhood Watch finds fashionable folk all across the city. Where do all the vestiges of the ’90s meet? South Street, South Street.

PHOTOS | Julia West and Josh Middleton

This week exciting street fashion was as abundant as the sunshine. We found most of our picks circling somewhere near South Street, where we felt as if we’d just stepped out of Bill & Ted’s excellent phone booth into the soul of the ’90s.

Brittany K. (15) is a product of the ’90s in more ways than one. Not only was she conceived in the latter part of the era but her sense of fashion has turn-of-the-century, pre-packaged Hot Topic Goth written all over it. This is a look that’s age specific. When you’re 15 it works, but honey, don’t be trying to pull it off after high school. She buys the bulk of her duds on sites like Hell Bunny and she mentions the bands Eyes Set to Kill and A Day to Remember as fashion influences.

PHOTOS | Julia West and Josh Middleton

Jonathan G. (37) and Stephanie W. (38) show how to take the punk rock look out of the malls and make it appropriate for any age, which is unsurprising for the latter because Steph is the owner of South Street’s quintessential and iconic punk shop, Crash Bang Boom (528 S. 4th St., 215-928-1123). On their way to donate clothes outgrown by Nina J. (2), they stopped to chat about their “cheap and savvyâ€� style that includes a lot of black, a lot of layers and a damn good pair of boots.

PHOTOS | Julia West and Josh Middleton

Strolling down the street with a cock-eyed doo-rag and donning a re-envisioned ’90s grunge look, Jeff M. (19) was killing time before going to put more holes in his face. He already has a lebret piercing and huge gauges in his ears but he’s not quite satisfied yet. Judging by his appearance you’d think he pieced his outfit together from a second hand store, but actually most of it came from mainstream department spots like Kohl’s and Foot Locker.

PHOTOS | Julia West and Josh Middleton

We weren’t actually on the Neighborhood Watch clock, but when we spotted Rose B. (17) at the Man Man show at the Trocadero (1003 Arch St., 215-922-5483) we couldn’t help but whip out the camera for a snap. We find her “circus/vintageâ€� look a tad too provocative for a girl her age, but I’m sure all the fellas in the house didn’t mind it at all. Looking at her is like a game of I Spy – We spy Britney gone wrong in the pigtails and plaid scarf, we spy Rainbow Brite in her hair bows and stripped socks and we spy Final Fantasy heroine in her lace bodice and self-made faerie bloomers and … wait a minute … is that a chastity belt? Either way, read J. West’s review of the Man Man show.

Neighborhood Watch finds fashionable folk all across the city. In Mt. Airy, fashionable translates to understated, comfortable and granola-y. Crunch, crunch.

Photo | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Jason H. (29) was working the espresso machine at High Point Café (602 Carpenter Ln., 215-849-5153) when we noticed he was wearing a pair of shorts. It may not be the most fashionable look in the world, but like the return of the tweeting robin, a pair of legs is undoubtedly one of the first signs of spring. And yes, this self-labeled antithesis of anything fashionable is wearing the remainder of his pants around his ankles so he can zip them back to his shorts for warmth when he begins his footed journey back home.

Photo | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Unfortunately you can’t see it in the photograph, but some of Kwanzaa P.’s (25) dreads are adorned with jewels like a small golden cuff and a vintage crystal piece made by her friend. She was chillin’ in InFusion Coffee & Tea (7133 Germantown Ave., 215-248-1718) when we approached her to talk about her personal style. “I go for comfort with a pop,� she says. On this day the pizzazz obviously comes from the horizontal stripes and the hair jewelry and not those dull Nikes that she asked us not to photograph. Sorry Kwanzaa.

Photo | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Mira E. (28), holding baby Callum (<1), actually lives in West Philly, but we feel like her style encompasses the Mt. Airy look to a tee. We saw a lot of black-framed glasses and short haircuts, which she says was done by a stylist at Saturn Club that she’s been visiting since she was 12. As a nanny she says she spends a lot of her time splashed with baby vom and someone else’s breast milk but when she’s not hooked to a baby monitor she hits the West Philly scene in a lot of plaid button-ups, jeans and comfortable tees. “I basically wear whatever I can find cheap at Second Mile (214 S. 45th St., 215-662-1663).�

Photo | Josh Middleton and Julia West

If you can’t already guess Stephane R. (41), a studio teacher at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, brings an uncommon amount of sass to her “crunchy and earthy� neighborhood. When asked to describe the fashion of the area she whispered, “It’s challenged,� but then quickly redeemed herself by adding, “and unique.� That’s easy to say for someone who’s wearing a classic, but boug-y, little black Nordstrom dress to the local hippy café. She does tie in a hint of local flare with those great fingerless mits that she snagged at one of our favorite boutiques, Lost + Found (133 N. 3rd St., 215-928-1311).

Neighborhood Watch finds fashionable folk all across the city. But Fairmount needs to step up their game.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

We were faced with our most difficult challenge this week — yes, even worse than N’East and the airport. We began in Fairmount where we found nary a fashionable soul, and then headed to Rittenhouse, where we’re always sure to find someone looking snazzy. It still wasn’t easy, but we found a few cute cats among the blobby regalia of North Face’d snores.

Hailing from Boston, Drew A. (24) put his outfit together that morning because he wanted to impress his lady friend. “Before I met her I was a slob,â€� he says. We find that hard to believe, coming from a dude who actually ties his own bowtie. He accumulated his complex, but sophisticated, outfit from places like Urban Outfitters, thrift stores and a men’s boutique in Boston called Uniform. Click For More »

Neighborhood Watch finds fashionable folk all across the city. This time around, our Neighborhood Watchers travel to West Philly, where neither was born, nor raised.

Brittany J. (21) says her fashion sense is driven by how she wakes up feeling in the morning and on this day she was happy and excited. She bought most of her apparel at stores like Urban Outfitters, but it doesn’t matter where it comes from as long as you have a vision and we think Brittany’s is 20/20 even though she says the glasses aren’t helping at all. “They’re not real, they’re fashion.”

We have to admit, Laura F.’s (26) look is borderline hot mess but she pulls the mish mash off like an Olympic champion. Hailing from London, she says there is a distinct difference between the outrageous fashions she grew up with and the more toned-own style she sees in West Philly. When hunting for something different than what you’d find on the racks at the Gap she usually turns to eBay, which is where she found that awesome acid washed jacket and the kitty cat shirt that was unfortunately covered by three other layers and a strand of pearls.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

As a philosophy major Ross L. (22), has profound insight into fashion. “I have a hatred of modern fashion, which is a vile slovenly lack of discern,� he says. He puts to good use these dusty duds that scream thrift store bargain rack and is able to mix contemporary pieces — tight slacks and department store coat — with grandpa vintage —all the rest — to pull together a bewildered philosophy professor look that is only missing a pipe.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

With all of our artsy fartsy finds, Tiffani A. (27) entered the scene with a touch of sass to slap us back into reality. “I’m all about enhancing yourself — dye, contacts, extensions, whatever,� she says. It may sound like a superficial opinion, but we found nothing fake about this sweet, beautiful girl who finds inspiration from urban music stars like Kelis. And we always love a girl who’s confident enough to strike a pose. “When you look good, you feel good,� she says.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Yusan H. (25), a biochemistry and physics student, doesn’t let a monotonous sounding grad program interfere with her artistic sense of style. Her individualism sets her apart from her days spent with microscopes and Petri dishes but her scientific knowledge comes into play when experimenting with this eclectic mix of local, handmade and designer goods. She picked up the blue glasses at Reward (55 North 2nd St.) — according to her, the best boutique in Philadelphia — the scarf is from Etsy designer Yokoo and her jacket is by Ann-Sofie Back, a designer for Cheap Monday. Yusan you win our Favorite Fashion of the Week Award.

In this column’s past, Neighborhood Watch immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

PHOTO | Julia West and Josh Middleton

Snow has transformed our city streets into a winter wonderland. While you may think this would make our job harder, we actually had a ball out on the sidewalks slipping and sliding, dodging icicles falling from great heights and picking out the cutest snow bunnies scurrying from warm spot to warm spot. We decided to hit up the Market Street thoroughfare because we knew this would be the one place not ignored by plows.

Ashley C. (18) was courteous enough to hop off the phone while we bugged him about his cute, but less than insulated, outfit. “I don’t care if [my gear] is that warm,â€� he says, “Just as long as it looks good.â€�  Our favorite parts were his Armani Exchange jacket (not even buttoned, mind you), his faded H&M skinnies and the most practical part of all — his fantastic clunky snow boots. Click For More »

In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Screw Disney World. We found the new happiest place on earth, and it’s East Passyunk Avenue, where pretty people don’t drip with disdain. Instead, they were happy to chat us up with a few dirty jokes and nonchalant style tips that are an accurate representation of this up-and-coming South Philly ‘hood.

Behind the counter at B2 (1500 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-271-5520), baristas James U. (28) and Joanna Q. (25) were cleaning up. The messy duo was shocked that we wanted to feature them on Neighborhood Watch, but they were happy to indulge us with a quick pose and a little insight into their true-to-self styles. James called his look “working-class.” “I’m a sloppy mess,â€� he says. “I always have buttons missing.â€� Joanna says she prefers to wear ugly colors and dresses. Despite their ragamuffin styles, we found James and Joanna relaxed and adorable. Click For More »

In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

It’s hard to be an individual under layers of jackets and scarves, but this week we noticed people who came up with innovative ways to distinguish themselves from the huddled masses of puffy winter coats that shuffle down the sidewalk.

Mississippi goddamn! Simone B. (25) — yes, named after the fabulous Nina — had it all right when we spotted her on the street. She was absolutely stunning in that satiny circle scarf that frames her face while still allowing room for those gorgeous curls to peek out. We also totally love her stellar knee-high boots, her simple black leggings and her cozy — but sleek — pea coat with that awesome collar.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

We’re spitefully aware that winter has only just begun, but we’re already sick and tired of photographing people bundled from head to toe in heavy gear. The bright side to dressing for winter is playing with layers and incorporating those fabulous sweaters and legwarmers that collect cat hair and a mothball scent in your closet throughout the summer. To get a peek at what people are hiding under all that bulk, we shuffled into some of the city’s hottest coffee spots, where locals gathered to find reprieve from the frigid streets.

We ran into Red (27) while he was waiting on a friend at Last Drop Coffee House (13th and Lombard streets). The eclectic surroundings and his dandy cup of tea were a nice complement to his hipster-goes-regal attire. We thought he was the bee’s knees in his fancy, vintage neckwear. “One day I put on a bowtie and I just haven’t stopped wearing them,� he says. Before we dashed out, he imparted one final piece of widsom about staying warm in the winter: cashmere, darling.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by asking our subjects where they’re from and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

This week we were looking for more of a challenge and wanted to remove ourselves from the fashionable — yet safe — black hole of Center City. So we headed south to the Philadelphia International Airport terminals. We believe comfort is an essential element of looking fly, and who knows comfort better than the jet set? Instead of finding travelers who were haggard, dumpy and decked out in grungy sweats, we found people who were able to maintain an air of sensibility while still keeping it cute.

We were almost ready to pack the camera away when we noticed Alissia P. (34) standing near baggage claim. She looked like a ray of sunshine in her perfectly draped gray wrap, which we were surprised to learn was from Victoria’s Secret. Just coming off of a 15-hour flight from Africa, her main concern was staying comfy and warm. If this is what you look like after a 15-hour flight halfway across the globe, then sign us up for two tickets.

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