Philadelphia Street Style: Lukeja, off 15th St

Last Friday, after a six-week hiatus, I hit the streets of Philly. I wanted to know: can you go back to plain old, everyday street style after the mad rush of fashion week? Phil Oh never did. Tommy Ton never did. Scott Schuman never even really did. Can I? Well, the short answer — at least for now — is yes. I found NYFW addictive, but I haven't been doing it long enough to get truly hooked. It took me half an hour to find two subjects to shoot. And after the frenzy of fashion week, fighting my way for shots, chasing celebs, and moving from show to show, it felt, frankly like a relief. Philly street style has never felt so easy and so comfortable. And Philly has never felt so much like home. I'm thrilled to be back on the streets of Philly. More shots of NYFW are coming, but so are Philly street style shots. 

I spotted Lukeja at the corner of 15th and Walnut and ran ahead to the alley between Walnut and Sansom to get these shots. It was lovely having a conversation with one of my photographic subjects again. She used to model, she told me, "back when she was young." I like the hippy, meets Valkyrie, meets American Apparel sensibility she put together with this outfit. And I appreciate that she was willing to brave the cold to wear it.