She looked perfectly messy;
from her tousled strawberryblonde
hair, right down to her dark,
high-waisted and wide-leg denim
pants.
Nov. 2 is the one-year anniversary
of boutique Love Illuminati; a
bite-sized house of fashion nestled
between the colonial townhomes
of Newtown borough, whose stylish
mannequins bring heavy foottraffic.
Indie rock blared as store-owner
Katra Michener Longsdorf said, “I
was born to do this.”
Love Illuminati’s clothing
designs are inspired by 30’s to
80’s fashion; an eclectic taste
of Longsdorf’s designs or
something vintage and different
from other designers. “We
have everything from prepchic
to hipster-scumbag. There
is literally something in here
for everyone and you just have
to look.”
The store’s location was first targeted
for New York City or
Philadelphia, but Longsdorf realized
that it would be too expensive
and too difficult to spend quality
time with her family.
“Before I decided to open this
shop, I had the opportunity of
selling my designs at the Young
Designers Market in Manhattan.
Don’t get me wrong; I loved
every second of the Market, but
I just wanted something more, I
wanted something that I could do
that had no regrets,” said Longsdorf.
“So the thought of an opening
my own shop slowly crawled
up to the front of my thoughts,
and I found myself not thinking
about anything but that.”
Newtown borough hosts “First
Friday,” a community celebration
on State Street on the first Friday of
each month. This November, Love
Illuminati, located at 23 South State
St., will be having a fashion show, an
art display by various artists and a
DJ. The event will mark the store’s
one year anniversary.
“I wanted to make this shop much
more than just a clothing boutique,”
said Longsdorf. “I want people to be
able to live comfortably in their own
skin and have the freedom of
expressing themselves through my
clothes.”