I’ve had a ton going on this summer and haven’t had as much time for scouting as I’d like. I just got back from a trip to Costa Rica with my husband’s company, and I was hoping to take some photos there, but I didn’t see anything really outstanding. Lots of tourists in various states of undress. Except this guy. I didn’t get his name, but he tried to rent us horses to go riding on the beach. His horses live on his uncle’s farm a short ride out of town, and we saw him ride through town almost every day. I feel like it takes some guts to ride around a tourist town shirtless, Fabio-style, like you own the place. He managed to pull it off.

Katie is a merchant for The Gap. She spends most of her time working there. Since she spends so much time there, she also buys all her clothes there (the employee discount doesn’t hurt, either). Everything she’s wearing is from The Gap. I love her pants and matching shoelaces. Very Pantone 2013.

Katie lives in Fishtown, but is originally from Pittsburgh and proclaimed that Pittsburgh is the best city in the world. Let’s forgive her for that, though, because her shoes are awesome.

I decided to break the rules of street style for this post. I caught Aleicia at The Continental Old City during the Sweet and Savory: Honey and Hives event that I wrote about during the Philadelphia Science Festival. Her necklace intrigued me, and I had to ask her about it and take a couple photos.

She actually bought the necklace at another Science Festival event focusing on taxidermy. It was designed and created by Beth Beverly, a taxidermist who makes amazing things out of the unlikeliest of materials. Aleicia mentioned that she also plans to wear this piece as a headdress.

I ran into David on 3rd Street, outside of Briar Vintage, and I really enjoyed chatting with him about vintage clothing, the workwear trend, and how he got into the vintage aesthetic. He’s one of the partners at Briar Vintage. He’s really happy to work there: “I used to dig ditches for a living, and now I get to put a tie on.” He told me that the shop is only one of four shops that he knows of on the East Coast that sells only pre-1970s vintage menswear.

Because of his height, he mixes and matches vintage and modern pieces. It’s hard to find all vintage pieces that fit taller people. His pants and shoes are modern, but made by companies that have been around since the 1920s. He’s also wearing a vintage Brooks Brothers shirt with a 1940s tie and a vintage Fred Perry shirt. His glasses are also vintage workwear that he found with green blanks in them. His eye doctor was able to pop out the blanks and insert prescription frames.

“I grew up and saw the way men were supposed to dress — suits and ties. But when I was coming up, the counterculture thing was to get heavily tattoed, so I have hand and neck tatts everywhere. But these days, what’s more counterculture than putting on a neck tie and a jacket?” He added, “It’s cool that people are championing the uniform of the American worker, because I used to be one.”

Outside of work, he likes to go swing dancing, see punk rock shows, go to vintage-themed events, and hang out with his friends.

When he was young, he told his grandfather that he wanted to dress like the swing dancers, so his grandfather took him to Goodwill. His first suit was a “three-roll, two-peak lapel with a double breasted waistcoat, same stuff you see in Boardwalk Empire.”

Amberleigh manages a juice bar on South Street. She’s working towards becoming a naturopathic doctor, and she has a degree in holistic nutrition. Her favorite area in Philly is Germantown and Mount Airy, where she lives.

I was quite out of practice with interviewing people, so I stupidly neglected to ask her about her clothes. I’ve been so focused on getting some details about the souls wearing the clothes that it slipped my mind. After taking a short break this winter, it’s definitely gotten harder to start up again. I’ve gotten rusty and it makes me more nervous. But I’m finding my stride again. I had a really great interview yesterday with a man on 3rd Street. Stay tuned.

Rita is a full-time nutrition and English literature student at Drexel. She really likes to write, read, and paint. Ultimately, she’d love to write, but she’s also interested in potentially being a dietician. She’s originally from New Jersey, but has been in Philly for about a year and a half. She called Philly “diet New York,” but she said that she likes Philly a lot.

Rita likes shopping at Buffalo Exchange, Forever 21, American Apparel, and thrift stores. She also sews and occasionally makes dresses and skirts for herself. Her dress is from Forever 21 and her scarf is from Zara.

It’s been hard for me to start scouting and interviewing again. I’m definitely out of practice and not as bold as I had been when I decided to take a little break. Rita made it really easy for me though. When I first stopped her, she was super flattered and sweet and said that getting stopped by a street style blogger was one of her dreams. You can visit Rita and say hi at either of her Tumblrs: Something About a Fish and Bill Cosby Nudes.

Renay was born and raised in Philly and has lived in Rittenhouse “forever.” Her favorite thing about about the city is the people and the abundance of things to do. Harry, her dog, also loves living here! She likes to go spinning, shop, go out with friends, and go to wine bars.

Renay likes to be comfortable. She enjoys wearing leggings, flats, tunics, and fun jewelry. She found her shirt at Anthropologie and her vest at Urban Outfitters. Her shoes are Tory Burch.

Gabby found her hat at a thrift store, which is where she finds most of her clothes. Her earrings are from Francesca’s.

Gabby is studying fashion merchandising at Philadelphia University. She’s originally from the Boston area and has been in Philly for about three years. She loves coming downtown to walk around, and she enjoys the different dynamics throughout the city. Her dream job would be something related to sustainable fashion — “trying to come up with new ways for making it a more environmentally conscious area . . . more artistry, and making it more beneficial for everyone involved.”

I spotted Victoria while she was in line to get into the Tattoo Convention. I thought it’d be a good spot to find people. It was, but I found the prospect a bit overwhelming. She was like an understated and natural diamond in the rough of pink hair and weather-inappropriate clothing. Ladies, I know you want to show off the tattoos on your thighs, but when it’s twenty degrees at least wear some sheer tights. It made me cold to see so many people with bare legs and no coats.