Day of faith and fashion
By the edgy standards of Philadelphia bon vivant Henri David, celebrity jeweler to such flamboyant stars as Stevie Nicks and Elton John, yesterday's "Easter Promenade & Finery Contest," which David emceed in the chilly sunshine on Headhouse Square, was a strictly PG affair.
By the edgy standards of Philadelphia bon vivant Henri David, celebrity jeweler to such flamboyant stars as Stevie Nicks and Elton John, yesterday's "Easter Promenade & Finery Contest," which David emceed in the chilly sunshine on Headhouse Square, was a strictly PG affair.
There were families dressed to impress in coordinated outfits, including toddlers in bowler hats and three-piece suits.
There were pampered pooches, including Nunu the toy poodle, styling in from Mount Airy in denim doggie pants, lime-green booties, and a brown fur boa.
There were Candy and Ronnie DiPietro of Port Richmond, grand-prize winners for "Best South Street Lifestyle Expression," in airbrush-painted sweatshirts emblazoned: "God Bless Our Family," a tribute to their new granddaughter, Mia, born three weeks ago to their daughter Christina.
And there was wispy white-haired Bob Ellis - "I go by 'The Count' " - the Sharon Hill vintage-record dealer, wearing pants, coat and an animal-print hat that clashed so badly he could have given vertigo to Peter Max.
For Bill Phillips, a Philadelphia corrections officer, his wife, Florence, children William 3d, 8, Maria, 4; and their grandmother Marie Campanile, all of Roxborough, turning out for Easter is a family tradition that goes back more than 40 years.
A lot of planning goes into coordinating the family's look. This year they dressed in shades of white, with the females, including little Maria, in flower-bedecked bonnets. Last year's color scheme was lavender. Next year's probable theme: black-and-white.
In a tribute to a friend whose breast cancer recently went into remission, Cynthia Young-Nelson, 47, an Army reservist who is raising her 9-year-old daughter, Trinity, and several nieces and nephews, dressed her entourage in fire-engine red.
Stepping gingerly between the cobblestones in scarlet high heels, Young-Nelson followed behind David and another reveler dressed as a brown bunny and carrying a basket of candy eggs and other goodies for the kids.
State Senate candidate John Dougherty and his entourage dressed in orange-and-white-printed T-shirts, dispensed small boxes of Russell Stover chocolates, and worked the edges of the crowd.
In all, about 150 participants took the short stroll around the square before the contestants were judged, presided over by decorator Gina Pierantozzi and Barbara Hammond, an artist and children's-book author.
Prizes included gift certificates to local restaurants and a tattoo shop.
Owing to the nip in the air and the fact that Easter fell so early this year, the turnout was smaller than usual, but organizers were proud to mark the 77th public celebration of Easter in Philadelphia, which over the years has also seen festivities in Rittenhouse Square and along Walnut and South Streets.
"I love to see people being themselves, especially when they dress up," said David, sporting five-inch black platform shoes, coat and pants shot through with rainbow stitching; a towering green, wide-brimmed hat; stick-on gemstones at the corners of his eyes; and his trademark waxed handlebar moustache. "They think they are playing another character, but they are really just being themselves."
