L IFESTYLE /C ULTURE
Jews of Philly Fashion: Joan and Ellen Shepp
It’s the newest edition of Jews
of Philly Fashion, introducing
you to the Chosen few who
dress our city. Th ey might mix
wool and linen, but they’ve got
some strong opinions on mixing
stripes with fl orals. In this space,
we’ll talk to designers, sellers,
buyers, infl uencers, models and
more. Th is week, we spoke to
Joan and Ellen Shepp.

founder’s name is today. Shepp,
who recently celebrated her
80th birthday, runs the store
alongside her daughter, Ellen
Shepp, and the pair have big
plans for their 50th year.

“Th is is a bigger celebration
than we planned because of the
last year that we’ve had,” Ellen
Shepp said. “So we’re celebrating
life. We’re celebrating existence.”
Joan and Ellen Shepp spoke
about keeping up with the kids
and the changing tastes of their
customers. FOR 50 YEARS, Philadelphia
women in search of something
beautiful have gone to Joan
Shepp as their guide.

Through the unceasing
churn of trends, Joan Shepp has
remained a constant, whether
in Lafayette Hill or Center
City, where the store bearing its
With the proliferation of
direct-to-consumer sales and
Instagram clothiers, how do
you keep people coming into
the store?
JS: Th e one thing that girls What’s changed most about
like, women like, is they want customer preferences?
ES: Back in the day, people
to look pretty. Th ey want to look
pretty for their signifi cant other. used to buy full-on wardrobes,
FASHION JESSE BERNSTEIN | JE STAFF
And even now more than ever,
the little black dress talks to you
much more than it did three
years ago. Because you can put
so many diff erent things with it.

Are they going to be short? Are
they going to be long? Are they
going to wear jewelry? Are they
going to wear sunglasses?
I love accessories: You can
change that dress 20 times.

People are waiting to see what
other people are wearing,
unless they come in, and Ellen
shows them, or we show them
something new, and they feel
good about it. Th ey’re not sure.

And so they’re going to look at
the next person that’s getting
undressed and trying things on.

Name: Jewish Fed. of Greater Phila. (
Width: 5.5 in
Depth: 5.5 in
Color: Black plus one
Comment: JE-ROP
Let all who are
hungry come and eat.

Wishing you and your loved ones a meaningful
Passover holiday. Chag Sameach.

Gail Norry and David Adelman
Board Co-Chairs
and the Jewish Federation team
Joan and
Ellen Shepp
Photo by Gina Zo
Photography where everything got mixed and
matched. And now, in the last few
years — not just the pandemic
— it really is more about the
item, and then adding pieces to
a strong item to build. But it’s
more special, it’s more unusual.

Like, when we go buying, we use
the same sentence over and over:
“Is it something that they don’t
already have?”
It is more fun to put outfi ts
together now because people
are more open-minded. And
they are more willing. Th ey see
that as the younger people have
grown up, they’re mixing things
together that it took me a while
to even understand, because it
was way more off the charts,
creative and not matching.

designers come visit us. And
my mother’s always been
excited about what students are
doing and what their vision is.

What’s most exciting to you
about this 50th anniversary
year? JS: For a while, people were
closed down, psychologically.

And they were scared, and they
wanted to stay home. And they
didn’t want to give anybody the
virus. But now they see a way
that they can go out. And they
can go to a restaurant, or they
can do this and that, and their
minds are more open.

ES: We’ve all had a long
moment to reevaluate what’s
important in life. And it’s our
people. And it’s love. And it’s the
things we’re passionate about.

And so, in our little fashion
world, for us, we’re getting
phone calls and text messages
from people that are telling us,
“I’m getting my second vaccine
on Tuesday, I will see you two
weeks aft er!” ●
So how do you keep up with
those changes?
ES: Well, before this past
year, traveling was probably
the best education. I mean,
we were going to Europe six
times a year. We really got to
see a few diff erent countries
and the streets of New York
and the streets of Philly. We’re jbernstein@jewishexponent.com;
really fortunate to have young 215-832-0740
22 MARCH 25, 2021
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