Millesime

Millésimé, (me-LAY-see-may), with its sleek modern furniture pieces, kitschy yet chic house wares and elegantly clothed mannequins makes for a striking window display that is sure to catch the eye of any pedestrian looking for a truly unique retail experience.

I got a chance to speak to Jamie Merwin, a Millésimé employee and artistic & executive director of Olive Dance Company. Merwin, a good friend of the store’s owners, explained the eclectic nature of Millésimé’s inventory ranging from priceless icons of modern design to affordable, everyday house wares along with a carefully edited selection of men’s and women’s clothing.

Millésimé, which translates into “vintage” in French, is the aesthetic brainchild of Jinous Kazemi, resident fashionista known for her oft-raved-about invitation-only trunk shows and Eugenie Perret, already known to many Philadelphia design aficionados for her other shop, Minima at 118 N. Third Street. And it seems that Millesime is a perfect blending of Kazemi and Perret’s cosmopolitan tastes with hints of hometown elements, such as striking appliqués found on the store’s back wall, pillows and a stylized ceramic skull all designed by local artist, Candy Depew.

Located at the Piazza at Schmidt’s, a new retail, residential and artistic hotspot in Northern Liberties, Millésimé looks not unlike a chic European boutique transplanted into the middle of one of Philadelphia’s up-and-coming neighborhoods.