East Liberty Station Top

Big loud buses may not come to mind when first seeing this incredibly interesting T-back top. But, it did for me. Along the bus lines between my apartment and Downtown Pittsburgh is a stop called East Liberty Station. This is the stop I use to reach Kelly's Lounge, my grocery store, or to change buses that will take me to Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, the Strip District, and to work here at ModCloth. The stop for the station is along the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway and has two sets of stairs leading bussers up to the intersections of Shady, Ellsworth, and Penn Avenues. And there they are. On the cement wall lining these streets, is the one of the coolest murals in Pittsburgh. In painted blocks of bright reds, blues, greens, and yellows, much like the oversized gems adorning this shirt's removable - yes, removable - bib necklace, are black, screenprinted-style portraits of local Pittsburghers. At first sight, the bold color scheme of this flared top brought me to the mural at East Liberty Station. The idea for the mural was conceived by Art Institute of Pittsburgh student Kelly Blevins, who was only 22 at the time. Over the summer of 2007, painters that included 100 youths made-over the dull pallette of the busway with brilliant colors. I can't wait to wear this lightweight tank to that bus stop! I can layer it over a pair of jeans, or bright green, leggings. The most exciting feature of this top is that I can take just the necklace wherever I wish to go from the station. And, everytime I wear it, I can think of the perpetually smiling faces of fellow Pittsburghers. Our city tends to be a little grey at times, but we all know it, and painting our cement with lively images in very inspiring. It's one of my favorite murals in Pittsburgh, and I can only wish my face were on it! -Angela, Fashion Writer