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"Events & Fêtes"
“Marc Jacobs International is known for its commitment to charity in the communities in which it operates…” From an interview I did last Spring with Marc Jacobs International President & Cofounder Robert Duffy. Yeah, I just quoted myself. Isn’t that cool? NAWT…
What is cool, however, is that Marc Jacobs has started a special promotion to support one of Boston’s greatest cultural institutions, the Boston Ballet. In all seriousness, two programs from last year’s season at the Boston Ballet had me in tears, and, as you’ve probably surmised from reading my misanthropic tomes, I don’t much fancy crying. The dancers and the repertoire are really just that good. James Whiteside + Lia Cirio = OTHERWORDLY AND BREATHTAKING AND OMGWHATAMIWATCHINGTHISCAN’TBEREAL AND WAAAATAMICRYINGDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOU. And of course we all already know that Marc is dope.
Want to do your part? Marc Jacobs is making it easy-peasy for you. Through December 31st, all you have to do is:
1) Go see the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker because a) it’s incredible and b) this is the last year the ballet will perform the now decade-running production. It will be revamped next year.
2) Keep your ticket stubs.
3) Take said ticket stubs to Marc Jacobs at 81 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.
4) Be super proud of yourself because…
Marc Jacobs is donating a crisp dollar bill to the Boston Ballet for every ticket stub submitted. Basically, you enrich yourself by seeing the Ballet (Hi, you’re a cultural noob, get on it) and then, without doing anything except exercising your way to MJ, you support the Ballet alongside, you know, Marc Jacobs and his crew of übercool, acid-washed-denim-wearing, tattoo-having, always-smiling-because-they’re-cooler-than-you-but-still-somehow-unnervingly-nice cats. (I realize saying übercool cats = me not being cool at all. TOTALLY AWARE KTHX.)
If that weren’t enough, a submitted ticket stub means you’ll also be entered into a raffle that could result in you being $350 of Marc Jacobs richer. Which is like $1278931287312381237123 richer in regular dollars. OBVIOUSLY.
You read that right. So…. go do it. And STAT.
Call your boss, invent some elaborate excuse–cholera, for example–but whatever you have to do: TAKE TOMORROW OFF.
Daniela Corte, the inimitable Boston-based designer who is unimpeachably chic as she is talented, is celebrating the recent opening of her flagship boutique with… A SAMPLE SALE. Yes, you read that correctly. And don’t think I don’t know you’re drooling over there. Get a damn napkin, will ya?
Get your shopping gear on (read: easy-on-easy-off-clothes-and-shoes, and seamless underwear, as always): it’s game time! The sample sale will include feather-weight silk blouses in an array of prints and colors, Corte’s signature body-slimming silhouettes– a perfectly-cut pencil skirt, for example–, statement-making brocade capes, and streamlined evening gowns with make-’em-look-twice plunging necklines.
And though the recent onset of blistering cold may not exactly bring you back to the lazy haze of Summer, this sale is a damn good opportunity to snatch up some of Corte’s signature swimwear. If it’s good enough for Sports Illustrated (Corte was featured this year), it’s good enough for me.
Discounts as steep as 80% off original retail means prices will mostly hover in the $20 to $50 range.
Move aside, Forever 21 and H&M: snapping up your investment-worthy treasure finds at Daniela Corte Sample Sale is Smart Shopping 2.0.
DANIELA CORTE SAMPLE SALE
Friday, 12/9 – Sunday, 12/11
FRI & SAT| 11AM-7PM // SUN | Noon-5PM
211 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
P | (617) 608-4778
“Not the next Ella or Sarah but the first Sophie Milman… she is one of a kind” — Los Angeles Times
Sophie Milman’s most-recent release, In the Moonlight, is a smoldering set of tunes, rich and enchanting, an incredible catalog of the versatility and restraint of Milman’s delivery. Her tone is pure silk, unraveling into some of the sweetest motifs I’ve heard in contemporary jazz in ages, all the while avoiding the pop clichés of which other, perhaps more famous, current jazz singers are often guilty.
Mostly, though, what sets Sophie apart from her contemporaries is that her singing is sincere. It isn’t simply saccharine, and the difference is evident. So Sorry, Milman’s cover of the rather delicious song made semi-famous by Feist, is hands down my favorite track from the record.
Curious yet? Milman comes to the Regattabar tonight for a performance that’s sure to be worth the trip, and then some. Details below.
SOPHIE MILMAN
November 16, 2011
Regattabar Boston
One Bennett Street
Cambridge, MA 02128
P | (617) 661-5000
7:30PM — $25
10:00PM — $22
Aksyon presents, ‘Contemporary Haiti’, a fundraising Gala at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, featuring a headlining performance from Grammy-award winning Wyclef Jean, and a diverse group of superlative Haitian talent.
Aksyon was established to promote the richness of Haitian culture and highlight the innovation, artistry and works created by emerging Haitian artists and designers from the US and Haiti.
What: A special evening supporting Aksyonfeaturing:
– VIP Dinner Reception featuring Haitian fusion cuisine by celebrity chef Todd English
– Musical performance by Grammy-award and Haitian-American superstar – Wyclef Jean
– Artist Showcase- gorgeous, eye-popping, hand selected fashion, art and design from emerging Haitian artists and artisans
– After Party with Dancing and a Dessert Reception
– Online auction hosted by charitybuzz from Nov 10 – Dec 1 at www.charitybuzz.com/aksyon with incredible celebrity experiences, luxury travel and Haitian art
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011
7PM – MIDNIGHT
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
TICKETS (PER PERSON) | $500 VIP & $250 Concert and After Party
For more information & to purchase tickets, contact:
AJ WILLIAMS
Creative Events
P | (617) 778-5770
W | creativeeventsinc.com
This Thursday and Friday Neiman Marcus Copley Place will host designer Christian Siriano for an intimate presentation of his Resort and S/S ’12 collections. One of fashion’s favorite wunderkinds, Siriano is as well known for his ebullient personality as he is for his jaw-dropping designs. So, yes, come for the fabulous frocks, but also come to get a chance to meet this charming personality.
From ultra-feminine silhouettes to his virtuosity of tailoring, the collections are not to be missed. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the Spring 2012 collection at NYFW, and, frankly, cannot wait to get to see these pieces up-close-and-personal.
Christian Siriano Presentation
& Personal Appearance
Thursday & Friday
October 13-14
10AM-4PM
Neiman Marcus
Couture Salon on Level Three
Copley Place
RSVP by phone to (617) 536-3660, ext. 2052
Griffin Museum of Photography
4 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
4 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
P | 857.239.9240
Fuse and XFINITY have come together to give you a chance to win a full day and night of enjoyment in Boston! One lucky winner will win a pair of tickets to an event of their choice at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, a music prize pack including an MP3 player and headphones, a gift certificate for a night on the town and a pair of tickets to a local Boston museum or attraction! In short, it’s one of the few contests worth entering.
To enter, simply head here and fill out the quick registration form. This sweeps is only open to residents of Massachusetts and ends next Thursday, October 13th, so get on it now.
That meant NOW, kids.
I hate Boston fashion parties: the insipid small talk (which, to me, recalls those rather-famous lines in Prufrock), the roving photographers who seem intent to catch me at my ugliest, the awful music, the ramblings of the social climbers who all seem to have business cards before they have businesses, the horrible, horrible ‘fashion’, and, worst of all, the plague of fauxcialites who spend all night fighting over one of two things: the free cocktails or a photograph with some notable name for their next Facebook update. They are all as transparent as they are perfectly useless. For me parties are a fail-safe recipe for discontent.
That said,when Alex Hall calls me with an invite, I know all of that will be different. Her parties are as dynamic and as wildly fun as she is. That is, as polished and perfect as they are effortlessly enjoyable. And it is a testament to her inexhaustible charm that she attracts the best and the brightest of Boston’s many circles: the artists, photographers, interior designers, PR folk, musicians, writers, models, and, yes, even the fashion folk. Nearly everyone knows her. Perhaps more notable is that I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t love her.
This past Wednesday she hosted a celebration of Boston’s top models at Forum, creating a unique and necessary niche during the Boston Fashion Week maelstrom. I went for the reasons aforementioned.
It may be the first time I’ve enjoyed a party in Boston that wasn’t for StyleBoston (our parties are EPIC). The models, a spot-on mix of incredible girls from the city’s top agencies (Click, Dynasty Models & Talent, Maggie Inc, Model Club), looked absolutely stunning, and represented the true range of Boston talent. Joico flew in celeb stylist George Papanikolas (who was quite handsome himself) from L.A. to prepare the models for their fête beforehand with Maxime Salon. Makeup was apparently done by Glow Beauty Boutique and Skincare in Braintree, but it was so flawless I hardly noticed makeup at all. A beautiful show of restraint on the part of the Glow team.
And yes, as is customary at such events, I gulped down more of the specialty Brugal Rum cocktails, particularly the “Cover Shot” (irony?), than is prudent to admit. But let’s just say I hate rum and I somehow couldn’t get enough of these concoctions. That’s how good they were.
As for the food Forum prepared, well, all I can say at this point is that there may or may not be photographic evidence of me devouring nearly an entire cheese plate, all by my lonesome. Let me also say that were such photographic evidence ever to surface, I know which photographer would be to blame, and there’s little worse than a woman scorned. Or besmirched. Or photographed devouring nearly an entire cheese plate by herself. I’m just saying I’d be angry, is all.
Below is a gallery, courtesy of Randy Gross of Elevin Studios. Cyberstalk the guests at your leisure.
It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to pull off wearing a hat–an amount that typically hovers above the (mostly hatless) heads of most Bostonians. Hats say: Look at me, damn it. Now. And: That’s right, bitch. I’m someone to be reckoned with. If not even sometimes: You know you wish you had guts enough to wear this. None of which are sentiments most New Englanders are exactly comfy with. The ubiquitousRed Sox cap notwithstanding, hats just aren’t our thing.
I’d reckon that was all changed last Monday night. The Boston Fashion Week show of Marie Galvin, milliner and longtime Boston fixture who for years has struggled with a local aversion to flamboyance, had just that kind of impact.
That’s largely because Galvin made two very smart decisions for the show: First, she went for wearability. Gone were her outrageous sculptural creations that may look beautiful behind glass, but would all but eclipse their wearer. (And have, in the past, emitted squawks of, “Where on earth would I wear that?“) No, she kept things earthly, unpretentious, and simply pretty with intricate fascinators festooned with netting and feathers; pom-pom topped wool caps; ’20s, ’30s, and ’60s-inspired numbers topped with petite poofs of feathers. The only hints at architectural derring-do–a fascinator of silk multi-curls here, a gorgeous, asymmetrical black meringue for the finale–were still sized well enough that they stayed proportionate to the models’ heads. Meaning they came off as daring rather than overwhelming or silly.
Her second smart move was tapping CONTRA to style the show, all the clothing and accessories pulled from Neiman Marcus with an eye toward elegance and streamlined refinement that still nodded to the runway. Gauzy blouses, python-patterned pencil skirts, silk shift dresses, and fur-collared coats–all of it a mostly neutral palette, and all of it as ladylike as it was edgy. They were the perfect foil for the hats–and arguably the most convincing argument for the hats themselves.
Together, Galvin and Contra showed Bostonians that not only are hats wearable every day; they showed them how to wear them–as an improvement to an already spectacular outfit. That’s the kind of equation capable of proving to the hatless public that style statements are nothing to be afraid of. And that, even as vintage-inspired as many of Galvin’s creations may be, is an idea that’s time has finally come.
We are all familiar with the empty billboard. These sentinels loom over us, silently urging us to bring them back to life. In Mexico, unused billboards are plastered with the title disponible, translating to mean both available and potentially changeable or disposable. If only the owners were aware how profound that word can be. Disponible succinctly expresses the country’s continual battle to successfully negotiate social and economic advancement in the wake of globalization.
“Disponible: A Kind of Mexican Show” gathers 8 of Mexico’s most relevant contemporary artists as they query cultural and social issues within their home country. Social critique and witty design solutions are two frequently reoccurring inclinations in today’s contemporary art scene, and the artists of “Disponible” are looking to examine the complex relationship between these two strategies in reaction to the complicated issues inherent in modern Mexican life.
The show will open today, September 13th, in various locations throughout the School of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, including the Barbara and Steven Grossman Gallery, Mrs. E. Ross Anderson Auditorium and the outdoor courtyard, and will be running until November 19th, 2011. For more information, visit www.smfa.edu/exhibitions.
September and subsequent months in Boston can, in many ways, be viewed as our ‘Social Spring’. We are all back from our island vacations, tanned, relaxed, ready for commitment all over again. It is a month that launches the pre-new year in terms of major events in Fashion, Design, and Fundraising. Bostonians are feeling the love for all things social, and who can blame them? Fashion Night Out this past week was an enormous success not only for our local economy but for our social egos as well.
Come October 1, 2011 Boston will be partying it up yet again at ARTcetera, a major fundraising event to help raise money for the AIDS Action Committee. If you haven’t already, get your ticket asap, as this will be a sold out event!
” Twenty-five years ago, a group of Boston-area artists came together in response to the AIDS crisis, which was claiming the lives of so many of their friends, fellow artists and colleagues. They responded by creating and organizing the first ARTcetera, a contemporary art auction held at Boston City Hall, to raise money for AIDS Action Committee.
Over the years, ARTcetera has grown to become one of New England’s premier art auctions and an essential funding source for AIDS Action. And, while the AIDS epidemic looks nothing like it did 25 years ago, this epidemic and AIDS Action’s work are far from over.
This October, ARTcetera turns 25! Once again, the arts community and AIDS Action will celebrate our extraordinary partnership in this fight to stop the epidemic by preventing new infections and optimizing the health of those living with HIV.”
Chances are you know someone who has suffered from this disease and it is our responsibility to help educate and support such organizations in the flight to find a cure.
This year there are over 200 artists, both emerging and well established, along with local museums and private collectors, who have donated a plethora of works. To view the collection, and enter the online auction, please check out Bidding For Good.
Not only is it a great opportunity to bid on fabulous art for your own collection, for a client, or friend, but it can be used as an educational opportunity to introduce someone new to the art world. Not to mention raise money for an extraordinary cause.
You will not be disappointed.
A sale in August, in and of itself, is hardly news– with everything in sight at between 50-75% off, attainability has surpassed visual novelty as the shopper’s siren song. Even the mannequins begin to look a bit bored-to-tears around this time, their shiny, plaster eyes longing for the fall collections.
That said, we would be as useful as mannequins ourselves if we didn’t alert you that the Stel’s Bag Sale is happening, i.e. you can fill a shopping bag with merchandise for $25 (small), $50 (medium) or $75 (large) in the store today through Sunday. You saw that correctly; with tons of men’s and women’s coming in for fall, it’s time to make some room for what’s new on those racks.
Believe us, we plan to tell owners Jon, Tina and Dave that they are daft too, right after we’re done filling this bag…
Boston Recessionistas, rejoice! DailyCandy Deals is coming to the city to rescue our little piggy banks and help us best stretch out our hard-earned dollahs to: get out and shop, eat, see, and experience all the nooks and crannies in town!
Starting from TODAY, August 8, DailyCandy Deals will have its local Boston site for us all to dive in (way to make our Monday, we are already loving you, DailyCandy)!
To start off the launch with a bang, the website is offering all kinds of über-cool deals, including:
- A romantic tasting menu for two at the fancy Haru;
- First-come, first-serve bargain deals from Fandango for the movie Change Up, featuring none other than Mr. Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman!;
- 40% off of Wembe, an organic skincare line, as well as
- a 50% off deal on a manicure prep set from Julep!
These deals won’t last long (give yourselves a strict 24-hour deadline and >>bookmark<< the website)! So become a DailyCandy Deals Boston MEMBER today, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the line-up change of exclusive deals and offerings!
Boston Magazine dubbed Arlington-based demicouturier Nirva the Best of Boston Womenswear this month. Hardly a shock. What’s shocking, however, is her sample sale. HAPPENING NOW.
Make an appointment with the inexhaustibly charming Ms. Derbekyan sooner than later. I have a feeling her stunning collection won’t last long on the shelves…
An excerpt from Mozart’s Fantasie in d minor, K. 397.
Exciting news this week: Brigid Nastasia joins the team here at the StyleBoston Blog as our Editor-at-Large. This means, roughly translated, she’ll be our correspondent from the ubercool side of the fence, and will write about nearly whatever she likes. Lord knows there’s no telling her what to do. I’ve tried [par exemple, visit my July 18th Letter from the Editor].
And, frankly, it’s a damn busy week we have ahead of us. Tomorrow Nastasia and I will be tooling around town pilfering the best of the Boston buy for the September fashion feature for the Improper Bostonian. Tuesday night I will rejoin a close friend for what will undoubtedly end up being several rounds of drinks, and the Improper’s Boston’s Best. Then, bright and early (the crack of dawn, one could say) on Wednesday, I’ll be on set for the aforementioned feature, working alongside an all-star team to bring a little love to Fashion’s favorite season, Fall. The details of the rest of my week are no-less malfunction inducing for my Blackberry calendar but most are certainly less interesting so for once I shall spare you. Just this once (and it’s mostly of my laziness, really, but you surmised as much, I am sure).
Come Thursday night, however, I hope to see each and every one of you at the StyleBoston Viewing Party at Vince. in Copley Place. Details to follow shortly.
Cutting it short, for once…
Until next week -
Much love,
JGC
Rejoice, fellow shoppers! Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of both Chanel and Fendi and all-around-fashion-dictator-vampire is launching a collaboration with mega-retailer Macy’s, to much fashionista-fanfare!
The Karl Lagerfeld Impulse Collection will be unveiled in more than 200 Macy’s stores nationwide and online on August 31st. The 45-piece capsule collection is sure to be an instant sell-out, with prices ranging from $50 to $170. Word to the wise: Lagerfeld’s 2004 collaboration with H&M sold out in mere minutes.
It’s safe to assume the collection will feature tweed, black and white colorplay, and Lagerfeld’s inimitable “classic-meets-rock-n’-roll” spirit. For those devoted enough to make the opening day, Lagerfeld will make a personal appearance at the Macy’s Herald Square flagship in NYC…
See you on the Acela? Yeah, thought so.
The Top Five Meals on Wheels Ideas That Will Never Be:
1. Martini Popsicle Truck: Gin, vodka, dirty, extra dry, whatever. I want little more than a full menu of boozy frozen treats on a stick, preferably either olive-, lemon-infused, to roll up my street right about 5 p.m. every day.
2. Nutella-Grand Marnier-Banana Crepes Truck: A heady creation, so overwrought with disparate flavors, they actually taste a little like bubble gum taken altogether. But the combination, while disgusting on paper, is one of the world’s most glorious street foods. Regular orders kept me alive in Paris. And would give me one big reason to live now.
3. Fat-tastic Truck: Dutch chocolate beignets, duck rillettes, Awful Awfuls, triple crème cheese. If it’s jacked up with saturated fat, it’d be peddled off this diet-destroying rig. Healthy? Hardly. Will it all be positively dripping with flavor? You bet your fat ass.
4. Vampire Mobile: A fix for Sooki Stackhouse addicts between Sundays. Think True Bloody Marys, garlicky crostini, red velvet cupcakes. Okay, so it’s a pretty thin concept. But get Alexander Skarsgård to serve it all shirtless, and you’ve got yourself a slam-dunk of a biz.
5. Mean, Lean, Green Machine: Any putz can get a prescription for legal marijuana and fire it up. But to clarify it in butter perfectly and roll it out into beautifully rich chocolate chip cookies takes a special kind of pastry chef. Or, more specifically, a special kind of baker.
