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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.
NON-BREAKING NEWS FLASH: Lady Gaga makes innumerable fashionistas across the globe drool excessively and unabashedly at the sight of her most recent video. Most titillating? The dance scene in the barn, where everyone is wearing designer Zana Bayne’s handcrafted leather harnesses – these are fucking fierce! Plus, Zana Bayne is only 22 years old, making it quite impressive that she outfitted a whole crew of dancers for Gaga’s latest vid.
Another highlight: Blue blush! Rocking an aberrant blush color has always been a hobby of mine, but blue?! The look of death has never been more vibrant. Love the pale, pale skin accented by flashing cerulean cheeks.
That being said, I’m not a fan of the music. In fact, I had to mute it halfway through. I’m undecided as to how to classify it… Pop with an electro-country twang? Operatic backwoods disco-pop? Whatever it is, I’ll pass and sync mine up to something a little less…histrionic.
Check out the official video HERE.
Catalina de La Torre is a Boston-based jewelry designer who is perhaps best known for her refined interpretations of rough-hewn stones, namely a series of geode rings which were as exquisite as they were ubiquitous. The Colombian-born de La Torre has aways exhibited an appreciation of natural forms, but what continues to set her work apart from the Elementary-School-Art-Teacher set is the modern way in which she renders these motifs.
Montmartre, the current collection, is a stunning addition to the designer’s repertoire. Yes,there is her love of clean, simple geometries, but she is clearly exploring new territory. Unimpeachably elegant territory, at that.
This pair is the perfect example, Lapis Lazuli and White Quartz? Parallel and perpendicular forms? That inky blue, which is Fall 2011′s major winner in the color category? It’s rare I appreciate such a simple harmony of materials and form, but these are just so damn perfect.
I would tell you where and how to wear them, but it’s unnecessary. Wear them everywhere, with everything. Inspire envy.
GET ‘EM HERE.
On a recent morning I picked up a package of lemonade and glanced at its label. “Farm to bottle,” it read. It reminded me a new restaurant in Maine—one I happen to otherwise genuinely love—that advertises “farm-to-fork” dining. Sigh.
Enough already with this “farm-to-everything” crap. It’s not that I don’t applaud the concept; I co-wrote one of New England’s first cookbooks spotlighting the idea with Peter Davis—a real-deal, agro-loving chef who’s been hanging out with suppliers, touting farmer’s markets, and running a restaurant serving farm-fresh ingredients since back when many of today’s biggest proponents were still getting fed Happy Meals by their parents.
But if the concept’s going to stick around long enough to survive fad-dom—and I sincerely hope it does—then let’s stop these all-to-cloying stabs at pushing the phenomenon one step further. We need a new, all-encompassing label for farm food. One as simple as the ingredients itself, minus any douchebaggy attempts at cleverness.
Either that, or we need a new batch of even dumber, more cringingly specific labels. To wit:
Farm-to-nostril: That glut of high-end perfumes, body lotions, and room sprays that exploit the trend with scents like “organic lavender” and “field basil.” (See: Whole Foods personal hygiene aisles.)
Farm-to-newstand: The piles of magazines and books now so obsessed with organic eating, sustainable foods, and whole-animal eating, they nearly exclude all other types ingredients and of cooking.
Farm-to-liver: Organic vodkas, gins, and rums. Liqueurs infused with organic fruits and/or herbs. As if you can taste the difference with something that’s 80 proof.
Farm-to-back alley: Marijuana growers who tout their product—hydroponic or otherwise—as superior because it’s lovingly made in small batches by a lifelong farmer.
It’s nearly Fall. Our ephemeral Boston summer has made her appearance and, as with any lady of a certain refinement, made her exit. An intrigue, merely. Nothing more. Strike all that. Perhaps I’m jumping the proverbial gun, altogether. But in fashion, the business I’m in by some stroke of serendipity, summer has left. Whether the weather should concede is another subject entirely.
The coming weeks bring with them a new season, both for fashion and for StyleBoston. Come next Wednesday, we’ll be shooting our major Fall Fashion feature segment, taking a somewhat left-of-center approach. But right as our first segment of the new season airs (September 10th! Mark your calendars!), I will be in NYC, attending the S/S 2012 shows.
This is the nature of the beast. The inexhaustible machine which begets a particular, fashioncentric variety of A.D.D. I cannot articulate it sufficiently to those who do not work in the industry. I won’t bore you by trying. Consider it my good deed of the year.
To that end, please accept my apologies if my characteristically-long-winded Letters are… well, succinct. We’ll be back to my regularly-scheduled world of wordy horrors in no time. Because you were so worried, right? Yeah, right.
Much love,
JGC
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…
This probably shouldn’t be aimed toward the Western set of consumers, but spoonplus has got to be the coolest thing since sliced bread. This is a Spork for the elite, allowing you to eat anything you deem worthy of your bento box. Having lived in China for four months, I’m of the mind that chopsticks are a better, more efficient, and more convenient way to eat everything… except soup and yogurt. Problem immediately solved with spoonplus.
Designed by Paris-based designer Aïssa Logerot, I sincerely hope Spoon Plus makes it into every home wares store this side of the pond. Preferably, before the holidays so I can make some stockings proud.
Remember when I wrote this? Eh. Probably not.
Well, I stand corrected on it. A tad, if not completely. OK, I’ll get there. Keep reading.
Every once in a while, something sneaks up on you and messes with something you knew you were absolutely right about. Maybe it’s J. Lo getting weirdly beautiful post-40 after you long ago decided she was a mall-rat-wannabe has-been. Or maybe it’s just a Robert Frost poem, which struck you as a lovely ode to how delightful nature can be, but is actually about, you know, keeling over dead. Or maybe only slightly less dramatically, it’s a plate of food that catches you completely by surprise.
I showed up at the bar of just-opened Forum with expectations of nothing other than getting a solid drink. (This was, after all, the new incarnation of Vox Populi. Which is all I’ll say about that.) And while they may still be working out a few kinks delivery-wise,the program is indeed already cocktails-solid. Incredible, flavor-sharp martinis. Beautiful, citrusy gimlets. After one of each, to make sure I got home alive, I also wolfed down an order of raviolo.
That’s not a typo. Ravioli’s a bunch. E replaced by O means you get one lone, gleaming pasta dome. It’s three bites at most, but who cares? In those three forkfuls, worlds intermingle. Because inside that pastry is an egg, meticulously poached during the cooking process of the pasta, so its yolk flows as soon as a fork splits it. Bacon shards and shingles of black truffle are scattered about it, and ricotta turns it into a something more like a savory dessert.
But really, it’s all about that damn egg. To which I, having thrown down my gauntlet strongly in the anti-egg-topper camp, must now admit that there’s just something ridiculously cool about having an egg ooze out at you surreptitiously, meaning from inside a dish as opposed to from its top. Maybe it’s the element of surprise a hidden treat imparts (though from a culinary standpoint that makes zero sense). Maybe it’s respect for novelty in the cooking process that demands. Mostly though, I’m guessing it’s that this dish just simply works, thanks to the strength of the bacon’s flavor, richness of the ricotta, and the texture of the pasta’s delicacy—all of which don’t just stand up to, but actually kind of demand the egg. Yes, yes, even if it were on top.
That just about justifies my 180, then, right? Good. Now I can go order another and still sleep tonight.
Raviolo, $16, Forum, 755 Boylston St., 857-991-1831, http://forumboston.com.
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!
I am your proverbial health buff… yes, the yoga-practicing, Kombucha-drinking, tincture-dropping,
tofu-munching kind. It’s annoying at best, especially since one can so easily stay svelte on a regimen of
espresso and nicotine. But then I just look at a picture of than Janice Dickinson and I’m right back to OM-ing.
Truth is, the only qualm I have about the natural lifestyle (aside from the Birkenstocks) is the damper it puts on my nightlife. Every time I approach a bar, it’s like an epic battle between my inner-health-buff and my inner-working-professional-who-just-wants-a-stiff-drink. The healthy Me is all, “Liver damage, enamel corrosion, hypertension, excessive sugar, empty calories …” and there’s my other side who can’t say anything because she’s drooling over the thought of a pomegranate mojito.
And thus, my greatest challenge has been to establish some semblance of accord between that which is good for my health and that which is good for my sanity. So imagine my thrill when the alcohol industry began to see a lucrative target market in granola-crunchers like myself. The bait: an innovative line of vitamin- and nutrient-infused liquors. Nutritious alcohol? The Holy Grail of health-conscious boozers! (Cue: angelic choir.)
Among the most compelling options, is Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka, certified by the USDA and distilled in the heartland of Idaho. It goes through a rigorous filtration process to remove impurities, resulting in a smooth taste without common additives like citric acid or glycerides. If you prefer a more flavorful spirit, you can opt for Fragoli Strawberry Liqueur, chockful of hand-picked antioxidant-rich strawberries. Stir in some of the Colorado-born iX Mixer for an extra splash of electrolytes, vitamins and minerals to combat dehydration and preclude that impending hangover.
Be wary of a concoction of a particular kind called Devotion, the industry’s first 80 proof triple-distilled protein-infused vodka.
Whenever you throw protein into something, you run the risk of intersecting the muscle-head demographic. This was my skepticism with Devotion… until they picked up the Jersey Shore’s Situation as their spokesman. Needless to say, skip this packy purchase.
If you want to stick to the typical bar lineup, opt for red wine with its heart-healthy polyphenols; or whiskey, which incidentally has the same antioxidant content as your daily dose of Vitamin C and contains the same cancer-fighting ellagic acid that you’ll find in fruit.
With these innovative options, I am no longer between on-the-rocks and a hard place when it comes to my recreational sipping. I’ll drink to that, hold the guilt.
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.
Maybe it’s this New England weather, but of late I’ve been more and more reverse homesick: pining for my shortlived home, that city of angels, Los Angeles. Beyond the obvious (In-N-Out, celebrity sightings, jaw-droppingly overdesigned outdoor shopping malls, the endless stream of ‘interesting’ tourists, kitschy wax museums, and, you know, those gorgeous beaches), L.A. also has a trove of hidden gems of an altogether different variety.
One of my favorites? The Annenberg Space for Photography, a “cultural destination dedicated to exhibiting both digital and print photography in an intimate environment.” Located on the Avenue of the Stars in West LA, the space is sleek, modern, compact, and impeccably curated. And with an ever-growing list of generous donors, admission is completely free.
It’s a rare sort of venue, where both the beautifully raw and the brutally real collide and communicate. A collection that challenges perspectives and invites dialogue. The exhibition currently on display, Beauty Culture, was described by Harper’s Bazaar as “a seminal examination of photography’s role in capturing and defining notions of modern female beauty and how these images profoundly influence our lives in both celebratory and disturbing ways.”
My heart is all a-flutter at the thought of an impromptu California vacation. Sipping on some of Urth Caffe’s boba tea, having a chunky bite of that food of the gods, an In-N-Out burger, taking an easy stroll to the ASP, and wrapping up the day with feet-dunking and night fishing by the Santa Monica pier…
Shall we book our flights together and get a group discount?
Those of you who read my Letter from the Editor last week know that I spent the Sunday prior in Gloucester, slaving away on a photo shoot. I didn’t tell you why or whatfor because, these days, I like to keep my secrets.
That said, the results are now ready! I have to admit the day ended up being far more fun than it was work (due largely to the crew I worked with, and largely to the phenomenal weather that day…).
So take it in, kids: one of the last vestiges of summer. As a California transplant, I’d say I did all right, non?
All clothes courtesy of Neiman Marcus & Stel’s; all shoes courtesy of Sperry. For purchasing info, leave a comment and we’ll give you the details…
