Winter street style in Boston can be difficult to shoot, because it’s basically a look book of coats and boots. Don’t get me wrong, I love my cold weather wear, but my heart skipped a beat and my finger itched to click the shutter the minute I saw Opal Phomgphaibool strolling down the streets of Harvard Square. I was actually on the phone, thinking I’d wrapped up shooting for the day, when I caught sight of her; I hung up without explanation (sorry, Mom) and raced over to take photos of the one woman I’d found not wrapped up in down feathers or wool. Opal is from Thailand, where she’s a street style blogger herself for “Cheeze Magazine.” No wonder she looked so good and laughed when I told her why I was stopping her.
What are you wearing?
The skirt is Forever 21, the jacket is Lucky Brand. I got the bag at a market Thailand, and the boots are from a store in Stockholm. The sunglasses are from TJ Maxx.
Where’s the last place you traveled?
Outside of the U.S.? Let’s see…I was recently in Austria.
Harvard Square is great for people watching, especially when scouting well-dressed Bostonians for Street Style. I took to the brick-laid streets and found Tufts students Eric Wilkenfeld and Cameron Longyear. Eric looked totally rad in a fabulous orange vest by Ralph Lauren; I loved that he was bold enough to pair it with red pants, too — outfits get boring when everything looks like you bought it to wear together. Cameron, who’s from Manhattan Beach, brought the right amount of laid back Cali style to the Boston winter streets with her flannel and sweater. They were buying supplies for this semester, which is why Cameron, an architecture student, had her arms full.
What are you wearing?
Eric: This vest is Ralph Lauren; I got it at Bloomingdale’s on sale. The sneakers are Alejandro Ingelmo, the sweater is Roberto Collina.
Cameron: My shirt is from my best friend’s mom’s boutique in California, Wright’s. The sweater is Rag and Bone and my boots are Steven by Steve Madden.
What are you listening to these days?
Eric: Well my guilty pleasure is Tyga’s song “Rack City.” But that’s not my normal favorite. Make sure you’re clear in the post that it’s my guilty pleasure.
I’m a year-round pedicure girl. I can’t say why, exactly, other than looking at my brightly colored toes is a strange sort of chromatherapy in the dead of winter. But no matter the time of year, a pedi never lasts quite as long as I want it to.
Enter MiniLuxe’s newest treatment: the Shellac pedicure. The manicure version has been around for a year or two, and the polish lasts for at least two weeks without chipping. The pedi involves the same process: after a file, oil treatment, cuticle trim, and exfoliation, toenails get four coats (base coat, two color coats, and a topcoat), each of which is cured under a UV light for 60 to 90 seconds.
The polish selection — created by CND — is limited to 30 shades, which is far fewer than the rainbow of Essie and OPI colors found on the salon’s polish wall. Inspired by Essie’s sparkly Shine of the Times lacquer, I opt for jet black with a coat of holographic glitter on top.
...And two weeks later. Photograph by Anne Vickman.
While I can’t help but wonder how healthy direct UV exposure is to my feet, being able to put my socks and boots back on as soon as the pedi is through is a major bonus. And two weeks later, it looks just as good as the day I left the salon—which means, presumably, it will last a couple more.
That new brand Ivy Prepster is based in New England (Sudbury, to be exact) is no surprise — we practically invented preppy.
Founder John Tesoro’s ties come in an array of different styles, from square-bottomed to pointy, polka-dotted to striped. He says that Ivy Prepster’s aesthetic is influenced in part by T. Hayashida’s “Take Ivy,” the iconic book on preppy culture from the ‘60s. The brand also draws inspiration from contemporary Japanese style.
I recently caught up with Tesoro at the Project New York trade show in Manhattan (why we Bostonians met in New York is anyone’s guess). He said the response to the ties has been great, especially among the college crowd.
I took these photos of their booth at the show — the Fair Isle-esque blue ties (above) are my favorite. I also love the pocket squares stitched with adorable little labels:
Have a hankering for a girls’ night out? Join the YWCA from 6-8 p.m. this Tuesday (Jan. 24) at Sara Campbell in the South End for an evening of food, wine, discount boutique shopping, networking, and empowerment — because that’s how we do.
From 6–8 p.m., you’ll mingle, sip, and snack with like-minded young professionals, learn about the YWCA and social change in Boston today, and meet some of the people involved, including YWCA Boston president Sylvia Ferrell-Jones and volunteer Jillian Campbell, assistant vice president at Bernstein Global Wealth Management.
When it comes to choosing between lipstick and gloss, I’ll grab the gloss every time. But, it comes with the need to reapply repeatedly. So when I stumbled across Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ Lip Tar, a super-saturated gloss that claims to be “the most highly-pigmented, longest lasting lip product on the market,” I had to try it.
Though Lip Tar doesn’t exactly sound like something I should be smearing on my mouth, the fact that OCC’s cosmetics are vegan, cruelty-free, and don’t contain any parabens sealed the deal.
Take note: A little goes a really long way. According to the company’s FAQ, the amount you would use with a normal gloss would be enough to paint your entire face. My strategy? Put a tiny amount onto the index finger and blot over the lips — an angled lip brush works well, too. This isn’t a grab-and-go gloss. It requires a mirror and some minor finessing for even color application.
But once it’s on, it’s on. The warm, pale beige shade I used (“Trick”) stayed put for hours, much to my surprise. I found that the finish itself was a bit matte for my tastes — I added some gloss on top to give my pucker a satiny boost. While I don’t think I’ll use Lip Tar every day, I will keep it handy for a night out on the town, since it comes in several fete-worthy shades (think: magenta, orange, and hot pink). It’s not the cheapest product on the market, but the tube’s long life span is worth the price tag.
$22, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, occmakeup.com. Photo via Goodshot
It’s been two weeks since I returned from holiday break and I’m just now unpacking my car and shlepping loads of clean laundry and newly acquired Christmas loot into my teensy apartment. This year, I was gifted an unusually high number of beauty products—some stellar, some … not. Let’s take a look:
Bare Minerals Pretty Amazing Lip Collection: Featuring two lip colors (“Savvy” and “Confidence”) and two lip glosses (“Sass” and “Oomph”), this collection is ideal for transitioning from day to night. The glosses are a bit thinner and shimmery, where the colors have a thicker texture, reminiscent of oil paint. I use the more neutral “Savvy” by day, but for my evening endeavors I perk up with a little “Confidence” followed by a sweep of “Oomph.” Covet factor: 5
Aveda Hand Relief Moisturizer: This citrusy, vitamin-enriched formula has a pungent aroma (think Tang), and frankly is just too greasy for everyday use. A quick douse feels refreshing, but this lotion’s inability to seep in is a major flaw. Clammy hands and a slimy keyboard aren’t providing much “relief” right now. Covet factor: 0
MAC Iced Delights Eye Bag: This prize pack comes with a Graphblack Technakohl eye-liner, a Zoom Fast Black Lash mascara, a slightly mini, slanted shadow brush, and a brilliant eyeshadow duo featuring “Silverwear” (an iridescent silver lilac) and “Blue Spruce” (a smoky teal with copper shimmer specs). This baguette is a stellar deal at $45 — yes, in the name of journalism, I looked up how much my grandmother spent — and makes creating a high-drama, smokey-eye look (in seconds, no less) a breeze. Covet factor: 10 Sephora Rhinestone Tweezers: These dazzling slanted tweezers jazz up my cosmetics cabinet and grab hard-to-reach hairs, while the rhinestones make the grip slip-free. Win-win. Covet factor: 10
Michael O’Rourke’s Leave It In Weightless Tangle Tamer: So the packaging alone is enough to turn heads, but it’s what inside that truly impresses. Loaded with soy, wheat, and oat proteins, Tangle Tamer stays true to its word: After a shower, just a spritz or two leaves hair soft, supple, and smelling like a day spa — all day long. Covet factor: 7
We’re so doggone proud of Polka Dog. Target picked the homegrown pet bakery, which has locations in the South End and Jamaica Plain, to be part of its new Shops at Target — basically, mini stores-within-a-store — program.
Polka Dog and four other boutiques have created collections (about 400 items in all, ranging in price from $1 for a nail file to $159.99 for a pouf from Greenwich, Conn.-based Privet Drive) that will debut in the retail giant’s stores nationwide and on Target.com in early May.
Polka Dog's collection for Target includes preppy collars. (Photo: Target)
Here’s a video introducing the collaboration, featuring Rob Van Sickle and Deb Gregg from Polka Dog:
As the ladies over at srsly. demonstrate, arguing with your friend about who should be photographed might not be the best way to get your fabulous mug on the interwebs:
Get your pretty paws on a full-length Marchesa gown (for less than $200!) or Linda Henry’s “edgy jackets and feminine dresses” at this stylish Boldfacers soiree at the W Hotel.
For $10, you can browse and buy clothing from the city’s tastemakers — and a portion of the proceeds will go to charity. The event runs from 7-10 p.m. and will also feature tunes from DJ eno.
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