Tongue-in-cheek T&A store Agent Provocateur will give Newbury Street passersby more than they bargained for this Saturday. The venerable lingerie retailer will host a live window, with models showing off the goods… the store’s, that is. Once you’re done ogling the window displays, head inside for free sparkling vino and a peek at the new spring collection. Pick up some sweet nothings for yourself or that special someone and receive a sample of the store’s signature Silk Soap, which doubles as lingerie wash, to keep your delicates smelling delish. -Tanya Pai

Live window: Sat. Nov. 21, 2-6 p.m., Agent Provocateur, 123 Newbury St., Boston, 617-267-0229

Finally, after a grim few months of store closings and vacant windows, Newbury Street is finally getting some action. Joining designers Ted Baker and Jonathan Adler, who set up shop on the strip in the past few weeks, British apparel brand Ben Sherman celebrated its fifth U.S. locale (154 Newbury St., Euro-menswear boutique Sean’s former space) last night with the just kind of blowout the city’s fashion scenesters have been craving. The guest list was tight—and full of beautiful people, natch. The rose petal-flecked vodka cocktails went down easy.  And the music was just right, with DJ Mom Jeans a.k.a. Danny Masterson (who many might recognize as Steven from That ’70s Show) spinning. (View the party photos, with host Ben Mezrich.) Read the rest of this entry »

In today’s hair-raising world, there are certain salons that are making the cut. Between new openings, relocations, and extended Sunday hours, we give you the rundown on which local salons are succeeding by switching things up. Plus, we rounded up some last-minute appointments for cuts and color that you can book for today, Saturday, or even Sunday.

Jeffrey Lyle Salon

Jeffrey Lyle is going solo. The Best of Boston 2009 Colorist Blonde winner has left Emerge and opened his own salon, Jeffrey Lyle Salon, at 135 Newbury St. on the 3rd floor. Stylist Tim Robishaw has also made the move, where he’ll continue cutting, styling, and giving one of the best blowouts in Boston (runner-up for Best of Boston 2009 Blowdry). You can book an appointment now by calling 617-391-0551. While Jeffrey is booked all weekend, Tim and Justine Piecuch still have some last-minute openings for tomorrow.

Last-Minute Weekend Appointments
Saturday: Tim, 9 a.m. or 11 a.m.; Justine,  10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., or 1 p.m.
Info: Jeffrey Lyle Salon, 135 Newbury St., 3rd Floor, 617-391-0551, jeffreylyle.com
Salon Hours: Tues., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sassoon Salon

Photo by Eric Levin.

Sassoon Salon is commemorating its 20th anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than with new digs and Sunday hours? The salon moved in late July from its previous Newbury Street location to a bigger, brighter, sleeker spot on Boylston Street, right near Parish Café, where, starting this Sunday,  they’ll be one of the  few salons in Boston to remain open on Sundays. Good news for us workaholics who can’t get out of the office to get our hair done during the week!

Last-Minute Weekend Appointments
Today: Haircut, 3:15 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Color, 1 p.m.
Saturday: Haircut, 1:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; Color, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Sunday: All day, 10:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Please call for availability.
Info: Sassoon Salon, 399 Boylston St., 617-536-5496, Sassoon.com
Hours: Mon., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Tues., 9:15 a.m.-6:15 p.m.; Wed., 9:15 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-6:15 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sat., 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sun., 10:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

Want him to be more spontaneous? How about a spur of the moment proposal? Ladies, here’s an idea on how to plant the seed, and see what grows. Because sometimes guys need a little hint.

Get all glammed up with your man and head to the Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, where gorgeous deep mahogany meets country club elegance. The Bill Laughlin Jazz Quartet performs on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:15 p.m.

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Hi. Look, we need to talk. As per our agreement, I’m doing our shopping for us. I’m out there everyday looking at condos and spending my evenings combing zillow.com and trulia.com, and all of this is for us.

But I have to admit—the $300,000 we’d originally agreed to is a paltry sum, in spite of the economic collapse, etc. So I’m telling you now: We need more cash.

I hope it’s okay that I unilaterally decided to nudge the lever a bit to the right for us, for you and me. Because although we’d originally agreed to keep things, well, under control, I can assure you that searching in Brookline, Allston, and Cambridge for a lovely 2-bedroom for under $400K can seem a little like trying to find a Prada bag at a yard sale. Read the rest of this entry »

Lady Gaga is performing at the House of Blues on Monday night, and we couldn’t have been more ready to put on our “po-po-po-poker face.” But since Bostonista sometimes leaves things to the last minute, we tried to score tickets too late in the game. And now the show is sold out.

Looks like Bostonista won’t be just dancing with Gaga and commiserating over our misplaced keys and lost phones (send us your numbers, people!).

We did the same thing to Britney. So we had to make a play for Canada. When all else fails, go to Canada, right? Our friend is getting married in May, so our concert date turned into a Montreal “girl’s weekend” and bachelorette party (complete with our two fabulous gay man-friends).

The Britney concert was a full-fledged circus with tight rope walkers, contortionists, acrobats, and more. And even though Britney only said one sentence that wasn’t prerecorded, we were really only there to see her bejeweled costumes and the dances anyway. Read the rest of this entry »

We get it. Like a lover who just can’t get enough of our regular weekday rendezvous, you suffer from Bostonista separation anxiety between our daily(-ish) posts. To that we say, right back at you. We miss your sassy, knowing eyes and your spot-on comments. And now, we can finally make you sat-is-fied:

No longer must we have such a spotty, once-a-day relationship. Because, in addition, your girl Bostonista will now be posting quickies via Twitter. Follow us here at www.twitter.com/bostonista for savory bites of news, gossip, and musings from the pulse of the local style scene at all hours of the day.

Remember when people used to get highlights with a cap? We still can’t believe we subjected our locks to such horrifying trauma. Stylists would place the cap over our heads, and use a hook to poke through the plastic and lace (more like rip) our hair out the other end. It left us looking like a Chia pet with broken strands everywhere. Not to mention the tangles. What a nightmare!

Then along came foils. Foils are pain-free and gentler on the scalp. They also keep hair tidy while the dye does its job, and the heat lamp interacts with the foil to speed up the color process. But while you wait, you risk looking like a satellite, or like your mom trying to get a tan by the pool in the ’60s. Not to mention the waste. You can’t recycle that stuff.

The next innovation in hair color is Balayage.

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Disclaimer: We realize that, thanks to the Internet, saying that Americans need more access to adorable animals is akin to arguing that the AIG guys need more zeroes in their bonuses or that Erin Lucas needs more hair accessories.

But we still maintain that everyone should buy Dirty Bow Wow…or at least flip through it at Borders. This delightful little book, by Boston-based design couple Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz, showcases local dogs and their playthings. Read the rest of this entry »

Mesa Arts Center - Shauna Gillies-Smith of Ground for MSI (GroundInc.com)

This week we were invited to speak to an extraordinary group of women. Called the Design Salon Boston, this informal organization brings together interior designers, architects, product designers, and writers once a month to talk about their trade and figure out how to do what they do better. We met up at the groundbreaking architectural firm, Utile, hosted by principal Mimi Love.

It’s about time someone figured how to gather the creative types in the city, but I was a little wary of the women-only bent. Wary, that is, until I witnessed its merits first-hand.

Read the rest of this entry »