My Christmas Wish List

Archive for the ‘Design & Art’ Category

MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

Posted by Anne Vickman on 12/21/2011 at 12:07PM | No Comments

The holidays aren’t all about presents. But … they do play a big part. Here’s my wish list of what I’d like to see under the proverbial tree* come Christmas morning. (*There’s no actual tannenbaum gracing my living room, as I don’t have a car, axe, or the motivation to make that happen at this point in my life.)

Ibex Shak Freestar Zip Up
I’m a carless commuter, which means that there are times during the winter when I have to just hop on the trusty, old bike and suck it up. So, having good gear is a must. This (soft!) wool zip-up from Vermont-based Ibex is a perfect mid layer: it’s thin, warm, has thumb holes, and is machine washable. I want it! $155, Ibex, 303 Newbury St., Boston, 857-277-1932, ibexwear.com. READ MORE

EYE CANDY: PRETTY MAPS BOSTON

Posted by Kaitlyn Johnston on 12/5/2011 at 10:46AM | No Comments

Forget the clichés of the Boston skyline from across the Charles. This season’s most wall-worthy treatment of Boston is the Pretty Maps series by programmer/artist Aaron Straup Cope over at 20×200.

A couple of summers ago when Stamen Design’s Pretty Maps first made its way around the web, everyone oohed and ahhed because of its Google Earth-like addictability and visual appeal. Behind the scenes, it’s pretty cool, too: The interactive mapping tool assigns colors and essentially overlaps numerous layers of community-generated data, including Flickr shapefiles, Natural Earth urban areas, and OpenStreetMap (OSM) road, highway and path data.

The resulting image looks like you’re flying above the city while looking through a kaleidoscope, or like this:

ETSY CRUSH: NERDY DIRTY

Posted by Anne Vickman on 11/18/2011 at 7:35AM | 2 Comments

Image courtesy of Nerdy Dirty

Graphic designer Nicole Martinez makes boldly colored prints that I can’t help but swoon over. The Miami, Florida native moved to Boston for her job as an art director for a local ad agency. “It’s nice to do side projects that are the furthest thing away from corporate,” says Martinez of her Etsy creations. “[It's] just fun design that makes people laugh … strangers from around the world buying your art simply because they dig it is the greatest compliment.” Martinez humored some of my questions about her quirky creations.

How did you end up with a career in graphic art?
I was gonna go to law school, and my best friend told me I would be miserable if I weren’t doing something creative, and she was right. I enrolled at Miami Ad School for art direction, and the rest is history. READ MORE

A VETERAN’S DAY TREAT: BEAUTY AS DUTY AT THE MFA

Posted by bostonista on 11/10/2011 at 8:03AM | No Comments

Photo by Ashley Wood

War and fashion: the two topics seem hardly intertwined. And aside from the media’s continuous coverage of Michelle Obama’s wardrobe, it’s rare for fashion to ever tie in with politics. Fashion is supposed to be fun, light-hearted, and focused on aesthetics. But as the new Beauty as Duty exhibit at the MFA demonstrates, fashion used to be so much more than pretty prints and flattering hemlines. The exhibit focuses on fashion during WWII, and as curator Alex Huff suggests, at the time, fashion was a woman’s contribution to her country.

“Vogue [magazine]emphasized the theme that beauty isn’t frivolous,” explains Huff. “It was your patriotic duty to look beautiful both for yourself and for the men at war.” In other words, being beautiful would lift both self morale as well as the morale of soldiers. Vogue wasn’t the only one to latch on to the idea – the British government seemed to find importance in stylish wears as well, and commissioned the first line of coupon-bought utility clothing to be designed by British couturiers. READ MORE

FASHION PHOTO EXHIBIT ‘LOOK AT YOU, BOSTON!’ OPENS AT CITY HALL

Posted by bostonista on 9/21/2011 at 1:42PM | 1 Comment

Photograph courtesy of Beyond Boston Chic

Back in 2008, Martini Severin set out to document the unique style she witnessed on the streets of Boston with her blog, Beyond Boston Chic. In just three years, the blog’s popularity has skyrocketed — so much that she landed her own photography exhibit at City Hall, which opened this week. We chatted with Severin about her inspiration, putting together her first exhibit, and the best places to go in Boston for a heaping dose of chic.

What inspired you to create a street fashion blog?
I’ve always had an interest in fashion. I remember growing up and seeing how wonderful my mom and my aunts looked when they dressed up. And when I got older and lived in France, my interest in fashion really elevated because I realized I couldn’t just walk out of the house in pajama pants. I spent more time on my appearance. Then when I came back to Boston, I just kept looking for something else — something that wasn’t just magazines. I thought, well, I’m going to take inspiration from Bostonians, and I decided to just start taking photos of people. It’s been a really wonderful way for me to get to know the people in this city and talk to them about why they’re wearing what they’re wearing. READ MORE

THE DAZZLING NEW MFA JEWELRY EXHIBIT

Posted by Brigid Nastasia on 7/28/2011 at 4:59PM | No Comments

Image courtesy of the MFA

The first, and frankly easiest observation to make about the new Jewels, Gems and Treasures: Ancient to Modern exhibition that opened last week at the Museum of Fine Arts is that yes, it is small. Roughly 75 pieces, nestled away in the new Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery, range from Nubian shells and tusks dating as early as 2400 B.C. to a 1990′s Harry Winston masquerade mask glittering with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires in an American flag motif. But while the vast amount of time represented by relatively few treasures means that no complete picture emerges of any one era, the impact lies not in the collection but in the tiny details.

Earrings and a brooch made from taxidermied hummingbirds are beset with ruby eyes. The 17th century German rosary shown here There are many different facets (pun duly noted) to take in. My personal favorites were the 17th century German rosary shown above, and a Verdura tiara from the 1950′s that mimics Native American feathers. Take the time to regard each piece with care, for detail makes the small limitless.

STOCK OPTIONS: THE PORT DAVIS VINTAGE FAIR

Posted by bostonista on 6/16/2011 at 9:55AM | No Comments

This past Sunday I visited the first installation of the Port Davis vintage fair at the George Dilboy DFW Post in Somerville. Walking in was like being transported to a chic mid-century modern garage sale, complete with a Mad Men–style cash bar. Because who doesn’t like a little martini therapy while channeling their inner Joan Holloway?

Although I opted to forgo the cocktails — seeing as it was only 10:30 a.m. — the soundtrack of classic hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s piped through the loudspeakers overhead kept me in the spirit as I perused the 10 vendor stands awash in shades of orange, olive green, and brown. I strolled past a variety of shag rugs, bulbous ceramic table lamps, crates of vinyl records, and a hot dog sofa playfully dubbed the “wiener couch” (a nod to a certain present-day political scandal?) before spotting a rack of clothing that looked like it was wheeled in straight from Betty Draper’s closet. Jackpot.

Among the nearly mint-condition duds — all from the same estate and dating back to the ’50s and ’60s — were an elegant off-white Anne Fogarty tea-length dress for $175, a structured tangerine-and-teal linen dress by Bonwit Teller for $75, and a precious peach cardigan with a matching white polka-dot belt for $35. Not only were the clothes in great shape, but they also came in sizes made for the 5’3” and under crowd — a rarity, I’ve found, in the world of vintage clothing. I walked away with a lovely $38 navy and white striped bolero. Not bad. Best of all, the fair’s vendors accept credit cards. At the next table, statement-making costume jewelry (think vintage Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent necklaces) flashed and twinkled. A thick blue Larry Vrba necklace, made from re-purposed mid-century baubles, was on sale with a pair of matching earrings for a mere $950. Hmm, maybe I could use a drink, after all. Luckily the fair offered a variety of items priced to fit any budget, including furniture, kitchenware, books, handbags, artwork, and collectibles.

If you missed the fair this past weekend, don’t fret. The Port Davis Vintage Fair promises to return the second and fourth Sunday of each month this summer through September at the same location. But a word to the wise: Get there early to avoid the devastation of seeing a ”sold” sign on, say, your favorite Ballpark frank–inspired davenport.

Every second and fourth Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 371 Summer St. (VFW Post 529), Somerville, 617-304-4978.

Stephanie Horst contributes to Boston‘s online fashion and lifestyle coverage.

SPRING FASHION: BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Posted by A. J. Downey on 3/1/2011 at 1:00AM | No Comments

Boston magazine whiz designer Liz Noftle snapped some shots documenting how we really pulled off the impossibly bright, gravity-defying scenes shown in this issue’s spring fashion spread. Click through the slideshow to get a glimpse of just how a fashion photo shoot actually happens.

EDITORS’ PICKS: PRESSBOUND

Posted by Tanya Pai on 2/24/2011 at 11:23AM | No Comments

Call me a late bloomer, but I just recently discovered the greatness that is Etsy’s Shop Local option. I was so excited by my “find” that I immediately emailed a fellow Bostonista scribe, who directed me to Pressbound, a shop stocked with letterpress cards, calendars, and journals in a variety of vintage-y, Polish-inspired designs (think: art deco flowers, playful fairy tale characters, and graphic birds). Everything is handmade using a combination of digital and block prints. Melissa Gruntkosky, the shop’s owner, is a freelance graphic designer and adjunct Emerson professor who teaches desktop publishing and design to grad students. Passing notes in class never looked so sophisticated.

etsy.com/shop/pressbound.

DESIGN SALON BOSTON

Posted by Rachel Slade on 3/12/2009 at 12:02PM | 2 Comments

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.

Archive for the ‘Design & Art’ Category