Nicole Richie Gives Boston a Stylish Stamp of Approval

"Everybody looks great!" the star designer said at last night's Nation Jean Company fete.

Posted by Charlotte Wilder on 4/26/2012 at 10:41AM | No Comments

Boston rolled out the pink carpet for celebrity Nicole Richie, the special guest at yesterday’s grand opening of National Jean Co.’s Newbury Street store. Richie, the creative director of the clothing lines Winter Kate and House of Harlow 1960, spoke to reporters and posed for photos before a party celebrating the new store and her collections. The champagne flowed as the city’s fashionistas trotted out heels, leather, and jumpsuits — almost as if we had something to prove.

We shouldn’t have worried: When a reporter asked whether she thought Boston was stylish or not, Richie replied, “You’re like the third person who’s asked me that tonight, and I see where you’re going with this. Someone told you guys you’re terrible, right?” (It was GQ, of course, and we’re still smarting.) “Well, it wasn’t me,” Richie continuted. “From what I’ve seen tonight, everybody looks great!” Good to know that we’ve got a celebrity endorsement of how we dress.

I asked Richie about drawing inspiration from the ’60s and ’70s, a fact apparent not only in the name of her jewelry line (House of Harlow 1960), but in the styles she sent down the runway. The gowns were flowing, the sleeves wide, and the hemlines short, all an homage to the age of Aquarius. “I would say, as a whole, I truly am inspired by the 60s and the 70s,” she told me. “I love the music of that time and the overall freedom, the idea that clashing didn’t exist, that you were able to mix fabrics and prints.”

Richie’s own dress last night was made from two different prints; she practices what she preaches.

Here, some photos I snapped of Richie’s clothing and jewelry as worn by models at last night’s show:

 

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Rag & Bone Opening Drew Crowds, Tom and Gisele

The quarterback and the supermodel were among the guests at Friday's soiree.

Posted by bostonista on 4/25/2012 at 11:21AM | No Comments


(David Neville, Tom Brady, Marcus Wainwright, Gisele / Photo by Bill Brett)

What’s better than a store opening with a surprise cameo from local darlings Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen? Friday night, Rag & Bone had it all. The royal couple — clad in R&B — posed for photos and mingled with guests over champagne and cocktails amid racks of tailored, classic pieces: black blazers, gauzy sheer blouses in tangerine and turquoise from the spring collection.

We chatted with Rag & Bone designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville about Boston, Tom and Gisele, and their expanding brand.

Q. What about Boston made you want to open a store here?

David Neville: We were very taken by the city. It’s very pretty. It reminded us of England I think.

Q. Is there an ideal man or woman you design for?

DN: Tom Brady and Gisele.

Marcus Wainwright: There isn’t one, to be honest. It’s a way of thinking. It’s a mindset about clothes and what’s important about clothes. It’s about a style that mixes several things together, from very simple and easy casual-kind-of-clothes to very high-end pieces and a whole range of influences—a collected kind of look that is not head-to-toe and can apply to someone who’s 16 or someone who’s 60.

Q. How would you describe Boston’s style, and where does rag & bone fit in?

DN: I don’t think it is possible to define Boston’s style — or we’re not capable of it. But I think Rag & Bone is a good fit because we have a lot of classic clothing and we also have a lot of fashion, but there are a lot of different people who can wear [it]. I think it’s because our roots are sort of British and in tailoring, so some of it is very wearable — classic but still cool — and I think that’s going to fit well with the people in Boston.

Q. Does your Newbury boot have anything to do with Newbury Street?

MW: The Newbury boot is named after the town in England that Newbury Street was named after. So, sort of.

— Kimya Kavehkar

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Louis Sets up Shop in the Back Bay

Posted by Courtney Hollands on 4/20/2012 at 1:06PM | 1 Comment

Later this spring, a 200-square-foot satellite location of Louis — offering accessories, jewelry, and more for men and women — will open behind the concierge desk at the Mandarin Oriental. The boutique’s Fan Pier flagship isn’t going anywhere, though, according to the Louis blog:

“When owner Debi Greenberg chose to move the store to this location, her intentions were to take luxury into a new direction. With the current growth of our new neighborhood, Louis is thrilled to have established roots in an innovative and evolving area. There is no intention of leaving the waterfront.”

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HAIRraising for Children’s Hospital

Get a cut and give back.

Posted by bostonista on 4/19/2012 at 5:14PM | No Comments

Warm weather is here — it’s the perfect time to shed those luscious locks for a cause. On Sunday, April 29, HAIRraising, a national campaign co-founded by John Frieda to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston, invites you to tame your tresses for a $40 donation at one of the more than 50 participating salons across New England.

But why save donations for just one day? At Naz Kupelian Salon, HAIRraising has become a month-long initiative. Because for Kupelian, it’s personal.

When his daughter suffered from a potentially fatal heart condition at just two-years-old, Children’s Hospital performed the operation that saved her life. Today, she’s in college. And so for all of April, clients of the Naz Kupelian Salon will be asked to donate $2 (or more) after their regular cut.

Kupelian has promised to match donations, dollar for dollar. The salon has already raised $300. “We need to give something back,” he says. “Everybody does.”

You’re about due for a summer ‘do-good, right?

Naz Kupelian Salon, 311 Woburn St., Lexington, 781-676-7791, nazkupeliansalon.com.

—Hannah Lott-Schwartz

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Fashion Bigwigs Visit Harvard

Last weekend's Retail and Luxury Goods Conference brought Max Azria, Frederic Fekkai, and other boldfacers to Cambridge.

Posted by bostonista on 4/17/2012 at 4:52PM | No Comments


(Max Azria / Photo by Evgenia Eliseeva)

Harvard Business School presented fashion giants such as Max Azria of BCBG and hair styling master Frederic Fekkai at the 8th annual Retail and Luxury Goods Conference last weekend.

About 150 students and industry professionals networked and attended panels.

Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, was the first keynote speaker. He spoke at the Sheraton Commander Hotel Saturday night to celebrate the CFDA’s 50th anniversary.

Max Azria spoke to students in the second keynote speech Sunday morning. He talked about leaving school at age 15 to create his business, and he urged students to take risks.

“Since I didn’t have a lot of background in school, but a lot of background in life, I will try to share my life story, that outside of school, there is a life story, too,” Azria told Bostonista before the speech.


(Anya Ayoung Chee / Photo by Evgenia Eliseeva)

Panel topics included emerging markets, new business models, and more — and panelists represented global brands such as Dafiti of Brazil and Louis Vuitton in India. “Project Runway” winner Anya Ayoung Chee talked about her advocacy to create a market for fashion in the Caribbean during one discussion.

— Kate Spalla

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Bonobos to the rescue

The online retailer will help guys find the right fit at its Newbury Street shop.

Posted by bostonista on 4/16/2012 at 6:00PM | No Comments


(Courtesy photo)

The difference between a crisp pair of pants and a sloppy pair of pants could be a few centimeters of fabric. Online menswear retailer Bonobos is opening a store on May 1 at 85 Newbury St, to help confused, hapless dudes understand the difference and to find the best-fitting duds. Style and fit experts — “Bonobos Guides” — will give mini-lessons about mixing prints, styling a pocket square, and cuffing pants to inspire sartorially challenged long after the temporary store skips town.

Guys can schedule 45-minute appointments or just drop in. Swim trunks, sweaters, jeans, polos, and the brand’s most popular item, washed chinos, will be available for purchase.

— Kimya Kavehkar

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Karhu and Olavi Suomalainen at the Tannery

The winner of the 1972 Boston Marathon on sneakers, training, and what he does now instead of running.

Posted by Charlotte Wilder on 4/16/2012 at 5:37PM | 1 Comment

Last Friday, the Tannery and Karhu Running hosted a meet and greet with Oliva Soumalainen, the Finn who won the Boston Marathon in 1972 (above). I stopped by to chat with the running legend, and with the head of Karhu, Huub Valkenburg, about the company’s new shoes. Valkenburg bought the line in 2008, and has been bringing back the original shoe designs since then. “I wanted to preserve the authenticity,” he says, “it’s not a brand that comes out with a new technology every year, so we can really celebrate the original designs and explain why the shoes are made the way they are.” Karhu certainly stays true to its roots — the brand has remade its Fulcrum Stars from the ’70s and will release a remake of the original training shoe from the ’60s in the fall.

Kahru has also outfitted an Airstream trailer as a moving museum to the shoes and their Finnish heritage (photos of the Airstream courtesy of Karhu).

Here’s what Olavi had to say about his golden marathon:

You won in 1972 — did you run other marathons in the States? What made you choose Boston?

I just came for Boston because it was the most famous marathon at the time.

What was your training like?

Well, I started running around 16 or 17, when I realized I had the ability to run long distances. I just kept running and running. Then, in ’72, I heard about a qualification race organized by the Finnish-American Association (who sponsored the Finnish runners going to Boston). They typically took the first two finishers; I placed third. But the first guy didn’t want to run Boston that year, so they took the two next best.

And you ended up winning! How many people did you beat out?

Yes, I did! 1,700, maybe? It wasn’t that many, but…

Do you still run a lot?

No, not really. I don’t run every week, even. I do mostly skiing, endurance cross-country skiing. I’ll ski about 15-30 kilometers at a time. I was just skiing where I live in Finland yesterday, 300 km north of Helsinki. I’m a little jet-lagged now.

A pair of Karhus similar to the ones Olavi wore to win the ’72 Boston Marathon.

Today’s model of the same shoe.

Valkenburg shows off the Karhu running shoe from the ’60s.

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Boston Gets the Boot(mobile)

Don't be alarmed if you see a giant L.L. Bean boot cruising the city streets this weekend.

Posted by bostonista on 4/12/2012 at 12:42PM | No Comments

Attention L.L. Bean lovers: the Bootmobile is coming to Boston.

As part of its 100th birthday celebration, the Maine-based outdoor outfitter has constructed a painted foam-and-fiberglass boot-truck (the laces are made from tug boat mooring rope) — it will roll into the Hub this weekend:

- Friday: From 12-4 p.m., the Bootmobile will grace Kenmore Square for opening day at Fenway.

- Saturday: Hit the shoe-shaped vehicle in the Common from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for fly casting lessons and other outdoor activities.

- Sunday: The Bootmobile will visit two L.L. Bean stores: Dedham (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) and Mansfield (3-7 p.m.)

- Monday: Burlington’s L.L. Bean store will host the mobile at 9 a.m., before it heads to the Lexington Patriots Day parade at 2 p.m.

Don’t miss out on this silly sight — L.L. Bean will donate one dollar to the National Park Foundation for every person who stops by the shoe.

— Madeleine Coleman

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Ten’s a Trend: White On

Bostonians around the city are stepping out sans color.

Posted by bostonista on 4/12/2012 at 12:13PM | No Comments

The fashion rule about only wearing white between Memorial Day and Labor Day has definitely gone out the window. Last fall, stylephiles and editors alike wore white at fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, and London. I’m currently seeing white all over Boston. Both men and women are in light jeans, jackets, coats, and the occasional suit. I recently unearthed a white blazer I purchased in 1999 — it would seem that now is the perfect time to start wearing it again.


[Harvard Square]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Newbury Street]


[Harvard Square]

— Martini Severin

Martini Severin, founder of Beyond Boston Chic, will contribute occasional “Ten’s a Trend” posts to our Bostonista blog.

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Street Style: Worldly Style

Allison Peck looks East for fashion inspiration.

Posted by bostonista on 4/10/2012 at 3:40PM | No Comments

Shopping is like hunting for Allison Peck, a 22-year-old waitress living in Allston. She browses the internet for inspiration and scours open markets in Asia for deals and steals. Her mix of high-end and thrift makes for a young, ultra hip look.

When I saw her near Government Center, Peck was wearing Cynthia Rowley sunglasses, a Forever 21 sweatshirt, denim shorts from a Korean market, foottraffic.com tights, and shoes from a indie Rhode Island shop.

Do you have any stories about the pieces you’re wearing?

Well, I got this bag from the flagship Uniqlo in Shanghai … These shorts are kind of cool. At Korean street markets, you can bargain for your clothes and everything is in random sizes, and you can’t try anything on, so you just have to sort of guess.

How do you find inspiration?

I follow a lot of fashion tumblrs, a lot of really random people.

— Kate Spalla

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