In the Bag
Giving Thanks for 2011's Beauty and Style Bounty
11 trends to be grateful for this holiday season
All over the Hub, readers are readying to tuck in to turkey, tofurky and turducken. No matter your holiday style, gratitude is an accessory that flatters all. In anticipation of Thanksgiving 2011, we’ve found 11 style and beauty trends to celebrate.
Despite the difficult economy, signs of hope are emerging on the retail front. New openings like Sault, MassArt Made and the Sells & Co. pop-up store on Newbury Street are bringing new wares to the city, promoting under-the-radar artisans and supporting the local economy.
The MFA has made fashion a priority of late with exhibits honoring Arnold Scassi, African textile and precious stones. Elsewhere, Leslie Wilcox is showing garment-like shapes, From Minimal to Bling sparkles at Society of Arts and Crafts and there are rumblings that a Zandra Rhodes exhibit may come to MassArt.
Boston Fashion Week got a whole new look thanks to Jay Calderin and Edwina Kluender of Mandarin Oriental, Boston. A tented runway centralized the event and brought local talent like milliner Marie Galvin out of the woodwork and into the mainstream.
In 2011, a plethora of options for rugged cool menswear blossomed from seemingly nowhere. E-tailers Sir Jack’s and Boylston Trading Co. stock ultra-refined offerings for well-appointed gentlemen, and North End outpost Ball & Buck has handsome clothes and lifestyle goods made solely in the USA.
Innovative skincare solutions are flooding into (and out of) Greater Boston. UK brand Rodial has made its Boston debut in Beauty & Main stores, but even more exciting are Mass.-made skincare solutions. For a high-tech offering, check out Easeamine, created by a local medical school professor. For a more tailored approach, Stages of Beauty uses technology to battle aging with formulas for different life stages.
Festive though they may be, the holidays are hectic. With parties and dinners filling already-busy schedules, simplify your beauty routine by heading to Mario Russo’s pop-up holiday Blow-Dry Bar on Newbury Street. They’ll give your coif a quick post-work refresh, with a blow-dry just $45.
For Bostonians who just couldn’t imagine themselves on a treadmill, there’s a slew of forward-thinking fitness offerings that promote holistic health. Operations like OMBE, Exhale and Life in Synergy make exercise fun and approachable, viewing it in context of the body’s physical, mental and emotional needs.
Retailers and designers are finally uniting form and function at our wardrobe’s most basic level. Pretty meets practical at spots like Forty Winks, Intimacy and Sedurre. With solid and sultry foundational garments, wardrobes and attitudes get a much-needed boost.
Local businesses like the W Boston Hotel, Sells & Co. and Louis are attracting global talent to the city. In 2011, they amped up our fashion credentials by bringing in big–name designers like Zac Posen, Bibhu Mohapatra, Charlotte Ronson and Jonathan Saunders.
As I recently reported, mass luxury might be on its way out in favor of something that's a bit more personal. Local retailers like Drinkwater's Cambridge, Cibeline and Sam Mendoza offer custom designs and tailoring for a look that’s uniquely (and luxuriously) you.
Though Brady put on a brave face through two years of Bieber comparisons, the rest of us endured the shame. It was so far beyond time for this to hairstyle change happen. The Patriots may not have a stellar record this season, but a post-haircut cost/benefit analysis leaves all of us solidly in the black.
May your bellies and shopping bags be full this Thanksgiving! The Improper wishes all our readers a festive holiday and a bonne Black Friday.
