Saturday at Assembled!

Last week I mentioned I would be journeying to Somerville to check out Assembled, the new local art market.  Lucky me, my talented blogger friend Katherine of Style Tab was also invited and we had a fantastic time! The 100 degree sweltering heat did not stop up from eating yummy food truck treats and picking up a few crafty pieces.

I bought three of these paper flowers

Yum! Sausage, pepper, and basil wrap from Away Cafe food truck. (Plus, live music!)

Sweating on the blacktop.

Sarah Wormann Art - love her drawings!  <-- check her out on Etsy

Give me ice cream!

Thanks again to the team at Assembled for having us! After I move apartments, I will definitely be hitting up the market again for some vintage furniture pieces...and maybe when the temperature is less Amazonian.

Where: Assembly Row, Grand Union Boulevard, Somerville, MA

When: Saturdays through September 21

Let's Get Assembled

Earlier this week I was super excited to be contacted by the team repping Assembled, the new art fair in Somerville.  Gotta love seeing more fun and engaging activities pop up around the city!

Here's how Assembled describes itself:

"Each Saturday over the summer (excluding some holiday weekends) local artisans will be selling handmade items including gorgeous jewelry, clothing, house wares, bath products, and more! Combine that with live music and food trucks (Bon Me, Frozen Hoagies, & Clover – to name a few!) for a fun and festive shopping experience!"

The theme at Assembled this Saturday is right up my alley: "White Barn Heirlooms: Recycled. Reclaimed. Re-purposed".  Perfect timing that the bf and I were looking at some older, aka character-filled, apartments this week.  One apt had stained glass, built-ins, and a claw-foot tub! I mean, come on, you had me at the lace curtains on the porch.

Assembled is also hosting an amazing little game each week. Below are four images of products at the market.  If you find one of these items, you get to keep it for free!  Who doesn't love a scavenger hunt?! {My heart is set on the tiles in the last picture... hint hint}

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see what I find!  You can follow Assembly's tweets too {@AtAssemblyRow}, and their hashtag {#ASSEMBLE}. 

I can't wait to see what the vendors have for our {hopefully} new home!

MiniLuxe Manicure

So truth be told, I'm not really a manicure girl.  Pedicures are one of the top-ten-best-feelings-in-the-world, but in the past, manicures have done me more harm than good.  Do not weep for me ladies, I've found a solution...

In the endless swag bag from the Blog Better Boston Summit last month, there was a gift card for one manicure at MiniLuxe.  The salon has seven locations in the greater Boston area, so I made an appointment at the Newbury Street spot this week.  (I definitely recommend booking an appointment.  I was told it was a 'slow night', after I commented on how busy it was for a Tuesday.)  Although the digs were not as snazzy as I expected for the price tag and stigma, the staff was very friendly and the place was spotless.  Other clients seemed to have wonderful relationships with their manicurist or esthetician, which I really appreciate.  

MiniLuxe has its own line of nail polish (as well as Essie, OPI, and the usuals in the salon).  The line is a 'healthier' option, free from the harmful chemicals and formaldehyde in other products.  The color I chose is called Luxe Lolita, it's a cheery bright purple.  I couldn't seem to get an iPhone picture to capture the true color, no matter what light I tried, so just imagine it darker and more purple than the photo below.  I recommend Lolita for a bold statement; I also loved Shamrock and Gilded from the MiniLuxe line! 

A manicure at MiniLuxe is more than just a polish change. My lovely manicurist, Marsha, took her time and cared that I was relaxed and happy with the perfect end result.  Thanks Marsha!

P.S.- Spot my new Kate Spade bag in the background of the last picture?! Hot pink plus stripes, on a huge tote. I'm so in love...

Bonobos + Bow & Drape Event

Last night, I stopped by the Bonobos Guide Shop on Dartmouth Street for an event co-hosted by Bow & Drape!  The two companies are a match made in heaven (if they were people, they'd totally date).  Both make specially tailored clothing, and have a classic American style that everyone needs in their closet.  A couple decked out in these duds, walking down Newbury Street, would be a perfect picture of Boston living.  

Bonobos and Bow & Drape are revolutionizing the way we can shop.  Both are set up online with guides to getting the perfect fit and creating a custom look.  The Guide Shop for Bonobos is a sanctuary for guys who have no clue what they're doing, or prefer to leave the opinionated gf at home (eh hem, not me).  No purchases are made in store, rather it's like an oversized fitting room filled with cool clothes and expert stylists.  My roomie and I were impressed by the Guide Shop, and are attempting a plan to get our bfs there asap.

Here's a peek at the event!

And one of my favorite quirky details... 

Follow them on Twitter for updates and events (or just to chat, they're pretty cool peoples)! 

@Bonobos

@Bow & Drape

Weather

   Everyone in the Northeast right now is like "OMG, have you seen this weather we're having?!?"

  
  Making small talk about the weather is annoying. It's a fall back conversation for awkward elevator rides, first dates, and co-workers with which you share nothing in common besides living under the sun.  I have these chats daily. Mind numbing banter has been the cornerstone of my past two jobs (sad, I know) so I've become quite good at it.  (I've also learned that a smiley tone of voice will get you through anything.)
   Anywho, back to the weather. It really is quite strange today here in Boston.  Gusty winds and rain this morning for my commute, and now humidity that reminds me of July.  A reminder of surfing, weekends in Maine, mountain biking, alfresco dinners, and stumbling home late-night without a coat.  The good life.  
   My engineer loves to get outside and play in the grass even more than I do (which is fantastic considering I enjoyed napping on the quad in college).  Thanks to him, last summer I kicked surfing, visiting Maine, and riding-in-a-Jeep-with-the-top-down off my bucket list.  I'm utterly ancy in my pantsy to see what summer '13 will bring. 
   

   I couldn't help but Pic Stitch a few summer moments together to share...

Clockwise from right: catching rays on The Esplanade, riding in the bed of a pick-up, driving to Nahant Beach, strolling downtown with my ladies, walking the jetty in Wells, ME.

Start-ups Pop-up

    One of my early resolutions for the new year is to get out and play in the city more.  There are way too many nights I spend lounging around the apartment because of chilly weather, or a suggestion to play FIFA (Commandment #5: Video Games). I want to wander around, meet interesting people, and attend fun events more.
    Boston's lack of reputation for a fashion industry tends to work in my favor;  I can sneak myself into some events just by showing interest.  It is fantastic.  Granted last year I had a legitimate reason to attend Fashion Week while I volunteered with Snapette, but the kickbacks continue.  So on Monday night, I hit up a new pop-up shop on Newbury Street for a small gathering.  I fought through my sniffles to stick to my resolution, and accepted the party invite that afternoon.
    At 115 Newbury, on the third floor, three new local start-ups have found a home to display their work until December 23rd.  (It's right above the Alex and Ani shop, where I admittedly stopped to buy myself a present.)  I encourage anyone and everyone to check out what these guys have to say on each of their sites, because I won't do them justice here.  

 Bow & Drape creates customized garments that a woman can design online from a selection of their fantastic basics.  I desperately want to design myself a Michelle Swing dress with studded shoulders.

 Project Repat creates cozy blankets out of your favorite old t-shirts. You ship, they sew.  The hippie in me loves this... hint hint.

Ministry of Supply is an innovative menswear line combining smart fabrics and sleek design.  These guys know how to keep a man looking and feeling cool, literally.  They used NASA-heat-regulation technology for their, aptly named, Apollo shirt!  Added bonus: the brand name is inspired by James Bond.

 

P.S-  These three are some wonderful examples of fashion + technology, which I began to preach about previously....and will continue too. Hey, it's kinda my life.

    Follow them all on Twitter, now:

 @BowandDrape 

@ProjectRepat

@MinistrySupply

Fashion is Smart

    "Smart" and "Fashion" may not be two words often used in the same sentence.  The Boston fashion and design industry is out to change that.

  Last night, I had the privilege of attending Boston Fashion is Smart, a panel discussion hosted at The Boston Globe headquarters.  It was co-hosted by Jay Calderin and Christopher Muther, with four female insider panelists (Valerie Fletcher, Alexandra Hall, Alicia Kennedy, and Michelle McCormack) who discussed everything from teaching fashion history, to self-promoting photographers.  It was encouraging and inspiring to be in a room of people who are trying to push Boston fashion forward, along with all other art forms.
   A big chunk of the night focused on conversations; it seemed to be the theme of the evening.   Pushing Boston forward will be made easier if people start talking and collaborating from all industries, the panel discussed. The idea of salons where insiders chat on a weekly basis, sharing ideas and brainstorming, was brought to the table.  Encouraging Bostonians to be comfortable with pushing the outfit envelope, and proving to ourselves as a city that our niche for fashion matters, was an important point as well.  Christopher Muther asked us all to stop thinking "That's too much for Boston!", when judging street style on Newbury, Boylston, and Mass Ave.
   My favorite part of the panel discussion was insider Michelle McCormack speaking about how she leverages digital media for her clients.  Her passion, experience, and advice were perfect.   "I'm not a blogger, but I keep a blog," she explained... which is exactly how I feel.  Not everyone who has a blog needs to call themselves a blogger. (But hey, if someone wants to pay me to do this one day, fantastic.)  She spoke about finding your niche and really going after it, find your people, "no bullshit".  I love that.
   While the panel brainstormed ways to create a motivated design community in Boston, McCormack suggested a mentoring program similar to tech start-up incubators.  She was recently involved with one in Kendall Square (shout out!) and thinks the fashionistas should take a cue from the techies. I couldn't agree more.  I generally live between the two worlds, and love to see them mingle.  Snapette is a fantastic shopping app (founded by Harvard grads!), Chic Geek is a great blog, Kate Spade makes the coolest gadget accessories.  The list goes on and on.

    Boston is smart. Boston has a fashion industry.  The two together make perfect sense for our scholarly city.