Boston shopping

[quiet heartbeat]

Oh, don't worry about it. That's a cool place. I'm a bit confused about it, though. So, you can go and get your measurements... then do you shop online at special places or does it just mean that you have perfect measurements to go off of when looking for a size that fits?

 

[mundodabolsa]

This is a far cry, but does anyone know any good/affordable places to have a watch battery changed? My mom said she heard that Bromfield Pen Shop was great, but I'd like to have an estimate beforehand; with Bromfield's, I'd have to send in my watch, which I'd rather not do.

is it a luxury watch? if not, there's a watch repair place in j.c. penney at the natick mall (if you're ever out there for something...) that does a fine job. it's kind of buried and hard to find in the store, but if you ask someone will direct you.

I've also been to the place on church st in harvard square, also good, quick and easy. it's on the end near brattle st, by the fire and ice.

 

[lucy92]

the iris Apfel clothing exhibit will be at the peabody essex in salem! this is the same exhibit that was at the metropolitan museum of art in NYC! i hope to see the exhibit this weekend!

http://pem.org/exhibitions/21-rare_bird_of_fashion_the_irreverent_iris_apfel

the peabody essex also has a fashion photographer's photo exhibit as well. the photographer is Valérie Belin. im not too familiar with her however.

http://pem.org/exhibitions/22-valerie_belin_made_up

 

[Scott]

so where are they moving louis to? i hope if it is because they want extra space and want to bring back some of that cult feeling,they'll get more interesting designers in again. when i was last there i was supremely disappointed how much their stock had become watered down from the years i visited prior. apart from dries there was nothing i was fond of. i remember they used to sell uber-idiosyncratic robert cary williams for crying outloud!

 

[lucy92]

its moving to the seaport district (on the silver line not far from south station), but their new building hasnt been built yet. it wont be until 2010 or later.

 

[lucy92]

has anyone had their hair cut at shag?


How hair guru Sandy Poirier turned a nondescript warehouse in Southie into the hottest salon in the city

By Alyssa Giacobbe, Globe Correspondent | November 12, 2009
For decades in this town, a hairdresser was either employed on Newbury Street or he wasn’t worth knowing. Then Sandy Poirier made a run for it. After years of salon-hopping up and down the strip, including stints at Safar and John Dellaria (“when it was cool,’’ he quips), Poirier fled to the hinterlands - OK, Southie - and set up shop in a beat-up warehouse across from Murphy’s Law. He installed a single chair and a sink. He dubbed the joint Shag.
In the four years since, Poirier has turned Shag into the hottest salon in the city and established himself as the most ambitious - or at least the most relentless - man in the Boston hair business. Outspoken, mightily tattooed, unapologetically self-promoting, Poirier’s about as far from the cool restraint of Newbury Street as you can get. Yet in a city still famous for its reserve, his bad boy act is working. This year, Poirier expanded Shag to 5,000 square feet, more than twice the size of the original. Twenty-three employees see as many as 100 clients a day.
“Sandy is certainly one of the biggest personalities in Boston beauty,’’ said William George, whose local mini-chain, James Joseph, has four locations, including two on Newbury Street. “He understands the performance aspect of the hair industry better than anyone else. Clients come to be entertained, as well as to be beautiful.’’
And entertained they are: Shag is the only salon in town with a permanent disco ball, club lights, and DJ setup. “I want the place to be more than just a salon,’’ Poirier said. “Salons are tacky.’’ A disco ball, it would seem, is not.
A self-described ADD sufferer, Poirier has some of the fastest shears in town, which allow him to see an average of three clients an hour even when his distractedness can take him away from the chair several times during a cut. One Saturday in October, he welcomed a new client, a conservative-looking IBM exec who’d flown in from North Carolina for the sole purpose of having her hair “shagged.’’ This, said Poirier, isn’t unusual. He’s become known for being able to rebrand a head of hair with little direction and good-to-great results. Few stylists in Boston can truly do this, and those who can - notably Jeffrey Dauksevich of Umi and street legend Dean Mellen, currently at Patrice Vinci - charge considerably more than Poirier’s $80. (Other Shag stylists charge $40 to $75.)
“I wouldn’t know where to begin to charge that much,’’ Poirier said of Dauksevich’s $400 fee. “I just can’t do that to people.’’
Unlike Dauksevich or Mellen, however, many of Poirier’s cuts are Hollywood-derived: recent favorites include the Kristen Stewart mullet, the Jessica Alba bang. When “Factory Girl’’ came out, Shag stylists learned to re-create Sienna Miller’s Edie Sedgwick pixie. Occasionally, Poirier will post a how-to on YouTube. His demo of the Alba bang cut generated more than 22,000 views.
Indeed, the camera loves Poirier; his exaggerated looks and say-anything approach make for great TV. In the last few years, his salon has been featured on MTV’s “Made,’’ the Style Network’s “Split Ends,’’ TLC shows “Makeover Train’’ and “Miami Ink,’’ and, most recently, Animal Planet’s “Superfetch,’’ in which Poirier’s French bulldog, Chloe, learned how to retrieve and deliver a smock. Poirier doesn’t have a publicist, relying exclusively on word of mouth and his side job as a DJ to bring in new business. He obsessively logs hours at the computer - Facebooking, tweeting, and, soon, blogging. After giving the IBM exec a new asymmetrical cut, Poirier sends her away with a Shag sticker and reminds her to watch “Superfetch’’ that night.
While Poirier is flamboyant - he likes being the loudest guy in the room - his motivation seems to stem less from a desire for money or fame than from a basic desire to please, bad attitude aside. When he’s not being cocky, he’s genuinely self-deprecating, and regularly turns to clients like Herb Chambers and local restaurateur Ed Kane for business advice. The rules he sets for his staff are few, but important: No gum chewing. No smoking during working hours. No cheap shoes.
“Some people interview, and I wouldn’t even let them watch my dogs,’’ said Poirier. Those he does hire stick around. “It’s not like selling T-shirts,’’ he said. “These kids are artists. I know when I was their age, I didn’t want to be told what to do.’’ So he doesn’t.
Poirier’s carefully cultivated look - what one pal calls “a hobby in its own right’’ - is that of a stylish biker badass: multiple piercings, blended tattoos, painful-looking ear decor. He favors head-covering bandanas or studded baseball hats, but what he lacks in coif, he more than makes up for in facial hair. His trademark beard is a long goatee, dyed black. On bad hair days, he’ll wear it in a braid.
“I always liked Sandy because he never apologized for who he was,’’ said Umi’s Dauksevich, who worked with Poirier in the ’90s at a Newbury Street salon called Eco Centrix. “Whatever point he was in his career, he always believed he was the best damn thing there was, and if you tell the world you’re the best, there are many people who will believe you.’’
Growing up in North Providence, where his dad owned a gas station, Poirier got into hairdressing to meet women, plain and simple. “A hairdresser friend was the guy who always had hot girls and cool cars,’’ said Poirier, who now drives a Porsche Cayenne with the not-so-subtle license plate 6969. “I’m not good at school and I’m not good at structure. But at hairdressing school, I was the only guy in the class - which had its advantages.’’
Like many creative types, Poirier has a love-hate relationship with Boston. He’s a local guy, dropped Rs and all, yet he can’t help but feel betrayed sometimes. And bored. At 40, he’s never been married.
“Girls here want the 6-foot-tall guy in the finance business who wears his Red Sox hat backward,’’ he said. “And if they don’t, they’ll go out with me for a little while and get nervous and go back to their old loser boyfriend.
“I’m not safe. They call me later and say, ‘Sandy, I made a mistake.’ ’’ He shakes his head.
He now lives in Quincy, where he can keep his car, motorcycles, and mountain bikes under cover and his dogs have room to run. Someday, he thinks, he’ll take Shag to New York or LA, but not yet.
“It’s like politics. Politics is local. Hair is local. Look at Mizu,’’ Poirier said, referring to the chic salon at the Mandarin Oriental, “thinking they’re gonna change the world. It didn’t work. The kids at James Joseph quit to go across the street and charge $25 more. They don’t get any better walking across the street. I don’t want to kid myself into thinking I’m ready for something I’m not. We’re close. I still have to do a little more groundwork here.’’ (George, for his part, said that James Joseph’s turnover is actually extremely low.)
That groundwork includes his sideline gig as a DJ at the Dom Perignon lounge at Bond in the Langham Hotel, playing mashed up versions of electro-trance and pop. “I have ADD bad,’’ he said. “That’s why I love to DJ. It gets me to a place where I can focus on one thing.’’

boston.com

 

[lucy92]

Tarek Hassan has done it again. The retailer behind The Tannery and Concepts stores is bowing another Tannery location in Boston this week, though the grand opening is slated for March or April. Cambridge, Mass.-based Soldier Design created the three-floor, 21,000-sq.-ft. space, which sits in a high-traffic area close to Boston’s Mandarin Oriental hotel and an Apple store. The project, said Hassan, has been a labor of love from start to finish. “This is my baby,” he said. “This is The Tannery store that speaks the loudest.” Each floor has its own “language” through the assortment and merchandising, explained Hassan. The first floor is devoted to shoes, merchandised on special resin displays with illuminated features. A massive stone-crafted staircase lined with wood shelving leads to the second floor, which features denim, sneakers and outerwear, while the basement houses the store’s more exclusive lifestyle items. Top execs from Timberland, Thierry Rabotin, Mephisto and Sperry Top-Sider (not to mention Insider!) have come in to get an early look at the store, and the reaction has been stellar, said Hassan. “The feedback was unbelievable,” he said. “Many of them said it’s the best store they’ve seen.”

wwd

 

[ChrissyM]

has anyone been over to legacy place in dedham? i was there last week and was actually pretty impresssed...

really big... lots of stores...
urban outfitters (nice to have another location other than cambridge/boston with easy parking), anthropologie, lululemon atheletica, gap, victoria's secret, h&m....
lots more...

also good restaurants, a movie theater, a kings...

i'll definitely be going back i think

 

[porkchopgirl]

has anyone had their hair cut at shag?

i just did a couple days ago. i picked it because of the youtube videos and yelp reviews. i got mine done with a stylist that i think is one tier down from the owner. i thought the cut was going to be $65, but it ended up being $80! this is kind of a big deal to me since i usually go to chinatown and pay $35.

if you're used to paying that kind of price then it's worth it. my stylist was really nice and had good fashion sense (which is important to me in choosing someone to cut my hair). my friend who was with me did say my hair looked like it was professionally cut, but i dunno, i probably will stick with trims by my chinatown stylist. i would only go to shag again if i was going to get a drastic change.

 

[lucy92]

Best of the new: Shopping

January 31, 2010
Jonathan Adler This jolly store has “Happiness Is Chic” as an entrance sign and the manifesto “minimalism is a bummer.” (It also boasts that its lamps will make you look younger and thinner.) With whimsical home furnishings and tongue firmly in cheek, Adler’s offers colorful decorative wares that can cheer up any modern home. 129 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-437-0018, jonathanadler.com
The Tannery Not all coveted shoes come with stiletto heels. The Tannery’s new mega-store in the Back Bay is all about comfort with style, from the airy street-level displays of cool shoes and boots to the hip denim, outerwear, and sneakers on two. The basement, set to open this spring, is expected to stock limited-edition streetwear and collectible kicks. 711 Boylston Street, Boston, 617-267-5500, thetannery.com
G Green Design Center Build green with countertops of recycled glass, cabinets of wood from sustainably managed forests, insulation made from blue jeans, and other products sold at this eco-friendly building supply center. Trim your carbon footprint on a smaller scale with stainless-steel water bottles, compostable picnic ware made of cornstarch, and reusable sandwich wraps that double as colorful place mats. 134 Washington Street, Norwell, 781-561-1221, ggreendesign.com
Robert Marc Sale Shop Known for fashion-forward eyeglasses worn by celebs like Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, and Matt Damon, Robert Marc has opened the company’s first-ever outlet shop in Boston. The elegant boutique offers savings of 50 to 70 percent on a wide range of designer frames, with on-site opticians available for consultations. 35 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-450-4900, robertmarc.com
Blvd. With Boston’s skater nation in full force throughout the neighborhood, Blvd. is perfectly positioned for its target market, selling everything from streetwear denim, T’s, and hats to collectible kicks and skateboard gear. Ironically housed in an elegant brownstone, the store adds a bit of culture with its rotating art shows. 251 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-391-0233, blvdboston.com
OCD Obsessive Compulsive Design Local BFFs Jeffrey Osborne and Cristina Moniz have been selling Osborne’s gorgeously colored notecards printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based inks at specialty stores around the country. Finally we can browse the entire collection in their atmospheric shop outfitted with sleek fixtures and black Venetian-glass chandeliers. 460B Harrison Avenue, Boston, 617-669-2433, ocdboston.com
Moxie Lightning strikes twice for shoe mavens, as Karen Fabbri adds a Wellesley location to her Beacon Hill Moxie boutique of fabulous footwear and handbags. You’ll find the same of-the-moment styles (with many Boston-area exclusives) in a too-pretty-for-words setting designed by local talent Kristine Irving of Koo de Kir. 24 Church Street, Wellesley, 781-235-1833, moxieboston.com
Pawsh Dog Boutique & Salon The friendly owners of this Back Bay shop have made it a popular pooch paradise for pet owners. Necessities include healthy food, poop bags, and a wide selection of leashes and collars, all at reasonable prices. And check out the entertaining toys, amusing gourmet treats, and irresistible attire for your pup, as well as the on-site grooming downstairs. 31 Gloucester Street, Boston, 617-391-0880, pawshboston.com
Cynthia Rowley Known for her super-chic dresses, separates, and outfit-making accessories, Cynthia Rowley was sadly underrepresented on the Boston retail scene. No more. The designer’s sleek and sophisticated Newbury Street boutique is her fifth American store and makes shopping for day-to-evening a whole lot easier for local fashion trendsetters. 164 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-587-5240, cynthiarowley.com
Ted Baker
UK export Ted Baker chose Boston to open its 11th American store featuring the brand’s urbane-with-a-twist upscale collections for men and women. You’ll find smart work-to-weekend wear in a whimsical decor that’s a Mad Hatter version of the Boston Tea Party, complete with vintage cups and saucers everywhere. 201 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-450-8339, tedbaker.com
Simplemente Blanco Simply white, indeed, with earthy colors from nature sprinkled in. Designer Fernanda Bourlot showcases her tactile creations -- snowy soap flakes in test tubes, cowhide patchwork pillows, woolly hot-water bottles, leather-trimmed flannel log holders -- in an ethereal South End space with exposed brick walls that’s bathed in sunshine. 460 Harrison Avenue, Building B, Boston, 617-734-3669, simplementeblanco.com
Flock At this welcoming neighborhood boutique, moms and daughters alike can find comfortable, casual clothes that are stylish without being trendy. Mother-daughter owners Danielle and Lisa Kupsc choose the eclectic merchandise, a mix of cool California lines and sophisticated new designers. 274 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, 617-391-0222
Pinkyotto This small chain of girly boutiques has a devoted fan base in New York, and now Boston. Creative director Ryo Liu gives her flirty designs a cool French street-scene aesthetic while keeping prices surprisingly low. With just a few sizes in each style, you won’t see yourself coming and going. 156 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-236-1238, pinkyotto.com
Mila Lilu Taek and Nikol Kwon shuttered their Newton Highlands location in favor of a shiny shop in Copley Place, with an increased emphasis on well-designed gear for urban babies. Mod orange highchairs and bentwood bouncers mingle with Bob Marley T’s and patent-leather boots. A rental program that lets parents test high-end strollers is great for tourists, too. Copley Place, Boston, 617-965-6505, milalilu.com
M. Flynn Accessories In a town where “preppy” can often devolve into a mess of Easter pastels, sisters Megan and Moria Flynn do it right. The accessories, stationery, and home goods in the tiny whitewashed South End boutique skew accessible, not overboard: Love & Toast lip balms, Tocca candles, and the in-house line of mixed metal and gemstone jewelry. 40 Waltham Street, Boston, 617-292-0079, mflynnstudio.com
Roost Feather your nest with affordable “urban country” accessories (rustic forms expressed in industrial materials), many manufactured locally or created by artisans. Owners Jamie Metsch and Kate Leavy stock everything from delicate gold necklaces to laser-cut felt place mats to organic soaps wrapped in decorative paper. Don’t miss the many offbeat cookbooks. 40 Front Street, Salem, 978-744-4663, roostsalem.com
Casa Design Boston Floor-to-ceiling windows and stained oak floors set the stage for sleek Italian living room and bedroom installations and high-concept kitchens, plus a lighting gallery where fixtures of glass and crystal hang like jewels. Owned by Zhanna Drogobetsky, who also owns Italian Design in Brookline, the new South End showroom features pricier lines in a 2,500-square-foot space designed by Meichi Peng. 460 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 617-654-2974, casadesignboston.com
Boldfacers Pop-Up Stores Since launching Boldfacers.com in 2007, multimedia whiz Lisa Pierpont has educated readers on Boston’s most interesting and stylish people to know. Now she’s aiming to dress them. Monthly pop-up boutique events turn her website’s Fort Point office space into a short-term retail endeavor showcasing discounted clothing, accessories, and specialty goods from indie designers and local stores. 15 Channel Center Street, Boston, 617-428-0500, boldfacers.com
Giuseppe Zanotti These statement shoes already sell at Saks and Barneys, but the more exotic pairs can only be found at the new retail space in Copley Place. Though the rock-star-meets-haute-couture styles top out at nearly two grand, the star-spangled booties, chain-fringed stilettos, and wild animal-print wedges are still plenty of fun to gawk at. Copley Place, Boston, 617-262-4100, giuseppe-zanotti-design.com
South End Athletic Company No need to sacrifice form for function here. The running haven features a concentrated selection of colorful sneakers from brands that include Saucony, Asics, and Mizuno. Accessorize with a pair of punchy Oakley Frogskins shades or a neon Freestyle Shark watch and you’ll be pounding the pavement in style. 652 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-391-0897
Isla Beach House When Liz Claiborne dropped Sigrid Olsen’s eponymous clothing line in 2008, Olsen bounced back by opening this clothing and gift shop in Gloucester’s charming Rocky Neck art colony. The seasonal store is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Olsen’s watercolors and hand-painted ceramics number among the bohemian wares. 77 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester, 978-281-1766, isla-beachhouse.com
Filthy Rich of Boston Celebrity jewels make you drool? This North End boutique features faux gem look-alikes from Hollywood’s golden age right up to sparklers sported by current red-carpet favorites, including Angelina Jolie. You’ll also find close to 100 replicas of jewelry and accessory pieces worn by style icon Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. 402 Hanover Street, Boston, 857-366-4620, filthyrichofboston.com

OPEN Bicycle A new kind of bike shop, OPEN Bicycle pairs postindustrial chic -- hand-typed tags, hand-painted frames by independent builders, metal parts fanned out on the wall, and an adjacent art gallery -- with workaday tuneups and tire changes. Despite their fierce color-coordinated bikes and skinny jeans, the regulars are surprisingly friendly. 285 Washington Street, No. 18, Somerville, 617-666-6736, openbicycle.com
J.E.M. Jane Elizabeth Miller (thanks, mom and dad, for the evocative initials) proves what’s old is new again with innovative reworkings of found objects. Rusty iron flanges become frames for convex mirrors; vintage jewelry molds shine as objets d’art in shadow boxes. Miller’s groupings of antiques with artisan wares are inventively superb. 470 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, 617-391-0490
Peng Sought-after interior designer Meichi Peng’s minimalist SoWa home-goods boutique sources one-of-a-kind furniture and accessories from Asia, including rare Buddha heads, and museum-quality artifacts. Contemporary European brands and Peng’s own collection of hand-sewn leather goods keep the vibe modern. 460 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 617-521-8660, meichipeng.com
Ben Sherman Famous for its association with London mods and musicians, this rockin’ British-based company chose Boston to open its fifth American store. The merchandise mix for men is sleek, elegantly casual, and hip without being obvious. The moneyed, moody look of the store is as seductive as the merchandise. 154 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-236-1165, bensherman.com

Legacy Place Legacy Place in Dedham defies the ailing retail scene with a fresh take on what a suburban mall can be. First, it trades the typical all-indoor claustrophobia for a refreshing open-air experience. Second, it jettisons department store anchors for the draw of an upscale mega-Whole Foods Market (complete with a mind-boggling array of food bars, amazing face and body products, and a seemingly endless selection of wine, beer, and cheeses); movie theater Showcase Cinema de Lux; high-end restaurants like Aquitaine and the Met Bar & Grill; a giant L.L. Bean (below, at top); and guy magnet Kings bowling alley/bar/restaurant (below, at bottom). Stores are a mix of national chains and local boutiques, with something to entice everyone in the family. Don’t miss: Stellabella Toys, the Cambridge favorite with fun and educational playthings; Tis Tik, specializing in lovely handmade items from artisans in developing countries; and OOP! for whimsical gifts and crafts. Finally, wind down at Stil Studio, a stunning yet restful space offering everything from yoga classes and exercise wear to soothing incense, aromatic candles, and beautiful ethnic jewelry. 950 Providence Highway, Dedham, 781-329-3009, legacyplacededham.com

boston.com/globe

 

[cigalechanta]

It's all in today's Boston Globe!!

 

[lucy92]

there is an all saints store opening on newbury street where pottery barn used to be. i am surprised.

 

[ChrissyM]

ooh interesting news...
i might have to check that out, thanks lucy

just read the other day that there will be/is(?) a louis boston temporary shop over in the seaport area while they're building the new one...

have they moved out of the old location already?
i'm not too "up" on the louis boston news as i don't shop there since it's really not worth the temptation being out of my price range

 

[dreamecho]

I'm not to "up" on it either, but I think Louis Boston on Newbury is closed.

Also, from yesterday's DailyCandy:

[SIZE=-1]LouisBoston Pop-Up Shop Opens
What: Snag spring items from Peter Pilotto and Juan Carlos Obando while awaiting Louis’s permanent space (debuting in April, pant pant).
Why: Patience pays.
When: Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Thurs.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where: 1 Marina Park Dr., Fan Pier (617-262-6100).[/SIZE]

 

[cigalechanta]

yes the newbury St has been closed and today's Globe mentions the sale at the temporary site on the waterfront BUT if it's anything like the sale on Newbury at their closing, It was awful, all the dregs!

 

[zigzag]

They had better hurry up and get the new store open before they lose their customer base. These days it's hard to carry anything unique making it worth the trip when almost everything is available online, and often for less money.

 

[lucy92]

some of you might be interested in this fashion event:

The 2010 Forum, Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the World of Fashion, is scheduled for Monday, March 22, 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Burden Auditorium at Harvard Business School. This year’s panelists are Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief, Vogue magazine; Michael Kors, American fashion designer and judge on Lifetime Television’s Project Runway, and Natalia Vodianova, Russian model and Philanthropist.

register here http://www.harriscentermgh.org/

 

[With_the_wind]

Thanks for this, Lucy.

On another note, I sincerely hope that the quote in your signature was a joke.

 

[eugenius]

Hey, if, by chance, anybody spots this @ any of the local H&Ms, can you please drop me a pvt msg here? I called the ones in Downtown Crossing & Newbury, but both times, the sales assocs. were like "Huh?" (which means they probably didn't order it)..Thanks! (source: hypebeast.com)

 

[lucy92]

most of the sales associates at the boston stores are rude and incompetant. if youve gone into the other H&M thread in "shop till you drop" youll see me ranting about them. if you ask a sales associate for the item youlll probably be instructed to "come in every day and look for it as we get shipments every day".

your best bet is to print out the page on your computer from H&M's official website that shows the item and ask a real manager, not some person that that only works part time.

having said that, you are probably out of luck. that item (im assume you are looking for the skirt) will probably only be available at the 5th avenue flagship in NYC.