I have a radio in pretty much every room of my apartment. Often I have several going at once, because I like the racket. In my bedroom, I have not one, but two: a Bose clock radio/CD and a Tivoli Audio clock radio (which, if you haven’t ever played with one, is badass. They sell them out of a cart at the Pru Center).

Anyway, I’m a stickler for audio quality, which is why my decision to replace a solid, though waterlogged, Zenith CD player in my bathroom with the cheapest thing I could find at Best Buy was so inexplicable. From day one, I absolutely hated it. (more…)

Yesterday I was reminded, not for the first time, what a profound act of narcissism raising a child can be. After finally managing to get myself and my two-year-old daughter, Sam, dressed and ready to go outside, I noticed that we were both wearing jeans and brown turtleneck sweaters. “One of us has got to change,” I told her. I elected myself, since it takes me a fraction of the time to put clothes on my own body as it does to put them on hers.

It was not, I admit, unusual for us to leave the house in danger of looking a little too prepared to enter a mother/daughter beauty pageant. (more…)

Breaking shopping news: Eight New York Macy’s stores will be open for business around the clock in the final shopping days before Christmas. (more…)

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen episode 5 of Project Runway, Season 4, you might want to stop reading now. This one’s a doozy! (more…)

Style-strapped locals often look to Bostonista for advice on a wide range of topics, such as what to wear, how to decorate, and which area hotel to visit for an afternoon tryst (seriously).

This week Trish* wrote:

Could navy be the new black in our house? I have many shades of blue and don’t really want black. (more…)

Just in case you didn’t feel guilty enough about shelling out $250+ for those of-the-moment jeans, a new book explains how their negative effect extends far beyond your checking account.

In Fugitive Denim, journalist Rachel Louise Snyder reports from just about everywhere as she examines the global politics behind a pair of jeans. (more…)

Facing the holidays with the perfect dress, hostess gift, and bag of goodies just became effortless. Portobello Road, a new store in Chestnut Hill opened by best friends Kristina Lyons and Marina Kalb, is a modern day multi-cultural bazaar filled with jewelry, home accessories, furniture, and clothing from around the world. It’s a serendipitous mix of style and substance. They like to call it “a store with a soul.”

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This past weekend, I was in Manhattan for a wedding. And without taking away from what was a very lovely ceremony (congrats, Glo and Sam!), the most worthwhile part of the trip took place on Sunday, when my friend L. and I stopped into La Petite Coquette, a lingerie shop on University Place in Greenwich Village.

Historically, lingerie is where I save money: I’ve been perfectly content with bras from the Gap and underwear from American Apparel. I don’t need heavy duty support, and I care more about function than form. Like most women, I’ve never had a proper bra fitting, either. So I was prepared to be told I’d been buying wrong; I just didn’t know how wrong I was. (more…)

Jesse Turtle may be raising his family in St. Petersburg, Florida, but his heart (and his accent) remain in the Bay State.

Raised in Cambridge by a poet mother, the t-shirt designer has always known the importance of words. Turtle and his wife, a graphic designer, have created a line of 100% organic t-shirts for men, women, and kids that double as a catchy and humorous tribute to Turtle’s hometown. (more…)

The weekend’s finally here…along with a crushing wave of “how the hell did it become mid-December?” panic (and, likely, a hacking cough lovingly passed along by your co-worker). Don’t worry: The marketing people at area hotels know you’re a huge mess, and they’re here to take care of you. Here’s a sampling of their stress-and sickness-obliterating packages.

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