One of our fellow Bostonistas cuts her hair approximately every third day. (She claims it’s every six weeks.) We’ve become so inured to the sight of her rolling into the office with significantly changed hair that sometimes we forget to comment…or, um, notice.

But the last time she came from a cut, all of our heads swiveled. Her always-cute short hair had become…way cuter. It was a little edgier, a little more noticeable, and a lot more her.

The man behind the amazing handiwork, it turns out, is Dean Mellen. Though a newbie to the Newbury salon scene, he has 20 years of experience coiffing the likes of Claudia Schiffer and Christina Aguilera. Read the rest of this entry »

Hypothetically speaking, if we were obsessed with Mandy Moore, the single entitled “Crush” from her self-titled 2001 album in which she coos, “Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody / But there’s no one to talk to, nobody knows / I’ve got a crush on you / A crush on you, I got a crush” would sum up exactly how we feel about the popstar.

And if that was the case, we would gloat just a little bit because we share hair colorist extrordinaire Jeffrey Lyle with the A Walk to Remember star, who frequents Boston because she’s from Nashua, New Hampshire. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s travelers have more options than ever when booking trips online. Some are decidedly time-saving; others, not so much. Indeed, Al Gore’s little invention has spawned an entirely new way of thinking about travel, not to mention swapping tips and slamming unworthy destinations.

And just when you thought the virtual travel market was saturated, along comes another upstart, this time from former Bostonian Alex Trieb.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bostonista seeks: Workout that can produce Jessica Alba pre-baby (or, hell, post-baby) abs with minimal sweat output. And: By the weekend. Thanks.

We’re not lazy. We’re just busy. We’ve logged plenty of hours of back-breaking, pre-dawn, gym-based masochism. But it’s just so easy, especially in the summer, to give our workout the brush off in favor of more compelling uses of our time. Like, say, bargain hunting. Or drinking our co-workers under the table.

But at long last our excuses have met their match. Jamaica Plain-based Boston Pilates has teamed up with diet.com and YouTube to launch the kind of workout series even we can’t argue with—that is, the quick kind. Note: This is, unfortunately, not the same thing as the painless kind. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though Bostonista’s not exactly back-to-school shopping anymore (it’s been, um, a year or two…), every August we still feel that natural (read: tax-averse) instinct to replenish our closet with new goods. So what if said goods now include sundresses and spaghetti straps from summer markdowns? You’ll see us supporting the habit at Habit and plenty of other purveyors this weekend. For the likeliest Bostonista sightings, head to:

Barneys Denim Promotion
Barneys New York, Copley Place
Aug. 11-25
From Aug. 11 to 25, bring in a pair of your previously loved denim jeans, and Barneys will recycle them and give you 20 percent off your next pair.

dresscode
2 Elm Sq., Andover
Through August 31
All summer merchandise is 20 to 50 percent off, including jewelry, shoes, bags, and clothing by Rebecca Taylor, BCBG, Diane von Furstenberg, Seven for All Mankind, Ella Moss, and more.

Envi
164 Newbury St.
Aug. 15-17
Spring and Summer apparel is up to 60 percent off at Envi, a store that offers one of the biggest selections of eco-fashion in the country with brands like C&C California, Edun, Loomstate, Terra Plana, and more.

First Date
28 Chestnut St., Andover
Aug. 15, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Aug. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The entire collection of summer tops, dresses, skirts, and pants are marked 40 percent off and jeans and all accessories, including jewelry and bags, are marked 20 percent off. They’ll also have special “Double Date” areas where it’s buy one, get one free.

Habit
703 E. Broadway, South Boston
Through August 31
Habit’s holding a birthday party to celebrate its second year in business—and you’re invited! Included with the invitation: 15 percent off every non-sale item in the store, including new fall merchandise and jeans. Items that were already on sale are now marked down 20 to 80 percent.

It may be the rainy season here…but in PR Land, it’s holiday gift idea time. So we stopped by the Eliot Hotel yesterday to check out new offerings from La Mer and Jo Malone.

Some thoughts: We’re used to over-the-top gift ideas. We really like Jo Malone. And we’re clearly not opposed to conspicuous consumption.

But…whoa. The visit raised a couple questions…

Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since monsoon season descended upon our once-sunny stomping grounds, Bostonista’s been feeling a bit tropical. And what better way to treat this than with vibrant greens, bonita browns, and glowing golds?

When we first heard about Crafting Change we were intrigued, and not just because the accessories sold on the site are hand crafted by Brazilian artisans and flown stateside in a 25-year-old’s carry on, but because they’re inexpensive (and not just by our, uh, lenient standards).

B.U. grad Emily Varga, of Allston, officially launched the Web-based nonprofit in February of this year. After spending months in and around Rio on urban planning expeditions, Varga was introduced to several artists working for local artisan cooperatives. Read the rest of this entry »

Here at Bostonista we’re not above namedropping. Who has time for modesty? Which is why we’ll quickly and easily take credit for a recent accessory adopted by everyone’s favorite soccer god, David Beckham. On the cover of the latest issue of Men’s Health, Mr. Posh wears the Platinum quad-link ring designed by Hoorsenbuhs (look closer, it’s there), an L.A.-based jewelry line co-owned by Boston attorney Todd Boudreau, which we introduced to you back in April.

Did Beckham pick up style tips from Boston magazine? Maybe; maybe not. We’ll go with the maybe. Read the rest of this entry »

What labels do we want on our threads? Designer. What kind of prices are we out to pay? Discount. Put ‘em together and what have you got? RueLaLa.com—a new way to shop.

Piggybacking off the infamous New York City sample sale model, RueLaLa stocks current season designer duds for women, men and kid—plus accessories and home goods—all with price tags reduced by at least half. A new one-brand, two-day sale featuring names like Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Hugo Boss starts every two days.

Launched in April by Wellesley resident Stacey Santo, the Boston-based private sale site exercises “private” and “sale” to the max. Read the rest of this entry »

Snobby isn’t exactly the right word for our approach to shopping. Particular is more like it. While we love a good pair of Prada pumps, we also appreciate the affordable good design happening over at Target. But there are some brands that just aren’t us.

We thought Old Navy was one of those chains. Until a few weeks ago, when an errand spree in South Bay Plaza changed our mind.

We first wandered into the cavernous store in search of a Peter Pan-collared blouse for an upcoming Fashion Masochist column. We walked out with an Ella Moss-esque striped sundress, a metallic gold knit dress that could easily pass for Helmut Lang, a Missoni-inspired bandeau bikini, and three cardigans (two striped, one solid black). All for under $150. Read the rest of this entry »