We’ve always thought of Labor Day as a great reason to get to the beach. Or the pool. Or the mountains. Or, frankly, anywhere that involves doing as little actual “labor” as possible. That is, until this year ushered in a nasty surprise in the form of the demolition of our cozy South End apartment.

Finding a new place to live was the easy part. Leaving behind our building mates was harder. But nothing, not even the gracious help of a few strong men, compares to the p.i.t.a. that is moving.

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So here we are, the last unofficial week of summer. Fortunately for us, September in 2008 is like July in 1998—sultry temperatures and sunny days. Which means we can squeeze every last wear out of our warm-weather wardrobe. But what, dear readers, to do about our white pants?

Most of us grew up listening to our mothers’ staunch Memorial Day through Labor Day edict; most of us also rolled our eyes and tried to rebel against the fashion statute. But yet, every fall we pack up our whites, eschewing all things light until snow ushers in acceptable “winter whites.”

This Bostonista loves her whites. She also loves and respects her very stylish co-workers. So late last week, she conducted an informal office poll: White after Labor Day—brilliant idea or fashion tragedy?

The votes are in…

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I’ve lately been in the downsizing mood. Changing apartments this spring satisfied my need to purge. A family yard sale soon after cleared out the rest of the old junk, including golf shoes (a nice thought); piles of costume jewelry, beanie babies, and cat toys; and the impulse-bought super deluxe grind ‘n’ brew coffee pot used once (a bitch to clean). I consign all clothes I haven’t worn in more than a year and recently downloaded all my CDs onto a hard drive and sold them off. I’m making an effort to keep the hoarding tendencies at bay.

But I haven’t quite been able to quit books. For one, it feels wrong. Two, I like having them around. I’ll buy a book I’m interested in as soon as I hear about it so that I don’t forget, which is why I’ve got piles and piles of high-quality unread books in my bedroom, office, and otherwise scattered throughout the house, and I still have imminent plans to purchase the tell-all by Madonna’s brother.

Enter the Kindle. (more…)

So… it goes without saying that we weren’t quite looking our best yesterday. And when we’re feeling particularly, um, not-well-presented, we sometimes like to turn our attention to people who are exceedingly put together. It’s our own particular brand of shaming/motivation.

And thus our topic today is the lovely Bobbie Thomas, with whom we chatted last week as she swung through Boston.

You may know Bobbie if you stick around the house long enough to veer into those dangerous third and fourth hours of the Today Show. (You know, the ones that prevent you from running errands or effectively “working from home” by offering a stream of mesmerizing Kathie Lee-and-Hoda montages.)

She’s the show’s beauty and style editor who is a) gorgeous and b) apparently routinely asked by her friend Justin Timberlake, “why does your face look like it’s glowing?” (Answer: Because she dusts a boomerang of Stila #9 All-over Shimmer from the outer edge of her eyebrow to the top of her cheekbone.)

In any case, that’s beauty authority enough for us. Here, Bobbie’s top five* tips: (more…)

Bonjour, Bostonista readers. I am just back from Paris, where all things cliche about the City of Light seem to be holding steady: flowing champagne, beautifully dressed skinny people, and jars and jars of foie gras. Also, shopping.

July marks the end of Paris’s famous “soldes” (that’s sales to you non Francophiles) at which heavily discounted designer duds fly out the door at up to 80 percent off. Even with the feeble U.S. dollar, it sounds like a Bostonista’s dream, non? There’s only one problem: how to fit it all in a suitcase for the return trip.

This quandary, plus other packing dilemmas, like how to stuff our gallons of hair products into a carry-on, had us puzzled. We could have let someone else handle our suitcase shipping, but we were determined to get it right ourselves.

So we enlisted two world traveling packing gurus for advice. Local chef and lifestyle coach Tony Polito (watch for his cooking show on WCAC) is no stranger to packing light. He’s currently off on a three-week Asian extravaganza—think Japan, Singapore, Vietnam—with just one small carry-on. And Christine Perkins, owner of Cambridge’s Pyara Spa and Salon (set to open a new Burlington location this fall), is just back from a week-long Bulgarian extravaganza. Here, their ideas for packing smart—and, possibly, saving room for those “soldes” items.

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While Boston heat waves (like the one we’re experiencing right now) usually transform the masses into frenzied A/C fiends, we usually get by just fine. But what about our four legged friends who share in that stifling misery?

We asked four area animal experts for advice on keeping your pets cooled down and safe as the mercury continues to rise. (more…)

The sun is blaring and the humidity is high. While you’re in the office, who cares? At home, though, battling the heat has economic and global implications. Sure, you could crank up the A.C. (or hold the freezer door open and insert your head), but that’s a tad impractical. Try out these 7 tricks to combat the heat without maxing out energy-hogging appliances. (more…)

My typical hair-doing routine is exhausting, and the results are lackluster at best. It involves a half-dozen products, a half-hour of haphazard brushing beneath a blow dryer, and about 20 minutes of flat-ironing and re-flat-ironing. Years ago, I stopped trying to master the round brush method; there was just to much long, thick, wavy hair and too little patience to go around. To me, nothing defines luxury like a professional blowout.

So when I heard that Salon Capri in Newton Highlands will be teaching a (free!) group blowout class this upcoming Wednesday as part of its new educational series, I was both skeptical and intrigued. (more…)

Now that it’s spring, Bostonians with chutzpah are remembering the bikes they’d left rotting in garages and basements. That coupled with the imminent environmental crisis makes this a perfect time to share a few riding pointers to ensure that you have a safe and pleasant trip. Here are my quals: I’ve been bicycle commuting for about 15 years in Boston and in Philly, daily distances ranging from 5 miles to 22 miles roundtrip, from 22 degrees to 102 degrees.

So let’s jump in! (more…)

The lobby of the Somerville Theater was a blue/gray sea of denim, chambray, and fleece. “Yikes!” I said to my husband. “These are my peers?” We were there to see Joe Jackson, Brit rocker of olde, and as I wondered if that nasty AARP card issued automatically at my big 5-0 could have maybe gotten us a discount, I also registered more than a little remorse that this is how my generation was choosing to express itself sartorially. I should have worn my wig!

The mostly male and solidly middle-aged crowd was as entertaining as the band, fervently swinging to the beat while singing along full throttle. I felt like a fly in a car ride of teens on a beer run. Except this time, the elation I was witnessing related to temporary liberation from pressures due to recession, marriage, and parenting. (more…)