W2WW Around Town - Lots of New Kids in Town!

We here in Massachusetts are shoppers; what else is there to do with 10 feet of snow on the ground, I ask you?!  And, the retail world is starting to take notice.  

Opened last week is the first US location for Primark, an Ireland-based retailer who is competing with H&M and Zara for your super-trendy, disposable clothing dollar.  There are skinny jeans for $7, sweaters for $8, sneakers for $9 and a suitcase in which to carry it all home for $30-50.  I will pop over during lunch to see what all the fuss is about, but frankly, fast fashion, and all of the environmental no-nos that come with it, is not my cup of tea.

Image from theguardian.com.

Image from Cheryl Fenton.

Sometime this fall, COS will be opening it’s 3rd store in the US on Newberry Street. Jen and I discovered this little gem in Paris a few years ago. The better quality, classically designed, simple pieces are staples at this new younger sister in the H&M clan. (PS, Jen squealed with joy upon hearing the news!)  Check out a sampling of their goods.

Images from cosstores.com.

I think I'm most excited about Cost Plus World Market opening it’s New England location on September 20 in the vacated Office Depot space in Framingham. My friend Julie took me into one when I visited her in Florida and I was hooked.  Talk about a fun and affordable place to shop for everything from craft beer to home furniture and personal accessories to brighten up your spaces!  Here are a few favorites. 

Images from worldmarket.com.

Get ready for a shopping-filled fall!  Ladies, start your engines! ~ LB

W2WW News Flash - Joie store open on Newbury Street!

One of WW2W’s favorite go-to brands just opened a stand-alone last Tuesday in our backyard!  Though I was rushing to a hair appointment, I had enough time to pop in and snap a few pictures at the new Joie store, at 141 Newbury Street.  It is inviting and beautifully done.  

For those of you in the market for slides (ahem, Jennifer), these black and camel ones were cute.  

I really liked this blue Montserrat tunic top.  Over white jeans, or a suit at the beach, it’s an easy go-to piece for summer.  And they have in matching kids sizes too, a new line they’re just introducing this season.

Come here my pretty canvas and jute tote   When you’re not accompanying me to the beach on the weekends,  you will tote my laptop and shoes to work during the week.  

This picture has all my favorite colors and patterns, though I’m not sold on big florals just yet.

The first thing I looked for when I walked in was 'soft joie', which is their “comfy” line of very wearable and affordable pieces.  There was a pretty good selection - I hope they beef it up this fall.  That, and a 3-way mirror to see what’s going on in the back, and it’s all good.  Welcome to the neighborhood Joie! ~ LB

All images from Lisa Bida.

W2WW Around Town, News Flash, AND Cheap & Cheerful - Lou & Grey at Natick Mall

We really couldn't pick a category for this one so you KNOW our find has got to be GOOD.  And it is!  Lisa and I, both separately, wandered into a new store in the Natick Mall, Lou & Grey.  Located next to Ann Taylor and across from Madewell, it looked cool.  Tons of neutral colors (which TOTALLY appeals to me!).

Image from Jennifer Houston.

After wandering around and making a pile for the dressing room, I began to talk to the store manager.  She told me that Lou & Grey is an Ann Taylor company (in fact, their e-commerce site is a tab within the Ann Taylor Loft site), but with it's own designer. The Natick store was the second 'brick and mortar' store (first in Westport, CT) in the country.  

Humm, new and different?!?! Everything Lisa and I LOVE.  According to their website, "This is a clothing label born out of instinct.  We noticed women no longer want to choose between style and comfort, work or weekend wear - so we created an edited line of easy, texture-rich essentials for every day."

BINGO.  And guess what's even better?!  The price point!  The most expensive item I can find online is a jacket for $89.50.  I tried on a couple of things and ended up with 2 tops.  The first top is a doubleface, longsleeve t-shirt.  $39.50.  Will look great in early fall with white jeans.  

Image from loft.com.

The other top is a grey, cotton sweater (not found online) that I'm wearing right now, as I type this.  Great weight for this time of year, soft, with a split hem. $59.50.  With my white jeans, brogues, and a scarf - I'm updated and ready to go.

Lisa picked up a pair of pants which she claims to LOVE. These twill drawstring pants are the epitome of style and comfort.  And $59.50.

Image from loft.com.

While paying for my purchases, I chatted a bit more with the manager.  Not only do they have clothing, but have small home goods (think hostess gifts) and jewelry by American designers.  I loved the trays of jewelry laying around and the candles, books, and pillows mixed in with the clothing.

Images from Jennifer Houston.

For a little more information on the company, you can check out this Boston Globe article from September 17th.  Lisa and I highly recommend that you check out this store; it's going to become a go-to for us. ~ JH

My August Obsession - Veronica Beard Blazers

While most people I know are in beach/vacation/bathing suit mode right now, I'm in a full-blown-fall-fashion state of mind.  Call me crazy, but it's in the stores and ladies, NOW is the time to start shopping!  Especially for the hard-to-find transition outfits for fall.  I am trolling websites, stores, and trunk shows looking to fill the gaps in my wardrobe.  And as you all know, blazers have been a complete obsession for many years.  With the perfect navy blazer snugly hanging in my closet, my attention turns to finding the perfect black blazer.

My August obsession actually started back in May when Lisa and I had a 36-hour mini-break from our families, which really is a 36-hour shopping fest.  Just saying.  At any rate, we were in Viola Lovely in Boston's South End, when I happened upon a Veronica Beard blazer.  These are not 'normal' jackets.  These are super-cool and edgy jackets.  These are AWESOME.  

Images from veronicabeard.com.

Blazers with faux hoodie linings (and sometimes, faux cuffs!)!  Ok, they call them what they are: dickeys.  (And I hate that word - almost as much as I hate m-o-i-s-t.)  But think of the possibilities?!  Neat black blazer sans dickey for a cleaner look; black blazer with cool hoodie over jeans while running around town.  The options are limitless!

Here's why I'm obsessed:
1.  I need a black blazer desperately.
2.  I love the idea of a cool, multi-purpose jacket.
3.  They sell different dickeys separately, so you can change your look whenever you want.
4.  Viola Lovely didn't have my size at the time, so I'm DYING to try one on!

Basically every day, I've been going to their website waiting for the classic jacket to be in stock (pre-order only now).  And I'm waiting for the lovely ladies at Viola Lovely to call when they receive their shipment of blazers.  And I wait and wait and become more and more obsessed.

So while you are sitting on a beach reading this on your mobile device, I'm at home contemplating when I can get my hands on a Veronica Beard black classic blazer, with a grey, sweatshirt hoodie dickey.  Stay tuned. ~ JH

W2WW Around Town - Loving The Street's Additions

I'm not sure what happened at The Street this summer, but I LOVE it.  When we left, The Street in Chestnut Hill had a couple of good things going - Shake Shack, a huge Calypso St. Barth, Splendid (daughter's favorite), and Pinkberry.  Today, my daughters and I ran down there to have lunch (Shake Shake) and check out back-to-school stuff at Splendid.  Quick trip - an hour tops, right?

WRONG.  I'm going to have to allocate MORE time for future visits.  As I pull up to make the turn across Route 9, I see that some stores have filled in.  Helmut Lang?!?!  Vince?!?!  Holy cow.  My personal favorites all lined up.  Huge stand-alone stores.

I dutifully did lunch and Splendid with the girls.  Seeing that I had about 30 minutes left in them, I chose to visit Vince.  They have only been open 2 weeks.

This Vince store is the biggest stand-alone I've ever been in, including some of the New York stores.  It makes the Copley store look like a kiosk.  The depth of the line was so impressive to see.  I couldn't wait to dig in.  But really, I couldn't.  Why?  Because the kids were digging in!  Yes my friends, Vince has a kids clothing line.  Good news:  It's fabulous.  Bad news:  My kids LOVED it.  Small but great selection of classic mini-Vince pieces (no, they did not get the leather jacket).

But, my older daughter got a sweater and top, and my younger daughter loved a t-shirt.  Oh dear, what does this mean to me and MY clothing budget?!

As I was checking out and explaining how I would have to come back without my dear children to really dig in, they had one other trick up their sleeve.  Turns out Vince is launching a HANDBAG line this fall!  Yikes!  I can't even imagine how cool these bags will be.  The assistant manager, Chrysten (on a first-name basis already), showed me a picture of one of the bags that will be out.  Kinda love it.

Image from Chrysten Fahey, Asst. Store Manager Vince, Chestnut Hill.

If you find yourself near The Street, beware.  I'm scared for myself. ~ JH

Unless noted, all images from Jennifer Houston.

An old friend, rediscovered.

I had some time to troll around Newbury Street before a hair appointment last week and wandered into Steven Alan.  Thank goodness!  I always forget how much I LOVE this store, and I hope that by writing about it, I'll remember to visit every time I'm close by. 

Images from Jennifer Houston.

Why do I love it?  They describe themselves well:  "Steven Alan is a multi-brand retailer carrying a curated collection of clothing, accessories, apothecary, and home items for both men and women".  VERY well curated at that.  They carry some of my favorite designers - Clare Vivier, Band of Outsiders, Isabel Marant, and their in-house brand, Steven Alan.  They carry lots of designers that are new-to-me - which I love.  They have great basics.  It's a very cool vibe.  Clean lines, great materials.  Fantastic staff (at least at the Newbury location).

What did I check out this visit - these brogues by Rachel Comey.  I didn't think I was a brogue shoe girl, but maybe I am?  They are hunting for my size and I hope they find it.

Image from Jennifer Houston.

This cool dress.  It was a little short for me, but oh how I loved it.  With the shoes. 

Image from Jennifer Houston.

Image from stevenalan.com.

Next time you find yourself on Newbury, wander in.  You'll be glad you did. ~ JH

W2WW News Flash - Uniqlo descending on Boston area!

You can imagine me delight when I was walking into J.Crew in the Natick Mall and saw this next to the Apple Store:

Finally!  Uniqlo is arriving in Boston!  As you might recall from some earlier posts, Lisa and I love to hit a Uniqlo for basics.  And until now, that meant trekking to NYC for us.  A little iPhone research told me that there are 6 Uniqlo stores opening in the Boston area, with the closest ones to us being in Natick and Chestnut Hill!  Excited texting followed:

We are excited to get our Uniqlo basics locally!  August 29th is the day at Natick - just in time for fall shopping.  And yes, Lisa has a purse attached to her contact info on my phone. ~ JH

All images from Jennifer Houston.

Our May Obsession - a Cross-Body Bag.

Lisa and I had the good fortune to escape for 36 hours of shopping and relaxing last weekend.  We hit some new stores (Viola Lovely in the South End) and some tried and true favorites (Calypso, Saks).  All the while...obsessively looking for the perfect cross-body bag.  What do we want in this bag?

• Small enough to be light, but big enough to hold our wallet, iPhone, sunglasses, and key.
• Maybe a pop of color.
• Chain or leather strap - doesn't matter to us.
• We would prefer to have a discreet logo - ok, Lisa would prefer that; I'm ok with a logo as long as it works into the bag.  Like that Gucci cross-body.  I'd be perfectly happy with that.

We found a couple of good ones, but nothing that jumped out and said 'Yes! I'm the one!  Pick me!'  Here is what we are contemplating - any thoughts on our choices?!

We spent a lot of time in Marc by Marc Jacobs on Newbury - good price point, fun colors.  Logo was an issue for Lisa on some of them, as was a flap that would make it tricky to get in and out of the bag.  While we loved the colors this bag came in (Prussian Blue and Soccer Pitch Green) and the TASSEL, the flap wasn't completely accommodating.

Image from marcjacobs.com.

This one was great too - comes in a ton of colors (in store and online at various retailers), was light weight.  But, I fear it was small for me; only my wallet fit in the bag. 

Image from marcjacobs.com.

Over at our new haunt, Viola Lovely, deep in Boston's South End, our friend found (and purchased) a great bag by Clare Vivier.  Cross-body and shoulder friendly, great colors, good price, and fit more inside than either of the Marc bags did.  The Moyen Messenger bag really fit the bill, but there was only one, and she saw it first.  We love the pop of color and the separate cross-body and shoulder straps.  

Image from clarevivier.com.

Over at Neiman Marcus, we found these Tory Burch bags, the Thea bag.  Yes, of course we were drawn to the tassels.  And the color.  But not the logo, and they were a little wider than we would like to have.  Ok, maybe I could get over the logo.  That orange one is pretty fabulous.

Images from nordstrom.com.

We played with the Chloe Marcie Round Cross-Body bag (both small and medium sized) at Saks.  Loved the shape, lack of huge logo, comes in 11 different colors (online)!  But the small wasn't big enough and the medium might have been too big.  

Image from saks.com.

Like Goldilocks; we couldn't find one that was 'just right'.  The search continues while the obsession remains.  We'll let you know what we find.  And let us know if you find anything worth looking at. ~ JH

W2WW News Flash - Kate Spade 'Saturday' opens in Boston on Satuday!

Kate Spade's new brand, Saturday (or here), is opening one of it's first retail stores in Boston, THIS Saturday.  If you her brand of preppy is your thing, then check out the lower-priced line (think of what C Wonder is to Tory Burch) and maybe win a trip to Bermuda!  

Images from Kate Spade Saturday email.

Text Conversation #3

Just when you think it's going to be an ordinary day, you walk into Saks and BOOM!  Tara Jarmon and Tara Jarmon Mademoiselle, two of THE most inspirational Parisian lines, right here in Boston.  I had to text Jen immediately.  My text started with this photo.

And Jen, whose texting is in blue, responded below.  I'm in grey.

Images from Jennifer Houston.

Look at the color, beautiful patterns and classic silhouettes of the spring line.  Simple, elegant cuts in beautiful fabrics with luscious textures.   Tres chic and ultimately timeless, to be loved and worn for years to come.  After much online searching, these are some images that I've found of the spring line:

Images from monshowroom.com.

In the United States, Tara Jarmon is only available Saks, and only in-store as of now.  And our most stylish stylist, Claudine Eaton, is the person to help you find a gem in this line in the Boston store.  Check it out next time you are in Saks! ~ LB