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

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.

W2WW News Flash - Calypso Friends & Family thru April 15th + Tory Burch opening store in Natick Mall

Quick News Flash of 2 things we love!

First, we received an email today that Calypso Friends and Family sale gets you 25% off regularly priced merchandise thru April 15th! 

Image from calypsostbarth.com.

Online, use the code SPRINGFF14.  Time to pick up some AG White Stilt jeans for summer.

Image from calypsostbarth.com.

Second, as I was walking through "Satellite West" (i.e. The Natick Mall) last night, I happened upon this, across from Burberry.

Image from Jennifer Houston.

Yippee!  A local Tory!  Looks like it's opening this summer. ~ JH

W2WW Live - 'Drop off' and J. Crew

Image from jcrew.com.

Have an item of clothing in your closet that needs to be styled?   Bring it.
Love J. Crew and a discount at J. Crew even more?   Keep reading.
Need some spring wardrobe lovin'?  Shop it.
Want to come meet us?  Sign up.
We would love to see YOU.   

W2WW goes live with our very first What 2 Wear When styling event with J. Crew at the Natick Mall in Natick, Massachusetts.  We are SO excited!  

We are big fans of J. Crew, especially for spring when our wardrobe and our spirits desperately need color and respite from the snow.   On Wednesday morning, March 6th, from 9:00 to 11:00am, J. Crew will host us and an intimate group of W2WW readers for a before-hours shop.

Lisa and I will be on hand to share our favorite items from Spring 2013 (arriving in store just days before) and help you style an outfit or answer any style questions you have. Have a great skirt in the back of your closet that you don't know what to do with?  Bring it!   Our good friend and J. Crew stylist, Sylvia Gesell, will hook you up with a 15% discount on our purchases that morning.  Can you think of a better way to kick off spring?!

Since we only have 4 hands and 2 brains between us, we are keeping the event intimate so that we can properly spend time with everyone.  We will close the event once we reach 15 people so secure a spot with an RSVP at jen@what2wearwhen.net.  We'll confirm by return email if you're in.    

So get ready to drop off those kids at school and head on over to J. Crew on March 6th anytime between 9 and 11! ~ LB & JH

W2WW News Flash - CUSP section open in Neiman Marcus Natick.

Wandering through Neiman Marcus in Natick this week, I was thrilled to discover that an 'in store boutique' of CUSP was being completed.  CUSP is an outpost of Neiman Marcus featuring a contemporary and well-curated collection of young and emerging designers.  I love CUSP; there are lots of different price points and designers' pieces are mixed together. In the Boston area, we are fortunate to have one of the 6 stand-alone stores in Chestnut Hill.  

Now, in Neimans in Natick, I can simply wander up to the second floor and check out all the fabulous fashions CUSP has to offer, including their own line of accessories.  Just look for the totem poles! (And thanks to Neimans for allowing me to take photos.)~ JH

Love their accessories tables!

Images by Jennifer Houston.

Current favorite things at J.Crew. (Could also be entitled: Demystifying Personal shopping - Part 6.)

Yes, we are getting carried away with ourselves.  In the name of research (and desire to support a local organization through a shopping benefit), Lisa and I set up personal shopping appointments at J.Crew in the Natick Mall.  It was also someone's birthday (ahem, Lisa, ahem) and what better way than to spend the day - shopping with friends!

We contacted Sylvia Gesell and arranged our appointments for the same time, giving her our sizes and ideas of what we were interested in.  I was looking for summer tops (still) and white jeans and Lisa was interested in finding white jeans and some transitional looks.

I arrived at the mall to meet Lisa at J.Crew, only to find a friend in the parking garage and encouraged her to come along.  The more the merrier, right?!

We all arrived at J.Crew at 10:00am, and Sylvia was there to greet us and usher us into the dressing room area.  Sylvia had pulled this for me (in the way of tops).

Additionally, there was a dressing room across the hall for Lisa and Sylvia started right away to pull items for our friend from the garage.  We started digging through and found some great things for spring!

With bright colors being one of the recurring trends this spring, Lisa found herself in love with a pair of red pumps.

Not something I would have pulled off the shelf on my own, but look at how they weave their way through the next few outfits.  I might have to consider a pair myself.

Next up, a lace top, another spring trend.  Please comment and tell Lisa how fabulous this looks on her! (Note the red pumps too!  Gives a great color-blocked effect.)

I really took to the Tabitha blouse.  It's a very easy cut that looks great on a multitude of people and came in both solids and a print.  I couldn't resist the paisley print - how great will this look with white jeans and a gold pendant necklace?  Very easy for dinner out or a casual meeting.  Throw a navy blazer over it when it's still cool out.

Photo from jcrew.com

A striped sweater looked great on our friend - layered with a bright tank underneath, it's a steal at $69.50, and will be worn to death over the next few months and on cool summer nights.

Photo from jcrew.com

And speaking of stripes (again), this is a great, relatively inexpensive knit jacket at $128 - navy and white striped, with a hint of orange from a tank layered underneath.  (Again, red pumps!)

Sylvia was great, pulling additional sizes, making suggestions, and giving advice on fit.  We had a great time!  A big thank you to Sylvia and the team at J.Crew for not only a fun morning, but for acknowledging Lisa's birthday with flowers, a little breakfast, and this.  Why can't all shopping experiences be this great? ~ JH

Unless otherwise noted, images are Jennifer Houston's.

...you want to look on-trend and unique...at the same time.

Customize!  When I started monogramming bath towels (we highly recommend the Matouk Factory Store for bed and bath) with custom embroidered initials (in a rainbow of colors by Carol Leach's "Initials on Wednesday" in Natick), little did I realize I was participating in a movement called "Mass Customization" - essentially customizing a mass-produced product, in color, design or otherwise, to be unique to moi.  

The concept isn't a new one but the method in which it's been recently deployed by fashion world -  from Louis Vuitton’s Mon Monogram to Nike's nikeid.com -  is changing the face of consumer interaction.  Business of Fashion states, on the one hand, purchasing luxury fashion is about being “in fashion” and participating in a group movement.  But on the other hand, it’s about expressing uniqueness.  It’s a concept that Anna Wintour captured particularly well in the August 2008 issue of Vogue, noting in her editor’s letter that what’s admired in fashion is people simultaneously “looking on-trend and beyond trend and totally themselves.”   

One of my faves right now is New Balance's custom 574 booth.  Right in our own backyard at the Natick Mall and one of only two venues for this new custom venture, you can walk right up and with the help of a New Balance associate, create your own 574 from a myriad of colors and materials.  The design gets sent off the factory, most likely in Maine, and made to your specs.  Who could resist channeling her/his inner designer with these one of a kind kicks M&M candy colors, luscious leathers and funky laces?   

Photos from LB.

When it comes to handbags, Jen and I both lean heavily toward the simple Goyard tote.  I knew I wanted a classic shape with easy access and traditional color but when it came to how to customize it, I had no idea.  Classic? Crazy?  Business of Fashion notes...."Back when craft production was the dominant economic activity, luxury goods makers offered their clients more than a list of possible options from which they were to configure their own products. Alongside an array of options, they offered expert advice that was tailored to the individual, with whom they often had a personal relationship. Indeed, when a client went to a master craftsman, product design was a collaborative process that usually got better over time."

Fast forward to 2011 and enter George DiVenuti, the Goyard Specialist at Barney's in Boston.  He patiently walked me through the dozens of possible combos and helped me decide on this one.  And when it arrived a few weeks later...voila!  Perfection...and a very happy customer.

Photo from LB

How will you channel your inner designer in 2012? ~ LB