Beyond Boston Chic

I have a wonderful love of vintage jewelry.  It all started with buying earrings at flea markets, and now, I have a wonderful collection of great pieces pieces.

Every now and again, when I can’t make it to my favorite vintage shops in Boston, I scour the web looking for some good stuff.  I was so happy to stumble upon Gracious Gems.  Jaynee has a collection that’s right up my alley.  For example, I’m so fixated on this Monet necklace.  I have several Monet earrings, so I’m completely in love with his design.

Jaynee was kind enough to send me the above Vintage Turtoise Wrap Bracelet (circa 1970).  Rather than keeping the lovely bracelet to myself, I thought:  Ooh!  Tini, you should do a giveaway.  So there, you have it.  Today, is a giveaway!

Here are the rules:  leave a comment on your own favorite piece of vintage jewelry by Friday, August 20th by 9PM EST.  I will choose a lucky reader at random to receive this lovely bracelet.

Now, for the fine print, siblings, dearest friends, Mom and aunties of yours truly need not apply.  I know all your handles, dearest sister, so don’t even try it!

The early morning is my favorite time of the day.  There’s a quietness and easiness that seems to radiate from the promise of all that is good.   Then there’s the early morning light, which is something to behold in itself.  The light is soft and slightly hazy without the harshness of the midday sun.  Here, I love the way it bathes Howie’s face.

I’ve know Ishkhan since freshman year in high school!  I reached my full height now by the age of 13 and remember thinking at that time that all the boys were sooo much shorter than me.  By junior year, Ish had waaay surpassed me in height.

We were always cool in high school, but it’s such a wonderful surprise that we have become friends years after. I’ve been taking a few pictures of him over the years.  I recently asked him some questions to share with you. For you Somerville heads, all pictures were taken in your city!!

Occupation: Unemployed/Struggling Artist

Where did you grow up? Arlington/Cambridge, MA

What inspires your sense of style? My mood

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Stress free moments, being surrounded with positive people, seeing my dad and mom smile for real, receiving and giving unconditional love

Favorite article of clothing? Navy blue cut off shorts

Favorite place to shop? 40 South in Jamaica Plain

Dream career/job/assignment? Bartending on an island in Fiji and farming in Hawaii

Most overly used word? You know what I mean?!

Anything that you avoid wearing? Flip flop sandals

Favorite quote(s)? “It is what it is” and “If it’s meant to be it will be.”

Favorite book? The A-Z encyclopedia of Serial Killers

Which living person do you most admire? My dad

The quality you most admire in a man? Ummmm…to be cool like me?

The quality you most admire in a woman? The way a woman presents herself and to have just a touch of spice

If one word could describe you, what would it be? Genuwine

What defines success for you? Wealth, health, love and happiness

Perfect day in Boston? Riding my bike to the common and laying on the grass on a nice sunny day possibly with a loved one

I have my favorite spots in the city, and Craigie on Main in Cambridge is definitely one.  The food is great, the burger is one of the best in the city, and the bartenders (and drinks) are awesome.  What’s not to like!  And the hostesses, well, they sparkle.  Enjoy your Wednesday.

I’ve gotten into the habit of bringing my camera with me everywhere.  I seem to be particularly lucky running into people when I go and come back from a yoga class.  I didn’t have my camera with me last week, and wouldn’t you know I spied several people looking just….well, bloggable.

On one yoga day, I ran into Rachel.

And here is a picture I took of her about two years ago.

And if you didn’t know it, the Improper Bostonian is now online!  I have to admit that whenever I’m trying to figure out what to do with my night, the Improper comes in handy.  And ya know what?  Ms. Amanda here is responsible for letting us know what is going on around town.

My sister and I met up with her in July for drinks, I hadn’t laughed so hard in my life! Amanda is hilarious and of course, she’s stylish.  I asked her a few questions about what inspires her sense of style, and here is what she had to say.

What inspires your choice of outfits?

Comfort in the form of confidence. Feeling insecure in your clothes can throw your whole day off. Also, I don’t like to dress in head-to-toe anything—mixing brands and price points is important to me.

Favorite places to shop?

I love boutique shopping because of the smaller, edited selection. Working close to the South End, I stop in places like Flock and Looc a lot. Their interiors have such a great vibe. But most shopping involves me stalking an item online for weeks, sometimes months, and then seeing how I can get it on sale.

Do you have a cobbler?

Rinaldi’s in Park Square, because he’s quick and very precise.

Tailor?

Clevergreen Cleaners on Charles St., because they never push their hem length thoughts on me. Everyone who’s short knows how important that is!

What are your favorite items from your mom’s wardrobe (either when you were growing up or now)?

She didn’t hold onto much in the way of clothing, which has inevitably turned me into a major hoarder! I’ll keep some ridiculous pieces just in case I have a daughter who might want them one day. She still has the velvet Ralph Lauren skirt suit that she wore instead of a white gown on her wedding day. I made fun of that outfit choice when I was younger, but in retrospect it’s pretty badass.

What is an item in your closet that you can’t do without?

At the risk of sounding completely cliché, I have to go with my shoes. Boots, specifically.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?

Something along these lines.

Do you have a style philosophy?

Spend on investment pieces and build the rest of your wardrobe around them. I’m a huge cost-per-wear advocate. If you haven’t worn something in more than two years, give it away…or store it for your future offspring.

I finished my coursework a while ago so I didn’t have to participate in commencement exercises this year, but everyone encouraged me (by everyone, I really mean my Mom and aunts) to walk.  And so I did.  All the graduates gathered by 7am one morning in late May to march to Harvard Yard.

I grew up in Cambridge, so I knew that on graduation day, it was best to avoid driving anywhere in Harvard Square.  Imagine, all the schools of Harvard—education, business, government, medical, public health, divinity, design, engineering…..get the drift—descend upon the Yard.

Once we arrived at our spots, we had to wait in line for over an hour, at which point I took this picture of Memorial Hall with my point and shoot.

There was more waiting.

I went for a leisurely walk with some of my classmates to get coffee.  One classmate walked 20 minutes to her apartment to get her camera and came back to us still waiting in line.

And then we advanced towards the Yard….and waited some more as each school marched in.

And then we waited some more….but then we were ALL there!  The students from the college, the dental school, the business school—EVERYONE!  I admit, I felt quite a bit of kinship.

As each school’s dean approached the stage to confer the degrees, each school waved a token that represented their school.  The dental school waved, as you would guess, toothbrushes, we at the school of education waved books.  The Kennedy School of Government (below) waved globes.

Best of all, the University awarded honorary degrees.   Can you guess who received one?

Now, I couldn’t see Ms. Streep from where I sat, but I know people (specifically Ms. Kara Martel! who was kind enough to share this picture) who confirmed that she was wearing the most awesome shoes (as if we expected any less).  And as you would guess, I screamed, I love you Meryl.  I’m sure she heard me.

All in all, it was a long day, but an experience that I will surely remember.  For more pictures of commencement (and of Ms. Meryl) visit the Harvard Gazette.

I was half awake this morning, but I couldn’t miss her necklace.