The malachite green alone will make her swoon. Oh so sophisticated. The clutch is made from 100 percent acrylic. Available in mini and small, $278 and $298, cultgaia.com.
For elegant lounging, what could be better than Olivia von Halle silk pjs with prancing zebras? $550, mytheresa.com.
Le Chapeau’s beach hat oozes personality. It will also shade faces from the sun’s harsh summer rays. $100, farfetch.com.
She needs to toss that old cosmetics bag and replace it with Lolo’s striped vinyl one with fun flamingo appliques. $45, neimanmarcus.com and Neiman’s at Tysons Galleria and Mazza Gallerie in D.C. and at the King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia.
For the trendy mom who wants sneakers that don’t hurt after wearing them for five minutes. Check. Taos’ soft leather sneakers have a comfy and removable foot bed with arch and heel support. $140, taosfootwear.com. See website for local outlets in D.C., Philly and Pittsburgh.
Surprise Mom with Serena & Lily’s Sydney cheerful, striped beach towels with playful tassels. Woven from Turkish cotton with jacquard on one side and soft terry on the other. $79 each at serenaandlily.com
These full-body self-tan towelettes solve the problem of unattractively tan-streaked arms and legs. $29, tantowel.com. Available at Bluemercury stores in D.C. and Philadelphia and at Schiller’s Drugstore in Pittsburgh.
Minimalist moms will coo over an enamel-coated steel pot from Dansk. Starting at $59 for the two-quart size. Available at food52.com.
So much handier than pulling out the ironing board. Shark Press & Refresh Fabric Steamer gets the wrinkles out without the fuss. $79, target.com.
A little bit of Dolce & Gabbana sass and insurance against losing that new iPhone 7. The leather Mambo print case is $185, farfetch.com.
This is one of the best-smelling candles ever. Love the soapstone lid, too. Red Currant Collection Hammered Stone, $34, votivo.com. Also available at Periwinkle in D.C., Contemporary Concepts in Pittsburgh and Toppers Spa in Philadelphia.
Sometimes you need to sit on the floor and feel comfortable. For those times, there’s Aday’s Turn It Up tapered trousers with elasticized waistband and cuff option. $115, thisisaday.com.
AT LEAST HALF the e-mails in our in-box these past few weeks have been ideas on what to get Mom for her big day this Sunday. My own mom was notoriously picky, so finding a gift that would elicit a smile wasn’t for the faint–hearted. Flowers bored her. She said she liked perfume but I never recall her landing on a scent that stayed around for any length of time. A dainty Emilio Pucci scarf in orange and pink I bought her nailed it as did a cunning but very inexpensive clutch I found in Rome light-years ago. She was also fond of the Swatch watches I found for her. I can just hear her saying, “Good lines.” Plus, it had a face big enough to actually read the time. I think her favorite clothing item was her Courrèges jacket. She wouldn’t have appreciated anything as practical as a kitchen gadget/appliance (cooking wasn’t her thing). However, the design of a Nespresso may have caught her fancy. So, with the thought of Mom looking over my shoulder, I’ve picked out 12 items from the frivolous to the useful that would have won her heart (well, maybe).
Artist Isabelle de Borchgrave’s red gown with lace, tulle multiple fabrics and lavish ornamentation is made of paper, an interpretation of the one worn by Charlotte-Marguerite de Montmorency, the Princess of Conde, in the Peter Paul Rubens portrait hanging nearby.
VISITORS TO THE EXHIBITION “The Frick Collects: From Rubens to Monet” (through May 14) may be surprised to see a life-size mannequin wearing a gown that looks remarkably similar to the one worn by a 17th-century royal princess in the Peter Paul Rubens portrait hanging a few feet away. Even more surprising though is that the lavish gown which seems to have leapt from the picture is sculpted entirely from paper.
Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of Charlotte-Marguerite de Montmorency, Princess of Condé, c. 1610. Oil on canvas. Frick Art & Historical Center.
The Frick Pittsburgh’s retrospective “Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper” won’t open at the museum until fall 2018. But visitors are invited for a peek of what’s to come and how Belgian artist de Borchgrave makes us believe we’re seeing lace, brocade, silk, taffeta and embroidery through cutting, gluing and using a mix of acrylic paint, ink and metallic powder. In her Brussels studio, de Borchgrave directs a staff, each one specializing in a part of a costume’s creation, whether building a wire structure, painting the ground colors, crafting jewelry or cutting trimmings.
The Frick is not alone in calling on the talents of de Borchgrave to illuminate their collection. In June 2012, Washington D.C.’s Hillwood Museum commissioned a similar exhibit, “Prêt A Papier.” For that show, the sumptuous apparel of the royalty of the 18th and 19thcenturies depicted in the paintings and decorative arts Marjorie Merriweather Post collected, came to life, for example, in the costumes of Tsar Peter the Great and Empress Josephine. De Borchgrave’s own intricate painting and manipulation of the paper convincingly mimicked the finest brocades, damasks and silks.
From strictly a fashion point of view, it’s evident in the Rubens portrait and in de Borchgrave’s realization of the princess’s gown how designers have dug deep into the history of costume and how the styles of the past infuse modern clothing. Note the slashed sleeves of Princess Condé’s gown. Slashes and cutouts of geometric shapes appear in a variety of clothing today, from deconstructed blouses to dresses with slits to distressed anything. Lace is having a big comeback, and the trend of embellishing everything is still going strong.
Isabelle de Borchrave’s paper dress masterpiece will be on view at the Frick Pittsburgh through August. It will then join the touring exhibit, which opens in Memphis in October. Look for it again when the exhibition opens in fall 2018.
ONE HUNDRED AND twenty talented artists will be showing their wares at the Smithsonian Craft Show, which kicks off tonight and continues through Sunday.
Here’s a short peek into the work of four artists we’re looking forward to seeing.
Left: Heartbreak Hotel platter from Adam Paulek; right, Sang Jong Park’s stoneware and porcelain Plate Set with Stand.
Who doesn’t love Adam Paulek’s whimsical work, a happy marriage of form and imagery in ceramics. The form is functional; the images come from his own snapshots — a background tree, leaf, body part, or sign. Viewers/users are encouraged to make their own subjective interpretation, with the meaning of individual images and story lines changing over time. “My hope,” says Paulek, “is to elicit an ongoing sense of surprise and foster an evolving relationship with the piece.”
As a student, ceramicist Sang Joon Park didn’t know how to appreciate his beautifully designed bowls. Today he understands them as a means to find real art in everyday life. According to Park, most of us are constantly searching for new joy and forget to appreciate what we have. Park believes that every person who comes in contact/uses any of his designs changes the work into a whole new piece of art.
Chungie Lee uses new silk to create her delicate, diaphanous versions of the traditional long-sleeved Korean overcoat.
Fashion designer, author and professor Chunghie Leecreates her fabulously colorful, wearable textiles using the ancient craft of bojagi—salvaged scraps of cloth patched together for household use. What resonates with Lee is that the practitioners (peasant women) of historical bojagi were anonymous; their lives were restricted and their only pleasure may have come from making these cloths. Each of Lee’s brightly colored silk patches represents the freedom of choice that the nameless women of the past did not get to experience.
What’s better than one Dianne Nordt blanket? A stack of them.
We take cover under blankets in the winter by a fire; in the spring and summer, we lay picnics on them. But unlike most blankets, Dianne Nordt‘s are made of wool from merino sheep on her farm in Charles City, Virginia. She uses that wool to hand weave blankets in her home studio, combining the naturally colored fleece with her own naturally hand-dyed colors. Moreover, each Nordt Family Farm produced blanket is numbered, dated and hemmed by hand.
—Janet Kelly
The Smithsonian Craft Show will be at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC. For more info about tickets, go here.
JUST WHEN YOU’RE ready to consign all coats to storage heaven, here comes this jaunty jacket with patch pockets and notched lapels in a shade of yellow that won’t get old and you can wear well into the fall. Thank you, Massimo Dutti, for your jacket genius.
I’M A FAN of exquisitely made fine jewelry, but my pocketbook balks at spending the big bucks I’d need to pay, for example, for Pomellato‘s colorful stacked rings or the Victorian enamel and diamond cuff at NYC’s D.K. Bressler or most any piece of jewelry at Tiny Jewel Box I’ve been coveting. But the truth is jewelry that’s a lot less precious is much more suitable to my everyday life. Stuff that I don’t need to store in a vault.
Which is one reason I’m looking forward to next week’s Smithsonian Craft Show. Several first-timers to the show will be selling the kinds of bracelets, necklaces and earrings that I can wear out to dinner at my neighborhood bistro or on my weekly run to the farmer’s market. And that I can happily buy for myself without feeling a lot of guilt.
Holly Goeckler’s Chiyogami Necklace is made of paper that’s laminated, folded and inset with stones.
A Philadelphia native, Holly Goeckler has been designing jewelry for 25 years. Currently, inspired by intricate Japanese paper stencils, she takes die-cut patterns, laminates, folds and then combines them with stones to form her colorful jewelry. Her Chiyogami Necklace is constructed of rag paper, 24-karat gold leaf and white topaz in gold settings; the clasp is sterling silver. The piece sells for $320.
A concrete and felt bangle from jewelry artist Allison Jones.
Allison Jones, who lives in Pittsburgh and whose jewelry can be found in the city’s Andy Warhol Museum as well as Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pa., likes working with industrial materials, particularly concrete. “There aren’t a lot of people doing it,” she jokes. She mixes the hard concrete with the soft fiber of felt that makes each piece feel bold and substantive, which she imagines is a fitting description of the woman who will wear it. Her pieces range in price for $85 from a simple chain with a concrete charm to an oversize bangle for $1,700.
Metalsmith Lisa Crowder’s one-of-kind necklace.
Austin, Texas-based metalsmith Lisa Crowder uses traditional silversmithing techniques to create her multiple-layered necklaces, earrings, brooches and bracelets. Her one-of-a-kind necklace ($425, pictured) is kiln-fired vitreous enamel on copper, stitched with thread and set with oxidized sterling silver on a sterling silver chain.
Swimmer, rower, “scavenger of the shoreline,” native New Englander Blair LaBella finds constant inspiration from the ocean environment. No wonder many of her pieces are made from beach stones and beach glass. Because LaBella believes that jewelry should make a statement about someone and what they value, she’s focused on creating pieces that will have a personal connection to their wearer. Her stunning beach stone bracelets range in price from $1,200 to $3,500.
The Smithsonian Craft Show will be at the National Building Museum fromApril 26 to April 30. For tickets, click here.
SUNSCREENS. OY. When it comes to finding one, I feel a little like Goldilocks. Except I have yet to find a product that’s just perfect. I want a sunscreen with a high SPF factor—more than 30. I know, I know, people will tell you that 30 is sufficient and any higher doesn’t accomplish anything significant protection-wise. But I use a retinol (anyone, anyone?), and my skin is sensitive to the sun, so 40-50 is my druthers. And did I mention that I would like my high-SPF sunscreen to be coupled with a tinted moisturizer, so I can use one product instead of spackling my face with three.
And, yes, there’s one other thing: the sunscreen part of the equation must be mineral-based, meaning it contains zinc and/or titanium oxide. As MyLittleBird’s Mary Carpenter explained, sunscreens that rely for UV filtering on the chemical compound oxybenzone have environmental and health hazards.
To date my favorite is Senté’s Daily Repair Complex SPF 30 with titanim and zinc oxide. It’s not perfect. It has only a 30 SPF and it’s absurdly pricey ($129.99). On the other hand, its tinted formula turns your skin glowy and covers annoying unevenness on your complexion. One fluid ounce lasts for six months, and it feels silky smooth on your face.
La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios 50Mineraltinted sunscreen ($33.50) meets my sun protection needs and eco-friendly requirements but doesn’t contain much of a moisturizer, so it doesn’t apply as smoothly as desired.
Two more I’m game to try:
EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 ($28.50, dermstore, also sold in local dermatologists’ offices and skin care centers). It contains the required zinc oxide, a light moisturizer with tint and a coveted 40 SPF.
Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UVA Defense SPF 50 ($65, skinceuticals). Skinceuticals’ products have lots of fans, and this sunscreen has the ideal sun protection factor and even contains a tint. Without sampling I can’t tell about how moisturizing it is, however.
Note: There is a downside to some mineral (sometimes called physical) sunscreens: those little molecules of zinc and/or titanium dioxide don’t always blend smoothly into the base formula, resulting in you sporting the the pasty-white face of a kabuki dancer.
Note 2: For very serious sun protection, if you’re someone like my husband who is prone to acitinic keratosis and has had several Mohs surgeries, you should consult your dermatologist. His doctor advised him to try La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios XL Melt-in Cream, SPF 60.
—Janet Kelly Janet Kelly remains on the quest for the ideal sunscreen/tinted moisturizer. Please let her know if you’ve found one you love.
Artist Faith Ringgold Tells Stories Through Painted Quilts
Artist Faith Ringgold / photo by Grace Matthews.
“Tar Beach 2,” Ringgold’s recollections of growing up in Harlem during the summer when the tar roof of a family’s apartment building was a place for family picnics, star gazing and good times.
“Groovin’ High” is evocative of Ringgold’s memories of Sunday afternoon dances at the Savoy and her connection to the African American communities of her native Harlem.
“Coming to Jones Road,” which depicts the path of the famous Underground Railroad to freedom.
Ringgold’s “Jazz Stories #8” portrays the famous musicians Ringgold listened to while growing up in Harlem.
A quilt from Ringgold’s theme, “Coming to Jones Road.”
“Declaration of Freedom and Independence” quilt.
THE 35th ANNUAL SMITHSONIAN Craft Show comes to the National Building Museum April 26-30. The country’s uber-prestigious juried show of American crafts features 120 artists who will display and sell their one-of-a-kind designs in ceramics, glass, mixed media, jewelry, wood, metal and decorative fiber. The three-day event kicks off Wednesday, April 26 (6 to 9:30pm) with an awards ceremony followed by a preview party (tickets, $200) to chat up the artists, get first dibs on shopping and enjoy a buffet dinner. Visitors can get another jump on the crowds during Friends Night Out, Thursday, April 27, 5 to 8pm; the $25 ticket price includes show entry, a specialty cocktail and music.
A must-see is a special exhibit of nine narrative quilts by Faith Ringgold, this year’s winner of the Visionary Artist Award at the craft show. Since the early 1960s, Faith Ringgold has been known for her story quilts, boldly colorful geometric compositions that show influence from dhakas—richly brocaded Tibetan paintings—and African masks.
Ringgold’s work, which focuses on civil rights, gender equality and African American life and culture, can be seen in major museums throughout the U.S. This marks the first time that the nine quilts will be shown together in Washington. The exhibit features “Tar Beach #2”, which depicts Ringgold’s recollections of growing up in Harlem during the summer. The quilts represent Ringgold’s major themes: “Coming to Jones Road,” which depicts the path of the famous Underground Railroad to freedom; “Jazz Stories,” which portrays the famous musicians Ringgold listened to while growing up in Harlem; and “Declaration of Freedom and Independence,” which highlights the importance of social justice and freedom for all.
The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. For more info about tickets, go to Smithsonian Associates.
Why wait until the weekend of the Smithsonian Craft Show? Get a head start on Thursday evening, April 27, 2017, with Friends Night Out (5 to 8pm). Even the cocktails will be “craft!” The $25 ticket includes your first drink. And you can meet the 120 craft artists who will be there to chat and to sell.
There will be a special exhibit of narrative quilts by the renowned Faith Ringgold.
Left: A denim jacket with bell sleeves takes the sweetness out of pink. $345, farfetch.com. Right: From Victoria Beckham for Target, a fuchsia twill tank top ($26) and matching flared trousers ($40), target.com.
Left: See life a little rosier in shades with pink/plum frames ($99) from seeeyewear.com and locations in D.C., Pittsburgh and suburban Philadelphia. Right: Get a bright pink pout from an easy-to-apply lip crayon. $37, chanel.com.
You’ve gotta be in the black to splurge on this petal-pink Runwell bicycle ($2,950) from shinola.com and 1631 14th Street NW, D.C.
Left: Don’t save these SJP fuchsia satin pumps for dressy occasions; pair with blue denim for an unexpected pop of color. $395, netaporter.com. Right: From the new Coach and Rodarte limited edition collection, a pink shoulder bag studded with floral appliqués and brass, coach.com.
Left: Shocking pink Kayu straw clutch with red stone top closure. $205, modaoperandi.com. Right: Not so sure about pink, pair a wrap dress ($95, &otherstories.com and 3241 M St. NW.) and with a black leather moto jacket.
Left: The ideal spring layering piece made of a lightweight, semi-sheer blend of cotton, cashmere and silk. $145, cuyana.com. Right: Silk-satin trench coat from Michael Lo Sordo is a scene stealer. Tone the bright pink down with navy underneath. $910, netaporter.com.
FLASH BACK to Kay Thompson playing the editor of a fashion magazine in 1957’s “Funny Face.” “Banish the black,” she commands and declares that in her next fashion spread, “Everything goes pink!” Fast forward to spring 2017 when Thompson’s same dictum is on trend. Fashion’s fascination with pink is making its statement on everything from dresses, jackets and coats to handbags, hats and shoes.
Skeptical? Well, consider the pink, cat-eared pussy hats worn at the women’s protest marches in D.C. and other cities this past January. And that tomorrow, April 12, is the International Day of Pink, a day to celebrate diversity and raise awareness about all forms of bullying.
Pink doesn’t have to be saccharine sweet, too girly or clichéd. Find a shade that flatters you and stick with clean-lined shapes. Stay away from ruffles. Use shocking pink bags and shoes as wardrobe energizers. And, if the thought of pink gives you hives, wear that wrap dress or satin trench over black or navy.
See our roundup of pink clothing and accessories to surprise your wardrobe with this spring.
—Janet Kelly Janet Kelly recently posted about spring-ready coats and jackets.
H&M’s siblings are hoping to woo Washington with affordably priced classic styles like this slightly cropped textured, striped knit top. $95, &otherstories.com and 3241 M St. NW.
Left: Flattering wide-leg trousers for day or evening, $95. Right: Innocent pink cami trimmed with seductive black lace, $55. Both at &otherstories.com and 3421 M St. NW.
&Other Stories in DC has a large selection of body washes, scrubs and lotions. This Havana Blues Body Scrub is $15 at &otherstories.com and at DC location.
Slingback-style pump in popular pink, $150, cosstores.com, 1200 Wisconsin Ave. NW and King of Prussia Mall (near Philadelphia).
Left: A pop of yellow adds interest to this oversize sweater/shirt combination, $49. Right: Cotton poplin and jersey shirt with rounded hemline, $89. Both at cosstores.com, 1200 Wisconsin Ave. NW and King of Prussia Mall.
THERE’S IKEA, H&M and A Man Called Ove, the best-selling “feel good” novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman. And don’t forget hygge, the trendy yet unpronounceable Scandinavian word that covers comfort in food, furnishings and clothes.
Now, enter COS and & Other Stories, higher-end siblings of H&M, flagship of cheap chic, just opened in Georgetown. It’s a Scandinavian invasion.
COS, which has taken over the Benetton store at the corner of Wisconsin and M, NW, wears an air of paranoia entirely suited to today’s DC. No photos please! Any questions go to PR.
One manager, who told us nearly nothing, gave his first name only, and looked nervous about it, so we’ll keep it to ourselves. More forthcoming was a black-clad cool salesman who was too excited about the wares to zip it. Another manager, forehead scrunched into worry lines, asked if the salesman had given his name and when we said no, she said “good. We need clearance from PR.” We just smiled and admitted our disobedience.
The space is dazzling, with large windows, bleached floors and minimalist displays —a few of each item hang from racks with signs telling you to just ask if you don’t see your size or color.
Men’s and women’s clothing are arranged on three levels; for now, kid stuff is only available online or in the brand’s Los Angeles location. There are suits, dresses, shoes and accessories, with the highest price point a suit for $295 and the lowest, $9 for a pair of sparkle socks. The lines are clean and classic, many of the styles are comfortably oversized, at least for women. The menswear runs more to the schoolboy chic look of Thom Browne, on a budget.
Sophisticated garb at an affordable price point.
We stopped a 40-something browser in the men’s department, a neat dresser in a down vest and thick rimmed black hipster glasses. It was “cool,” he said in thickly accented English. “We don’t have this in Russia.”
The colors for spring are traditional: navy, black, white and gray, with pops of candy orange. I’m told, though this is apparently top secret, that the colors change with the seasons.
For summer, a totally unforgiving but smashing black maillot is a mere $49.
A brilliant orange bikini that should suit your inner Ursula Andress—remember the white one she wore in Dr. No?— is $35 for the top, $25 for the bottom. A diving knife is not included.
Several tops are in bold black-and-white stripes, good for playing pirate or Piaf. One dangled from a hanger in the hand of Jane Rodman, who’s 72 and visiting from Toronto. She raved about the store, “I like the simple lines and the beautiful colors,” she said, admiring her find. ‘My daughter-in-law will be proud of me.”
Around the corner, across from Georgetown Park, is & Other Stories, where you can arrive in your PJs and depart dressed and made-up for a night of clubbing—and snap up a pair of copper-framed sunglasses to hide your blood-shot eyes the morning after.
The huge industrial warehouse-styled space has everything from makeup to shoes and jewelry. Though it skews a bit jeune fille, there are finds. Particularly fetching, for those with slim hips, are ballet pink, wide-leg pants, with pockets ($95) for your Ginger Rogers’ moments. Pair these with a matching pink sweater, or a contrasting one in black ($55), or be slinky in a pink cami trimmed with black lace ($55).
Add tough chic lace-up black leather boots with lethal heels and toes, or pad about in slippers as soft as gloves, with the backs broken down flat, as if you’ve been schlumping about in something a mite too small. The shop’s so new the prices don’t all include U.S. dollars—if you’re adept at exchange rates, they’re 79 Euros or 790 krona.
I’d wrap up the look with a gorgeous navy trench with a bath wrap belt— of indeterminate price and fabric, though I’d guess rayon again. It’s effortlessly slinky and looking like it cost far more than it does, whatever that is.
A large makeup department sells house-brand cosmetics, including the glitteriest gold nail polish we’ve ever seen for $9 and a gold body oil for $29. Also, a selection of body washes, scrubs and lotions make a last-minute gift shopper’s life easy. Shimmery socks ($12 for 3 pair) and inexpensive jewelry are placed strategically around the store. Impulse purchases encouraged.
—Stephanie Cavanaugh Gardener Cavanaugh also likes to dig for shopping deals.
Editor’s note: In case you didn’t think H&M had diversified enough, a recent announcement reports that the company will launch yet another offspring, Arket. According to the L.A. Times, the new brand will offer clothing in the same price range as COS and will concentrate on classics like peacoats, trench coats and striped sweaters. The first stores will open in big European cities.
Pastel pink is quintessential spring 2017. By Malene Birger’s stretch-twill coat’s slightly loose shape drapes elegantly over the body. Satin lining. $895, netaporter.com.
This Weekend Max Mara Regazza dandelion-yellow coat is as pretty and cheery-looking as a freshly painted Easter egg. $875, matchesfashion.com.
It’s hard to go astray with a tailored trench coat. $245 at Massimo Dutti, 1220 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC, and massimodutti.com.
From Italian line Aspesi, a nylon taffeta collar-less long cocoon jacket will get you noticed — in a good way. $325, annmashburn.com and Ann Mashburn, 3251 Prospect Street NW, Washington DC.
Pop the collar in Madewell’s version of a classic trench. Reduced from $138 to $98.50, madewell.com and see the site for stores in DC, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Cropped-sleeve, body-hugging moto jacket from Rebecca Taylor in versatile army green. $950, nordstrom.com.
Uniqlo’s lightweight but warm down jacket feels and looks as easy to wear as a cardigan. $59.90, uniqlo.com and Uniqlo stores at Tysons Corner, McLean, Virginia, and 1608 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
Old-school hooded windbreaker gets an update with a camo print. $69.90, zara.com and Zara, 1238 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC, and 1715-17 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.
& Other Stories’ denim jacket gets new life with embroidery and a ruffle front. $115, stories.com/us. Also at & Other Stories, 3241 M Street NW, Washington DC.
Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP), a spinoff of the trad workwear company, redesigns the denim jacket with an unfinished hem and a longer length. $168, asos.com.
In-between days call for a heavier twill like in this peacoat. $118, jcrew.com. See site for J. Crew stores in DC, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
REMEMBER THE DAYS when shopping for a new spring coat was a rite of the season? I recall a navy blue double-breasted gabardine coat with silver buttons and epaulets that I had light-years ago. It was ideal for April’s famously iffy weather—and not just those storied rain showers. Days can be downright damp and chilly, requiring an added layer of protection. Although almost no one refers to them as “spring” coats or jackets any longer, we’ve found a big selection of these season-appropriate toppers to choose from.
Trench coats
Style arbiter par excellence Yves Saint Laurent said it was an essential in any woman’s wardrobe. This year’s models are oversize, and some feature the stylized sleeves that are the season’s ubiquitous look. I’m in lust with Simone Rocha’s puffed-sleeve version, although it’s probable I’ll opt for one more classic and far less pricey, which won’t lead to hysterics when it gets caught in a car door.
Coats in color
Bright pops of color and pastels are a welcome addition to spring’s offerings. Think yellow, red and pink, the hue du jour. No one will notice or care what you’re wearing underneath. The same reasoning applies to trench coats.
Jackets
Leather moto jackets, bombers, windbreakers and lightweight puffers are a no-brainer for fickle temps, easy to casually slip on over dresses and pants. The ones we favor are in comeback army green or a camouflage print. Note: Olive is neutral and will tame the exuberance of the season’s popular florals. Another springtime staple, the denim jacket, also has a new vibe—embroidered, appliquéd, jewel-studded, ruffled or a fanciful combination of embellishments.
See the slide show above for the favorites we’ve got our eye on.
—Janet Kelly Janet Kelly recently wrote about fashion designer Iris van Herpen.
With the number of flotation centers surging nationwide—149 opening since 2011 and more than 200 planned over the next two years—we are republishing Mary Carpenter’s story on sensory-deprivation tanks. Beyond relieving stress, depression and anxiety, the tanks now appear also to help children diagnosed with autism and veterans struggling with PTSD. While such clinical changes have been ascribed generally to the combination of sensory deprivation and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), researchers are currently focusing on how exactly these effects occur.
AT BETHESDA’S HOPE Floats, hallways painted in lovely watery aqua shades lead to private rooms spacious enough for a shower with sumptuous towels, shampoos and candles, as well as the flotation tank that looks like a giant coffin with a front door that, once closed, leaves you in total darkness. Inside, salty water about a foot deep is kept at average skin temperature, around 94 degrees.
Also new is the vocabulary: Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy (Flotation REST) has replaced “sensory-deprivation,” although credit is given on Hope Floats brochures for “work done at the National Institutes of Health in the 1950s” on “flotation therapy” and “sensory reduction to promote relaxation and healing.” That work was spearheaded by John Lilly and focused on psychedelic experiences and other mental effects of sensory deprivation as depicted in the 1980 film “Altered States.” (“Chamber REST” refers to similar complete sensory deprivation without water.)
The clients are new as well. Instead of “aging hippies,” they are “stressed-out city dwellers seeking to get away from their devices while perhaps approaching the theta brainwave state, usually only achievable after years of deep meditation practice,” according to Phyllis Fong in Men’s Journal.
Researchers in Texas and Colorado found that floating increases the brain’s production of theta waves, creating feelings of “conscious drowsiness” usually experienced in the twilight state between waking and sleep. Theta waves keep the mind open, or uncritically accepting, to verbal material or to learning almost anything that the brain can process. “Theta offers access to unconscious material, reverie, free association, sudden insight, creative inspiration,” writes Michael Hutchison in “The Book of Floating.” Swedish researchers found the theta waves of “floating” helped patients cope with depression and anxiety.
Dr. Peter Suedfeld, in research done at Princeton and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, found an array of REST benefits: cognitive effects including “an openness of mind” that led to improved performance on tests of creativity, as well as a reduction in memory loss; behavioral modification that helped people quit smoking, curb over-eating and “partially overcome a powerful fear of snakes;” and health benefits including reduction of chronic pain, insomnia and the effects of stress.
Also new since the 1950s is an abundance of research on magnesium, in which most Americans today are reportedly deficient. The best way to up levels is bathing in Epsom salts, or hydrated magnesium sulfate, of which each Hope Floats tank contains 850 pounds, enough to keep you afloat like the Dead Sea. Nothing touches your body except warm salty water, with “no distractions for the senses of touch, sound or sight,” according to the brochure.
Magnesium levels of most Americans have dropped by half in the last century, which may contribute to heart disease, arthritis, digestive maladies and chronic fatigue, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Reasons include industrial farming that depletes magnesium in the soil and thus in our bodies, as well as salt and fats in the American diet itself. In addition, taking supplements of calcium can deplete magnesium, although calcium’s effectiveness relies on the presence of sufficient magnesium, explains Melissa Breyer on the Care2 website.
Magnesium is best absorbed through the skin, as is sulfate, which plays a role in digestion and ridding the body of toxins. Magnesium supplements do not always increase levels and can create other problems. Magnelevure, a popular powder taken for its calming effect as well as for improving dry skin and hair, can cause restless legs, muscle aches and a strong laxative effect.
When I first tried a floatation tank in Manhattan in the early 1980s, my work was so stressful that I barely got myself and a friend to the downtown location. Afterwards we emerged into a sparkling New York evening, feeling like we’d taken a marvelous drug. I didn’t have quite the same sensation emerging into midday downtown Bethesda, maybe because I am generally less stressed, but the same marvelous relaxation endured for hours. At Hope Floats, you are told that chimes will ring softly when it’s time to get out. Once you close the tank door, quiet music is played to start you off. “Twilight state” and “unconscious drowsiness” are apt descriptions of how I felt, although that drowsiness morphed into unconscious as I slipped into a nap that seemed a waste of floating. Although I had worried about how to spend 60 minutes doing nothing, the chimes seemed to ring much too soon. With every additional float, people report more health benefits as well as staying awake more easily and for more interesting experiences—ever deepening emotions and ever more psychedelic hallucinations. If only I’d known: I would have kept my eyes open instead of squeezing them shut against the stinging salts.
At Hope Floats, one hour costs $75; 90 minutes, $95; and a package of three 60-minute sessions is $175 for first time floaters, otherwise $195, with larger packages available. Another option is the 60-minute floatation-plus 30 minutes in an infrared sauna for $95. Make sure you have no cuts and do not shave that day. One hour might be best to start, although buying a package should improve the chances of healthful, emotional and psychedelic experiences.
—Mary Carpenter See more of Mary Carpenter ‘s well-being posts.
Dutch designer Iris van Herpen interned with Alexander McQueen prior to starting her company in 2007.
“Refinery Smoke” Dress, July 2008. Untreated woven metal gauze and cow leather. / Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios.
“Radiation Invasion” Dress, September 2009. Faux leather, gold foil, cotton and tulle. / Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios.
A dress worn by Scarlett Johansson from van Herpen’s Wilderness Embodied collection. / Photo by Bryan Conley.
“Capriole” was van Herpen’s first couture collection, displaying her talent for combining hand-worked materials with digital technology. / Photo by Bryan Conley.
“Magnetic Motion” Dress, September 2014. 3-D-printed transparent photopolymer and stereolithography resin, High Museum of Art. / Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios.
IT’S A RARE occasion that a woman artist is singled out with a large solo museum show. Let alone a 32-year-old Dutch fashion designer named Iris (pronounced EE-ris) van Herpen, who’s as comfortable with advanced technology (lasers and 3-D printers) as a needle and thread.
Now at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art (through May 1), “Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion” pulls together selections from 15 of her haute couture collections for this exhibition.
“Pittsburgh is not a fashion-centric city,” says Rachel Delphia, curator of decorative arts and design at the Carnegie Museum. “At the same time, what human beings put on their bodies to make a statement is inherently relatable.” Fashion notwithstanding, what intrigues Delphia and inspired her to bring the exhibition here is the innovative nature of van Herpen’s work and its art/technology connection. “[That’s] near and dear to this city, which has been steadily reinventing its economy through high tech (Google, Uber) and major research institutions (Carnegie Mellon).”
Delphia points to van Herpen’s Refinery Smoke collection from July 2008. “It’s about the beauty and toxicity of industrial smoke.” Something this town once known for its steel mills understands. Although you would be hard pressed to walk through any doorway wearing a dress from this collection, it’s worth noting how the woven metal gauze of the skirt billows out from the bodice like a fabulous ballgown or halo. Van Herpen studied classical ballet and uses her knowledge of the body and movement in her designs.
Bjork, Scarlett Johansson, Beyonce and Solange Knowles and Lada Gaga have worn van Herpen designs, but don’t expect to see celebs wearing her clothing on a red carpet anytime soon.
“Van Herpen has a kind of futuristic, dystopian view of the world. She’s probing timely questions about technology and the body and how they relate to each other, about the blurry continuum between what’s natural and what’s manmade,” says Delphia.
Van Herpen works with biologists, architects, MIT professors and computer scientists. Fascinated with magnetism and physics, she went to see the hadron collider in Cern, Switzerland, inspiring her Magnetic Motion collection. A dress from the Crystallization collection looks as if the mannequin is surrounded by a splash of water. Laser-cut silicone could easily pass for feathers in a dress from her Wilderness Embodied collection, a version of which was worn by Scarlett Johansson for a magazine cover shoot.
Visitors to the show are clearly intrigued. Questions such as “How do you move in that?” “How do you put that dress on?” and “How did she make that?” reverberate through the three exhibit halls. According to Delphia, on opening weekend in February, two-thirds of the people who came to the museum went to the van Herpen exhibit. This despite the attraction of dinosaurs in the natural history museum and paintings by Van Gogh, Monet and Winslow Homer, to name a few.
Organized by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, the exhibition will travel to four other cities: Dallas, Phoenix, Cincinnati and Toronto.
—Janet Kelly Janet Kelly is the editor of MyLittleBird. Read more of her posts.
Caudalie products at Sherber+Rad. / Photo by Stephanie Cavanaugh.
YOU CAN ADD city living to the list of reasons you have blotches and wrinkles and saggy skin. Bathe in the average city’s pollution, indulge in late nights, harsh lights, an imperfect diet washed down by prosecco or beer and by age 33, your skin’s elasticity is reduced by 10% and concentrations of Vitamin C and E drop by 30 to 40%, so say the chemists at the 21-year-old French skin care line Caudalie. Even if such youthful dissipation is long in the past, imagine the mess your skin is in a few decades on.
Cell burnout is what they call it, and that is what their Anti-Cell Burnout Complex was designed to combat. Just introduced is a range of products in a collection called Vine[Activ], intended to reverse the damage, plump and smooth the skin, and protect against future skin trauma. Oh, there’s lovely sounding stuff involved. Extracts of fern and licorice, sweet almond, rose and neroli oils, a serum, a moisturizer, a voluptuous eye cream, a detox oil. It’s all as lavish and delicious as one would expect from the French. And not badly priced, either, for a luxury line, topping out at $52 for the glow-activating serum.
As your guinea pig for this line, I was treated to the night detox oil, three-in-one antipollution moisturizing treatment and the eye cream. All of which I immediately tried out, expecting absolutely nothing. I mean, what could happen overnight? And yet, I thought my skin did look better in the morning, simultaneously thinking that I could be deluding myself, as I frequently do. However, my friend Kathleen blurted when I met her this morning for brunch, “What have you done! You glow—I mean in a good way, not greasy, just…glowy.”
The line was introduced by Caudalie lead esthetician Regine Berthelot at the luxe Sherber + Rad skincare salon at 1101 15th Street, NW—where you can also play about with Tom Ford’s cosmetics, La Mer potions and other extravagantly priced brands. It’s a highly edited collection, they say, selecting the best of the best from each line they carry. You can also have your forehead yanked, lips plumped and jowls injected, if you’ve a mind to. And, if you’re a VIP, there’s a private garage entrance where your secret service contingent can wait.
In addition to Sherber +Rad, the Vine[Activ] collection is available at the Caudalie store (953 Palmer Alley NW, Suite 308) at City Center, Sephora and Bluemercury.
—Stephanie Cavanaugh When she’s not tending her city garden, Stephanie likes to dab on new skincare lotions and potions.
A FEW WEEKS ago, we ran a post (reprinted below) setting out one woman’s dilemma over how to part ways with her long-time colorist. It sounds like a silly problem but consider the close nature of the client-hair dresser relationship. We spend a lot of time in our stylist’s chair, often sharing personal details about each other’s lives under an unstated code of secrecy. We may not be friends per se, but … .
We asked readers if they had had similar hard times cutting the cord with their present stylist and how they had managed it. Most of you who commented, though, expressed fierce loyalty to their hairdresser, saying they would never leave him/her:
“Would never leave my hairdresser, Isabelle (Izzy) Goetz. Her haircuts are art!”–Bonnie Kogod
“I would never break up w my stylist!! I’ve been w Murat Franco through 2 salons–he is THE MASTER of the perfect blonde.”– Elizabeth Wydra
“Turguy and his nephew Onder at Georgetown Salon are the BEST!”– Jacqui Michel
“I’ve been seeing the same colorist and stylist for a million years and they both (Sonnia Aranibar and Jean Luc Vivier at Salon L’eau) are the best! However, occasionally I’ve been unfaithful and dabbled with others, but I always come back to them. I think they pretend not to notice.”– Kathy Legg
Still, if you find yourself looking for someone new to color or cut your tresses, here’s how our friend graciously and diplomatically told her former hairdresser bye-bye. She wrote a letter. Here’s my edited version:
Thank you for your phone calls. I do appreciate your concern.
Let me explain my lack of communication: In early January, I went into a winter funk and did not respond to email or phone calls. To make matters worse, my hair began falling out. As I mentioned to you, I started going to a new hair stylist for my cut and he mentioned that he had a formula from Germany that would prevent hair loss. Did I believe it?? Not sure, but I hoped. So far he has colored the roots once (no highlights yet). I would like to try his process a little while longer to see if it can strengthen the hair and roots or at least stabilize things. I am also trying to find out the name of his product.
I understand this was a time when you wanted to bring all your clients with you and I am sorry that I haven’t followed. You are a highly skilled colorist and I have a feeling I will be back to you in the very near future, but meanwhile I wish you great success at this new salon.
A FRIEND OF MINE in New York has a dilemma—with her hairdresser. She has been going to the same salon for color for 10 years and has become friendly with the colorist during that time. She also has had her hair cut at the salon with one of their stylists (with whom she was less friendly and had only seen for a year or so). So, when her cousin raved about a stylist at another salon, she decided it was worth giving someone else a try. Her haircut was superb. He also happens to color hair and mentioned to her that he uses a new, less harmful coloring process.In the past few weeks, her colorist has moved to a different salon, so my friend is deciding whether this leaves her an opening to also go to this new guy for color.
Buther “old” colorist from the original salon recently called to remind her that she had moved to a different salon and hoped to see her soon. Now, she’s conflicted about what to do. Does she tell the colorist she has been seeing for 10 years that she has decided to try someone new? She doesn’t want to just ghost her. And then if she doesn’t like the new colorist’s job on her hair, does she go back to the old?
Roksanda Ilincic’s ladylike pink crepe dress gets oomph from the big bows on the flared sleeves. $1,665, mytheresa.com.
Get in touch with your inner pirate in Zara’s short, flowy floral print blouse. $39.90, zara.com and 1238 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC.
Take a tip from Melania Trump with this bell-sleeved white dress, $99.90, eloquii.com. The e-tailer has a pop-up in Virginia’s Fashion Centre Pentagon City, offering on-trend fashion for women sizes 14-28.
Madewell’s linen and chambray top lets your shoulders shine while sheathing your upper arms. $70, netaporter.com.
An of-the-moment embroidered peasant shirt with a louche look thanks to oversize fit and big sleeves. $49.90, zara.com and 1238 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC; and 1715-17 Walnut Street, Philadelphia;
In this spring’s favorite color, a dropped-shoulder silk top with ruching at the waist and sleeves. $450, tibi.com.
A casual dress from Belgian designer Sophie d’Hoore with blousy top that camouflages a few unsightly upper arm bits. $580, erdon.co and Erdon boutique at 162 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia.
Feminine, layered bell-sleeve top comes in sizes 14/16 to 26/28. $59.95, lanebryant.com and numerous Lane Bryant stores in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Stripes and ruffled sleeves give this MSGM top right-now appeal. $425, nordstrom.com.
& Other Stories print blouse with elongated flared sleeves. $65, stories.com/us. Also, 3241 M Street NW, Washington DC.
EVER SINCE Michelle Obama bared her arms at her husband’s first address to Congress in 2009 (in February, no less), the quest for toned triceps and biceps has been the holy grail at gyms across the country and a sine qua non for wearing sleeveless sheaths a la the former first lady.
To be expected, though, the fashion pendulum has shifted. Note: Melania Trump‘s Roksanda Ilincic’s Margot white dress with bell sleeves and nipped-in waist that she wore to the GOP convention last summer. Along with oversize coats and sweaters, leg-o-mutton, puffed-shoulder, trumpet, balloon and extra-long sleeves with cascading ruffles starred on fall 2016 runways. And the voluminous trend in tops is showing no signs of deflating this spring.
Proof positive that the trend has, er, legs, is that’s hard to walk by a women’s clothing store window that is not displaying a mannequin in a billowy blouse or an off-the-shoulder-style shirt. The latter seems to me the equivalent of wearing a strapless bra and always having that sinking feeling that it’s slipping. The former can not only camouflage less-than-firm flesh but also flatter. Plus you don’t have to spend hours lifting weights to wear half- or three-quarter sleeve blouses that flutter gracefully over the upper arms. Covering the arms with long floating sleeves is elegant and forgiving. Keep in mind that stand-out sleeves need to be balanced with an unfussy silhouette, be it slim pants, pencil skirt or sheath. And think toned-down colors and prints.
Exercise caution when eating in some of the more exaggerated and elongated shirts with ruffles and flounces. Don’t dunk a donut in your coffee, and instead of a bowl of soup stick to a burger.
Flattering, feminine sleeves are available across a wide range of price points from Marni and Sonia Rykiel to Madewell and Zara. See our picks above.
—Janet Kelly Janet Kelly most recently wrote about new styles and ways to buy bras.
Photo on front: From left to right, MSGM striped blouse, Roksanda crepe dress and Nehera wool blouse.
PITTSBURGH HAS a lively theater scene. Here’s a roundup of companies and theaters in the area, with suggestions for nearby restaurants.
During the past 25 years, the nonprofit Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, has transformed a 14-block district in the city’s downtown into an arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood. The Cultural District includes restored historical theaters and new performance spaces, as well as parks and riverfront recreation areas. The theaters listed below are under the operation of the trust.
AUGUST WILSON CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
980 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-471-6070 culturaldistrict.org/pages/awc Named after the celebrated native-born playwright, the center presents performances celebrating the contributions of African Americans in Western Pennsylvania.
BENEDUM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
237 Seventh Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-456-6666 trustarts.org/benedum The 2,800-seat theater hosts performances of musical theater, dance and opera.
BRICOLAGE PRODUCTION COMPANY
937 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 412-471-0999 bricolagepgh Experimental theater that emphasizes audience engagement.
BYHAM THEATER
101 Sixth Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-456-6666 culturaldistrict.org/venues/byham-theater Once a famous vaudeville house, the Byham now offers musical theater performances as well as ballet and modern dance.
HEINZ HALL
600 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-456-6666 trustarts.org/pct_home/visit/facilities/heinz-hall The 2,676-seat venue, home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, also hosts Broadway shows.
PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER AT THE O’REILLY THEATER
621 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-316-1600 ppt The Pittsburgh Public Theater prides itself on producing new work. August Wilson’s “Jitney” received its professional premiere here.
PITTSBURGH PLAYWRIGHTS THEATRE COMPANY
937 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 pghplaywrights Develops and showcases the works of local playwrights.
Restaurants nearby: Seviche
930 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 seviche
For a pre-theater bite, this”New Latin” bistro specializes in its namesake, as well as small plates of pork ribs, salmon or mussels. Mojitos are a must.
Sonoma Grille
947 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-697-1336 thesonomagrille
Full-size main courses like guinea hen and double pork chops, plus shareables (mussels and scallops frites) and small plates (fresh fish crudo) in laid-back atmosphere meant to mimic a Napa winery courtyard. The same owners as Seviche.
Meat and Potatoes
649 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-325-7007 meatandpotatoespgh
The name says it all about this buzzy spot for elevated comfort food. Ribeye with bone marrow gratin, anyone? Post-theater dining an option— Meat & Potatoes is open until 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Friday and Saturday, until midnight.
BAREBONES PRODUCTIONS
5720 Friendship Avenue # 201
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412-298-4553 barebonesproductions Encourages the growth of local theater artists through the production of challenging, entertaining and thought-provoking plays.
Restaurant nearby: Whitfield (located in Ace Hotel)
120 S Whitfield Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania whitfieldpgh
As hip as any hipster place in NYC but without all the attitude. Steak is the star on the menu of this dining room with a neighborhood tavern-like feel, but vegetarians will also find dishes to appeal. Try the lobby bar for pre- or post-theater dining. The restaurant offers a 15% discount on meals with proof of purchase of a show ticket on performance nights.
CITY THEATRE
1300 Bingham Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
412-431-2489 citytheatrecompany Located on the city’s South Side, the professional theater company specializes in productions of new plays and has commissioned new works by playwrights on the national scene.
Restaurants nearby: The Urban Tap
1209 E. Carson Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
412-586-7499 theurbantap
The go-to destination for patrons, staff and artists for a beer and a snack before or after the show.
Dish Osteria Bar
128 S 17th Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
412-390-2012 dishosteria
The weekday happy hour here includes a $5 martini and small plates, including vitello tonnato and pan-roasted sea scallops with fennel and beets.
KELLY-STRAYHORN THEATER
5941 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412-363-3000 kelly-strayhorn A destination for innovative works in theater and dance.
Restaurants nearby: Soba
5847 Ellsworth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232
412-362-5656 sobapa
If you need to make the curtain in short order and even if you don’t. Swanky Asian fusion eatery with food meant for sampling and sharing. Convivial bar with good people-watching. Korean barbecue ribs are outstanding.
Spoon
134 South Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412-362-6001 spoonpgh
Eat the bar if you have a curtain to make. The 10-year-old restaurant, known for starting the city’s restaurant renaissance, features innovative main dishes, such as sunchoke ravioli and halibut with cauliflower-fennel puree.
NEW HAZLETT CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS
6 Allegheny Square East
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212
412-320-4610 newhazletttheater A venue for arts presenters, producers and artists. Prime Stage Theater, Pittsburgh Musical Theater and Community Supported Art Pittsburgh all perform here.
Restaurants nearby: Pizzaiolo Primo
8 Market Square
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-575-5858 pizzaioloprimo
Right smack in the middle of bustling Market Square. Terrific Neapolitan pizza, hand-made sweet fennel sausage, fresh mozzarella and antipasto.
Vallozzi’s
220 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-394-3400 vallozzis
A buzzy mozzarella and Italian tapas bar in the front; a more formal dining experience in the back. Take your choice.
OFF THE WALL PRODUCTIONS at Carnegie Stage
25 W Main Street
Carnegie, Pennsylvania 15106
724-873-3576 insideoffthewall Ambitious little art theater with an appetite for challenging plays
PICT CLASSIC THEATRE
Performs at Union Project:
801 North Negley Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412-561-6000 picttheatre Think Sophocles, Shakespeare, David Mamet and local acting talent.
Restaurants nearby: Park Bruges
5801 Bryant Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
412-661-3334 parkbruges You can’t go wrong with the classic moules frites. The frites are twice cooked and served with roasted garlic Dijon mayonnaise.
Casbah
S. Highland St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412-661-5656 casbahpgh
Whether you choose the bar, the dining room or the year-round patio, the Mediterranean-inspired food (radicchio salad, gnocchi with rosemary and grilled fish) is first-rate. A light bite or a four-course meal.
Pittsburgh CLO (performs at the Cabaret at Theater Square)
655 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-456-6666 pittsburghclo Pittsburgh CLO is a not-for-profit cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, creation and promotion of the American musical theater art form.
PITTSBURGH MUSICAL THEATER (performs at the Byham Theatre) pittsburghmusicals PMT is a non-profit organization committed to providing quality, affordable musical theater to the Pittsburgh region.
PITTSBURGH PLAYHOUSE
222 Craft Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
412-392-8000 pittsburghplayhouse The performing arts center of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts is home to The Rep, the professional theater company; and three student companies hosting musicals and dramas in three performance spaces.
Restaurant at the theater:
Backstage Bar
Very casual.
Restaurants nearby: Hello Bistro
3605 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
412-687-8787 hellobistro
Burgers, fries and an extensive salad selection are just a short walk away from the theater. Limited alcoholic drinks are also available.
Legume/Butterjoint
214 North Craig Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
412-621-2700 legumebistro
Locally sourced, seasonal American fare, including pork and pistachio paté and chickpea stew. The attached Butterjoint is a good spot for post-performance cocktails and light fare.
PRIME STAGE THEATER (performs at the New Hazlett Center)
Prime Stage’s mission is to entertain, educate and enrich families, students, and educators in the discovery of live theatre and literature.
QUANTUM THEATRE
218 North Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
412-362-1713 quantumtheatre Known for its experimental productions in non-traditional performance spaces around the Pittsburgh area.
Restaurant(s) nearby: The company picks the neighborhood or building and then partners with nearby restaurants for special menus and discounts to theater patrons.
IN RECENT BUSINESS news, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported a decline in Victoria’s Secret’s market share, speculating that the mass chain of lingerie stories had not responded soon enough to the athleisure trend and a customer preference for comfort. Competition had cropped up with e-commerce sites like Third Love, True & Co. and Lively selling sports bras and bralettes (unstructured, unlined, unpadded, wire-free), along with push-up and strapless styles. Catering to millennials who prefer to buy online, these sites offer fit guides and in some cases, free returns if not satisfied. (Amazon also has recently jumped into this segment of the lingerie market, with prices as low as $10.)
Women have had a love-hate relationship with bras for years. We complain they don’t fit; the shoulder straps slip off the shoulders and dig into the skin; they’re scratchy; they ride up. In the ’60s and early ’70s, some of us were burning them (mostly symbolically). The pendulum shifted in the mid-’90s as many embraced Victoria’s Secret sexy, push-up style that valued fashion over fit. By the early-mid 2000s, the seamless, memory-foam bra like Spanx’s Bra-llelujah became popular for being extremely comfortable and functional (no hooks) and a wide back strap to hold in back fat.
Fast-forwarding to 2017, my own, once-favorite Bra-llelujah has been looking dated (too much contouring/padding) for a few years, but I’ve been lax in seeking a replacement. I consulted a few experts for some buying guidance.
Shirlee Blanken of Underwraps in Bethesda is shocked anyone would buy a bra online. “Not every bra in the same size is going to fit you the same way, even within the same company,” she says. She’s an advocate of contouring to hide nipples and of support: “You don’t want [your breasts] to hang as you get older.”
Helen Kestler of Sylene in Chevy Chase sees a trend for less structured, more lightly contoured bras that still provide support and nipple coverage. She says Chantelle’s sportswear-inspired Aeria Light Spacer T-Shirt bra gives you coverage where you need it. The straps are designed to be closer together so they don’t slip off the shoulders. If you want light padding plus support, Ilene Levy of Cheeks Lingerie in Pittsburgh recommends brands like Natori and Simone Perele, which offer styles with innovative fabric that lifts without wires and light contouring.
But last month, when grown-up girl Candace Johnston, a Pittsburgh interior designer, realized she had just bought some new clothes during January sales but hadn’t purchased new bras for years, she decided to shop for them—online. She ordered Third Love’s 24/7 Classic T-shirt bra . The first size she ordered was too large and had to be returned, which she reports was an easy transaction. The next go-round was successful. “This is a good brand for us small-chested girls. They come in half sizes. My new bra fits like a charm. The test will be how it looks after a few washes.”
—Janet Kelly Janet Kelly recently wrote a post about winter sales.
