We claimed our spot by the catwalk for Boston University’s “Art Nouveau” Fashion Show and Art Exhibit, where we scoped out local student designers’ collections that could totally be rocked on the runways of Heidi Klum and company.

Surrounded by the Fuller Art Gallery’s abstract works and thudding music, Bostonista spotted Stil designer and Boston University graduate Sam Mendoza, who was reliving the scene that kicked off his career. (more…)

I’ve been looking for a pair of corduroys for years. Corduroys are inherently unflattering: a little bulky, saggy-seeming in all the wrong places. Sort of like sweatpants made to look like regular pants. Most stretch out within minutes of pulling them on. Is it too much to ask for a pair of cords that are cozy and decent-looking? (more…)

It’s that time of year again. Tomorrow night a new America’s Next Top Model will be crowned and too-sweet-for-comfort Whitney’s unmerited stint as the reigning champ will finally come to a much-appreciated end.

With such a weighty decision looming on the horizon, there’s one question on our minds: Why can’t we shake the weeknight guilty pleasure that is ANTM? We really should have quit watching when controversial celebrity judge Janice Dickinson left the panel, taking most of the show’s fun with her.

Now all we’re left with is off-the-rocker host Tyra Banks, whom you might recognize from her recurring role as comedic fodder on E!’s The Soup. Oh, and she also found some success as a supermodel.

But seriously, who is going to be America’s…Next…Top…Mo…del? (more…)

Turns out you don’t have to be up to your pocket-scarf in old money to dress like a classy WASP.

The enduringly dapper Joe Ferrarro, once named by the Globe as one of Boston’s best dressed, dishes out candid advice on how to be the snazziest budget-minded sartorialist in town on his blog, An Affordable Wardrobe: Dressing Like a Gentleman on a Chimneysweep’s Funds. (more…)

Lunch tables were swapped for racks of fashion forward designs at Cambridge’s Baldwin School this past Saturday, as the grade school’s cafeteria transformed into an indie fashion mecca for the Design Hive Market.

E-commerce marketing consultant, Val Fox, organized the indoor shopping spree, which will take place every Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., now through December 20. With new designer goods being added each week, it gives us an excuse to make multiple stops throughout the holiday season for gift-giving and self-indulgent purchases. (more…)

Yes, the life of a Bostonista involves many perks, many of which come from sitting the next cube over from Chowder: Impromptu pumpkin pie tastings, the introduction to our new favorite citrus, free booze.

And since Chowder became a mother last May, our eyes have been opened to a whole world of baby stuff that we never really paid attention to before. (more…)

The past months of mud-slinging ads, nationally televised emotional breakdowns, and the revival of the Saturday Night Live political skit have Bostonista alternately grinning, groaning, and feeling decidedly patriotic.

You already know about our favorite political dessert. Now, we’re sharing a few hot new accessories for fall. (more…)

Last week, posh jewelry shop Dorfman welcomed esteemed American jewelry designer Henry Dunay for a trunk show in celebration of his book A Precious Life. The dapper, soft-spoken Dunay showed off his collection with all the romanticism one could hope for from a 73-year-old jewelry legend. “When I see the shine in the customer’s eyes, I can tell she saw what I wanted her to see when I was designing it,” he gushed. “It’s my art.”

Filled with his collection, the glass cases glistened with grandiose tanzanite rings, glittery diamond bracelets, and a breathtaking one-of-a-kind necklace that combined unique shades of coral and rare black and green jade.

And that’s not to mention his most famous masterpiece on the market: the Lachrymosa Mask, a platinum and gold spectacle with 749 diamonds and a price tag of, ahem, $1 million, which is all to benefit AIDS research organization AmFar. Originally designed for Elizabeth Taylor, the mask has also been worn by Princess Diana and Vendela Kirseborn. (more…)

Hey, you, in the pilly sweater: Just because the economy is in the toilet doesn’t mean you have to dress like you’ve just crawled out of one.

All this talk of recession, and sad-sack dressing to match, is just so damn depressing. Caring about—and even, gasp, spending money on—things that make you happy doesn’t make you insensitive, shallow, or even irresponsible. It might just lift your spirits. Just know your limits. (And if you’re one of those overspending, credit card maxing types who helped get us into this mess in the first place, you can stop reading now.)

Your first assignment: A jewelry event at Barneys New York. (more…)

In her debut column on the store’s new website Louis Boston owner and undercover feminist Debi Greenberg lays forth her feelings on fashion and business, with a hint of subtle politics thrown in for good measure. Louis started out as a men’s store, she says, but now caters to both sexes—equally.

She goes on to issue a call to arms: Against retailers with agendas, big money advertisers, and the media, who are credited with too-often kowtowing to retailers on whose ad dollars we can’t help but rely.

The word fashion, Greenberg goes on to write, is limiting, but the world itself is not. (more…)