GETSEEN …at W Boston for Gilt City’s By Invitation Only Book Launch Party
Alexis Maybank, cofounder of Gilt Groupe Alexis took time out from meeting Gilt fans and doling out business advice to talk about her classically feminine style. She wore a Valentino jacket from Gilt, a dress from Milan, and current-season Chloé heels. Traveling the cities where Gilt City has a presence, Alexis finds a commonality: an interest in fashion and design. “I love the places that dress up. [I love] Boston’s undertone of preppiness. There’s something healthy about the fashion here.” She believes in buying pieces you’ll love forever and keeping your closet stocked with the staples: great pencil skirts and nude pumps. “Nothing makes you stand up taller than power heels.”
STUFFY:
Haley McCraven, business-development Cosima Cabral, occupational coordinator at Goodwin Procter therapist at St. Anne’s Hospital Haley tempered her trendy red jeans with classic tweed, pairing Abercrombie & Fitch pants with a Banana Republic top, an H&M jacket, Ann Taylor heels, vintage earrings, and a bag from a market in Florence. She describes her wardrobe as very East Coast–influenced and filled with pieces that can take her from her lawoffice job to fashion-related events. This aspiring business-school student attended the launch to get advice on breaking into the fashion industry from Gilt’s founders. “It made my day!” The frequent Gilt shopper’s favorite score from the site? She names a coffee-table book, A Privileged Life. “It documents old Boston style; I look through it almost every day.”
She embraced the spring weather in a floral-print dress from Express, a Forever 21 belt, wedges from Aldo, and a bracelet by Razimus Jewelry. We gushed over Cosima’s chunky cuff, a piece handmade for her by Saratoga-based brand Razimus Jewelry. The fabric-and-bead combination added a tough edge to her otherwise sweet ensemble. Her off-the-clock look is filled with pieces from Express and Bebe — a serious departure from the scrubs she wears to work. If her look were a book, it would be called 2700 Dresses. We take it she’s a bit of a girly girl.
Massiel Deandrade, collector at Boston City Hall Massiel managed to make neutrals pop with a Carven dress, a thrifted clutch, and Donna Karan heels. She leaves all sartorial decisions up to her stylist, a longtime friend who accompanied her to the party and joined in the style discussion. “I’m influenced by high fashion and frequent consignment shops or Gilt to buy statement pieces at a fraction of the cost,” he said. Massiel’s favorite secondhand find is a toss-up between a Fendi watch from Buffalo Exchange in Somerville and Acne boots she scored on eBay.
Weave It to the Pros
For a moment, we thought Britney Spears hit her low point with that head-shaving, umbrellawielding incident. Then she showed up at the Video Music Awards writhing in a too-tiny top and rocking hair extensions that made it look like she had just rolled in road kill. Ouch: lower point. (Well, her psychiatrist might not agree. But her esthetician was screaming “Code Blue!”) The moral of the story is, if you’re going to go the hair-extension route, do it right — or don’t do it at all. Luckily, we’ve discovered the latest in tress technology at Megan Graham Beauty (115 Newbury Street, Suite 401, Boston, 401.236.8100), which has a process (and price tag) fit for a pop star. Graham has expanded her menu of services to include Hairdreams 7 Star extensions, which are bonded to hair using — ready for this? — lasers. Made with carefully color-matched human hair, the extensions are processed only once and attached with tiny micro-polymer bonds for a totally natural look. The service isn’t cheap (prices start at $500), but since the high-tech Laserbeamer system can apply eight extensions at once, adding length to your locks takes half the time. Consider it a small price to pay for keeping your head looking great on the outside. The inside? That’s up to you, Brit. Now put down the umbrella — we’ve talked about this.
— Meghan Kavanaugh
<10> 5.8.12
GET SEEN PHOTOS BY melissa ostrow; text by erin souza