Rockport’s ‘Lexington’ bridges boot, sneaker

More men are discovering what some of us fellows have known for years - that a hip wardrobe is incomplete without at least one pair of boots.

We’re not talking about brogans, Timbs, Wellies, or even cowboy boots, all of which have a place in the well dressed man’s closet. We’re referring to fashion boots. The kind that can go with jeans or a suit. The kind that have you feeling and walking taller. The kind that compel people to tell me “I like your shoes,” and then smile in mild surprise as I lift a pant leg and reply, “Thanks, they’re boots.”

They’re also practical, especially in winter, when they help shield the ankles from frigid wind, snow and rain. I have several pairs by Aldo, and Kenneth Cole and Hugo Boss currently have some hot styles out. They have influenced the return of high-top sneakers, which in many cases are getting a dressier look.

I recently saw a style by Rockport that vaulted to the top of my wish list. It’s called the Lexington, and it looks like a hybrid between a boot, a high-top sneaker, and an old-fashioned boxing shoe. It comes in the obligatory black, but the version in a burgundy-maroon shade called “sumac berry” is much more interesting. You can click on the picture to see more hot footwear for men and women by Rockport.

Michelle Obama style book great for collectors

However you feel about Michelle Obama’s sense of style, her influence on fashion is undeniable. Along with breaking racial barriers as the first black first lady of the United States, she has broken fashion rules and protocols and is writing her own.

So after nearly a year in the White House and twice as long in the public eye during the 2008 presidential campaign, it’s not too early to document her trendsetting ways. Mary Tomer does so beautifully in her recently launched book, Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy ($25.99, Center Street).

Ms. Tomer is contributing editor for Mrs-O.org, a Web site she founded in September 2008 to chronicle and celebrate Mrs. Obama’s style. The blog gets more than 2 million page views a month from visitors in more than 220 countries, testimony to the first lady’s popularity around the world.

The 236-page hardback is destined to become part of the library of any who love Mrs. Obama, and there are many millions who do. The colorful book is breathtakingly thorough and attractive, chock full of sketches and hundreds of photos taken around the world. It also includes more than a dozen question-answer interviews with fashion designers she has worn and other fashion authorities, including Jason Wu, Isabel Toledo, Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, and Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley.

The tome’s tone is unfailingly flattering of the confident, brainy first lady. It clearly was published to praise her personal style rather than to evaluate her objectively through the lens of cultural criticism. But that won’t matter to the legions of Mrs. O fans, and perhaps it shouldn’t.

Bold eyeglasses making a style spectacle

I became disinterested in my black-framed Donna Karan eyeglasses shortly after I bought them a few years ago. I got them as eyeglasses began to cycle back into favor after taking a backseat for years to contact lenses.

I’m wearing those eyeglasses more now to give my look some variety and, quite honestly, to rest my eyes from daily contact wear. And I’m surprised at how many compliments I get.

But I’m on the prowl for some new ones. I spied a pair with those stylishly cerebral half frames when I recently went to buy some new contact lenses. I tried on several pairs and decided that the style, along with rectangular lenses, would best enhance my facial features.

I’m not too daring when it comes to spectacles. I have a lot of respect for people who dare to wear a bold color or a highly unusual shape. I always thought glasses should be so subtle that others almost don’t realize you’re wearing them.

But fashion trends disagree with me. The pendulum has swung back decidedly to the side of loud and colorful conversation pieces. I think funky reading glasses and the continuing rise of dramatic accessories have fueled the trend.

Many eyeglasses now are designed to be worn by men and women, crafted in shapes and colors that might appeal to everyone. Consider the Aegean style pictured here. The red metallic frame retails for about $120 but is $39.95 now at GlassesShop.com. Like many retailers, the site has all sorts of bargain styles for men, women and children.

As for me, I saw a pair of half-frames I like that I just might buy with non-prescription lenses for a new fashion statement. The braver folk can have the colors.

Fresh flowers a stylish hostess gift during holidays

It’s enough to make you feel sorry for flesh flowers. In spite of their aromatic elegance, the only times most people ever think of buying them are for weddings, funerals, Mothers Day, and apologies.

Silk floral arrangements are nice. They can last forever. My mother twisted and shaped them into many a breathtaking work of art, including several years at her Bella Cosa Flowers and Gifts shop near downtown Lexington, Ky. But some of her best work was with fresh flowers, literal works of art with the added benefit of natural aromatherapy.

All sorts of beautiful blossoms bloom every season of the year - including the holidays. If you’re hosting a gathering, even the most modest arrangement can bring a venue to life. If you’re attending a party and are unsure about an appropriate hostess gift, think past the clichéd bottle of wine and consider how a lush arrangement can take the meal table from so-so to unforgettable.

Delivered ahead of time, a custom floral arrangement heralds your arrival with style. Brought with you and presented with a warm greeting, they’re sure to brighten the face of the event host as well as the entire room. Any way you give it, a thoughtfully selected arrangement is a reminder of your presence that day and a hallmark of impeccable taste.

After the holidays, a fresh floral arrangement is an easy way to stave off the dreary winter doldrums that can sometimes bring you down after the holidays have passed. As Old Man Winter digs in his heels and plunges many regions into a cold, wet mass of brown, you can give yourself a lift by not waiting for spring to arrive to enjoy some of nature’s most magnificent and varied expressions of scent and color.

Many arrangements come in creative containers and can be delivered the same day of purchase. Flower-of-the-month clubs are popular gifts, and sources such as HonestFlorist.com offer options for every budget and occasion. Click on the picture to peruse more options and to shop.

Earth and Alchemy: jewelry with an exclamation point

I don’t own many bracelets, never have. But this past summer, I bought one that has received more compliments than just about every other accessory or article of clothing I own.

It was an impulse buy, I’ll admit. I was at a gallery showing in Pittsburgh of clothing by fashion designer Kim Davis. Jewelry designer Richelle Wilson also was there with a captivating selection of pieces. As I surveyed the table, my eyes fell on a bold link bracelet. It was a dragon fashioned from polished sterling silver, and it closed where the mouth met the tail. She urged me to try it on, and I found myself unable to take it off.

The best jewelry is somewhat unusual, and that’s a quality Ms. Wilson’s designs distinctive since she began designing jewelry off and on in 1991. A decade later, she launched her Earth and Alchemy brand a decade later.

“I have always loved jewelry and gemstones,” said Ms. Wilson, who is based in New York. “I began studying geology in order to understand gemstones, until I found there was an actual field of study called gemology.”

She graduated from the prestigious Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica, Ca. with a graduate gemologist degree in 1991. Then it was on to New York City, where she studied jewelry design and production at the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology.

Like many women of color who try to break into New York’s modeling and fashion industry, Ms. Wilson faced some resistance as a black female jewelry designer. “I had a lot of ugly comments thrown at me, and some suppliers who basically ignored me.”

But she found a friend and advocate in Mike Adanas, a master jeweler with whom she worked and trained. “Mr. Adanas held my hand through those rough times, and continues to do so this very day,” she says.

Versatility is an important design feature, such as “enhancer” clasps on pendants so that they can be moved and worn on any type of necklace. Pins have backings that allow them to also be worn as pendants, and bracelets have connections that allow them to be combined with other pieces and worn as necklaces.

She’s been a flight attendant for the last 23 years, a source of much of her creative inspiration. “A lot of my ideas come from my travel and work. I have been blessed to see many parts of the world, and meet artists and jewelers from all over the globe. I get incredible ideas from various cultures and their customs, architecture, local fashion, and from people-watching.”

Earth and Alchemy creations are an interplay of color and texture, striking in their artistry. She pairs deep jewel tones with icy pastels, rich earth tones with vibrant precious and semi-precious gemstones, fiery transparent gems with cool opaques - all held together by carved or textured sterling silver, 14-carat gold, or 18-carat gold.

She chose her brand name carefully. “Alchemy is an ancient science that ancient chemists believed had the ability, through magical transformation, to turn base metals into gold,” she explains. “To take something ordinary and make it extraordinary; this is the premise behind the Earth and Alchemy name. Earth and Alchemy uses the natural gifts the earth offers and transforms them into beautiful, modern; yet timeless jewelry not just to be worn, but to ‘live’ in.”

Ms. Wilson loves that jewelry can tell the world who you are - or who you want to be - on any given occasion and for every mood. “Jewelry speaks volumes about you, without you saying a word,” she says. “Small and dainty says romantic, shy, demure. Larger pieces show confidence and strength. Whether you wear a signature piece, or layer it on, great jewelry introduces you to the world.”

Earth and Alchemy jewelry will be available online in January. Get it now by calling 1-877-TRIBE44. Most pieces are custom orders, and she works with clients around the globe by sending sketches via e-mail.

Real men can wear pearl, too

Someone once said that the pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens. While most women learn by adulthood that a pearl necklace and earrings are musts for her jewelry wardrobe, few fellows realize that pearl can be a classic component in their collection of sartorial accoutrements. One easy way for men to incorporate pearl is in a tie tack or bar. Another, more interesting, way is in a set of handsome cuff links. They make good gifts for groomsmen and for occasions such as Fathers Day, birthdays and anniversaries. Pearls are organic gems produced by living organisms, which puts them in the same family as coral, amber, ivory and shell.

They’re usually carved and polished rather than faceted like mineral gems, and are fairly low-maintenance. They occur naturally in black, champagne and other colors. But they are most common in their natural whitish hue, which ages ago caused some Arab cultures to view pearls as tears of the gods.

Carry your cell phone and computer with style

Luxurious, durable leather goods never go out of style, and there’s more demand than ever with the rise of computers, cell phones and other consumer electronics and technological doodads. With brands such as Ireland-based Octo, you don’t have to pay insanely high prices for avant-garde, sophisticated design. Consider the features of just two of the brand’s items.

The Apple iPhone 3G ribbon case boats seamless Italian leather, stainless steel finishing and a microfiber lining. It comes in a dozen colors and smooth or croc-texture finish. You can carry your Apple MacBook Air in equally elegant style with a similar seamless Italian leather sleeve free of magnets, zippers and straps. It comes in six colors with smooth or embossed leather. Check out these and other striking, apart-from-the-pack accessories for discerning men and women at OCTO Style.

80’s ‘it’ bag brand Aigner still going strong

The clutch may well be the dominant handbag style of the year, but a great purse in any shape will always grab a woman’s attention. As fashion brands popular in the Eighties continue to surge in popularity, Etienne Aigner, the darling of that decade, launches a series of new designs that remind the public why they were Everywoman’s “it” bag a generation ago. Aigner’s Westchester satchel is a beauty to behold.

Beyond its gorgeous exterior, the roomy interior features a zipper compartment with four slide pockets and a zipper pocket on the back wall. The bag also comes with an 18-inch detachable strap that provides wearing options. Click on the picture for more info and to buy.

Molton Brown spa facial oils now available to public

One of the tricks of surviving New York fashion week at Bryant Park is finding an alternative to the portable johns and their long lines.

A few seasons ago I learned how to escape to a nearby boutique hotel, which has fairly luxurious restrooms on a lower level. Aside from the solitude and pristine conditions, part of the decidedly more pleasant experience is the selection of Molton Brown products available for use.

From the soaps to the hand lotion, the products are clean, fresh and suitably aromatic. And if you visit one of Molton Brown’s emporia - boutiques lined with hundreds of different products - it’s impossible to leave without a bag full of quality, affordable indulgences for yourself and others.

For a limited time, the British brand has introduced to the public a collection of facial oils normally available only at Molton Brown spas. Tunisian Neroli, Somalian Myrrh and Hungarian Wld Carrot are aromatic skin-repairing potions packed with essential oils and other ingredients to moisturize skin without leaving it as slippery as a buttered fish. The oils also nourish and smoothe skin on the neck and décolletage.

Housed in attractive glass bottles, the oils are $58 each at all emporia locations and at www.moltonbrown.com. Bonus:You can get a complimentary full-size body wash worth $28 with a purchase of at least $60 at any Molton Brown  emporium or the company’s website through Sept. 2. Choose from blissful templetree, ultrasmooth coco de mer, energizing seamoss and bracing silverbirch while supplies last.

Eco-friendly Poo~Pourri prevents bathroom odor

Suzy and Sergio Batiz share a sense of humor and an entrepreneurial spirit. With necessity as the mother of invention, the in-laws gave birth in January 2007 to Poo~Pourri, a product that makes the bathroom a more pleasant place. While virtually every air freshener on the market masks odor, Poo~Pourri was designed to prevent it. Just spritz the blend of aromatic essential oils and natural odor eliminators on the surface of the toilet bowl water before using, and it goes a long way toward heading off excremental stench. Suzy — an Arkansas-born lover of essential oils and self-described “serial entrepreneur”–– bought out her brother-in-law and assumed total control of the company (Texas-based S2Synergy) in September 2007. She soon launched variations such as fruit-scented No. 2, man-friendly Royal Flush, Heaven Scent, Pooch~Pourri for dogs, Karoma and Nature’s Call. Creative family and friends have helped make the line successful. Her husband Hector, a photographer and web developer, wrote “The Little Black Book Washroom Etiquette” that comes with each bottle of Royal Flush. You can order at Poopourri.net.

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