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Despite its
rich look, a Jackie O. scarf will only set you back $25 ($22.50 for museum
members.) |
IT’S AN OLD rule of thumb: a fine silk scarf can dress up any
outfit, from a bland business suit to faded jeans. But you don’t have to
shop at high-end shops to find a fine scarf, which, at signature shops
such as Hermes, start at about $150. Ouch! This season, New York’s Metropolitan Museum
gift shop has a new collection of stylish scarves modeled after one of the
classiest women in American history: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy.
Inspired by a museum exhibit this past spring and summer called
“Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years,” the “accessories scarf”
highlights some of Jackie O’s signature accessories, such as her pillbox
hat and dark sunglasses. Stylish scarves |
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![]() Since you’re saving hundreds of dollars by not taking a trip to Paris or shopping at those high-end designers shops, a nice companion gift is the exhibit’s catalogue, which ranges in price from $35 for the paper edition to $100 for the slip-cased copy. Arranged in chronological order, the Fashionable fleece Thanks to clever designers, fleece can also be fashionable this season. Among the collection of fine scarves at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, there are two funky-yet-functional ones — they both have pockets. The pockets are not the best place to store important stuff, such as house keys, but are a convenient way to keep hands warm in the cold weather. Adventurous types may even wear the pocket of the three-way fleece scarf on their heads as recommended in the product description, which officially makes it a three-in-one item. Priced at $44, the 10-by-90 inch scarf is only available in red. If she prefers neutral colors, consider the gray-and-tan patchwork scarf, priced at $48. The scarf measures 10-by-81 inches and will match almost any winter outfit. |
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![]() The heat blanket is also safe and energy efficient. Here’s why: Old-style electric blankets depend on one wire to heat a large surface area. So they must run at a high voltage. The heat blanket comes with a small unit — you can store under your bed — which converts high-voltage (120 AC volts) into low-voltage (28 DC volts) power that is spread over some 70 conductive filaments spaced about 1 1/4 inches apart. Since the filaments only have to heat a small portion of the blanket, they can run on a low voltage, using about the same amount of electricity as a 100-watt light bulb. Made in the U.S.A and machine washable, the blanket is available in five earthy colors and three sizes: double ($159), queen ($199) and king ($219.) Despite all the new improvements in technology, some of us are still not comfortable using an electric blanket. If that’s the case, this year consider a handcrafted “Nouvie.” Designer Eecole Copen of Portland, Ore., says she got the idea for the “Nouvie” or the fleece blanket with sleeves when she was living in an “adorable little trailer” without heat. “I would sit up in bed and read at night but my arms and neck would freeze. One of those nights it hit me that it didn’t take living in a trailer to freeze my arms off. I had experienced the same thing lots of times … even at home in my cozy bed. Then it dawned on me that lots of people probably had similar experiences,” she says. After much brainstorming, she concluded: Yes, “a blanket with sleeves!”
The product derives its name from the French words for new and life, but Nouvies are made of Eco Fleece, a machine-washable, non-pilling textile manufactured from recycled pop bottles and plastics. Copen sells Nouvies in cyberspace, out of her home and at Portland’s Saturday Market, the largest continuous outdoor market, which requires that all artisans hand craft their wares. If you happen to live in Portland, Copen has been known to meet customers in a local coffee shop to place orders. Nouvies are available in six flavorful colors — salsa, eggplant, wine, blueberry, black currant and green bean — and run from $99.50 for the small to $119.50 for large or wheelchair-size. Best bet As far as value for the money, this season’s best bet has to be Good Night’s pajamas in a bag. Packaged in a 10-by-12 inch flannel pouch, the 100 percent cotton pajamas are warm, have style and cost less than most pajamas on the market. The two-piece set even comes with a soft cotton shirt instead of a bulky flannel one. The four-button shirt is nice enough to wear with jeans if you don’t mind the design on the upper left side. The pajama patterns are not as flashy as top designers Nick & Nora or Cat’s Pajamas — I mean who can compete with sushi pajamas — but the designs are playful. As for price, you simply can’t beat it. The two-piece set sells for $19.99, marked down from $29.99, and the nightshirt costs $13.99, reduced from $19.99 at Kohl’s department store online. (The Mamaroneck, N.Y.-based company also sells an adorable line of children’s bedding online at JC Penney.com.) Houdini tote |
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![]() By and about women |
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![]() For example, Winnermucca, an Indian woman born in 1844, says the white people “came like a lion, yes, like a roaring lion, and have continued ever since.” On the other hand, Bethenia Owens-Adair, who practiced medicine in the late 1880s, says “the regret of my life up to age thirty-five, was that I had not been born a boy, for I realized very early in life that a girl was hampered and hemmed on all sides simply by the accident of sex.” One hundred forty-six stunning black-and-white photographs accompany the text. In the tradition of these women of the West, consider some spa products from Indian Springs, the only spa in the Calistoga, Calif., area that offers mud baths which use the local volcanic ash, which was deposited millions of years ago. The attention you receive there from Native American women cannot be beat but the products offer a glimpse of the experience, and are (pardon the expression) dirt cheap. The liquid mint soap and cucumber lotion are so gentle, if you shut your eyes, you may even transport yourself into one of those deep mud baths. The eight-ounce bottle sells for $5.50; the 16-ounce, $11. There are also bath salts, cleansers, shower gel and foot cream, all made from local ingredients, which range in price from $6.50 to $18.50. So if after all the frenzy of holiday shopping, you’re still not relaxed, at least she will be. Teri Goldberg is MSNBC.com’s shopping writer. Write to her at personalshopper@msnbc.com |
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