Shades of Summer
Everyone looks cooler in shades. And sunglasses are one of the easiest ways to change up your look. So it makes sense to have a wardrobe of styles, depending on whether you feel like channeling Kate Moss or Don Draper.
This season, classic shapes like aviators and Wayfarers get a trendy makeover with colorful frames and lenses. Oversize cat’s-eye, round and oblong shapes are also of the moment, as are tortoiseshell rims.
Here’s a roster every chameleon wannabe should consider owning.
1. Fantas-Eyes oversize round women’s sunglasses, $12 at www.nordstrom.com
2. Ray-Ban folding Wayfarer unisex sunglasses, $154.95 at Sunglass Hut at Westfield Montgomery Mall and www.sunglasshut.com (nonfolding version also available)
3. Han Kjobenhavn Timeless horn-rim sunglasses handcrafted in Copenhagen, $134 at J.Crew in Chevy Chase and at www.jcrew.com
4. Vogue Eyewear cat’s-eye sunglasses, $99.95 at www.macys.com
Natural Selection
Daphne Xu and Ben Chang looked to ancient Chinese herbalism when establishing their JuneLab line of skin and hair care products and nutritional supplements seven years ago in Chevy Chase. Now these all-natural products are available at Chevy Chase Supermarket.
Leaving careers in the satellite communications industry, Xu and Chang traveled the world in search of centuries-old herbal recipes. They then used new technologies to develop eye serums, toners, shampoos and hand lotions from herbal extracts such as Tibetan saffron, a natural oxidant; Tianshan snow lotus from China; and coco de mer from the Seychelles, an extract that they say restores skin cells.
Items available include the coco-de-mer shampoo ($12.99) and eye cream ($24.99), along with the premium skin care line and tropical-fruit-extract hand lotions in scents like papaya, key lime and dragon fruit ($9.99 to $28.99).
Chevy Chase Supermarket, 8531 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, 301-656-5133, www.junelab.com
Fashion on the Go
First it was food. Now it’s fashion that’s taking to the streets.
Shopping addicts and University of Maryland grads Stacey Kane and Brooke Jordan are rolling out The Thread Truck, a boutique on wheels. Working with the store Gossip in Arlington, Va., they’ll be bringing affordable, of-the-moment clothing and accessories to area doorsteps, with the truck in Bethesda/Montgomery County at least 30 percent of the time. The emphasis is on lesser-known designers such as Talulah, Just USA and Zenana, and prices are low enough that you’ll be able to put together an entire outfit (minus the shoes) for under $100.
Since they’re keeping their day jobs—Kane is vice president of marketing at Rockville-based California Tortilla and Jordan is a digital marketing manager for another company—the truck will be making the rounds on weekday nights and weekends. Scheduled to roll out in April, it will also be available for in-home parties and charity events—and unlike at a trunk show where orders are placed, shoppers will be able to get the items then and there. The party hostess will get a percentage of sales in merchandise, while charities will get the same percentage in cash.
Check The Thread Truck’s whereabouts via Twitter @thethreadtruck or Facebook. Parties can be arranged via the website, www.thethreadtruck.com.
Industrial Sneaker Chic
Being downsized may have been the best thing to happen to Steven Weinreb, a Bethesda-Potomac native and graduate of Winston Churchill High School. After losing his job in 2009 as vice president of sales for a sneaker importer, he started Civic Duty, a company that makes casual footwear. He wanted the name to be a reminder that commercial success can coexist with social, environmental and fiscal responsibility.
Civic Duty—whose men’s and women’s shoes fall somewhere on the style spectrum between Keds and Converse sneakers and TOMS slip-on espadrilles—uses eco-friendly Tyvek (the breathable synthetic used to make FedEx envelopes) in its manufacturing, as well as environmentally friendly dyes and glues. The shoes, which come in five styles and have the look and feel of paper, are water-resistant, durable and stylish. They’re available in hip colors like gunmetal, periwinkle and paper bag, and are pre-wrinkled for a lived-in look.
Weinreb, who now lives in New Jersey where his company is based, is adamant about sharing the wealth, too. Each year he designs an exclusive shoe whose proceeds go to charity (this year it’s Common Ground). Shoes run from $54 to $64.
Available at Nordstrom stores and online at civicdutyshoes.com.
Facials for Cancer Patients
The Tranquility Facial at Progressions Salon/Spa/Store in Rockville is just what the doctor ordered for men and women living with or recovering from cancer.
Esthetician Nancy Daniel underwent intensive oncology esthetics training last October to learn how cancer and cancer treatment affect the skin and lymph system. Incision sites, lymph node removal and skin reactions to products and techniques all have to be considered when working on cancer patients. And because they have weakened immune systems, hygiene is ultra important, too.
Daniel uses the TechNiche product line, designed for sensitive skin and healing, and charges $75 for a 50-minute facial, $110 with a reflexology add-on.
12211 Nebel St., Rockville, 301-231-8757, progressions.com
Openings and Closings
No, you’re not experiencing déjà vu. Bonobos, the men’s sportswear chain, is back in Bethesda—albeit at a different address. It’s now in the former Daddy & Son space on Bethesda Avenue. …Also new on Bethesda Avenue: New Zealand’s Icebreaker, known for its merino wool sports apparel for men, women and children, in the former Pirjo space; and Make Meaning, with duds for stylish moms and their offspring. …Meanwhile, on Bethesda Lane, LouLou has spread out in the former Urban Chic space, which dwarfs the size of its former digs across the way. …Bruce Variety, Bethesda’s answer to an old-time five-and-dime, has also reopened—in the former Creative Parties space on Woodmont Avenue. …Also new on Woodmont is The Bar Method, a trendy approach to body-sculpting through ballet moves done at a ballet bar and on mats. …At Montgomery Mall, Crate & Barrel has closed even as the indie clothing boutique Free People has opened there, as has the Asia-based women’s clothing chain Hoamgar, in the former American Apparel space.
Cynthia Hacinli has written for Washingtonian, National Geographic Traveler and The New York Times and lives in Friendship Heights. Send Shop Talk items to editorial@bethesdda-remix.newspackstaging.com.