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Best Bets: Week of December 1, 2014

How to Buy a Sports Bra


Tips from Jennifer Bandier, founder of the Southampton-based fitness shop Bandier, popping up at 915 Broadway through January.

Choose seamless. Hooks and underwires aren’t worth the discomfort. If you need the extra support, wear a seamless sports bra underneath your underwire one to prevent chafing.

Size down. For running, kickboxing—basically anything other than yoga—pick a size that’s a little too tight. Jump up and down. If everything stays in place, you’re good.

Look for lots of Lycra. It’s important for the fabric to maintain its shape after washing. The higher the Lycra percentage, the better the stretch memory.


Ask a Hairstylist
The man responsible for Jared Leto’s ombre locks, Chase Kusero, along with three co-owners, just debuted the six-chair IGK Salon inside the Dream Downtown hotel (355 W. 16th St.).


Illustration by Murphy Lippincott  

Let’s talk about Jared Leto. You know, I always thought I would be recognized for a ladies’ hairstyle. But there I was, with Jared, at every film festival and award show. It’s pretty hair, but it’s definitely been beaten into the ground at this point. Last week someone called me to ask if I did Bruce Jenner’s ombre. I freaked out.

So what’s next? For women, we’re going to be seeing a lot more sun-kissed, dimensional, beachy hair. Bangs are coming back big time, and no more dark on the top, light on the bottom. For the men, it’s going to be a mid-length gentleman’s haircut, like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. It goes without saying that Mad Men–style fades are over.


Side by Side
Two antique-y home shops debut: Altamira Workshop, hailing from the Brooklyn Flea, and the Georgia-inflected South of Market.


Altamira Workship
217 Sixth Ave., Park Slope

Roots: The Fort Greene Brooklyn Flea, where Philip Sachs and Amy Fierro peddled their screen prints in neighboring booths.
Vibes: 300 square feet, 13-foot ceilings, warped floral vintage wallpaper, basement screen-printing studio.
Wares: Sachs’s cityscape prints on recycled barn wood, Fierro’s animal prints on baby tees, plus MegWare ceramics.

South of Market
416 Washington St.

Roots: Atlanta, where interior designer Kay Douglass first expanded to retail to house the overflow from her Parisian buying trips.
Vibes: 1,600 square feet, stark-white gallery floors bisected by a floor-to-ceiling steel X-beam, Antwerp minimalism.
Wares: 1920s nautical rope chairs, deep-red coffee table cut from a warehouse door, 1960s leather swivel chairs.


2x2: Silk Flowers
They’re fake, and they’re fantastic.


Greens:
Stem: Hen-and-Chicks, $13 at aldikhome.com.
Bunch: Calla Lily and Palm combo, $100 at nearlynatural.com.


Oranges:
Stem: Dark-Orange Ranunculus, $4 at jamaligarden.com.
Bunch: John-Richard Freesia Charisma arrangement, $315 at neimanmarcus.com.



Illustration by Murphy Lippincott  

Moving In
Designer Maggy Frances Schultz went from assisting stylists at Vogue and W to launching the Maggy Frances fashion line in 2012. In December, she’ll open her very first shop, at 280 Mott Street.

“One day I was walking down Mott and passed by this beautiful hand-painted sign that said store with old-school charm for rent. I immediately called the number. My clothing is all about old-school charm: the ’60s and ’70s, mods and rockers. My favorite pieces right now are the houndstooth pants, which have a Mick Jagger thing going on, but also a Funny Face Audrey Hepburn thing. And then my brocade evening coat, which is pretty enough to never take off at the party.”


Top Five
After much anticipation (and delays), H&M sister brand COS finally hits 129 Spring Street on December 5—at noon, to be exact. Here, a few of womenswear-design head Karin Gustafsson’s favorites from the winter collection.


“The draped-lapel dress ($225) is inspired by a reconstruction we did of an oversize, secondhand men’s blazer. You can see the collar and lapel motif down the front, ending in a pleat.”





“This sterling-silver ring ($59) fits well in the collection, because we play so much with folding. The dots are meant to look like paper folded along a perforated line.”





“This cutout heel ($225) takes the classic pointed heel and reinvents it in a slightly graphic way. Plus, they’re a good height to walk in every day and still feel dressed up.”





“Our long tie-waist blazer ($225) is boiled wool, and it’s cut with a quite soft silhouette in mind. We created a sharp collar and lapel to give it a tailored look but let the rest collapse around the body.”





“I love this men’s camel wool-and-cotton blazer ($290) because it manages to have a sporty feeling while still being tailored. Camel is definitely one of our colors this season. You can buy it as a full suit, too.”


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