Red Carpet Diamonds

Certificate of Authenticity

Name: Online marketplace Mercantile.

Launch Date: February 2012.

Owners: Callie Jenschke and Nicki Clendening, who co-founded NYC interior design firm Scout three years ago.

Contents: Twenty-five pieces of one-of-a-kind furniture, antiques, and artwork culled from the duo’s dedicated global flea market shopping. They hone in on eclectic items with world-roved wear and tear (or those that look “loved,” in their words). See: a decorative African headdress crafted from colorful feathers (pictured); an antique geometric-patterned Turkish rug; an elephant-legged carved rosewood side table from India.

Expiration: When one of the items sells, the girls replace it immediately with another treasure.

Notarized Signature: Signed, sealed, delivered.

Available online at scoutdesignsmercantile.bigcartel.com, $300-$5,000 (prices vary based on selection).

Photo: Courtesy of Mercantile

“A bottle of Boone’s Farm followed by a Zima flavored with Skittles.” — Us, 1997

“Single-malt Scotch, please.” — Us, 2012

Responsible for this personal growth: Ricky Crawford, a former Glenlivet brand ambassador who throws the funniest and most informative single-malt Scotch tastings this side of Glasgow.

In today’s video, he gives us a miniature lesson on how to order — and actually enjoy — a glass of the good Scottish spirit. Do as he says and you’ll be surprised how many heads turn at the bar.

Crawford’s as charming as he is Scottish. (Yes, the man wears a kilt.) And now you can book his services for all your soirees (birthdays, bachelorette parties, etc.).

Just don’t take any cheap shots.

To book Crawford for a tasting, go to rickyshopscotch.com.

Condition: Shut-In-Itis
Causes: Wind chills, snow-free ski trails, February.
Symptoms: Excessive pj wear, microwave popcorn dinners, disproportionate investment in The Bachelor outcome.
Prescription: An instructive house call from one of Tavolo’s preeminent pasta doctors.

Let the healing begin: Schedule an afternoon feast for your carb-loving buds (fifteen max). You’ll get recommended wine pairings so you can stock up in advance (we trust you can crawl off your couch).

On the day of, Tavolo owner Chris Douglass or chef de cuisine Nuno Alves arrives with ingredients and tools to whip up a restorative smorgasbord.

For two hours, Douglass or Alves will noodle around your kitchen, showing guests how to make tummy-warming dishes like squid ink linguine or Bolognese-topped gnocchi. If you crave a more decadent curative like lobster fra diavolo, they’ll happily oblige for a little extra dough.

You’ll also get recipes to prevent future relapses.

Prognosis: A very full recovery.

To hire their services, call 617-822-1918. Cost starts at $60 per person.

Photo: Ursula Alter / Getty Images

When it comes to cracking codes, you’re right up there with Morse, Bond, and Einstein.

But it doesn’t take a genius to decipher simply stunning jewelry.

Case in point: Kathleen Whitaker’s understated Dot and Dash earrings collection.

A fan of freestyle mixing and matching, the ceramist/bonnet maker/jewelry designer casts fourteen-karat gold posts and sells them individually. (Two of our favorite West Coast boutiques, Mohawk General Store and Totokaelo, snapped up the line within months of spotting Whitaker at L.A.’s Echo Park Craft Fair.)

Sequin-style studs, staple bars, and multipost rods (think knuckle-duster rings for your ears) add up to sets that say “Indeed, I am a badass,” without shouting it from the rooftops.

And that we read loud and clear.

Available online at generalstore.com, gravelandgold.com, or totokaelo.com, $35-$230. For more information, go to khwjewelry.com.

Photo: Serena Mitnik-Miller / Courtesy of General Store

Unleash the beast.

CARRY
Anicase
What: The cheery, colorful 3-D iPhone cases ($20 each; get 15 percent off with code dailycandy15) are modeled after furry friends (pandas, tigers, leopards, owls) in danger of becoming extinct.
Why: It’s a call to action you’ll want to take — 10 percent of net profits is donated to protecting endangered species.
Where: Online at anicase.com.

FOLLOW
DailyCandy on Pinterest
What: Our just-launched pin boards cover everything from food and fashion to weddings and kids’ parties (beautifully, of course).
Why: Recipes, the latest street style, decorating ideas, and more.
Where: Online at pinterest.com/dailycandy.

ORDER
Good & Lovely
What: A personalized, thoughtful monthly subscription service ($14 and up) delivers the necessary supplies for when your inconsiderate, irritating cousin Flo comes to town.
Why: Cramp-relief heat packs, bath salts, chocolates, and Moroccan Mud Spa Bar samples.
Where: Online at goodandlovely.com.

BUY
Craft & Culture
What: Seattle-based shop showcasing a revolving cast of emerging artists with a sleek, postgrunge look that might make you break out your Nevermind CD.
Why: Elizabeth Patterson’s golden Arkansas quartz necklace ($120), Meghann Sommer’s Letaiyo necklace ($95) with recycled silver fox fur, and much more.
Where: Online at craftandculture.com.

SEND
Besotted Brand
What: Tristan B. recently launched a bespoke custom-design studio, full of clean-lined stamps, envelopes, labels, tags, and waxed linen twine bound in mini hatboxes.
Why: Say hi with the DIY stationery kit ($25), complete with “hello” calligraphy stamp and Euro-style true kraft envelopes.
Where: Online at shop.besottedbrand.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Anicase

We’re crushed.

SHOP
Crush Boutique on Newbury
What: The spot-on Beacon Hill shop opens a second stunning store (crystal chandeliers, blush-pink walls) with pieces from Wink NYC, Shoshanna, Tt Collection, and Gold Hawk (no cross-store duplicates, promise).
Why: New-to-Boston labels like House of Harlow 1960 handbags, Brandy Melville, and Sam & Lavi.
When: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: 264 Newbury St., Back Bay (617-424-0010).

FOLLOW
DailyCandy on Pinterest
What: Our just-launched pin boards cover everything from food and fashion to weddings and kids’ parties (beautifully, of course).
Why: Delicious recipes, the latest street style, decorating ideas, and more.
When: You need a little inspiration.
Where: Online at pinterest.com/dailycandy.

SEE
Manet in Black
What: Marvel over the Frenchman’s arresting but rarely seen graphic works, including prints, lithographs, and illustrations.
Why: Will said it best — “The good guys dress in black.”
When: Sat.-Oct. 28.
Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Fenway (617-267-9300). Admission is $22.

CELEBRATE
Mardi Gras at L’Espalier
What: Start with a Sazerac before moving on to top-notch BBQ shrimp, crawfish etouffee, and cochon de lait at the restaurant’s inaugural Fat Tuesday celebration ($95).
Why: King cake and Dixieland jazz, yes; boobs and beads, no.
When: Tonight, 7 p.m.
Where: 774 Boylston St., Back Bay. Reservations to 617-262-3023.

LISTEN
For the Sake of the Song: a Tribute to Tom Waits
What: Four local crooners (Brendan Hogan, Ryan Fitzsimmons) pay their gravelly respects to The Growling One with both original and cover tunes.
Why: Stay ’til Closing Time.
When: Sat., 8-11 p.m.
Where: The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (617-718-2191). Tickets ($8) online at brownpapertickets.com.

APOLOGIZE
Romantic Rendezvous at Seaport Hotel
What: Make up for Tuesday’s epic quarrel (you didn’t mean to call him an incompetent romantic) with an overnight staycation in an executive suite ($239 per night; reg., $339).
Why: Champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries further quell the flames.
When: Thru Feb. 25 (weekends included).
Where: 1 Seaport Ln., Waterfront (617-385-4000). Reserve online at seaportboston.com; enter RMCE when booking.

Photo: Courtesy of Crush Boutique 

We’d be lying if we said unlimited coconut water and granola bars weren’t huge incentives for going backstage during New York Fashion Week.

But it’s also pretty freaking cool to be surrounded by beauty’s greatest talents as they do their thing.

In today’s videos, we venture into the chaos and ask the experts to give us the inside track on the looks at some of our favorite shows. We get a floral nail-art tutorial at Rachel Antonoff (above) and explanations/inspirations for the asymmetrical chignons at Suno, avant-garde braids at Creatures of the Wind, and loose ponytails at Tracy Reese. 

As always, some are more wearable than others.

But at least they won’t take up any room in your purse.

Want to keep watching? Check out our backstage beauty videos for the spring/summer 2012 shows at Timo Weiland, Erin Fetherston, and Rebecca Minkoff. And by all means, read up on current Fashion Week shows on our Tumblr.

If you can whip up a covetable do using butterfly clips, matted braids, and glitter, then you must be a miracle worker. Or you’re Kérastase stylist Odile Gilbert, who did exactly that at Creatures of the Wind last Thursday. In this video, Gilbert (the master behind the hair for Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette) explains her look.

Want more? Check out our backstage videos at Rachel Antonoff, Tracy Reese, and Suno.

We love seeing ponytails on the catwalk (it gives our go-to look sartorial credibility). In this case, Tresemmé stylist Jeanie Syfu kicks the simple style up a few notches by leaving front sections out and pinning them over the rubber band. Watch this video to learn how she does it. 

Want more? Check out our backstage videos at Rachel Antonoff, Suno, and Creatures of the Wind. 

You know when you pull your hair back to wash your face and somehow it looks so good you wish you were going out? Okay, so maybe that’s happened only once. But it’s the same accidental elegance Kérastase’s Odile Gilbert channeled for Suno last Friday night. In this video, she discusses the hairstyle and her inspiration.

Want to keep watching? Check out our backstage videos at Rachel Antonoff, Tracy Reese, and Creatures of the Wind.

Flip-flopping gets a bum rap (see: every presidential race in history).

But Cary Hewitt makes a beautiful case for two-faced living. The North End artist fashions brightly colored reversible rugs that let you change your decorating mind with impunity.

The former art teacher sources regional wool (both pure and hand-dyed) before sketching her designs, drawing inspiration from Rothko and Van Gogh.

Over two days, Hewitt mats and compresses the wool fibers to create a durable, water-resistant felt, tweaking her vision as she goes. The result: a thick, soft mat with a tidy graphic pattern on one side and more abstract results on the other.

Such innovative workmanship doesn’t come cheap ($450-$1,100), but then again, these accoutrements represent twice-as-savvy investment pieces.

They’ve got our vote.

Available at Room 68, 68 South Street, Jamaica Plain (617-942-7425 or room68online.com).

Photo: Courtesy of Cary Hewitt

Dear Cupid,

My only complaint about my beau is that he hogs the grub when we go splitsville. How can I make sure I get my fair share of mac ’n’ cheese?

Yours,
Starving in SF

’Sup Starving,

The answer is simple: Become a heartbreaker with Heart Parts eating utensils.

The florescent, palm-size tools are meant to be cracked in half, then used to stab, scoop, or even cut your nosh of choice. Product designer Fatima Fazal created them to bring the love back to sharing a meal.

Heart Parts come in boxes of ten, so they’re great for parties. Because they’re dishwasher safe, made with 66 percent less plastic than similar wares, and are completely biodegradable, you can enjoy your supper without guilt.

Even if you’re fed up with him, at least you’ll be properly fed.

Xo,
The Guy with the Arrow

Available online at iheart-this.com, $10.

Photo: Courtesy of Heart Parts

 

V-Day isn’t just for lovers.

EAT
Cakeslider Creations
What: Redefined push-up pops ($22 for a basket of four) layered with cake and frosting. Treat yourself to inspired flavors (French toast, latte, Double Fudge Diamond) that arrive in festive packaging and allow you to (finally) eat cake hands free.
Why: They’re utterly moist. Yeah, we said it.
Where: Online at cakeslidercreations.com.

WEAR
Milly for Sperry
What: All aboard. The NY-based designer brings her colorful, playful prints to the famous Top-Sider brand ($90-$225).
Why: Vibrant patent leather yellow flats or navy wedges, as well as rose-print, laceless canvas sneakers.
Where: Online at sperrytopsider.com.

COLLECT
The Good Machinery Animal Figurines
What: We’re wild about the collectibles ($59-$69) painted by an Italian artist. Gift them to others or stash them in nooks and crannies for a splash of color.
Why: A howling silver wolf, hippo with fuchsia polka dots, and lion in magenta and gold are just part of the herd.
Where: Online at etsy.com.

SUPPORT
Spanx Lace Bra-llelujah
What: The best boulder holder ($68) in the world just got sexy. It smooths your back and lifts the ladies the same as before, but now with lace cups (in nude or black).
Why: The bra may have had a little work done; you’ll just look like you did.
Where: Online at spanx.com.

SWEAT
Electric Yoga Sportswear
What: French-born tanks, stretch pants, and zip-ups ($24-$198) from Bisou Bisou designer-turned-master yogi Michele Bohbot.
Why: Neon colors activate specified chakras. Light-as-air bubble coats pack down into mini carrying cases and use your own body heat to keep you toasty.
Where: Online at electric-yoga.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Cakeslider Creations