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My little pony
Polo Ralph Lauren
Bloomingdale's Polo "Design Your Own" shop will be open through Christmas Eve.
This year, SFUnzipped is sensing a movement toward personalized gifts, whether it's an engraved iPod Nano, one of the many monogrammed items from Red Envelope or, in this case, a personalized polo shirt from none other than Polo Ralph Lauren.
The Westfield San Francisco Centre Bloomingdales is one of four stores around the nation hosting a "Design Your Own Shop" now through Christmas Eve. Customers can peruse the "unique product assortment for men, women, children and home" and choose the size and color of their pony and monogram. The shirt can either be embroidered on the spot, or shipped UPS to your recipient (allow up to 6 days, depending on shipping address.)Perfect for the discerning giftee who is never fully satisfied with the existing selection, or perhaps for siblings who might otherwise mix up their clothes.
| December 17 2009 at 10:30 AM
Day 10: Brave cuffs for brave souls
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Rough and tumble chic
Brave Leather
Arresting wrists: "The Kyra" metallic cuffs, $72, add shimmer to any outfit.
If gladiator-inspired shoes and boots weren't your thing, but you like the hard-edged feel of metal and leather, Brave Leather may have a bauble or two for you.
The Canadian company, formally known as Brave Leather Ltd., but which also goes by Brave Beltworks, is Canada's number one belt brand, but also makes eye-catching wrist cuffs. You won't need to be a fan of Iron Maiden or Judas Priest to enjoy them (although they would be a high-end accessory at a rock concert) but you do need to enjoy a certain sort of heavy metal. Tee hee.
Brave Leather
Shades of centurion: The "Roma," $55.
Founded by Scott Irvine, a university student who enjoyed fishing (and modeling on the side), the company's products attracted the attention of Fred Segal, Kitson and Nordstrom, as well as Isetan in Japan.
All Brave Leather products are handmade in Canada and the dyes come from plant and vegetable extracts, which the company says ensures a clean factory environment for workers (naturally occuring tannins, versus mineral tanning that is chemical-based.)
Brave Leather
Evolution of style: "The Darwin," $65.
None of the animals are killed just for their leather; all materials are reclaimed from the food industry, according to a company spokeswoman.
Celebrity fans include Tyra Banks, Kim Kardashian and Megan Fox. But you have your own aesthetic. Now go toughen up, er cuff-en up, this season.
Brave Leather, sold at Lava 9, 542 Hayes St., SF, (415) 552-6468.
| December 03 2009 at 02:00 PM
Day 9: Three zippy shopping events
Thursday night local shopping events
The events are coming fast and furious, so we're confining this special ZIP Code to tomorrow night's best bets; check back Friday for our Dec. 5 ZIP Code.
Feria Urbana/94612
The urban fair returns with a stellar lineup of local artists and designers making everything from baby items to home accessories to the Weekend Store's vintage typewriter jewelry, and everything in between.
Free; 6-10pm @ The New Parish, 579 18th St., (at San Pablo), Oakland; 510-444-7474.
Divisadero Corridor Art Walk/94117
Check out median's Christmas trees, local designers galore, and food and drink options from 30-plus participating merchants along Divisadero. Check out Style's Intersection feature on the hip boutiques in the area for places to be sure to hit.Backspace will show artist Kelly Nicolaise.
Free; 5 pm-midnight at various locations. Backspace is at 351 Divisadero.
Kathleen Dughi Holiday Show/94941
Kathleen Dughi's Shanti earrings.
Jeweler Kathleen Dughi kicks off the season -- and a 10- to 20- percent off sale -- with a celebration featuring champagne, caviar and jewels. RSVP to info@kathleendughi.com.
5-9pm @ Kathleen Dughi, 11 Bernard St., Mill Valley; 415-383-0462.
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
| December 02 2009 at 12:00 PM
Day 8: YogaForce's A-line Athletic Mat
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
A mat for both the elite and the unaligned masses
YogaForce
Kristin McGee uses the YogaForce mat.
Mat exercise novices, Pilates devotees, and seasoned yogis and yoginis alike can appreciate the A-Line Athletic Mat. Not only does it feature a colorful orange grid that helps with alignment, it's also tapered to follow the contours of the body -- broader at the top, narrower toward the bottom.
Paul Furman
YogaForce founder Annie Appleby with her patented A-Line Athletic Mat in front of Spork restaurant during Sunday Streets.
The mat has reportedly attracted the attention of celebrities ranging from well-known yoginis Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow to "Spider-man" Tobey Maguire and funny man Steve Martin. But perhaps most impressively, it's endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil, who specializes in integrative medicine and praises the mat's "very good design." The InterContinental Hotel's I-Spa also carries the mat as part of its commitment to "health, wellness and personal growth as well as social and environmental responsibility," said spa director Hina Mufti in a press release.
The Chronicle first took notice of the mat in 2005, calling it "a mat for the new millennium," and with its recyclable non-latex material, it just might be that. With built-in straps and a detachable pouch to store a wallet, keys and phone, it gives one no excuse not to get to the studio or gym. See how it works Thursday or Saturday, when YogaForce founder and mat designer Annie Appleby will be at Sports Club LA in San Francisco.
$80; available at I-Spa, Intercontinental Hotel, 888 Howard St., 6th floor, SF; or via www.yogaforce.com. Meet Annie from 5-8pm Dec. 3 or 10am-2pm Dec. 5 at Sports Club LA, 747 Market St., SF.
| December 01 2009 at 01:20 PM
Day 7: Escama Studio pop-top brooch & bags
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Mike Kepka / The Chronicle
Soda can tabs can add some fizz to your wardrobe
In the hands of Brazilian artisans using traditional intricate handiwork techniques, recycled aluminum pop-top tabs become stylish accessories, as with this brooch, $31, and spiral bag, $135 from local company Escama Studio.
Mike Kepka / The Chronicle
Several pieces from the collection are also available at SFMOMA, 151 Third St., SF; 415-441-4777.
| November 30 2009 at 01:30 PM
Day 6: Kipling's Industria handbags
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Courtesy Kipling North America
At $68, the Lily clutch is
an under-$100 gift
Over the shoulder style
Don't monkey around: It's time to get that holiday shopping done. Oh, wait -- Kipling's, the company that makes handbags, has a monkey for a mascot, so we take that back as you look for your gifts.
Kipling's was founded in 1987, and the company's choice of name was influenced by Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book." Originally it made stylish backpacks, but has forayed into handbags, and nifty ones at that, in a variety of prices, too ($68-$248).
Courtesy Kipling North America
We dare you to try
the Dara handbag at $198.
Based in New York, Kipling's products are developed and designed in Antwerp, Belgium. Now for the good part: Its Industria collection of handbags is being sold only in San Francisco at a pop-up store at 170 Post St. through January 31.
The line has a "fun, industrial, relaxed and casual feel that hipsters are rocking on the streets," says a company spokeswoman. It also bears a late 1980s, early 1990s feel with soft pastels and neon bright colors, and soft, slouchy draping with light materials that the company says represents "humble luxe."
Fun facts: 23 Kipling's bags are sold every minute in the world; more than 35 million people own a Kipling's bag; there are more Kipling's bags than people in Belgium.
Kipling's pop-up store, 170 Post St., between Grant Avenue and Robert Kirk Lane, SF; (415) 391-2171. Oprn 10am-8pm Mon-Sat., 11am-6pm Sun.
| November 27 2009 at 10:30 AM
Day 5: Pop Cotton tees
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Pop Cotton
The New York T-shirt.
American-made T-shirts from Emeryville
Pop Cotton
The OK Baby T-shirt.
So many T-shirts, so little time ... but Tuan Huynh's new Pop Cotton line made us take a second look. The Emeryville label uses American Apparel T-shirts and screen prints them using eco-conscious water-based inks. Huynh, a longtime Bay Area resident and graphic designer, combines sweetly retro designs to sweeten the sometimes political messages ("Atomic Dance," for instance), making them appropriate, no doubt, for more than one person on your list.
Pop Cotton shirts are $27 and available through www.popcotton.com.
| November 26 2009 at 10:30 AM
Day 4: Joy O jewelry
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Joy to Hollywood -- and the world -- with Joy O. jewelry
Joy Opfer, a jewelry maker on Dolores Street, isn't the biggest name in Hollywood, but some of her clients are -- Cameron Diaz, Eva Longoria, Anne Hathaway and others. Perhaps it's because her Joy O jewelry is minimal but elegant: the type of accessory a person wears, but which doesn't wear you.
Joy O Designs
Go with the flow: Cascading gold earrings from Joy O
Her handmade necklaces and earrings are intended to have an edgy, yet heirloom quality, with materials including recycled sterling silver, gold fill, precious and semiprecious stones including herkimer diamonds and raw quartz -- all minimally polished and worked without dyes, to retain a natural quality.
Joy O Designs
Circled on the gift list: Golden dangles by Joy O
The designer, who holds a fine arts degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in graphic communication from San Francisco State University, was a graphic designer in the dot-com boom, but followed her passion for jewelry design to build a business, opening online in 2006 and at her shared storefront at Studio 3759 in 2007.
Joy O Designs
Sustain a colorful demeanor: Violet metal dangles by Joy O
Her line is a way to go green, but twinkle for the holidays, even if you're not a star of the silver screen.
Joy O Designs, at Studio 3759, 499 Dolores St., SF; also www.joyodesigns.com.
| November 25 2009 at 10:05 AM
Day 3: She loves seashells ...
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Mike Kepka / The Chronicle
Better than a day at the beach ??
Hand-made seashell box with Himalayan salt massage balls and salt scrub.
Welcome to a special gift guide edition of Beauty Tuesday, here's a luxurious treat for someone special (or yourself). The seashell box is handmade at one of our fave shops in town, Bell'Occhio, $22. Inside, Himalayan salt balls take the place of pink pearls, which can be heated up with a special lamp base, $40, the set.
Scattered below is an assortment chamomile, palmarosa and lavendar aromatherapy salts from SenSpa in the Presidio, that also comes with red manadarin and essential oils, $75.
SenSpa has also just opened its own Wellness Apothecary, a fragrance bar where you can custom blend your own aromatherapeutic essential oils and scrubs, or create your own gifts.
SenSpa, 1161 Gorgas Ave., SF; 415-441-1777, or SenSpa.com.
| November 24 2009 at 01:31 PM
Day 2: Chrome's chic black hoodie
SF Unzipped is counting down to The Chronicle gift guide with 12 days of locally made or locally available gift possibilities.
Chrome's chic biking gear for gals
Chrome
You don't need to be a cyclist to appreciate the fit and style of Chrome's new Pasha jacket. This 100 percent merino wool hoodie is 100 percent practical for the city, and features great details like red and black polka dot lining, a sleeve that covers the hand but leaves the thumb open to help steer or navigate. Its seaming and zippers and create a form-fitting, flattering silhouette, and the extra scrunching at the hood helps ward off the wind.
If you're interested in head-to-toe looks, we should also tell you that Chrome makes equally "performance riding knickers" in gray, not to mention a slew of shirts and bags and other apparel, sold at its SoMa store.
$160 at Chrome, 580 Fourth St., SF; 415-503-1221 ext. 110, or chromebagstore.com.
| November 23 2009 at 12:00 PM
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