Boston Fashion Week Starts on a “High” Note

Boston Fashion Week is finally here and we kicked off the celebration by visiting “The Hand of Fashion,” a gallery-style trade show for local fashion artisans hosted by Platform Downtown at 100 Federal Street on the sixth floor.

We’re just as confused as you are about what “Platform Downtown” actually is and what it means for Boston Fashion Week, but we did strike gold–or should we say, green–at last night’s exhibition

We visited with all eight of the featured designers but one item in particular stole the show:

The “Herb Clutch,” by designer Kent Stetson.

We’re admittedly not expecting to see this bag on the catwalks of Paris and Milan anytime soon, but it certainly caught our attention. At $198, this leaf-printed, clearly artist-sewn clutch adds up to a bit more than $20 a gram.

[BTW, we know what you’re wondering, and no, you cannot smoke the joint clasp. We asked.]

If getting stoned is not your bag (apologies), runner-up for event show-stealer was this orange reptile floor covering. The poor fellow looked like he put up quite the fight before landing himself at this designer’s display.

Of course, the evening’s most popular set-up was by Marie Galvin, milliner to the stars. If you’re wondering what fascinator to wear at this spring’s Party in the Park, look no further: Galvin’s hand-made hats ranged from feather to fur, and guests happily tried on them all with the designer’s enthusiastic help. We were thrilled to see her expert craft recognized at Boston Fashion Week and look forward to seeing more of Boston’s best throughout this week.

Milliner Marie Galvin helps a customer adjust a whimsical head-piece.