Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/259813
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MCINTOSH (GIFT GUIDE GALA, LAND ROVER); MAKEUP BY TAVI DE LA ROSA (ALL PHOTOS) ABOVE: At the Holiday Gift Guide Gala with Ricardo Rodriguez, featured in our stylish couples story. LEFT: Flamenco style backstage at Banned in Boston at the House of Blues. Anna Cheshire Levitan, Kristina Hare Lyons, and I backstage before our big dance scene in Banned in Boston. I might have found my next car at Boston Common's Holiday Gift Guide Gala—a 2014 Range Rover Sport. This issue is devoted to style, a subject near to my heart. My dad was a fashion designer, and I grew up with racks of clothing routinely showing up in the middle of our living room, along with the stray hanger in the kitchen sink. What came out of all that was a deep appreciation, not just for what goes into a quality piece of clothing, but for what someone does with it once they have it on. Because to me, fashion is fun, but style is spiritual. Style is confidence, the way you speak, how you move. It's how your clothes fit you, and what you choose to put on your body. Style is an intimate art—maybe the most—because it is entirely a personal choice, from the inside to the rest of the world. With that in mind, we thought it would be terrific fun to celebrate five couples that have it going on in the style front for Boston Common's feature "The Look of Love." "Pretend you just won an Oscar!" we told them at the photo shoot. "Make believe the paparazzi are following your every footstep! Have a blast!" Of course, they did. These duos are all successful and talented, but they are more than that. They are positive, forward-looking, original thinkers who follow their own beat. They love their life and each other—and they really, really enjoy dressing up. Why wouldn't they? That sense of optimism is personified by Lino Sanchez, the subject of our Spirit of Generosity story. Sanchez did not have it easy during the first part of his life. He made some poor choices. But a mix of fate, luck, and perseverance changed his course. Since then, he has devoted everything to helping at-risk kids make the right choices through his nonprofit, Urban Achievers. A lot of folks talk the talk, but Sanchez walks the walk. At the end of the day, that is the best style of all. Follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/boston-common and on bostoncommon-magazine.com. LISA PIER PONT 22 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 022_BC_FOB_EdLetter_Spring14.indd 22 2/10/14 12:04 PM