Held at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport on March 7, 2026, the black-tie event—often referred to as “Boston’s Biggest Night Out”—brought together hundreds of supporters for an evening dedicated to improving the lives of children across Greater Boston.

Leading the evening were longtime New England Patriots leaders Matthew Slater and David Andrews, alongside Boston Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron and soccer star Matt Turner as Boston’s sports community turned out in full force to support the foundation’s mission. Athletes, civic leaders, philanthropists, and young professionals filled the ballroom in support of programs that expand access to education, healthcare, and leadership opportunities for Boston-area youth.
The Boston Winter Ball has become one of the city’s signature charity events, uniting Boston’s sports community with the next generation of philanthropists to raise funds for youth-focused initiatives.

The evening began with an intimate sponsor dinner and program before transforming into a high-energy celebration as hundreds of guests filled the ballroom for the annual Winter Ball celebration.

The $2.5 million raised will support the Corey C. Griffin Foundation’s partnerships with leading educational and healthcare institutions dedicated to improving opportunities and outcomes for children throughout the region.

Now in its 17th year, the Boston Winter Ball has helped raise millions of dollars for programs supporting children across Greater Boston, continuing the legacy of Corey Griffin’s commitment to philanthropy, service, and community impact.

Photography by Vail Fucci

About the Corey C. Griffin Foundation

Since 2014, the Corey C. Griffin Foundation has defined itself as a philanthropic leader in the Greater Boston area and surrounding region. Grounded in its remembrance of Corey Griffin (1986–2014) and his passion for service, youth, faith, and giving, the foundation continues to expand its work through partnerships with nonprofit organizations focused on ensuring youth access and equity in education and healthcare while fostering leadership development opportunities. For more information visit: https://www.coreycgriffinfoundation.org/

Photography by Cheston Bowerman

Tonya Mezrich & Christine Ward (Executive Director or Raising a Reader MA)

Tonya Mezrich & Linda Pizutti Henry

Jeneanne Graham, Audrea Von Ins, Maura Toomey, Amanda Blynn, Hannah MacKenna

Tonya Mezrich, Adriana Demoura (Real Housewives of Miami) & Sarah Kuper

Laisa Tanumi, Louisa Clark, Saffy Ryan-Bell (all from POETRY)

AJ Williams & Lynne Kortenhaus

POETRY is a UK-based, women’s clothing label known for its timeless, relaxed designs crafted from natural fabrics and inspired by a slower, more thoughtful way of living. The brand’s Boston flagship, which opened in October 2025, has become a welcoming space for community-driven gatherings, bringing together fashion, culture, and meaningful causes.

“Silo” boot, $458, Varley. / Photo by Leonard Greco. Styling by Madison Trapkin.

After several high-profile departures on Newbury Street in recent years—including Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry—it would’ve been easy to assume the city’s upscale retail scene was shifting downward. Instead, it seems a new narrative could be taking hold, one that feels more intimate and, frankly, more interesting. Instead of flashy logos and oversize flagships, the Back Bay is now attracting European brands that trade in calm, craftsmanship, and a more discerning kind of luxury.

Late last fall, British fashion brand Poetry arrived, bringing its quietly refined women’s clothing—think sculptural linen separates, airy silks, and soft cashmere layers—to a serene Newbury Street flagship. Simultaneously, American Vintage—the French brand that perfected effortless basics long before TikTok declared them essential—opened on the block. And later this month, British contemporary brand Varley will join them with a thoughtfully designed boutique in a converted Back Bay townhouse. Together, these brands point to a recalibration of what luxury looks like in Boston: less about spectacle and more about materials, mood, and experience.

Leather shoulder bag, $420, and checked knitted coat, $368, both Poetry. / Courtesy of Poetry

“Hood Vitow” balaclava, $140, American Vintage.

For Poetry founder and CEO Luke Dashper, Boston wasn’t a wild-card choice. Massachusetts has long housed a strong following for the brand from its catalog and online business, which made the city a natural place to explore for a physical store. “We had never been to Boston before, [but] we felt instantly at home,” Dashper says. “The city has a charming and relaxed sophistication,” he notes—an aesthetic sensibility that mirrors Poetry’s understated luxury.

That ethos extends to the store itself, which Dashper designed. Outfitted with Belgian oak, Christopher Farr carpets, and Italian travertine, the space feels more like a warm, minimalist gallery than a retail shop. Poetry has always emphasized the tactile pleasure of natural fibers, and now Boston shoppers can experience the brand’s linen, silk, alpaca, and cashmere garments as they were meant to be encountered: slowly, intentionally, and in person.

Women’s jumper, $245, American Vintage.

Men’s jumper, $245, American Vintage. / Courtesy photo

Varley, also a women’s brand, brings a different but complementary sensibility to the block. Founded by husband-and-wife team Lara and Ben Mead, Varley is known for its polished knitwear, sculpted outerwear, refined active pieces, and sleek separates designed to move seamlessly from school drop-offs to flights to dinner. The brand saw Boston as a natural next step: a city with a strong sense of identity and customers who appreciate quality, longevity, and ease. The Newbury Street boutique will be Varley’s most residential-feeling store yet. Spanning two levels, it leans into warm textures, bespoke joinery, and a home-like atmosphere that encourages shoppers to linger rather than breeze through.

Add American Vintage’s French ease to the mix, and the pattern becomes clear: Newbury Street isn’t losing luxury—it’s refining it. Boston’s next retail chapter seems to be less about labels and more about a smaller, more curated, quietly confident kind of experience. And honestly? It suits us.

This article was first published in the print edition of the February 2026 issue with the headline: “Boots on the Ground.”

Related

• Black Boston Fashion Brands Are Booming
• Zimmermann’s New Boston Boutique Feels Like an Elegant Sitting Room
• J.Crew’s First Boston Flagship Store Opens on Newbury Street

Photography by Jameis Ricker.

Compass would like to gratefully acknowledge their generous sponsors – Boston magazine, Drone Home Media, Lead Gen Lab, Modern Luxury, Edensign, David Camiel Law, Mastodon Moving, Wayfair, Sonja Selami Law Offices, and Touchstone Closing.

Photography by Drone Home Media. 

Photography by Michael Blanchard. 

Photograph by Ken Richardson

Long before maximalism was a trend, Yolanda Cellucci defined it. The Waltham native built her legacy on rhinestones, ruffles, and the conviction that getting dressed should be a form of celebration at her now-closed namesake boutique, long a destination for beauty queens, brides, and Boston’s boldest. These days, the 90-year-old glamazon (famous for driving a white Excalibur and donning all-white ensembles) still dresses private clients, hosts a cable TV show, and shows no signs of slowing down—including during our recent shopping spree at the Burlington Mall.

1:45 p.m. At Macy’s, Cellucci finishes helping a personal stylist assemble looks for a charity fashion show at the Watertown Lions Club. Resplendent in head-to-toe ivory, a gold-sequined clutch, and smoky purple eyeshadow, she says, “You gotta have a little bling, even if it’s daytime.” She shows us the white Karl Lagerfeld jeans she just bought. “That’s the problem with being a personal shopper. You go, ‘One for them; one for me.’”

2 p.m. It’s Cellucci’s first time at Vineyard Vines. “The kids’ things are so cute. The quality, the fabric, and the colors are great, and they’re priced beautifully.” Describing her approach in general, she says, “It doesn’t have to be Neiman Marcus or Saks. I do go to TJ Maxx.” However, she draws the line at thrift stores. “I don’t like anything that’s been used.”

2:20 p.m. Cellucci delights when a salesman at the streetwear store Psycho Bunny demonstrates how the brand’s logo shows up on the bathing suits when they get wet; walking by Untuckit, she points out that it’s “the perfect solution” for guys “with a little bit of a belly.”

2:30 p.m. A woman recognizes Cellucci and stops her to say she was a friend of her late daughter, Linda, “from when she used to model at Saks.” The two lament the current state of retail and discuss Chris Donovan, the local shoe designer. “He was on my TV show!” Cellucci enthuses. “He dares to do crazy heels and everything.”

2:35 p.m. At Michael Kors, Cellucci tries on a rhinestone-encrusted wristwatch that’s on sale for $400 for Mother’s Day. “I’ll buy it for myself,” she says. “That way, I’ll get exactly what I want. If you see something you like, buy it.”

2:45 p.m. We stop into the Cheesecake Factory for a cup of coffee, and Cellucci reminisces about attending the couture shows in Europe: “I loved every minute of my business.” As for the looks from the Met Gala the night before, she says, “Diana Ross was outstanding. In fact, I have that same hat!”

Photo by Ken Richardson

This story first ran in the print edition of Boston’s July 2025 issue, as part of the Best of Boston: Shopping package.

Photography by Vail Fucci Photography

Anne Rickard Jackowitz, Jane Callanan, and Steve Hall. / Photo by Keiko Hiromi

A welcome departure from the standard gala fare of vulcanized chicken, the Spaghetti Dinner for the Women’s Lunch Place was held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza and featured a lively cocktail party with a massive silent auction in the Venetian Room, followed by a delicious, family-style Italian dinner in the Grand Ballroom.Front and center were such worthies as TV producer Stan Leven; polo-playing tech guru Dean Goodermote and his equally equestrian other half, Diane Arnold; cigar and golf aficionado Frank Williams Jr.; redheaded real estate chatelaine Chantelle Persac; celebrity chefs Jody Adams and Douglass Williams; Women’s Lunch Place board president Clemia Brittenum; and other notable somebodies.Several people made the salient point that noodles are a universal language, while one woman impatiently prodded her tablemate to pass the pasta, saying, “I don’t eat cold spaghetti.”Throughout the evening, the following exchanges were overheard:“I love your name.”“Thanks. It was almost worth the marriage and the divorce.”And: “Are you our celebrity guest?”“Uh, no. I’m pretty sure that’s you.”Any number of people wound up wearing some of their dinner, yours truly included, but the evening raised beaucoup bucks to help the daytime shelter and its guests: women experiencing homelessness and poverty.

Best of all: The party favor turned out to be a box of radiatori, which one guest called “the most useful thing I’ve ever gotten at one of these things.” Meanwhile, the evening’s award for sour grapes went to the guest who looked at a woman and said, “She looks like she’s never eaten a carb in her life.”

Lynne and Gary Smith. / Photo by Keiko Hiromi

Frank Williams Jr. and Douglass Williams. / Photo by Keiko Hiromi

Mangia! / Photo by Keiko Hiromi

Susan Freed, Leslie Tillotson, and Michaela Freed.

Women’s Lunch Place board president Clemia Brittenum. / Photo by Keiko Hiromi

---

Allan and Rachel Goldstein, Melissa Lees, and Herb Chambers. / Photo by Matt West

Fairytale Fete

The billionaire bacchanalia known as the Storybook Ball is an annual big-ticket, black-tie fundraiser for Mass General for Children. The theme is always a classic children’s book; this year, it was Corduroy. The evening’s highlight was the carnival games with prizes from luxury retailers. Guests included cochairs Sarah and Walter Donovan and Laura Will and Dave Nicholson; Beacon Hillions Maggie and Bill Moran; and one guest who complimented a man on his wife’s stunning Bulgari earrings, to which the man responded, “I don’t pick it out. I just pay for it.”

Jessica Brown and Jimmy Wong. / Photo by Matt West

Lucas Nathan, Erika Tarantal, Vanessa Kerry, and Brian Nahed. / Photo by Matt West

Cochairs Dave Nicholson, Laura Will, and Sarah and Walter Donovan. / Photo by Matt West

---

Andrew Heiskell and Michelle and Dan Finamore. / Photo by Michael Blanchard Photography and David Tucker Photography

A Spirited Affair

The Peabody Essex Museum’s annual gala had a strong supernatural vibe, themed around the exhibition “Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums.” Among the 875 guests: shoe designer to the stars Thom Solo; legal eagle Yasin Akbari; and the evening’s honoree, Stuart Pratt. A delicious dinner was accompanied by a mind-bending performance by mentalist David Gerard, followed by dessert, dancing, and tarot readings.

Thom Solo and Yasin Akbari. / Photo by Michael Blanchard Photography and David Tucker Photography

Alicia Cohen greeting guests. / Photo by Michael Blanchard Photography and David Tucker Photography

Michelle Smyth and Jason Williams. / Photo by Michael Blanchard Photography and David Tucker Photography

Lynda Roscoe / Photo by Michael Blanchard Photography and David Tucker Photography

This article was first published in the print edition of the March 2025 issue with the headline: “Carb-E Diem.”

Cake members can use one of their “cards” to score major savings off a pair of Larroudé heels, like these patentleather “Morgan” sandals, priced at $330. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Madison Trapkin

Members can use a Cake card to knock $150 off the $695 price of Phillip Lim’s “ID” shoulder bag in azure; memberships to the online shopping community are invitation-only. / Courtesy photo

When was the last time you shopped in a department store for a dress, a pair of jeans, or even new shoes? If you’re anything like us, the answer is probably a while. While Bostonians may have once had loyalty to Saks, Bloomingdale’s, or the impeccably curated emporium of luxury style that was Louis Boston (RIP), those days are long over. The ability to hop from website to website, shopping for everything under the sun, has lured many high-end shoppers away from department stores—while at the same time encouraging a proliferation of new brands selling distinctive, well-made clothing and accessories directly to consumers.

What online shoppers have never gotten, however, are the loyalty perks—discounts, rewards, and more—that are a hallmark of the department store experience. And that’s where Cake comes in. The invitation-only membership community gives exclusive access and discounts to top-tier fashion and beauty brands such as Veronica Beard, Phillip Lim, Staud, and Mansur Gavriel. “We want members to feel like insiders and for these brands to make them feel special,” says cofounder Estelle Palandjian, who recently launched the venture with Dave McLaughlin, a former WeWork exec, and partners including Ben Fischman, the founder of baseball-cap retailer Lids and the fashion startup Rue La La.

Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Madison Trapkin

So how, exactly, do they make customers feel special? Membership costs $100 annually and includes 10 Cake “cards,” ranging in value from $50 to $450, to be used on items from the current collections of brands within the network. Members—who, upon joining, can extend invites to a few friends—are privy to perks like early access to new collections, gifts with purchase, and sales as well as exclusive in-store parties, where guests leave with swag bags. Additional bonuses extend to non-fashion brands, including luxury-homeware-store discounts, free manicures at new salons, and deals for online fitness memberships. The platform launched in New York last fall with events in SoHo; plans for a Boston event later this spring are in the works.

For those wondering about the cost for brands to be part of the platform: There is none. Cake’s founders say that they’re making money solely from memberships. “We’re sending brands a direct-to-consumer customer,” McLaughlin says. “If they don’t buy anything, they haven’t had to spend money to attract her attention.” But have you seen those shoes? Good luck not buying anything.