When people drive past Luis “Wiso” Gonzales’s barbershop, they often do a double-take. “Sacan pictures because no pueden creer,” Gonzales says in Spanglish. They take pictures because they can’t believe it. …
Bent Out of Shape

Bending metal pipes at will is hard. Bending them indeliberately is easy. All you have to do is leave them alone for a good while, letting gravity and corrosion do the work.…
Tower of Flower

It was the prevailing symbol of French royalty for more than 500 years. As France battled, bred and cavorted with other peoples around the globe, the symbol spread, too, appropriated by families for their crests, religions for…
Hair-doers

“You look ridiculous. We can fix that.”
So said a sign last month outside The Hive Hair Studio, an upstart salon opened just last year on Whitney…
A Good Fit

It’s been said that it’s better to look good than feel good, but in Westville, a woman doesn’t have to choose just one. Where Whalley Avenue meets Blake Street, a pair of mom-and-pop—indeed, husband-and-wife—businesses, connected at the…
Contemporary Impressionism

Professional image consultant and New Haven native Alicia Valentino knows closets.
More precisely, she knows what to do with what’s in them. She can transform a random…
Pretty Site

If the walls of 100 Crown Street could talk, they would share rich tales of Elm City life at the turn of the 20th century. Built in 1903, the New Haven Water Company originally occupied the building, which was designed …
A Pretty Perch

The Bird Nest is rightly named—not only because proprietor/stylist Steven Uccello’s last name is the Italian word for “bird,” but also because the Guilford salon/gallery/gift shop is composed of found objects.…
Letting Your Hair Down, or Up

We’re a down-to-earth crew, we New Haveners. Our fair city is just big enough to feel urban yet small enough to be locally focused, home-grown, and low-key. But let’s admit it: we’re also a drop dead fabulous bunch. So if …