Shots by Bowerbird Photography

Models and mannequins started to blend together. Downtown SF was abuzz with fashion frenzy on Thursday for Fashion's Night Out -- a multi-store extravaganza taking place in urban areas across the country.

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It was a foggy, sloppy evening in Golden Gate Park, and I was activating my gloom-whine during our walk to Pasquale's but then: HEATTECH. Thanks Uniqlo! Your Union Square pop-up, and impending West Coast flagship store opening, half-translated catch phrases, mega-cheap Hiroshima-born line of basic clothing, and all, saved my dinner date. Read more »

Ariel Soto-Suver was strolling Sunday Streets in the Mission -- its home every first Sunday this summer, did you hear? -- when she happened across some perfect examples of SF summer weekend chic. Read more »

Guardian street fashion photog Ariel Soto-Suver was on the scene at Bayview Opera House's Saturday summer concert series. The al fresco community fete was packed with rows of organic kale and college prep tutors -- but also fashion. Read on for braided Renee's style philosophy -- and check out Soto-Suver's shots of Elwood from earlier this week.  Read more »

SFBG street fashion photog Ariel Soto-Suver was on the scene at Bayview Opera House's Saturday summer concert series. The al fresco community fete was packed with rows of organic kale and college prep tutors -- but also fashion. Read on for fresh 'fits. Read more »

Adobe Books owner Andrew McKinley didn't have to think long when I asked him the corniest question of our interview, occasioned by the announcement that his store was in serious danger of having to close. Question: if you had to choose one book to describe your situation, what would it be? "It reminds me of The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurty," McKinley gamely responded. "It's about a movie theater in a small Texas town that's dying out."

But! ask Mission District bibliophiles. Can Adobe Books be saved? The answer, according to McKinley, lies in whether you have a buddy with $60,000 to save the future of SF books -- or better yet, $3 million. Read more »

We've been shopping green for a week now -- check out our previous guides to housewares, kid's stuff, gardening resources, and local beauty

Let’s face it. Finding an oversized sweater in your mom’s closet that looks good on you tends to make you feel better than purchasing one at a corporate retail store because (a) you hate homogeneity, (b) you like saving money, (c) you’re rocking something straight out of the 80s, and (d) you’re relieved of the guilt associated with buying an item produced overseas. Here are a few suggestions on where to shop locally for you tree-hugging, fashion-conscious souls. Read more »

Beauty is said to only be skin-deep -- but the businesses that use holistic, organic, and plant-based ingredients want to demolish this age-old idiom. You can simultaneously rejuvenate yourself and the planet by ditching those toxic, harmful products once and for all. Think of it! With their products and services, self-care is no longer akin to being vain or selfish. These eight local spas, soapmakers, and producers of flower-based essences align nature, commerce, and beauty so that the world can sustain that perfect summer glow. Read more »

Children, don't let your parents grow up to throw away aluminum foil. Now that you're a big kid, with attendant home cleaning and offspring-maintaining concerns, there's little reason to stop paying attention to the environment -- in fact, what with the better-world-for-the-little-ones hope, you might find yourself doubling down on decorating motifs that will save the world.

Here's a passel of stores (locally-based online enterprises and brick-and-mortar both) in the Bay where you can shop with a clean conscious for housewares and kid's items. We're guiding around enviro shopping all this week -- check out yesteday's guide to garden stores. Read more »