Top 10 Local Places to Shop in Pittsburgh for the Holidays

(Etsy)

The holidays are here! Have you started your holiday shopping? For some of us, the idea of shopping at  large corporate stores with their "big blowout deals" and cookie-cutter products is such a bore.  Why not get your loved ones something unique while supporting local businesses?  There are tons of places to shop in Pittsburgh without having to step foot in a mall or department store. There's a little something for everyone around the city, you just have to look!  Here are 15 ideas on where to shop for the holidays in Pittsburgh!  Happy Holidays!

CULTURE: 10 Things To Do During the Holidays in Pittsburgh

The holidays are in full effect, so don't let the cold weather get you down!  There are tons of festive, fun and affordable things to do for the holidays in Pittsburgh.  Bundle up, grad your buddies, your significant other or the kids, and explore the city during the holidays.  Here are ten awesome ways to enjoy the holidays in Pittsburgh!  Hope yours is wonderful!!

PPG Plaza ( Post Gazette)

STYLE: The "Wow" Factor: An Interview with Jewelry Designer Ceasar Azzam of Ceasar's Designs

The biggest ring I've EVER worn from the Gelato Collection

"It's all about the 'wow' here," says jewelry designer and owner Ceasar Azzam of Ceasar's Designs.  His store on Walnut Street in Shadyside is a welcoming, boutique-like emporium of sparkling treasures.  There, you are greeted by Ceasar himself who offers his sound and honest opinion for a very personalized and unique experience.  As much as you would think a place like this is a hot-spot for newly engaged couples, Ceasar says he likes to focus more on those who treat themselves.  "Most jewelry stores depend on engagement rings as their most important category of business where as I depend on self purchases -women buying for themselves.  And that's reflected in everything I make, so I'm not going after the man buying her jewelry, it's more about treating yourself.  Whether they have a significant other or not - that's not the point.  I focus on the right hand if it's a ring - so I'd say the right hand is yours, do whatever you want with it!" 

Ceasar is also known for his signature butter ring- which is a very special design made for comfort and wearability.  The butter ring is used as a base for many of the rings, giving them a signature "Ceasar style." Recently Ceasar won honorable mention in the evening wear category in the 2013 AGTA Spectrum Awards for a breathtaking variation of the butter ring.  Here he tells us a little more about what he does and more details on his beautiful creations!  

STYLE: October Fashion Editorial - Black Metal Chic

 I absolutely LOVE this time of year! The trees are gorgeous with their fiery leaves, the air is a little more crisp, and there's a mischievous sense of anticipation with Halloween slowly creeping upon us. The entire month of October provides plenty of opportunity for us to transform and becoming someone (or something) else, all in the name of being festive. There is something fearless and daring about the way people dress for Halloween; some like to be super sexy, others like to be humorous, and some like to be terrifying.  Why can't we take the same risks that we do during the Halloween season, all year around but on a much less extreme basis?  Local designer, print maker and crafty queen Adrienne Rozzi's line, Poison Apple Printshop, is a prime example of that type of risk.  Highly influenced by the Norwegian death metal scene, she takes simple pieces and transforms them into wickedly amazing metal-chic outfits.  Her patchwork and screen printing provoke taboo and strange ideas that haunt you far after you've witnessed her clothing. We took the risk of painting the models faces death-metal style and shot in broad daylight into dusk at the beautiful Allegheny Cemetery. A lesson to be learned from Ms. Rozzi: be bold and daring, and never be afraid to take a risk every now and then.                     Happy Halloween!

STYLE: ULTRAVIOLET Fashion Show Features Top PGH Designers

In the height of Pittsburgh's 3rd Annual Fashion Week, came Keith Bloom and Donovan Wilburn's ULTRAVIOLET fashion show.  Both experts in fashion and equally creative, the duo set to to produce the most professional, high-end fashion show the city has ever seen - and boy did they live up to it! Set at the new Cavo Lounge in the Strip District, Ultraviolet featured some of Pittsburgh's newest, hottest upcoming clothing lines such as Highway Robbery, Clothes Minded, Chloe Chic Dresses, Boutique la Passarelle, Roberta Weissburg Leathers, Timebomb, Streetheart, and of course the much anticipated line by Keith Bloom - In Bloom.
     Each one of the collections was far from what you would expect from the ordinary Pittsburgh fashion show - there were no fanatical,  re-made jerseys, no black and gold t-shirt dresses or bejeweled team hats, this was a sophisticated and very polished show.  Ultraviolet opened up with darling dresses by Chloe Chic making a slight wink towards retro shapes, Peter Pan collars and feminine allure.  Clothes Minded was refreshing in a sense that it showed a large amount of men's fashion - beautiful boys in oversized t-shirts with intricate shredding and day-glo splattering paired with good ol' blue jeans and cowboy boots - very urban cowboy!  The always classy Boutique la Passarelle oozed modern femininity with hi-lo cut sweaters, a beautiful tweed dress suit, lots of silky textures and plenty of ruffles and floral prints.  Finally, In Bloom by Keith Bloom was an amazing collection that dripped with sexuality and class at the same time - long, sleek lines fit perfectly for the body, sophisticated, clean prints and patters, and an Egyptian-style dress that I just can't stop thinking about!  Bloom and Wilburn both were in great spirits before, during, and after the show, there are the definition the type of team that makes for a great fashion house.  I'm excited to see what they have in store for the future!