Pinnacle Residential Properties is delighted to announce its new listing – 19 Wildwood Drive in Sherborn, MA. This beautiful, five-bedroom Contemporary home offers an open, flexible floor plan, an abundance of natural light, high ceilings and hardwood floors. There are fireplaces and cathedral ceilings in the living and family rooms, a lovely dining room, a first-floor master suite and four additional bedrooms. There is a finished play room on the lower level, a heated tandem garage plus a detached garage and workshop. All of this privately set on a gorgeous, two-acre wooded lot in a coveted, cul-de-sac neighborhood.

This special home is priced at $645,000. For more information or to see the property, please contact listing brokers Lisa Curlett (781-267-2844 or www.homesalesbylisa.com) or Steve Burtt (781-235-4120). And for a virtual tour of the property, please visit www.19wildwooddrive.com.

For more information on the real estate market in Weston, Wellesley, Wayland, Sherborn and the surrounding towns, please contact me, Lisa Curlett (781-267-2844 or www.homesalesbylisa.com), to answer any questions or for a complimentary home appraisal. And click here for a complimentary search of the MLS real estate listings where you will have access to all homes currently on the market in your area.

Last night was the big Red Carpet Fashion and Hollywood Award celebration of the year – the 85th Academy Awards, a.k.a. The Oscars. This is a very special evening for us as my daughters and I love, love to observe, analyze and critique the fashion choices of the celebrities.

But before we get started with our thoughts, a couple of housekeeping items…. First and foremost, I’m sticking to my usual disclaimers*. Second, I must say that everyone looked especially beautiful last night. It seems that – of all of the award shows – Oscar Night is when the Hollywood-ites make more traditional, glamorous “Old Hollywood” choices for their attire and head-to-toe looks. I had to chuckle this morning when watching The Today Show, and the fashion experts seemed a bit bored by the choices. Let’s just say that there is certainly a striking difference between the fashions of the Grammys and the Oscars. But given that this is Hollywood’s biggest night and most prestigious award show, I think it is ‘fitting’ that the fashion choices are more traditional – and thus perhaps more boring to some.

Finally, after watching the show and based on what we saw, we decided to add two new categories. The first is for “Hair.” There was so much of an emphasis on hair that we felt we needed to report on it, not to mention that the hair displays often seemed to make or break an overall look. The hair choices were basically “up” or “down.” The “up” look tended to go in one of two directions, either pulling the look together fabulously or making the look messy thus detracting from the overall impression. The “down” style that was particularly appealing featured a perfectly-coiffed, curled approach ‘imparting’ that Old Hollywood feel. And then we had to throw in a “Favorite Accessory” category as well – it was too good to pass up.

So without further ado, here we go:

Best Dressed (in alphabetical order)

• Jessica Chastain (pictured above) – Talk about Old Hollywood – this was it. As can often happen at the Oscars, Jessica Chastain – with her gold, fitted Armani Prive gown – almost looked like an Oscar statue herself. Her jewels, red lipstick and hair (more on that later) complemented her dress and perfected the whole look.
• Jennifer Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence may not have surprised us in her choice of dresses, but boy did she knock our socks off. Her pale-colored Dior Haute Couture fitted bodice with full skirt is something we’ve seen her wear time and again. In fact, apparently George Kotsiopoulos of Fashion Police called it; he said that she would be wearing this dress. Ms. Lawrence’s understated backward necklace, beautiful earrings and gorgeous pulled-back hair (more on that later) further added to her spectacular look.
• Kerry Washington (pictured here) - Kerry Washington has been on every one of our best dressed lists this year, specifically for the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. Kudos to her stylist because Ms. Washington seems to nail it every time. Her beaded, form-fitting Miu Miu coral gown looked gorgeous with her skin tone and hair. She was our personal favorite.

Could Have Done Better (in alphabetical order)

Hair

• Adele – A combination of “up” and “down,” Adele’s hair style showed off her sparking eyes and lovely face.
• Jessica Chastain – Old Hollywood, hair-down perfection.
• Jennifer Lawrence – Even before I noticed her gown, I noticed her hair. Her neatly pulled-back hair allowed her beautiful face to shine through.
• Reese Witherspoon (pictured here) – Another example of Old Hollywood, hair-down perfection.

With some of the fantastic hair styles came some not-so-great hair approaches too. And these loose, messy mostly “up” hairdos significantly detracted from the starlet’s overall look. Case in point for Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman and Amanda Seyfried.

Favorite Accessory – Our favorite accessory was a dog purse named Sammy carried by Quvenzhane Wallis. My daughters especially loved this attache – it brought a smile to all of our faces.

So what were your thoughts about the fashion choices of the evening? Which were your favorites and not-so-favorites? Oh, and one last thing – what was up with the plethora of men’s beards? From Argo’s Ben Affleck and George Clooney to Les Miserables’ Hugh Jackman and my favorite, Silver Lining Playbook’s Bradley Cooper? Your thoughts, ladies, on the bearded fashion statements? I can’t wait to hear….

For more information on this or on the real estate market in Weston, Wellesley, Wayland and the surrounding towns, please contact me, Lisa Curlett (781-267-2844 or www.homesalesbylisa.com), to answer any questions or for a complimentary home appraisal.

* (1) I am not a true fashionista. (2) I wasn’t “live” at the event, and so I didn’t see the attire of each and every participant in person. (3) Despite the critiques, these women look better in their fashions – even the “Could Have Done Betters” – than most normal human beings.

In the last two weeks in Weston, MA, 10 single-family homes came on the market and seven sold*. This activity is comparable to what it was this time last year when we had 12 new listings and nine sold. Our inventory continues to lag as the number of active listings (56) is down 21% from this time last year, but we expect this number to build given that the Spring market traditionally begins after school vacation week.

To get the details on the market stats, please click Weston Pinnacle Report 2-4-2013-2-17-2013. And for more information about the real estate market in Weston, Wellesley, Wayland and the surrounding towns or if you are considering selling your home, please contact me, Lisa Curlett (781-267-2844 or www.homesalesbylisa.com), to answer any questions or for a complimentary home appraisal.

And Happy February School Vacation Week to all of you who are enjoying this week off from school and the like. We are lucky enough to be with our family in Florida – reveling in the warm weather and indulging in a fabulous trip to Disney (hence the Magic Kingdom pictures) and a relaxing time in Naples. I hope you are having a great week – whether it’s a vacation, staycation or just a regular seven days….

* New listings do not include those re-listed within 90 days, and sold means “pending/under agreement” and not yet closed.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to cover the subject of Dry Cleaning Fun in the ‘Burbs. I think this is likely a crucial service for us all. So once again, I polled my fabulous friends about their favorite local dry cleaners, and here’s what they said:

Ann Cleaners & Tailors, 338 Weston Road, Wellesley – I love Heather’s feedback on her favorite dry cleaner. She reports, “We use Ann’s Dry Cleaning in the Fells Market Place area in Wellesley.  We’ve gone there forever and love the little pick me up when Ann is the one at the desk. She always greets everyone with ‘Hello Beautiful’ and asks ‘How do you stay so young?’ At this age, you take every compliment you can get. Plus, she does quick alterations.”

Anton’s Cleaners, 277 Linden Street, Wellesley (pictured above) – four of my friends, Landis, Patty, Linda and Amanda, use Anton’s. Landis says, “I have used them since I lived in Wellesley [she has moved to Weston in the meantime]. I love that they keep my credit card on file and that I don’t have to pay in person.” Patty says that she finds Anton’s to be “nice and reliable,” and Linda and Amanda say they love Anton’s home delivery option.

Chinney’s Alterations and Cleaners, 301 Boston Post Road, Wayland – Kate uses this local dry cleaner. Of note, Chinney’s uses “organic, environmentally-friendly solvents.”

Mayfair Cleaners, 51 Washington Street, Wellesley (pictured here) – Virginia says the reason she uses Mayfair is because she “goes to Four Seasons for nails,” which is just next door.

Personal Cleaners and Tailors, 596 Boston Post Road, Weston (pictured below) – Madelaine remarks, “They are very nice and professional, and it is right in town.” Kathia also uses Personal Cleaners as she likes its “Ecological drycleaning [option], which is non-toxic and harmless to the environment, and as such is becoming increasingly popular among consumers worldwide.”

Tony the Tailor, 21 Washington Street, Wellesley – Yours truly, a.k.a. me, has used Tony the Tailor since I moved to my current house 11 years ago. It’s so close to my home, plus they do alterations. Parking can be difficult, however, especially given all of the stores, restaurants and businesses in the area. Just cash and checks are accepted; no credit cards.

I must admit that I learned quite a bit from this blog. First, I didn’t know about the “green” option that several dry cleaners provide. It makes sense given the world in which we live today. And I was interested to see that most dry cleaners accept credit cards, making it a little easier for consumers. Finally, I was surprised that no one mentioned Zoots as there are several locations in the area, and I tend to see the purple “Zoots” bags on many doorways during my frequent driving journeys through the streets of Weston, Wellesley, Wayland and the surrounding towns.

What are your thoughts? Is your favorite dry cleaner on the list above or do you use another company/service? And what makes your dry cleaner special to you? I can’t wait to hear….

For more information on this or on the real estate market in Weston, Wellesley, Wayland and the surrounding towns, please contact me, Lisa Curlett (781-267-2844 or www.homesalesbylisa.com), to answer any questions or for a complimentary home appraisal.