Yelpers are a notoriously fickle bunch, and pretty verbose when it comes to the recently opened San Francisco men and women's apparel boutique SHOTWELL. Carrying “vintage Lacoste sweaters, plaid shirts … and reconstructed dresses”, as well as lines from Cheap Monday and Alex & Chloe, one reviewer described it as having a “SF-meets-L.A.-meets-NY-hipster-meets-high-fashion yuppy threads.”

Founders Michael Weaver and Holly Kricher were previously selling vintage clothing out of their house in the Mission District before grabbing this space on Geary St. If you need an excuse to shop, Bosnian artist Jasko Begovic's colorful, haunting artwork will be on display at an in-store party tonight.

Alex & Chloe: Fork You Necklace: Read JS Review | Buy It ($50)
Because sometime you just can’t say it out loud — especially in the same breath as “Happy Holidays.”

Bumboo Tees: Read JS Review | Buy It ($58 – $68)
Bamboo tees are worth their weight in … oh, that’s right, they don’t weigh anything. Awesome.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac x JC in the Sky with Diamonds Collection: Read JS Review | Buy It
Wearable … nah. But I have no doubt of this collection’s historical and artistic significance, so buy something before it winds up at Christie’s, even if it’s just a minifig.

Reebok Bowery Pop-Up Shop: Read JS Review
You only have until Dec 14th to make it to Reebok’s NYC Pop-Up, but shopping after then sucks a big, fat Santa anyway — and also makes you a slacker. Get thee to the Eighties (eh, 169 Bowery).

Richard Haines Sketches: Read JS Review | Buy It
We didn’t think to ask Richard if this gift was even a possibility (oops), but a stylee friend would love a Haines sketch … or better yet, a sketch of him/herself by Haines.

Saint Augustine Academy Reverence Tee: Read JS Review | Buy It ($75)
Look close enough at this tee and you’ll find God. And you thought it was just fashion.

Atmos x K-Swiss: Read JS Review | Buy It
You have to hand it to K-Swiss, the often forgotten brand is being “reborn” and what better way to make a mark than to collaborate with Japanese powerhouse Atmos? Great attention to detail and subtle but distinctive colorways make these kicks a sure bet.

Ospop Shoes: Read JS Review | Buy It ($76)
I know they didn’t originate it but for me the whole clothing with a story concept started with Trovata. Since then, brands like Ospop have put their own spin on things. These shoes are modeled after the same ones used by Chinese blue-collar workers. Needless to say they are updated for durability and comfort. Check them out!

Gram Designs Shoes: Read JS Review | Buy It ($122)
Hailing from Sweden, Gram shoes has been a perennial SuFu (Superfuture) favorite. The interesting materials, most notably waxed cotton, give the shoes a uniqueness and sense of character, not unlike raw denim.

JackThreads: Read JS Review | Buy It
If you’re still wandering up and down the aisles at Macy’s like someone in home furnishings lobotomized you, try JackThreads. If you still can’t find a decent fashion statement, we throw our hands up. Or just throw up. Or both.

Has the current state of the economy got you down? If so, there is one thing that universally brings nothing but pure joy to everyone — clowns. Luckily, Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles is debuting an new exhibit on November 15th (running through November 29) titled “CLOWNS!” The show features reinterpreted works inspired by the classic American clown painting. The show will feature an unprecedented lineup of artists including Gary Baseman, Shag, Tokidoki, Colin Christian, Dave Kinsey, Chris Anthony, Natalia Fabia, Buff Monster, Joe Ledbetter, Audrey Kawasaki, and many more. Also, Corey Helford Gallery teamed up with London’s StolenSpace Gallery to feature some of the U.K.’s hottest new artists, including D*Face, Chloe Early, Word To Mother, and Will Barras. Do you think this is funny … does it amuse you? Well it should.

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Sick of graphic tees? How about graphic tees — you know, shirts with things on them that are more art than everyday. More Paris than campus. More come hither than come again? Our favorite jewelry makers Alex and Chloe recently started carrying a selection of tees like that (and a few cardigans and hoodies), and while it did take me a hot second to move past the sticker shock, things progressed quite nicely from wha? to wow.

The shirts are designed by Kenzo Minami, Alex B. and Christopher, and happily enough, they’re all unisex. They’re also almost all worth a doubletake, which is increasingly rare in the tee biz these days. I pulled three of my favorites from their fairly largish collection, so if you like those, click on through. While you’re in the hood, be sure to check out their accessories collection if you’ve yet to experience it — we’ve been loving that stuff since… well, since gold was affordable.

Congratulations to Greg.

This is him on Rano Raraku volcano crater on Easter Island. It’s pretty damn far, and pretty damn exotic — and for that he will receive two pairs of Alex & Chloe sunglasses. Time to find a travel companion Greg!

Tune in next week for another exiciting episode in expensive win-ables on Big Ticket Tuesday.

Cheer up. According our watch, it’s still summer for another month (it’s a really big watch). That means you’re going to need some fashionable shades for the late season sun. How about a pair of Alex & Chloe sunglasses? We’ll assume you said yes.

The Prize: A set of Alex & Chloe sunglasses, one Santa Cruz style and one Cape Town (est. retail value, $190 each)

This Week’s Rules: We know our readers are savvy world travelers. For this Big Ticket Tuesday, we’re asking you to submit one pic of yourself wearing sunglasses in an exotic location. It can be a link on Flickr, Shutterfly, Picasa, et al., or you can send it directly to feedback [AT] joshspear.com. Also, provide a quick caption of where you are (we’re not frickin’ Carmen Sandiego over here). The reader with the farthest traveled specs will get two new pairs to continue the trek.

When Alex + Chloe formed in 2004, they found their inspiration in shadows and light and created their first collection to reflect this. Now, three collections later they have returned to their initial obsession, but this time they’re interpreting the concept in a more literal manner. Yep, they are making sunglasses. And even though these two jewelry designers could never disappoint us, we’re happy to report that they are completely bangin’. Pulling from the familiar shapes of the aviator and the wayfarer, the two sunnies in this initial collection mix classic shapes with non-traditional colors and detailing, and serve as a nice teaser to what we can hope from the pair in the future. From the two-tone frames to the French scribblings that spice up their insides, these babies are just another extension of what we’ve come to expect from Alex + Chloe: A little bit classic, a little bit rawk, and a little bit better than anything else out there. Shade up, readers; it’s bright out there.

Alex and Chloe, our favorite line of un-boring jewelry, just released their latest collection of individualist-friendly neckwear. Sharply geometric and modern (in its mod-est sense), Black Diamonds features bold shapes in Alex and Chloe’s signature lucite, again incorporating elements like classic typefaces and minimalistic shapes to create something best described as “significantly badass.” Unlike seasons past, Black Diamonds currently offers none of the 14k gold goodness I get drool-y over — but, on a positive note, the gold from a few months ago is complacently timeless (14k Can Tab; I would have worn it in 6th grade, I would wear it today, and (depending on how awesome I wind up in my later years) I like to think I’ll rock it at Bingo matches to come). My personal favorites this time around are: Love is Dead, Alex’s Zero Carat Diamond in Black, and Bauhaus Paris (pictured), all of which are available in Alex and Chloe’s online shop.

It looks like Alex and Chloe have posted a little bit of new product since the last time I checked their site, and while it’s certainly not an entire collection, I’ve still got to send you guys over to take a look — especially if you missed out on our first mention of the hard-rocking line of men’s and women’s jewelry. I already wanted this tooth necklace when it was oxidized silver, but now that they’re making it in solid 14k gold, I’m about ready to rip out a molar, hang it on a chain, spray paint it, then wear it until I can justifiably spend the $460 I’ll need to spend to get the real thing. Don’t be scared off by that price tag, though; Alex and Chloe makes their jewelry in a wide range of awesome metals/materials, making them as good a good stop for impulse shopping as a more carefully planned jewelry purchase. Be sure to check out the entire Coco is Dead line — it’s an oldie but a goody, and I’ve gotten more compliments on my “bullet holes” necklace than anything else I own…yet, anyway. The tooth’s gonna take over.

If one of Erica Weiner’s mantras is “Make inexpensive jewelery that doesn’t look cheap,” the others must read something like “Make the most badassest jewelry on the planet,” “Use my own personal basass status to increase the overall population of badasses,” and “Eat badass for breakfast, lunch and dinner so that everything I touch may too become badass.”

If you’ve been a reader for awhile you’re probably no stranger to my slightly obsessive posts regarding lines of jewelry (including the amazing Alex and Chloe and Kimberly Baker), but something about Erica Weiner’s vintage-inspired designs are seriously getting me going. Her necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings — which are all humorous, peculiar, and charming — are little works of creative genius, and the pricetag rarely stretches over $80 a pop. Erica’s travels with good friend and business partner Lindsay Salmon keep the line bursting with interesting materials and concepts, and often result in incredible pieces like this one — the Be Prepared For Bears necklace. Taken from a vintage boy scout badge, this incredibly awesome slice of…badass…dangles a menacing grizzly from a few pithy words of truth.

Boxfresh, one of London’s favorite streetwear brands, has formed a pretty alliance with fellow designer and countryman William Cheshire in a collaboration for a new line of men’s and women’s accessories. These are a few pieces from the resulting “Boxfresh Towers” collection, and I haven’t been so sold on jewelry since I wrote about the incredible Alex and Chloe months ago. Cheshire’s menswear background is evident in the designs he created for this assembly; most of the line-up is angular and powerful, and even the women’s pieces have a touch of superhero. You can find a Boxfresh dealer close to you here, but I doubt all their retailers will stock the jewelry, so check around a bit.

There’s a reason jewelry is often passed down through generations, and it’s not merely because the price tag justifies millennia of use. Whether it’s because some jewelry hangs daringly close to our main means of expression (our faces), or just because so much time and energy can go into the purchase of a beautiful piece, a person’s jewelry represents them way more than, say, whatever jeans spring 2007 asks them to squeeze into. Therefore, my utmost concerns while shopping for ornaments are A.) The uniqueness of the piece, and B.) its quality. Yup, things get personal with jewelry– which is why a line like Alex and Chloe is a mouthful of fresh metal in a world asphyxiating on sterling silver, blue-box vomit. Their latest collection, appropriately titled From My Neck of the Woods, is slightly less rock-and-roll than seasons past (which, I might add, also deserve the highest of high fives; some of the last collections are still available and buckets better than anything I’ve seen elsewhere). Nature runs the show this time around (bones and all), but not without the indie/individualist flair that Alex and Chloe is known for. I’d be especially welcoming of this 14k gold Antler necklace and the pleasantly disgusting Cavity necklace into my family heirloom collection, but suffice to say the entire line would make an incredible and lasting addition to any jewelry box.