Design + Fashion: Hand in Hand at the New England Auto Show

New England Auto Show
Design panel with The Grommet’s, The Third Piece’s and Wade Bryant and Kim Carpenter of GM

Looking good inside and out at the New England Auto Show

It was snowing as we headed to the Boston Convention Center to see the latest cars, which just pointed up the challenges women have in cars.

New England Auto Show
Knitwear from The third Piece

For example, where do we put our handbag? If the car is filled with grubby kids and their muddy boots, we can’t fit the bag on the seat, and the floor is no place for an expensive Birkin. Enter The Grommet’s Qlipter, a ingenious clip that can secure your precious pocketbook anywhere – in the car, at a restaurant, at a nail salon – keeping it clean and safe.

New England Auto Show
Goods from The Grommet

The Grommet was one of the presenters to an exclusive group of female bloggers who attended the New England Auto Show as guests of AGirlsGuidetoCars and Chevrolet. The local Boston company scours the world to find unusual products with interesting back stories. That Qlipter was invented by a woman who was climbing Mt. Rainier and like Cheryl Strayed in “Wild” packing deodorant, she had a unique concern – how to keep her backpack clean.

Another local company we featured at the New England Auto Show, The Third Piece, specializes in American made hand knit accessories. AGirlsGuidetoCars’ guests oohed and aahed over winter accessories that offered both form and functionality.

New England Auto Show
Modeling The Third Piece’s scarf/hat hybrid

One of The Third Piece’s most innovative products is a scarf/hat hybrid.  The fashion accessory can be pulled over your head when those evil Boston winds blow, and wrapped loosely around your neck when you are driving, or walking in nicer weather.

Hybrids of another sort were a focus of the auto show – not just gas/electric cars, but vehicles like the new Chevrolet Trax that are both car and SUV – a new-ish category called a crossover. The Trax is a car specifically designed for cities, with SUV capabilities and an urban footprint. The flexible car is easy to park on the street, but has all wheel drive so you won’t get stuck on the ice.

The bloggers were treated to panel discussions with the founders and both The Grommet and The Third Piece and with Wade Bryant, Manager, GM Advanced Design Studio & Design Senior Consultant on the Urban Active Solutions. Wade gave an inside look at Chevy’s sustainability initiatives.

Judy Antell
Judy Antell

Judy Antell, who is TravelingMom.com's Free in 50 States editor, lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with her husband and three daughters. Between road trips to visit colleges, travel sports and seeing East Coast sights, she spends a lot of time on the road for a city girl.

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