September 2011

Seamless in Seattle Winner: Kate Burt

Seamless in Seattle Winner: Kate Burt

This local, "nerdy and flirty" designer took home "Best Everyday Wear" in our 2011 competition.

Kate Burt Line: Operation + StitchAvailable at: Velouria (Ballard) & Momo (International District)operationstitch.com The creative spark: Burt, 30, looks to bold, geometric shapes and surrealistic art to inspire her chic, wearable cotton dresses and tunics, which are thoughtfully infused with cheerful colors, pops of stripe patterns and peek-a-boo, cut-out details. “I like to focus on…

2011 Seamless in Seattle Winners

2011 Seamless in Seattle Winners

Meet the winners of our fourth annual local fashion designer challenge

Each year, Seattle magazine combs the city for emerging designers hungry to change the local fashion landscape. In this year’s fourth annual smackdown, we saw a wild array of fresh designs that go well beyond day-to-day attire, from fanciful lingerie and sweet maternity clothes to collections made for the active Seattleite—hip dance wear, sportswear and…

Local Shopping Finds 2011: Trends

Local Shopping Finds 2011: Trends

Three clothing and accessory ideas you'll want in your satchel before you head back to school this f

Oxford University (pictured above)Embrace fall’s thesis statement: The latest Oxfords mix prim and proper schoolgirl charm with bold laces and masculine-meets-feminine details for grown-up sass. Fom left to right: Bass “Reid” brown cocoa suede heel with contrasting cognac waxy milled leather panels, $79.95, available at Nordstrom downtown; By Hudson “Lita” gray and tan suede saddleback…

Designers to Watch: 2011 Edition

Designers to Watch: 2011 Edition

Two Seattle designers are reaching new heights in their careers with modern structural wear for wome

Jean Bhang-Glover (pictured above)8telier Say you knew her when: Seattle native Jean Bhang-Glover returns home to call the shots for a women’s wear line set to rival the design giants. To call the designer an up-and-comer is a bit ironic, given her 15-year history of designing for major firms on the East Coast, where she…

Locally Made Jewelry

Locally Made Jewelry

A roundup of bold and delicate accessories fashioned by Northwest artists with crystals, recycled ma

  NATURE CALLSStatement pieces inspired by the seaClockwise from top: Oversized chiffon “Petal” earrings with brass chain detail, by Pamela Davis of Capitol Hill–based Mucho Design ($34, available at Assemble Gallery & Studio on Phinney Ridge; muchodesign.etsy.com). Laser-cut metallic gold leather collar “Bouquet” necklace on plated brass chain, by Andrea Bijou of Maple Leaf’s Bijoudally…

Gifts: Quaint Shops and Etsy Finds

Gifts: Quaint Shops and Etsy Finds

We name the gift shop of the year, and list our favorite gift ideas found at local shops and the cra

GIFT SHOP OF THE YEARCurtis Steiner’s new wonder emporium on Ballard Avenue beckons paper lovers, jewelry fiends and one-of-a-kind-gift hunters Eight months ago, it didn’t look good. Artist Curtis Steiner was closing his beloved Ballard shop, Souvenir, sporting a black funeral armband during the shop’s last week. Devoted fans mourned the loss. But luckily, the…

Clothing: New Boutiques and Vintage

Clothing: New Boutiques and Vintage

Sweet new boutiques are flinging open doors to reveal shelves brimming with locally made designs and

Spun Sustainable Collective (photo above)(Capitol Hill) BEST BET FOR: Casual, affordable and chic clothing proudly made in Washington There may not be a bigger cheerleader for Seattle fashion design than petite and personable Sara Seumae, owner of Spun Sustainable Collective. After having trouble finding local retailers willing to take a risk on emerging talent, the…

Cover Story: Local Shopping Finds for 2011

Cover Story: Local Shopping Finds for 2011

We scout out the best clothing, accessories, gifts and vintage stores to help you shop for Fall.

The thrill of the hunt is exhilarating: spotting the perfect necklace to match an outfit, finally tracking down a gift for a hard-to-buy-for friend or finding just the right jacket to wear (and adore) all season long. The sport is made all the sweeter when the finds are handcrafted in Seattle by local talent, or…

Editor's Note: Big Ideas for Seattle Schools, Transportation and More

Editor’s Note: Big Ideas for Seattle Schools, Transportation and More

Recently, we asked movers and shakers in Seattle, "If you had a blank check with which to do anythi

Last May, inspired by a similar feature in St. Louis Magazine, we posed a question to dozens of our city’s leaders (and to our friends on Facebook and Twitter), asking them this: If you had a blank check with which to do anything to improve our city, what would you do? Every time someone’s “big…

A Capitol Hill Art Gallery Opens with a Question

A Capitol Hill Art Gallery Opens with a Question

Jess Van Nostrand opened The Project Room to invite the public to engage with artists.

Why do we make things that aren’t considered necessary? It’s a mystery of the human condition and one that a new nonprofit arts space on Capitol Hill is actively exploring. The Project Room, which independent curator Jess Van Nostrand opened in July, is an experimental, blank-slate space that local artists can temporarily make use of…

Nerd Report: New Illustrated Atlas Traces Seattle's Physical Evolution

Nerd Report: New Illustrated Atlas Traces Seattle’s Physical Evolution

Turns out Google Maps can’t, in fact, do everything. Case in point: It can’t bring the past alive via wonderful illustrated maps—some more than a century old—like the Historical Atlas of Washington and Oregon (University of California Press; $39.95), published this month. Noted historian Derek Hayes, author of several other historical atlases, packs this big,…

Madison Valley: Seattle's Little Paris

Madison Valley: Seattle’s Little Paris

A potpurri of new French eateries is bring the taste of Paris to a surprising corner of the Emerald

If your budget doesn’t allow for a jaunt to France to sample the national cuisine (quelle horreur!), never fear—Paris is right here. Thanks to several new eateries (and a few beloved standards) with a distinctly French accent, Madison Valley is swiftly becoming Seattle’s own petit Paris. Bon voyage and bon appetit!  Belle Epicurean  3109 E…