Fashion & Shopping

Future Beauty Now and Later at SAM

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:00 -0700

When Future Beauty opens at SAM on June 27, it will mark the first fashion-focused exhibit in our museum's history.

So you better believe that there will be some stylish good times and a variety of opportunities for interactivity along with the 200 pieces of contemporary Japanese fashion inside the show.

First up: curator Akiko Fukai's opening lecture on Thursday, June 27 at 7. The show's original curator and the director of the Kyoto Costume Institute visits Seattle to talk about Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and other ground-breaking long-time designers featured in the exhibit, and how their influence is still seen on runways, urban streets, and the best shops in Seattle and beyond.

With our window on the Pacific Rim and sizeable Asian-American population, Seattle has always tracked Japan and other Asian countries in terms of food, landscape, architecture, art, design, and style. As these archival garments spend the summer with us, Seattle Met will be working with SAM to present the most stylish local examples of the Future Beauty designers' legacy. We'll introduce you to the shopkeepers who continue to bring Japanese fashion into the city, and we'll tell you where to shop to get looks that are directly and indirectly inspired by the minds celebrated in the show.

Check back with us as we track Future Beauty at SAM and keep you updated on all the associated happenings.

Twin Within Styles

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:23:00 -0700

Together with her sister—who is not her twin—Style Counselor Aslaug Fridjonsdottir handcrafts modern necklaces that manage to call to mind both Maasai adornment and Northwest adventures. Find out more about Fridjonsdottir and her accessories here.

Slide Show: Twin Within Necklaces

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:23:00 -0700

Please meet artist and accessories designer Aslaug Fridjonsdottir, the sometimes Iceland-based, sometimes Seattle-based half of Twin Within.

Together with her sister—who is not her twin—Fridjonsdottir handcrafts modern necklaces that manage to call to mind both Maasai adornment and Northwest adventures. Check them out in the slide show here.

Image: Twin Within City Collection Look Book

Áslaug Fridjónsdóttir, Designer

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

Image: Dennis Wise

What does it say about us that fashion’s most of-the-moment accessory materials include bungee cord and rock climbers’ clips? Something about gold prices and hanging on for the ride? For the just-launched line Twin Within, part-time Queen Anne resident—and eternal Icelander—Áslaug
Fridjónsdóttir and her sister hand-stitch rope, plastic tubing, brass hardware, and other colorfully industrial materials into bib-style necklaces. The fantastically tubular designs—find them locally at Far 4, Prism, and Cairo, and in Brooklyn, Copenhagen, and London—feel at once tribal and urban, a duality that ought to up their investment value.

Wearing
The dress is by a friend in Iceland whose line is called Eyglo; the fabric design is a digital print of her hair. The necklaces in our first collection are named after cities; this is Rome.

Your Hair
My friend Misa Ayala, who apprentices at Vain downtown, did my hair. I wanted to try something fun without taking a big risk.

Closet Essentials
I love dresses that I can wear casually over pants or pair with heels for a night out. I always look for things that I can dress up or down, like the American Apparel chiffon shirts I have in different colors. They’re inexpensive and they look fancier than they are. Since having my daughter three years ago, I’ve learned that lipstick and the right accessories can make almost anything work.

Iceland vs. Seattle
We are so few in Iceland; there are only 300,000 of us, therefore the sense of individuality is heightened. I do dress more creatively when I’m there.

Designer Dream
I think our necklaces would look amazing with Stella McCartney’s clean-cut lines and the sporty feel of her collections—especially her current spring/summer pieces.

Published: June 2013

Must-Haves for Fun in the Sun

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

The essence of Capitol Hill–based Fruitsuper Design, founded in 2008 by married product developers Joe Kent and Sallyann Corn, is in its name, which is a play on the proprietors’ last names: Corn is technically a fruit, and Kent is, of course, Superman’s alias. That quirky approach runs throughout Fruitsuper’s diverse lineup, which includes flexible statement jewelry, an outdoor lawn game, and this rollup picnic blanket, designed with durable, waterproof materials and an integrated shoulder strap perfect for spontaneous sun breaks. $98, fruitsuperdesign.com

Jeff Reicher, P. T. Caso, and Matthew Frank are longtime friends and inventors, and for 10 years they’ve been dreaming up fanciful kitchen products like animal-shaped ice-cream-sandwich molds and easy-reach turkey basters through their Eastlake-based company Tovolo. The trio’s SteadySticks have stainless steel stakes, which can be firmly inserted into park lawns or sandy beaches, giving picnickers a safe place to set wineglasses between sips. $11–$14, tovolo.com

Dreamy duo We Are Loud Whispers isn’t exactly a traditional band: Sonya Westcott and Ayumu Haitani wrote and recorded their just-released debut LP Suchness from opposite sides of the Pacific. In fact, Seattle-based Westcott hasn’t even seen Haitani, who lives in Japan, since 2007. The album was compiled as Haitani emailed his otherworldly instrumentals to Westcott, who would then pen and record each track’s wistful lyrics. And while the whole process seems disjointed and detached, the result is surprisingly organic. Suchness’s soft, airy new wave melodies make it a summer soundtrack on par with the Postal Service’s Give Up—fitting since that album was assembled the same way. $10–$13, hardlyart.com/weareloudwhispers.html

Husband-and-wife team Will Lemke and Vanessa Resler launched their dairy-free ice pop business Six Strawberries—Seattle’s first licensed bicycle-powered food cart—in early summer 2012. Inspired by Resler’s lifetime love of frozen treats and a long conversation with her cousin Alex, who was sick with a heart condition, they started dreaming up flavors. Alex passed away shortly after, but the couple honors him with every pop they make. Find them peddling six-plus rotating flavors, including strawberry rhubarb Pie and Blueberry Lemonade around South Lake Union all summer or at select neighborhood farmers markets. $3 each, sixstrawberries.com

An early adopter of the barefoot running movement, Seattleite Ted McDonald founded Luna Sandals in the spring of 2006 after learning the art of creating traditional Mexican huarache sandals out of recycled tires. McDonald’s minimalist design uses sustainable materials and manufacturing practices but is made to stand up to 100-mile ultra-marathons and hikes through brutal terrain—or, you know, just strolling around the city. You can make your own footwear with a DIY sandal kit starting at $25, or just spring for Luna’s most popular Mono sandal for $75. lunasandals.com

In early 2013 Erin Duncan packed up her husband, two dogs, and handmade craft business, Wren Bird Arts, and left Denver for Seattle and its lush environment and vibrant art scene. The former real estate agent used to use sewing and embroidery as a way to destress from work, but her personalized handkerchiefs and hand-sewn purses have since carried over into a full-time job. For quick picnics Wren Bird’s portable place mats feature pockets for utensils and a Velcro strap to keep forks and spoons in place. $16, wrenbirdarts.etsy.com

Published: June 2013

SAM’s Future Beauty

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

Image: Takashi Hatakeyama for SAM

Big from Japan Conceptual garments by Kawakubo, Yamamoto, and Matohu had a radical impact on modern design.

Image: Courtesy Masayuki Hayashi for SAM

The most avant-garde clothing in mid-’80s Seattle was at Jordan, a now-shuttered Fifth Avenue boutique owned by Jacqui Cohen. There was sex appeal from Jean-Paul Gaultier, a young American named Marc Jacobs, and architectural garments from groundbreaking Japanese labels—Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons among them. Nearby at Butch Blum, similarly structural Issey Miyake pieces dovetailed with power suits, and on First, at Baby and Co., Kenzo Takada’s colorful knits flew off hangers. The city wrapped itself in conceptual, engineered designs from Tokyo; the East became part of our look.

Future Beauty, a contemporary Japanese fashion retrospective, opens at Seattle Art Museum on June 27. About 100 of the most extreme garments from these esteemed designers and others make up the first-ever apparel exhibit in our museum’s 80-year history. It was worth the wait; the Kyoto Costume Institute-curated collection is probably the only sartorially focused show that fits the institute’s Asian-art beginnings, and it’s probably the best fit for our city’s sophisticated but understated aesthetic.

Catharina Manchanda, SAM’s curator of modern and contemporary art, says beauty that’s been shaped by mathematics, history, and cultural critique—think outre bustle skirts and recut kimonos—relates directly to our own most influential exports. And to our style. Yohji Yamamoto’s folded, lean-lined silhouettes are what we search for when we want to stand out in the most subtle way. Junya Watanabe’s deconstructed archetypes satisfy a need for nonbasic basics.

The resonance will be immediate. Move among the asymmetrically wrapped forms one night and by morning your body, the fabric around it, and the shops down the street will seem transformed
by the show’s reflective, refracting Eastern light.

Published: June 2013

Boudoir Photography: Still a Trend?

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:57:00 -0700

Almost three years ago, we got the inside scoop from local photographers on the budding trend of boudoir photography. With the 2013 spring/summer season upon us, we thought it was a good time to check in and see if couples are still interested in sexy extras before or after their wedding day.

The slide show here contains all the answers—and the photos that prove them true. We talked to Seattle Boudoir Photography, Belle Boudoir, Christina Mallet Photography, Rebecca Ellison Photography, Persimmon Images, and Laurel McConnell Photography and got their take on the business of intimate imagery.

Before we get too introspective about it all, let's just say: It is a business. Starting prices vary from around $250 to $500 and most bookings include professional makeup and sometimes hair styling before the session. Although many of their clients are brides-to-be, the photographers we talked to have requests all year round. If you're interested, it would make sense to book a session before or after wedding season is in full swing.

Some shooters specialize in the trend, many straightforward wedding photographers are open to the idea of it, but some will pass you along to others rather than take you on unwrapped. One anonymous lens crafter we spoke to said, "Every boudoir session I've scheduled included a million and one emails and phone calls and questions, and then half of them got nervous and cancelled." You won't do that, right?

Bottom line: the shooters in our show are passionate about making women—and men; yeah, that's happening—look and feel their best. Check out our images and interviews for more.

Slide Show: Is Boudoir Photography Still a Trend?

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:55:00 -0700

Almost three years ago, we got the inside scoop from local photographers about the budding trend of boudoir. We wondered if Seattle is still disrobing for sensual shots. The answer, and the proof, is here...

Goings On: Petites Shop at Anthropologie

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:10:00 -0700

Image: Abiola Akanni

Petite chic is on sale now at Anthropologie.

On Thursday, May 9 we joined the Anthro team and blogger co-host Joy Cho of Oh Joy! for the debut of the Petites Shop at the downtown Fifth Avenue location. Pint-size shoppers and others sipped pink champagne and munched on miniature crème brulee cups and other baked bite-sized goods compliments of Ballard’s Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery.

Featuring nearly 200 dresses and separates specifically designed for women 5’3" and under, the line caters to shorter torsos and frames with its tailored pants, proportionately hemmed frocks, and fitted tops.

Cho, who has collaborated with both Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters in the past with their branding and packaging needs, raved about the arrival. “What a relief it’ll be to have a place where items fit organically, as opposed to having to take them in,” she said. Expect to labels like AG, J Brand, Plenty by Tracy Reese, and Yoana Baraschi all in short order.

Image: Abiola Akanni

The Petites Shop is currently only available at Anthropologie’s downtown brick and mortar. Yep, our city was the first of the company's to get the collection, but shoppers can also find the petite pieces on Anthro's website.

Image: Abiola Akanni

Abiola Akanni is a guest blogger at Seattle Met; her blog is called Bora Bora Style.

Get Vain, Give Back

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

Image via the Vain blog

WHERE: Vain in West Seattle, 4513 California Ave

WHAT: Get Vain for a Cause, hosted by Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest Young Professionals, is your opportunity to give back while getting some sweet things in return—like a sweet haircut by one of Vain’s 17 stylists, a glass of Pike Brewing Company’s Morning After Pale Ale, mini cakes from Cupcake Royale, musical entertainment, and a chance to win prizes from local merchants.

All this for a flat fee of $50; proceeds benefit the Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest's Someone You Know Fund, which provides low-cost health screenings for women in the Puget Sound.

It's a win-win situation.

WHEN: Sunday, June 2 from 10-3; book soon; space is limited.