Yep.  I have decided to make the switch to blogspot.  My website quality isn’t doing it for me and I am a picky gal.  Why wear generic when you can wear designer?…er…something like that.  Stay tuned!!

FINALLY!!!  GUCCI has arrived in Seattle!!  On January 29th, the GUCCI store on 5th (formerly Escada) kicked off it’s opening along with SIFF. I was lucky enough to be invited by my fab friend Lawrence who couldn’t have picked a more willing gal, as I have been a fan of GUCCI since the genius that is Tom Ford.

So he emails me on facebook….”You want to be my plus one to the SIFF Gucci party?”  I’m like…..Did he just say GUCCI is throwing a party and I am invited???  I had to ask him again if he was serious.  I know GUCCI just opened a store in Seattle (bout damn time).  “Helllllllllllllllllllllllll YES!!”  I told him.  I am never one to turn down a fashionable party, which means leaving work early to trek from Bellevue in horrendous 520 craptacular traffic.  So I put on my newest pair of GUCCI Babouska studded heels from Fall 2008 and arrived in style!

The party was equally amazing and fabulous as you would expect from a label like GUCCI.  Beautifully dressed people?  Check.  Gourmet bite-sized hourdouvres?  Check.  Waif thin models wearing TO-DIE-FOR gorgeous Gucci clothing?  Uh Huh.  I was like….am I REALLY in Seattle???  The Seattle that made the most heinous trend in fashion popular??  The Seattle that loves it’s Polartec and Fleece??  The Seattle that confines people to dress like lumberjacks?? YES, YES, and YES!!

 
All I can say is…for once I didn’t feel overdressed as usual.  Cheers!

Me and my stylish friend Lawrence.  Yep.  I am now a brunette! 

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When I saw these women I did not even hesitate to get there picture.  I mean….LOOK at them!!!!!!  Each one of them is decked out in freak’in CHANEL!!!  The lady on the left has the most beautiful fur shawl with a fab bubble hem dress.  The dark plum tights look just right with her whole ensemble.  The gal on the left did a fantastic job on her styling and you gotta love that taffeta skirt with pockets.  

And did I mention the CHANEL?……….

Just in case you didn’t see me point out their CHANEL, check out their SHOES!!  These women really made me think Seattle is starting to catch up to those other more fashionable big cities!  Enough already with New York and LA. 

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These gals just looked so fresh.  Very sexy librarian chic.  Gotta love that.

There is an epidemic that has swept over the Northwest and this epidemic has had major staying power in part due to the cold and wet weather.  This epidemic has been come to known as “The Fleece epidemic of the Northwest” and it has been sweeping Seattle for the greater part of two decades strong.  Everywhere you go, no matter what time of year (and in some cases, conditions and temperatures), you will find a sea of black fleeces (and sometimes in muted colors such as dark green, grey or navy) being worn by individuals in almost ALL settings.  While it is acceptable to wear fleece, I beg to differ on this issue when frequenting such places as restaurants, upscale shopping areas, parties, out on the town, your sister’s wedding, grandma’s funeral…you catch my drift here?  Let’s hope so. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love my black fleece!….riding the back side of Stevens in January, running to grab a quick latte and Starbucks, or lounging in front of the tube watching Grey’s Anatomy reruns on DVR, SURE!  But NOT in a public place that dedicates itself to class and substance.  A fleece just doesn’t belong at the shopping mall, out to dinner at a fine eatery, out on the town, or even to a funeral!  No folks.  Please.  Just stop with the fleece overload and opt for something more stylish without sacrificing your warmth or sanity.  And we all know what I mean by ‘sanity’ in dealing with the weather here in the Emerald City.

This epidemic of epic proportions can be cured if we try to contain it.  When shopping at the mall, swap that dull fleece for a fun trench coat lined in flannel.  Many trench coats are lined for warmth in the winter months and unlined for warmer months, but don’t count on the later…weather that is.  You don’t have to break the bank to find a nice trench.  Often I have spied stylist trenches at Kohl’s and Target.  If you want to go big, check out Nordstrom.  They have a barrage of stylish coats, jackets and trenches that will be sure to put your fleece where it is supposed to be…out of site and out of mind!  All in all, there just isn’t an excuse to be wearing fleece out to fine establishments when Seattle has so many great stores and boutiques full of fantastic fleece alternatives!  Remember…this epidemic is highly curable, if only we make an effort to contain it and stay stylish in Seattle…despite the weather.

Viva Stylish Seattleites!

This was my first party hosted at an ultra chic, modern-style furniture store.  http://www.boconcept.com/

The crowd was surprisingly stylish and I only spotted one single fleece!  Yeay Seattle!  Here are my favorites…

This is an example of smart fall dressing.  Her Pucci print dress looks amazing on her and she completed the outfit with the winter white scarf and nude stillettos.  In winter all she would have to do is add a feminine trench coat and tights to keep warm.  And don’t forget a (black) umbrella!! Cheers to this gal and her GREAT style! 

The three of these gals do casual dressing perfectly.  Sometimes all a sweater and a pair of jeans (or leggings) needs is some accessorizing with a scarf, statement jewelry and a chic handbag.  The gal on the left pulled off subtle grey with brown effortlessly and that isn’t an easy thing to do!

LOVE her style!  Everything looks so crisp right down to her L.A.M.B. clutch and patent peep toes.  Menswear turned feminine is always a plus and almost anyone can pull it off.  But not everyone can wear a pair of black skinny jeans like this stylish Seattleite!!

Girl Power Hour is always a great event to spot stylish gals, but this time guys were invited too!  Unfortunately with so many cool people to network with…I hardly get a chance to get out my camera.  But I did shoot two of the most popular Seattle fashion personalities.  Darcey Howard, a personal stylist and creator of LifeStyled (http://www.getlifestyled.com/default.asp) and Blayne Walsh…from Season 5 of Project Runway (http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/5/bios/bios.php?stylist=joe).  Blayne and I graduated in the same class at the Art Institute of Seattle back in June of 2005.  Glad to see someone from Seattle go so far on the show…and someone that I actually know!  If Blayne pooped fabric, I’d probably wear it!  But you won’t see me caught dead in Micheal Kors! 

Blayne on the right with his signature man-tan and his big ol’ hoody.  Holla!  Note:  I was handed this microphone that didn’t work.  Might as well pretend right?  But Blayne’s tan did match well with my Pucci dress!  Something tells me that he didn’t obtain his ‘glow’ from a whole 2 months of Seattle summer.

You can always count on Darcey to be at Girl Power Hour dressed in a super cute frock!  She IS a stylist so go figure!  I loved how she wore this simple pink dress with a structured neckline with a sheer mini pleated black skirt.  Her shiny patent black clutch and strappy black heels balance out this perfect look.  It’s is hard to miss a gal with great charisma AND great style like Darcey!

At Fashion First, I spotted two of the most stylish women whom were kind enough to let me take pictures of them. Being in Seattle, it can often be difficult to find such stylish people, but at fashion shows it is a no-brainer to bring the camera along so I can shoot my favorites! Check them out!

I love the juxtaposition of her fantastic 80s style dress with the wide black elastic belt with a big chunky gold detail. And check out her shoes!! Gasp! Aren’t they the most fabulous shoes ever?!! This gal just oozes great style.

Besides her fabulous dress (and cocktail) her outfit was straight up fantastic. Black and yellow are two contrasting colors that go very well together, especially using yellow as a complementary color to mostly black. If you look very closely you can see that her fantastic boots have a small bamboo piece on each heel. She looked like she walked straight off an advertisement for Gucci. LOVE it.

The vintage explosion as well as designer label lust of the past few years, has enabled fashion lovers to mix high fashion with low end and thrift looks.  Discount retailers are commissioning sought after designers to create looks to sell at stores such as Target and Kohl’s.  Take for example the explosion of retailers such as H&M and Forever 21 where you can find off the runway looks for less.  Let’s not forget the high end stores we love so much, such as our beloved Nordstrom and Barney’s which always seems to have the perfect handbag or heel right when you only have the cash for Forever 21.  But us fashion lovers always find a way, weather it is waiting it out for the big sale, scouring the internet and ebay for a deal, or hoping on Bag Borrow or Steal, we are always searching for fresh new high looks to go with our low finds.  Even if it means buying a high only once every season (Fall and Spring) such as I do. 

But don’t overload on the labels…ever.  Top to bottom LV doesn’t look chic…it looks desperate and very “Look at me.”  Although this may seem impossible for many Seattleites to fathom, I have seen it before.  OK. I have seen it before in Los Angeles.  But the opposite DOES holds true in this town.  And it pertains to the six letter word I have come to abhor.  G-R-U-N-G-E.  This blog’s headline doesn’t say “Dedicated to GLAMOUR and NOT GRUNGE” for nothing!  Before I get carried away on another tangent and possibly another blog post, let’s get back to the basics.  Head to toe thrift doesn’t work wonders.  It might help you get into your local food bank possibly, but the job offers, promotions and hot dates won’t be knocking at your door.

Stick to a 2 to 3+ ratio when dressing high low.  With accessories this ratio can change from 5 to 3+.  Just make sure that you are not over loading on the thrift stuff or high end labels.  That means… A cute ruffle shirt from the 70s can look super cute with a nice pair of new skinny jeans, a designer bag and a pair of flats bought at the local mall on sale for under $50.  The blouse and shoes would be low, while the jeans and bag would be high.  Add in a few thrift finds like necklaces and bracelets and you are ready to rock!

Overall the high/low look works for everyone as long as you can find stylish pieces from Barney’s to the Goodwill.   Some of the best things I have in my closet are from thrift stores.  And it’s OK….brag you got it at Ross because it doesn’t matter where you got it…but how it looks on you and makes heads turn.  Just stick to my ratio and you will be sure to grab lots of compliments from fellow stylish Seattleites!