I am totally intrigued by Vancouver Fashion Week and have often thought of heading up there to see if I could glean any insight into what it takes to throw a successful multi-day event like this. The event organizers seem to draw a nice group of emerging and established local and international designers, and it…

Kimberly Baker, one of our fave local jewelry designers is having her biggest sale of the year this Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24. She’ll have one-of-a-kind and vintage pieces, as well as items from her main collection on sale, with earrings starting at $15 and necklaces from $20. The sale is in-store only…

**Update: I guess they had a few glitches and didn’t open Sunday. Stay tuned for more info** Big fashion news on Capitol Hill today. TotokaeloMan is opening below Totokaelo. It’s a huge space, skillfully merchandised with men’s clothing, accessories and shoes from Rick Owens (of course, who does it better in the universe Totokaelites traverse?),…

Everyone and their neighbor is in Hawaii right now, or getting ready to go. This is a blissful time of year if you’re one of the lucky ones heading off to paradise and a maddening one if you’re not. So if you’re with me, in the homebound camp, let’s develop a coping mechanism to get…

One does not take a trip to Haiti lightly, especially when the itinerary includes volunteering for 10 days at an orphanage. But all the bracing in the world could not prepare 28-year-old Katlin Jackson for the impact of her 2011 trip—an intensely complicated and emotional experience that moved her beyond outraged intention to direct action….

“What is creativity and how does it work?” That’s the question Ken Mitchell, a former marketing and product development guy for Fisher-Price Toys, likes to explore in his new microshop, The Aviary, which opened in the former Blackbird Candy Shoppe last November. Mitchell stocks the tiny angular space with notebooks and pens, Lomography cameras—analog cameras…

Alderbrook is a magical resort and spa on the shores of Hood Canal—a northwesty haven only two hours from the city. If you’re aching for a getaway you might want to consider heading there next Friday, March 22 for their Good Clean Fun event from 7:30 to 10 p.m. In addition to champagne and snacks,…

My friend Francisco Hernandez is an incredibly talented designer with a wonderfully generous spirit. His seven year-old line, Built For Man, provides comfortable, wearable, sexy and unique clothing for men, in part made by artisans in Peru, for whom he provides a living through their traditional looming techniques. On Tuesday, March 19 from 7:30 to…

The beauty of a classic, traditional line like Faconnable,a French line started in 1950s, is that they offer something for practically everyone. Even the hippest it girl or punkest punk girl can appreciate a crisp white blouse, a cotton v-neck sweater and a black leather pencil skirt. What they do with those classics is up…

Perhaps the greatest, most under-the-radar shop has one of the greatest under-the-radar super sales each year and I’m here to daylight it. Tatters, a Mercer Island shop that is home to chic, avant garde and often exclusive labels, will be at the Stroum Jewish Community Center, also on Mercer Island, on Sunday, March 17 from…

I’m in to the “barely there” makeup look. It’s good day when I have a second to layer on mascara and apply some Burt’s Bees chap stick. But when I do take the time to actually go for more of a focused, deliberate “barely there” look, I turn to Koh Gen Do, a high-definition Japanese…