Food & Drink
Seamless in Seattle Winner: Kathy Sabin-mensah
The local designer took home "Best Evening Wear" in our 2011 competition.
Kathy Sabin-mensah Line: Kréati-KaAvailable at: kreati-ka.comStudying at: New York Fashion Academy, Class of 2011 The creative spark: The 34 year-old French-born designer is all about female empowerment, drawing inspiration from her Euro approach to life and the fierce, raw power she observed in African women while visiting family there several years ago. “Women who wear…
Seamless in Seattle Winner: Banchong Douangphrachanh
This Seattle-based designer has sold a garment to Lady Gaga and taken home "Most Innovative Menswear
Banchong Douangphrachanh Line: Banchong DouangphrachanhAvailable at: banchongdesign.com The creative spark: A vivacious ball of energy, Douangphrachanh takes an imaginative, somewhat nautical approach to her men’s suit wear, utilizing unconventional materials like neoprene and Gore-Tex for a sleek upshot. “I was inspired by the regattas in Seattle. I pictured a swarthy, ultramasculine boat captain wearing my…
Seamless in Seattle Winner: Malia Peoples
This local designer channels the lights of Tokyo in her whimsical designs, which took "Most Playful
Malia Peoples Line: Lady KonnyakuAvailable at: ladykonnyaku.com, ladykonnyaku.etsy.com The creative spark: Though she grew up in nearby Olympia, Peoples’ formative design inspirations are Far East, not West Coast. While living in China during her teen years, she became fascinated with her Japanese pals’ closets. “They always had the weirdest, coolest things tucked in there and…
Seamless in Seattle Winner: Emily Riordan-Roache
This Vashon-based designer's line was named "Best Nortwest-Inspired" in our 2011 competition.
Riordan Roache Line: Riordan RoacheAvailable at: emilyriordanroache.com The creative spark: Riordan-Roache, 27, exemplifies real Seattle rocker style: Raised in Ballard and later in Port Townsend, her designs are fueled by her love of punk and rock bands (think: Talking Heads and The Fall), and by the rustic Northwest. “I went to Central Saint Martin’s School…
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
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…
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
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
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
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
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
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…
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,…
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