Bike ChicVictorian-era bloomers may be an unlikely choice for a debuting fashion line, but when Candace Cantaloupe first created knee-length knickers to wear biking in 2005 she quickly found herself taking orders by the fistful. “I got stopped by woman after woman on the street wanting to know where I got them,” the Greenwood-based designer…

I’m just going to put out there: I don’t want to pretend this isn’t a tough Friday, many of us are deeply saddened and all hopes, prayers and thoughts are focused on our neighbors in Japan. We’re going to soldier on with Fashion Friday as usual, but if you’ll forgive me, I’m going to skip…

I will get up early on Saturday mornings—but it had better be for a darn good reason (because otherwise, sleep, reading the paper and drinking approximately 5 cups of coffee is the name of the game). However, it is well worth my time—and yours too—to get up early, grab that latte to go and get…

We’re playing with numbers this week on Fashion Friday, it’s like good ol’ Sesame Street says: ‘The number of the day is 5.’ As in five, exciting, fun tidbits for share with you this week: 1. The ice and snow held off long enough Tuesday (not spring yet apparently, harrumph) for me to bop up…

This was a week of exciting expansions, remodels and moves for some of our favorite boutiques: As Karen Johnson reported on Wednesday, Blackbird is jumping on the Portlandia bandwagon and will open the first Blackbird enterprise outside of Ballard in PDX this summer. (Great news for us Oregon natives often stuck in the Portland I-5…

Blackbird and Field House owner Nicole Miller announced she’s expanding her retail empire to Portland. The new shop (Burnside and NW 13th Ave.), which opens early this summer, is two blocks from Ace Hotel (another Seattle-based lifestyle business with a PDX outpost), and sure to attract throngs of Portland-loving tourists who will no doubt be…

Seattle has long been a mecca for outdoorsy people and technical innovation, so it follows that some of the leading outdoor clothing and gear manufacturers in the world have set up shop here. Chances are good that many items in your gear closet were designed and possibly even manufactured within a few miles of home….

Pet ProjectAs if there’s not enough stress with bringing the new babe home from the hospital, you also have to worry about Fido and all the canine complications that can arise (like jealousy and aggression toward the new bundle). So before the homecoming, plan for a crash course with Wallingford’s Susan Oshie, a former veterinarian…

Harmoniously fusing Seattle’s love for cycling and its penchant for DIY undertakings, Scenic Drive E. Pike Factory (611 E Pike St.; 206.300.8799; scenicdrivefactory.com) is best described as a cycling paraphernalia workspace. Open since October and run by Nikki Mazzei and Rachel Ravitch (of Seattle’s cycling dance troupe the Bicycle Belles), Scenic Drive sells handmade bicycling…

Stumptown Coffee RoastersStumptown now offers its popular Hair Bender blend in a container as iconic as its name. The retro-pharmaceutical look of the glass jar suggests the medicinal effects of staying caffeinated, while the amber color helps block bean-damaging UV rays. Once you’ve sipped your way to the bottom, bring back the jar for a…

WHY WE LOVE HER LOOK: When dance teacher Kuperman first fell in love with social dancing more than two decades ago, she quickly grew even more enamored of the period vintage clothing worn on the dance floor. But instead of the full skirts and kitten heels, Kuperman was attracted to the classic, tailored menswear, and…

Farm to FashionSo much of fashion’s viewpoint comes from the upcoming season or the next big fashion week, but for artist Adrienne Antonson, the view of her back pasture on Vashon Island is much more inspiring. There roams a herd of 36 alpaca, whose shaggy fleece is at the heart of her exclusive new line…

I walk to work most mornings, and today I was peeling layers block by block. Off came the mittens, then the scarf and finally the outer jacket. Dare I say it? It felt like spring and it’s just in time for the happy, springtime hues popping up in stores. Here are a few bright ideas…