Rockstars and "indipires" at Seattle Fashion WeekLaura Peach reports from last month's Seattle Fashion Week
Design by Blayne Walsh. All photos by NW Action Shots
Although Seattle is a city even further off the fashion map than San Francisco, where Keens and Birkenstocks swamp the sidewalks and most outfits, often comprised of hooded windbreakers and kakis, seem a little more fit for a hike in the mountains than a day in the city.
Design by Blayne Walsh
Thankfully, there is a part of Seattle’s population who does not consider Eddie Bauer the height of fashion. And they showed up strong and stylish at Seattle Fashion Week to scope out and support their talented local designers.
Design by Blayne Walsh
Project Runway star Blayne Walsh pranced his sweet self onstage and said, “If a Native American and a vampire had offspring, my line would be their children.”
Design by Blayne Walsh
I was so preoccupied with trying to figure out what that would be called, exactly, that I barely saw the beaded vests, feathered hair, and black party dresses parading past me. Until a fabulous open-necked red sweater forced my jaw to drop. It struck me as so perfect for San Francisco. Oh, and I decided that Walsh’s prodigy would have to be “Indipires.”
Teal Shoulder by Naomi B.
Feminine fun for the evening came in when the dresses of Naomi B. hit the runway.
Design by Naomi B.
She took classy, conservative Audrey Hepburnish clean cut ensembles and threw in a surprising, sexy cut out back or added a big statement belt. She also playfully updated 80’s feeling dresses with larger-than-life ruffles and a few raw edges.
The most cohesive, experimental and exciting set of designs was by Logan Neitzel. His models strutted rockstar outfits of leather and metallic, punched up with bright colors like magenta and dripping with chains. Neitzel is bold, and he has a deep sense of how to create clothes with edge and attitude, but not so much of each of these that one would feel uncomfortable in them. In fact, the runway reeked of power. Each design demanded attention and produced its own presence.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Neitzel will go somewhere. Soon. Seattle may not be able to sustain his ideas and support his designs much longer, but they are too strong to be overlooked.
Design by Dolores Gill
Not everything was local and not everything was fabulous, though. I cringed at most of Dolores Gill’s tepid attempts at making denim different. And the evening started off with designer Toni Galang from the Philippines. (Why was he at Seattle Fashion Week? No one seemed to know.) The confetti-like dresses and tops he made felt like a child’s birthday party gone awry, an event even the mother had turned her back on.
Design by Toni Galang
What to watch: Multiple designers had items with asymmetrical necklines. Also, zippers. Everywhere. Most drastic were jeans that zippered all the way through the crotch seam. Pair that with a dress that unzips down the front and I think designers may be making a bit of a statement about the demand for good design with the main feature being that it's an easy off.
digg •
del.icio.us •
sphere •
google
•
Comments (1)
hell yes logans designs were the best... how come you didn't post pictures of logan's models?
and i agree Dolores is the worst designer ever. Those awful zippered jeans were so gross.
Posted by julie | May 18, 2009 05:57 PM