Food & Drink
Eclectic Summer Shopping Finds
New gift boutique Charley + May sets up shop on Queen Anne, comic cufflinks and a local menswear lin
By Seattle Mag July 14, 2011
This article originally appeared in the August 2011 issue of Seattle magazine.
Just Dandy
Belltown designer Christopher Jones (pictured above) is a straight shooter. When asked what inspires his menswear designs, he’ll simply say, “I couldn’t find what I was looking for. So I just made it myself.” His label name, Like a Rock Star, is equally right to the point and a spot-on description of suit wear that looks like it waltzed straight off rock god Keith Richards. Boldly hued epaulettes, bright paisley patterns and tight, almost-too-short tailored pants permeate the self-taught designer’s fun, edgy designs. Jones often uses what he sees on stage at his other job (he is a longtime bartender at The Crocodile) to inspire his custom-tailored suit jackets and tuxedo pants ($350–$500) as well as ready-to-wear fitted shirts (around $150) and double-breasted wool vests ($150). “I always think of my clothes as walking that fine line between the gutter and the penthouse,” Jones says. “They are dandy, flamboyant, confident and, like that old description of Richards, elegantly wasted.” Available at likearockstar.com. Kate Calamusa
His + Hers
After spending 15 years working with boutiques in the PR realm, Lauren Formicola has hopped the fence, now playing the owner herself at new home décor and gift boutique, Charley + May (Queen Anne, 2225 Queen Anne Ave. N; 206.281.5555; charleyandmay.com). Opened in March, the modern yet quaint studio (named after her grandparents) holds treasures both masculine and feminine. For him, there are luxe Italian leather wallets, trendy Tivoli radios ($150) and slick Phosphor digital watches. The girly side is filled with treasures like Tokyo Milk hand cream ($22), Shelli Markee hammered metal earrings and sweet pocket vases ($5). Formicola, a longtime Queen Anne resident, puts her bright tangerine walls to good use—rotating modern pieces from different artists every month—and engages the tightly knit Queen Anne community by hosting an evening wine tasting on Thursdays after the Queen Anne Farmers’ Market. And for summer, Formicola plans to have a fleet of Dutch bikes stacked outside Charley + May, ready to be rented for an afternoon of gallivanting around her beloved ’hood ($25). K.C.
Comic Cuffs
Coax your man out of his gamer T-shirt and into a penguin suit with help from a dude-friendly bargaining chip, IMakeCuteStuff’s superhero sterling silver cufflinks. EtsyRain organizer and jeweler Marlo Miyashiro’s custom-made sunburst links are hand-stamped with quirky exclamations like “Shazam!” “Whammo!” and our favorite, “Kapow!” to add a bolt of comic lore to a staid suited ensemble. (Hey, maybe that tuxedo is just a cover-up for a secret identity.) $80–$90 at imakecutestuff.etsy.com. K.C.
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