Food & Drink
Shopping in Seattle: Five Must-Do Fashion Events
By Seattle Mag September 21, 2012
Last week marked the official 175th anniversary of Tiffany & Co., a landmark the iconic American company has marked by resetting the 128.54-carat, 135 year-old Tiffany yellow diamond in a platinum setting with 481 white diamonds totaling over 120 carats — just a little bauble.
This is the fifth setting for the diamond, one of which was for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which Audrey Hepburn famously wore in publicity photos for the film in 1961. Hepburn is the second and last woman to have ever worn the diamond. In an advertisement in 1972, Tiffany’s (jokingly) offered the un-set diamond up for sale for a cool $5,000,000 ($25,800,000 today) for 24-hours only. Surprisingly, there were no takers.
The necklace was on display for anniversary events in Tokyo, Bejing and Dubai and has now returned home to the New York Tiffany flagship store. If University Village, Downtown or Bellevue Square is a little more convenient, head to the Tiffany stores there and check out their Rubedo collection, a line of jewelry made from a new alloy, similar in hue to rose gold, created just for the 175th anniversary. It’s sleek, modern and relatively much more affordable than the Tiffany diamond.
Seattleites are all about casual Fridays, but the line between casual and sloppy is a fine one. If you walk it, head to Butch Blum’s BB Cool “Casual Friday” event on Friday, September 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. for some advice on dressing appropriately casual from one of our most beloved and most “Seattle” high-end retailers. They will be hosting an Agave Jeans trunk show for men and women, as well as offering apps and cocktails in true Happy Hour style. RSVP by calling 206.622.5760 or email [email protected].
In conjunction with the Seattle Design Festival, over 20 of Seattle’s coolest, most innovative design studios are setting up shop in converted shipping containers for Value Shop, part of the festival’s pop-up Design Block by the South Lake Union Discover Park on John Street (at Ninth Avenue North and Western Avenue). Starting at noon on Friday, September 21 and running until 6 p.m. on Sunday, browse goods from Erich Ginder, Iacoli & McAllister, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Meet Me Here, Object, Paper Hammer and, oh, so many more amazing talents. Get the full scoop, including daily hours and other Seattle Design Festival haps, here.
Music and fashion have had a long love affair and Seattle has done its fair share of influencing on both. In celebration of our city’s contribution to music and fashion, Nordstrom has partnered with music photographer Lance Mercer to showcase our most popular musical exports. And no, it’s not just grunge. But it’s mostly grunge. From September 21 through 30 at the Downtown store, check out imagery and memorabilia from The Sonics, The Ventures, Heart, Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone and more. I wonder if they have any of Jeff Ament’s hats on display?
Stacy London, the tell-it-like-it-is style maven from TLC’s What Not to Wear, and the creative director for Westfield Style (Southcenter’s parent company) will be at the Southcenter Mall on Saturday, September 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. for the Westfield Style Tour, greeting and offering photo opps with shoppers who spent $100 or more between September 7 and 22. The mall is offering free professional styling sessions with savvy stylists trained by London, as well as free beauty makeovers, a complimentary Westfield Style Manual and a chance to scoop out the hottest fall denim looks curated by People StyleWatch magazine. The event is free, but you much RSVP here.
Future File: Next week, keep an eye out for our coverage of the stellar Fashion Week at the Bellevue Collection (get your tickets here, asap), and the scoop on the upcoming men’s designer consignment pop-up at Sell Your Sole.