Food & Drink
Style Chat with Nancy Abramson
By Seattle Mag May 17, 2013
Personal Style: Mount Baker resident Nancy Abramson keeps her own counsel on her wardrobe choices. As long as an item is comfortable and age-appropriate, it’s fair game for this lifelong Seattleite, who counts more indie and local designers in her enviably large and organized closet than high-end labels.
Early Genius: Even as a high schooler in 1960s Bellevue, Abramson had a flair for dressing, resisting the “angora sweaters and pleated skirts” popular among her peers by mining her mother’s closet and local thrift stores. When her teacher lamented the rising of skirt hemlines, Abramson wore a floor-length cocktail skirt to school the next day—a subtle display of rebellion that earned her a trip to the principal’s office and a fabulously fashion-forward story for life.
Fancy Nancy: A fan of local stores that sell basics with flair, such as Sandylew, Tatters and Baby & Company, Abramson follows a renegade fashion philosophy that echoes those of mavens Diana Vreeland, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. “If you don’t dress in the current fashion,” she says, “you’ll never be in fashion, but then again, you’ll never ever be out of it either.
Outfit: An avant-garde suit by Xenia Design from Sandylew (downtown; sandylew.com) Earrings: Handmade by Sandylew Necklace: A distinctive black rubber band necklace by Barbara de Jounge (purchased at Sandylew; available at vertigohome.us) Bracelet: A teething toy from Red Wagon Toys. “I give these to my friends who are new grandmothers because it’s fun to wear and safe for the baby chew on.” (Madison Park; redwagonmadisonpark.com) Shoes: Pretty pink wedge platforms from Accessoire (Clementine, West Seattle; clementines.com)
A Curatorial View: Like any good clotheshorse, Abramson remembers where and when she acquired almost everything in her closet, including a pair of lavender plaid pants with pink fringe down the sides that she snatched up at The Bon Marché in the early ’80s. A great aunt left her a treasure trove of vintage pieces that she still wears, including a kelly green crocheted suit from I. Magnin.
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