Queen Anne Dispatch Friends & Family Sale!

Stop by Queen Anne Dispatch next Friday night for yummy cocktails, small bites and music from a live DJ while you shop! Did I mention that everything in the store is 20% off? Oh yes my friend, it’s Friends & Family time! Reps from Butter London and The Makeup Project will also be on hand to showcase product and answer questions. Now is the time to stock up on spring dresses, sandals and accessories!!!

Date: Friday, May 8th

Time: 6-10PM

Place: 2212 Queen Anne Ave. N.

Inside Seattle Online Boutique: La Rousse

Amanda Rosenthal, a self-described fashion junkie opened up Seattle boutique La Rousse back in 2005. (The name “La Rousse” is French for “female redhead” and coincidentally Amanda has red hair.) The business flourished and quickly became known as one of Seattle’s best boutiques and meanwhile Seattle fashionistas fell in love with Amanda’s fresh perspective on personal style and her commitment to showcasing up-and-coming designers. It wasn’t until last fall when the economy took a turn for the worst that La Rousse closed their brick and mortar store in favor of a hip online boutique. “There are so many reasons why I decided to move my boutique online,” says Amanda, “Business trends were showing that E-commerce was growing, my son Graydon was born and my lease was up.” It all seemed like a natural progression for La Rousse and for Amanda the flexible hours and option of spending more time at home with her son sealed the deal.

Since settling in to it’s new home on the web, La Rousse has flourished and the move has also allowed the online boutique to reach clients all over the country. The well-edited mix of brands including Sophmore, Mary Meyer, Margarita Saplala, Serial Cultura, and Grey Ant are among the brands you’ll find online at La Rousse and although translations of spring 09 trends are mixed in Seattle, Amanda Rosenthal knows what she likes. “We love the oversized, downtown trend in jersey lines such as Mary Meyer and Sophomore,” says Amanda. Additional favorites include the tie-dye work of Margarita Saplala and items designed for layering to create a variety of looks.


The current promotion that has been creating a lot of buzz is the $19 denim grab bag which lets customers pick from two categories: “Skinny and Straight Leg” or “Boot Cut & Flare”. From there, the La Rousse team selects a pair of premium denim from brands like Blank, Del Forte, Grey Ant, Karen Walker, SaddleLites, or Tag. It’s a gamble because you don’t know what you’re going to get, but for $19 how can you go wrong? The surprise is half the fun! Scoring a pair of premium denim for under twenty bucks is priceless!

Another perk of a Seattle based online boutique? Saving money on shipping! Seattle fashion junkies can pick up their purchases directly from the La Rousse showroom located on Capital Hill. Normal business hours are M-F from 9am-5pm by appointment only. Additional ways to save include signing up for the La Rousse mailing list to receive coupon codes for discounts or by visiting the La Rousse blog to hear about upcoming promotions.

You can also check out La Rousse at their quarterly Spa Noir events featuring 20% off La Rousse merchandise and discounts on Spa Noir retail products. You’ll get a sneak peak at vintage fashion not available online, plus apparel and accessories that are affordable and one-of-a-kind. The next La Rousse + Spa Noir event is June 7th from 11am-1pm.

Fashion Must-Haves of This Season. Fashion Spring-Summer 2009.

Here come nine most fashionable things of the Summer 2009. Fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories that you MUST have in your wardrobe this summer.

1. Heel-strap sandal booties.
This Fall and Winter we get used to booties. And now in summer neither fashion-conscious people nor designers want to part with them. As a result we have very open booties or very closed sandals. You can wear them on bare feet or with pantyhose. Sandal booties look very sexy and beautiful. Anyway this must-have is a real hit of the catwalks. Look for them in Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Maison Martin Margiela, Paul Smith, Chanel and Alexander McQueen's collections.

Models Chanel and Bottega Veneta

2. Overalls.
This summer overalls will compete with our favorite dresses, all the more so fashion designers prepared for us many variants of the overalls. You can put on black classical overall going to your office, light coloured overall is good for party, short cotton overall is for beach. Interesting models of overalls you can find in Moschino Cheap & Chic, D&G, Missoni and Fendi's collections.

Matthew Williamson, Fendi and D&G's models

3. Stylish separate swimsuit.
Such swimsuits make silhouettes visually more graceful and this makes them very popular! But there is one disadvantage about them - sunburn will be quite fanciful. But designers of such trends as Agent Provocateur, La Perla, Topshop and Marc by Marc Jacobs are absolutely comfortable with that!

Models Melissa Odabash and Topshop

4. Sunglasses Ray-Ban Wayfarer.
Sunglasses Ray-Ban Wayfarer are "HELLO" from 80's. In 80's they were extremely popular in Hollywood. Let's remember "The Blues Brothers" with Daniel Aykroyd and John Belushi or "Rain Man" with Tom Cruise. Today the Ray-Ban sunglasses are favourite accessory of Hollywood celebrities such as Nicole Richie, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Mischa Barton and others.


5. Military style of jackets.
This thing became must-have in spring Fashion Week in Paris. According to streetstyle photos it is the most popular attire there. Duh! This thing underlines a figure very nicely!

3.1 Phillip Lim, Balmain, Topshop

6. Antique style dresses.
In new season ancient Greek goddess is a beauty standard for many designers and modelers. Asymmetric light dresses with complicated drapery are very popular. Versace, Valentino, Elie Saab and Lanvin offer us such chic attires.

Lanvin, Elie Saab, Versace

7. Torn jeans.
This season the condition of the jeans is much more important than its shape. This summer jeans style of 90's is very popular. Small and big holes, long and short. Many holes or just few of them - as you wish. Besides you can make this fashionable thing by yourself! Or you can find it in Balmain, Acne or House of Holland collections.


8. Bright shawls.
Here comes hippie and ethnic style! It keeps make us glad. This accessory will make any boring classical suit positive and summery. It can be tied up as a turban on your head.

Dior, Paul Smith, Missoni.

9. Wide bangles.
Wide bangles are extremely fashionable three summers running. However this season we can see wooden bangles not only plastic ones. Besides, this summer you can wear two or even three wide bangles on one wrist. It is very fashionable!

Plastic bangles Fendi, wooden bangles Bottega Veneta

Polite Society Set to Close it's Doors

Eric Akines, President and Founding member of Polite Society has confirmed that the rumors are true. Sadly, Polite Society will be closing their doors on May 13th for the last time. The good news? Customers have about two and a half weeks to save 40-80% off all merchandise in the store. The bad news? Seattle is losing a great boutique and we're sad to see it go!

Seamless in Seattle Needs your Vote!

The finalists of the Seamless in Seattle design competition need your vote! Click here to check out photo galleries from all the finalists and cast your vote! Contest winners will have their outfits featured in the Thaw fashion show on May 7th and will also have an opportunity to participate in this year's Fashion First Runway Show in September. Click here to see last year's Seamless in Seattle winners including Karly Orr!

Designer Warehouse Sale

You may have heard the buzz- but if not, stop what you’re doing and block out your calendar immediately for next Sunday, May 3rd when some of Seattle’s best boutiques will gather together for a huge warehouse sale! We’re talking about savings of 50-90% on apparel and accessories for men and women from stores like Blackbird, Clutch, Dolce Vita, The Finerie, Impulse, Marqsmen, Magnotti Antiques and Horseshoe. Event organizers have even added a “Buy Green” section to the sale which featuring vintage and recycled designer goods. Plus, there will be dressing rooms available and free parking!

Date: Sunday May 3rd, 2009

Location: Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center

Hours: 10am to 5pm

Admission: $10 at the door (kids under 12 are free)

Payments: Cash is preferred. Some vendors will take checks or credit cards.

Dressing rooms: Yes

Parking: On-site lot (free) or street parking

Lizzie Parker Opens Issaquah Boutique!

Seattle Designer Lizzie Parker is opening up a boutique in Issaquah's Gilman Village this weekend! Lizzie is known for beautifully draped knit garments in an array of organic fabrics and silhouettes. She's also going to carry an assortment of handbags from Clutch (approx. 12 styles which will rotate every 2 weeks). To catch up with Lizzie online, check out her blog by clicking here.

Lizzie's new "eco-atelier" is located at 317 NW Gilman Blvd. Suite 41. Issaquah, WA 98027

For details call 425.427.0708. 

Posh on Main Spring Sale!

Posh on Main isn't offering spring shoes at $25 per pair like Queen Anne Dispatch is but they are giving customers 25% off their entire purchase when they shop now through Saturday. To get the discount just enter in the code SPRING09 at checkout. 

I'm loving the Lanvin Cork Platform sandal (pictured above) which has a four and half inch feel and a leather sole. Or, if you prefer something a little more low key, check out the Tory Burch rubber flip flops (pictured below) featuring the classic "Tory" gold logo hardware. At $45 a pair it's a great (and fashionable) option for lounging around on weekends!

$25 Shoe Sale at Queen Anne Dispatch!

If you can relate to the phrase “She who dies with the most shoes wins”, then you should definitely check out the $25 shoe sale going on now at Queen Anne Dispatch. They have sandals, stilettos, wedges, peep toes and more. I had to indulge this weekend by picking up a great pair of black patent leather Oh Deer stilettos originally $150 marked down to over 85% off. In addition to the shoe sale, Queen Anne Dispatch also has a great assortment of Spring 09 sandals in stock (including a select mix of adorable flip flops). For hours and location visit the Queen Anne Dispatch website by clicking here.

http://www.queenannedispatch.com/

Boyish Style Saves Us From Girlish One. Fashion Tendency.

For those who are tired of ruches, frills and flowers, in other words for everybody who is sick of all the feminine style here comes BOYISH LOOK. It is really time to have a break and enjoy some fresh boyish things. But it doesn't mean total turning girls into men. It is just an alternative way to show the true you. Just run away from the girly body for fun, and enjoy the handsome simplicity of boys. The most audacious girls can change their long hair into classic men's short haircut. But you don't have to do that if you dont want to.



Try men's shirt with hot short shorts or skintight pants and suspenders. Do you like what you see? Boyish style is very hot and sexual.

The Inside Scoop- Straight from Seattle Boutique: Polite Society

A lot has changed in last year at Polite Society. For starters, in an effort to dedicate more shelf space to their favorite women’s collections like Ports 1961, Hoss Intropia, Catherine Malandrino and Brian Reyes they no longer carry menswear. They’ve also dedicated the entire back section of their store to Seattle couturier Madina Vadache who specializes in Ready-To-Wear and Bridal. The Spring ‘09 collection features beautiful cocktail dresses (like the one pictured above) adorned with organza petals and beautiful French lace. Madina is currently in the process of moving to New York and has decided to retire 15 of her designs which means that a handful of floor models and samples are 50% off! All of Madina’s designs are all handmade here in Seattle and each piece is one-of-a-kind. Polite Society even has several Madina Vadache bridal gowns in stock. 

If you’re pinching pennies and looking for sale (who isn’t in this economy?) check out the sale rack at Polite Society which has a ton of merchandise from last season marked at 60-80% off.

Polite Society is located at 1924 1st Ave. (between Stewart & Virginia). 

Sample Sale This Weekend!

I love a good collaboration and I have to admit….there’s no better collabo than a sample sale that involves not just one but several local boutiques who are offering 40-70% off original prices from brands like Rvca, Hellz Bellz, Converse, Soy, and more! The sale will include Gems, Upper Playground, Industry, Soy, and Sureel boutiques who have all banned together to put on this fabulous shopping event. It will go on all weekend long April 18th from 11am-6pm and April 19th from 12-5pm at 617 Western Ave. in Seattle. Music will be provided by DJ Sean Cee and Swerve Won.

If you prefer to shop in store, The Industry has their full spring assortment including merchandise from Gant, Howe, 1921 Denim, AT Collins, and Penguin. Stay tuned for more details on Happy Hour at The Industry featuring 20% off everything in the store! (Held on various Fridays from 3-7pm. Sign up for their mailing list to stay in the loop!). Visit The Industry online by clicking here.

Style 09 Fashion Show

Look Good, Feel Good and Do Good at this year’s Style 09 Fashion Show on Thursday, April 30th, featuring Carmilia's, Coastal, Canopy Blue, Lululemon, Nuvo Moda, The Finerie, Clutch, Oslo's, Asher Anson and Kick it Boots. "We are so happy to be part of the runway show for the first time this year,"says Kimberly Arrington, owner of Clutch, "In previous years we have been part of the audience." The 7th annual event to benefit Northwest Hope & Healing is designed to provide financial assistance to patients in need, for non-medical support services such as child care, meal service, transportation, and emergency rent. Tickets start at $40 for General Admission and range up to $1000 for VIP. To purchase tickets click here.

Rock Star Jewelry is Making a Statement

Martha Driver from Rock Star Jewelry is on top of Spring 09 accessory trends. Her statement necklaces made from agate, semi-precious stones and silver are exotic and affordable. Who can’t appreciate that in this economy? Prices range from $120-200 and that’s a steal considering brands like Barneys NY and Gucci are showing similar styles from $780-1200+. The entire Spring 2009 Rock Star Jewelry collection is available at Around The Block Gift Store in the Magnolia Village. These necklaces, bracelets and earrings are the perfect pieces to spice up jersey knit dresses for Spring and add charm to dark denim and a pair of leather boots.



To view the full collection visit: http://www.rockstarjewelry.com/

Easter Sale Online at La Rousse

Online boutique La Rousse just got the rest of their Spring 09 shipments which means they have a ton of merchandise on sale this weekend for their Easter Sale Event. Enter EASTER25 at check out and save an additional 25% off your purchase. The discount also applies to sale merchandise which means you could save up-to 80%! The sale goes through Monday, April 13.

Happy Shopping! Click here to go to their website!

Jewelry to Adorn your Body & Soul

Celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Cox and Rachel Bilson love Satya Jewelry! Come check it out for yourself April 10-12th at Ella Mon boutique in Ballard for a special trunk show. Designers Satya and Beth create jewelry with “truth, beauty and meaning” while incorporating spiritual symbols and healing stones into their works of art.

Ella Mon will be serving complimentary cheese and wine Saturday evening in conjunction with the Ballard Art Walk and clients will enjoy 15% off all in-stock purchases during the 3-day event.

Ella Mon is located at 5404 22nd Ave. NW in Ballard. (206) 297-2800

Ruches and Frills Fashion. Womanly Trends.

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Seems like femininity is in fashion this season. Flippant trimmings of ruches and frills on spring dresses will make a romantic girl from any serious businesswoman. We can see light spring dresses with ruches and frills at Alberta Ferretti, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Moschino's and many other designers' Spring 2009 Fashion collections.

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Click To Enlarge

1. Gray sundress Arden B. 2. Pink sundress Fendi

3. Marc by Marc Jacobs 4. Aquascutum 5. Wet Seal 6. Evening pink dress See By Chloé

Get Natural Nails with Karri L

Sandal season is quickly approaching and having a good manicurist who can work wonders on your nails and help transition them from Winter into Spring is a Must! My manicurist of choice isn’t from one of the dime a dozen nail salons sprinkled throughout the city, it’s Karri Patton, who has a studio inside the Tim Walsh Salon in Madison Park. You may have seen her at a Crave Party or Girl Power Hour but the truth is, she’s been doing nails for over 10 years and her naturalist approach to nail care is her claim to fame. She is client-focused and big about providing a “total experience”. She even incorporates reflexology into her manicures and pedicures to reduce stress, balance body & mind through relaxation, as well as breaking up toxins to promote whole body health.

Karri is Seattle’s only all-natural, sustainable nail care expert and she insists on using only products that are organic and paraben-free. Her brands of choice include Uspa and OPI. “OPI is 3 free,” says Karri, “Which means they are free of the 3 main toxins including toluene, formaldehyde and DBP (a chemical known to cause birth defects). She personalizes every session for people who want an Eco-friendly and Healthy manicure experience. Going Green is no trend for Karri. She’s been doing natural nails for years and has helped to pioneer what later became a trend. Karri’s style is natural, indulgent and relaxing. "I'm always seeking Zen,” says Karri, “I want everything to be very nurturing and calming."

In an effort to address the current economic recession Karri has lowered her price points to accommodate her clients.”Being Perfectly Polished is now perfectly priced!”, says Karri. The new price list includes manicures starting at $20 and pedicures starting at $40. Studio Karri L is located at 4105 East Madison St. Suite One. Visit Karri online at www.timwalshsalon.com

Opal VIP for $25

These days you can’t talk about women’s fashion in Seattle without talking about Opal. They have 3 locations including Redmond Way, Mill Creek and Terry Ave. (next to Whole Foods on Denny) and they frequently outfit Seattle’s hottest radio duo, Brooke and Monti from the Ladies Room on Movin 92.5 FM. Right now they are offering up VIP memberships to their loyal clients who want to embrace the recessionista trend by taking advantage of 15% off regular priced merchandise every time they shop. The membership also includes exclusive invites to special VIP sales! Memberships are $25 and last for a full calendar year. They are also good at all 3 Opal locations.

Keep up with Opal by checking out their blog at www.opalboutique.blogspot.com or click here.


Opal Locations:

17887 Redmond Way, Suite 110, Redmond, WA 98052
2121 Terry Ave, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98121
15117 Main Street, B102, Mill Creek, WA 98012

Local Design Spotlight: Carolina Pagano Shoes

It’s not every day that a luxury line of shoes can claim local roots but that’s exactly why there’s so much buzz about the new line of Carolina Pagano Shoes available at Posh on Main in Bellevue. Brazilian-born designer Carolina Sadowski (who calls Seattle home) named the line after her maternal grandmother and pulls inspiration from the natural beauty of her homeland. "I get most inspired by the vast variety of colors present in Brazil's rich landscape, everything from waterfalls to precious stones inspire me in my creations,” says Carolina. Materials used in the debut collection include suede, calf leather, silk, satin and linen. It’s Carolina’s passion for stylish footwear and focus on quality that brings the entire line together. This notion was confirmed by Angela from Posh who says,” She hand picks materials for every shoe she creates and works closely with the factories in Brazil to execute each style.” Paying special attention to design, fit and detail are what set Carolina Pagano footwear apart from the competition.

Silhouettes from the Spring line include the Bea (pictured at top), which is a satin ballerina flat featuring an oversized bow. This shoe has become one of the collection’s signature items and has been spotted on the feet of stylish women including model Carolina Bittencourt and fashion designer Ana Lerario (of Lerario Beatriz). Another Posh on Main Spring favorite is the Constanza. A patent leather hydrangea blue flat with tear-drop shaped straps and a small heel.
“We enjoy being able to promote a local shoe designer with roots in our community!” said Angela Self, “Her designs will truly speak to our customers. They are just stunning!”

Stay tuned for the Fall 2009 collection which introduces 18 new styles including a zebra pump, a black bootie with a gold fish-scale heel, a deep-blue woven flat, a basic flat with a bow at the toe and a suede close-toe pump. All shoes are made in Brazil.

For more information, click here. You can also follow Carolina (and her shoes) by visiting her blog.

Current Obsession: Rock Star Earrings

I am obsessed with my new pair of earrings from Rock Star Jewelry (pictured above). These earrings go with everything from a little black dress to a pair of jeans and my brown leather boots. Made from18k vermeil, turquoise & pearl these chandelier earrings are constructed using 14k gold-filled wire. Rock Star Jewelry is available at Canopy Blue in Madison Park and Around the Block Gifts & Interiors in Magnolia. To view the full collection and to learn more about Seattle artist Martha Driver, click here.