Black Ties and Little Black Dresses
A look at last Thursday’s Neiman Marcus Gala
Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Sep 17, 2009 at 07:15AM
5 Comments
There’s just something about a party with an escalator
View Slideshow »We spent half the night running into friends and fussing over how great they looked, and the other half people watching. The woman on the left is especially timeless. She’ll be wearing that dress until she’s 73.
View Slideshow »Yours truly with my stylish boss, Seattle Met/SagaCity publisher Nicole Vogel, and her pal, professional social butterfly JJ McKay
View Slideshow »I do love the black-on-black on black thing. Add black glasses? Even better.
View Slideshow »Equal parts gracious and gorgeous: Jenny and Yelena Klimenkoff from Far 4.
View Slideshow »This is Ullie De Osu from the local line Neodandi and Shalonne Foster from the soon-to-launch Fashion TV. They’re both in Neodandi; Ullie’s dress was amazing – the zipper down the back is impossibly chic.
View Slideshow »A jazz band played smack dab in the middle of the shoe department. This couple looked especially psyched to be showing off their moves amid the Louboutins and Jimmy Choos.
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Part of the fun was having free time with all the merchandise.
View Slideshow »Here’s me fondling a leather jacket by Valentino
View Slideshow » Illustration:This is Sarah Rose Bernhardt, NM handbag expert and …
View Slideshow »feather eyelash wearer. “I got them over there,” she said, and batted one of them toward the cosmetics department.
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Local models hired to wear pieces from Michael Kors’ randomly florescent fall collection strolled around the party breaking up monochromatic packs of black tuxes and little black dresses.
View Slideshow »These models were tasked with sitting on a giant ottoman near the Cartier shop-in-shop while wearing Brioni suits and Zac Posen gowns.
View Slideshow »This is the supergreat Alison Brownrigg from NWSource.
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I was psyched to see Ken Downing at the party; he’s Neiman Marcus’ fashion director. What Simon Doonan is to Barney’s, what Jeffrey Kalinsky is to Nordstrom, Ken Downing is to NM. And he’s originally from Burien. Beat that.
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This is not a wardrobe malfunction. This is very real. This is probably Gaultier or something. This is, I can only assume, the elder Ms. Gaga.
View Slideshow »The never-not-amazing Rose Dennis, in Luly Yang.
View Slideshow »Bonus points were given for color
View Slideshow »Me with Fashion First’s Joan Kelly and her friends Ryan Macleod and Wendy Wood
View Slideshow »As we were leaving we ran into Ken Downing again. Given my enthusiasm for his hometown, it probably looks like we’re chatting about Three Tree Point and Burien Press, but it’s probably more like, “I can’t believe you left Fashion Week and skipped Fashion’s Night Out for Us!” … and then …
View Slideshow »he must have lectured me about structured shoulder trends for fall or something. I can’t remember. It doesn’t matter. He’s a doll and the whole nght was one very good time.
One week ago we all pulled into the parking lot underneath Bellevue’s brand new Shops at the Bravern and rode the elevators up to a black tie gala held within the designer dresses, French cosmetics, and imported gifts at Neiman Marcus.
Mr. Wear What When had the night off, so I brought keen-eyed Adam Sinding from Le 21eme Arrondissement, the finest chronicler of Seattle street style. Adam took all the photos for this slideshow; I’m just sorry we didn’t get a picture of him in his Dior suit and Lanvin tie.
If you’re not already a regular visitor to Adam’s site, you really must remedy that in the short term. Your city will seem 97% more stylish just by including it in your morning rounds.
The “wild backless dress” was worn by Susanne Bartsch, wife of David Barton. She told me the dress was done by a New York Designer. Here is her Wiki…an interesting gal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanne_Bartsch Great photos and coverage of the event! xoc
Love it! thanks Carole! Man this makes me wish I had had the nerve to talk to her … what an interesting lady. But I’ll tell you, that dress was intimidating! Thanks for reading and thanks so much for letting us know about the serious star in our midst!
I think she said Zaldi was the name of the designer of that dress… she was actually very sweet (for all the bared thong and muscle flexing), and very talkative…
Thanks Kam! Did you get a picture of her for your blog??
looking for Rose Dennis NO. 22