Wear What When

Improvd at Merge

Check out the New York–based line in Fremont’s shop within a shop.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Oct 27, 2011 at 07:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Diane Bolme

SLIDESHOW: Two-for-one deal at Merge in Fremont: The women’s boutique is hosting a shop-in-shop for the New York City line Improvd.

View Slideshow » Photo: Diane Bolme

SLIDESHOW: Two-for-one deal at Merge in Fremont: The women’s boutique is hosting a shop-in-shop for the New York City line Improvd.

View Slideshow » Photo: Diane Bolme

The shop takes over the back half of Patricia Wolfkill’s shop.

View Slideshow » Photo: Diane Bolme
View Slideshow » Photo: Diane Bolme

In addition to separates, there are accessories, like these smart shoulder bags.

View Slideshow » Photo: Diane Bolme

And on-trend scarves.

View Slideshow » Photo: Diane Bolme

One of Wolfkill’s favorite pieces, the Logan jacket.

The thing about Patricia Wolfkill’s Merge in Fremont is that it could be two Merges. The shop is huge, and the back 40 have always sort of seemed to want a … well, a pop-up shop. And now it has one.

At the end of September, Wolfkill worked with Gilt City to promote one of her favorite new lines, New York City’s Improvd the line, launched in spring 2010, is designed by two seasoned East Coast industry insiders; a boutique owner and a showroom owner. (I’m assuming they saw the need for improvement in the community …)

The opening party went so well that the shopkeeper decided to keep the in-shop shop in the shop for the rest of the season, and, check this out: she’s been talking to one of her Canada-based lines about taking over the space when spring rolls around.

It’s kind of a two-for-one thing, no?

Here, we talk to Wolfkill about the collaboration. You’re hereby invited to click through the slideshow to preview the clothes, then get to Fremont to see them for yourself.

WWW: Your Gilt pop-up opening went so well—is that why you went ahead and extended the shop-in-shop offerings?
Wolfkill: Improvd has always been one of my best selling lines at the store, and with the pop-up I’m able to offer so much more of the collection to my customers. They get to choose pieces from a much wider selection than what I could normally offer, so it’s been a great opportunity. Right now I’m putting together the next wave of merchandise to refill the shop. It’s very exciting.

What is it about the line that’s so right for Seattle?
I think Valentino Vettori (Improvd designer) designs casual, edgy, and very wearable clothing that’s perfect for this city. For example, they offer these cotton hoody/zip jackets ($129–$179) that blow similar items that I’ve seen in the market. The same is true for the casual/chic T-shirts and tops they do—they have just the right amount of edgy, modern styling. I’ve sold pieces from this line to women in their ‘20s and women in their ’60s. There truly is something for everyone, and at fantastic price points.

*What’s your favorite piece in the pop-up?*
The amazing leather jackets! Incredible style and materials unlike any other contemporary designer’s work out there right now. Improvd brings a very ready-to-wear look to the contemporary price point. The leathers all retail between $400 and $700. For this category, in this market, those are amazing price points.

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Tags: Fremont, Seattle Pop-Ups

Sale: SportsWise

Because everyone could do with another pair of yoga pants.

Posted by: Annie Rose Favreau on Jun 14, 2011 at 08:00AM 0 Comments

Dude Girl is just one of the brands that will be discounted at the Sportswise blow-out this weekend.

Where: The Canal Building; 716 N 34 St in Fremont

What: Just in time for bathing suit weather, Sportswise is throwing another warehouse sale. This one’s just for the ladies. Expect discounts of 30 to 80 percent off women’s athletic apparel from brands like Merrell, Horny Toad, Dude Girl, and Vertigo.

If the shopping gets too hectic, you and your new sports bra can hop over to the Fremont Fair Yoga for the Solstice event and do the downward dog in public. So Fremont.

When: If you’re on the Sportswise mailing list, you got an invite to the June 16 pre-sale. The rest of the world joins in on Friday June 17; the sale continues through Sunday June 19. Check the Sportswise website for times or more info about the products and brands.

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Tags: Fremont, Sports, Sales and Discounts

Love Is Complicated V: Willow & Bloom

Can you send a guy flowers? Should you?

Posted by: Nico Ortega on Feb 07, 2011 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Nico Ortega

Slideshow: You don’t bring him flowers anymore? Here are some solutions from Willow & Bloom. Here, Cymbidium orchids, engineered by Mother Nature.

View Slideshow » Photo: Nico Ortega

Slideshow: You don’t bring him flowers anymore? Here are some solutions from Willow & Bloom. Here, Cymbidium orchids, engineered by Mother Nature.

View Slideshow » Photo: Nico Ortega

Love him in pink? Vanda orchids are another option.

View Slideshow » Photo: Nico Ortega

Consider presenting him with a tough succulent.

THE RELATIONSHIP ISSUE: You don’t bring him flowers anymore. But the thing is: What kind of flowers do you give a man?

THE RESOLUTION: Skip roses and opt for a non-traditional Valentine’s Day bloom – something sculptural that feels a bit more male. Or, consider giving a plant.

THE EXPERT: Erika Bush at Willow and Bloom in Fremont.

THE GIFT: Bush says orchids, currently in season, are a great manly flower and suggests that he might like keeping a planted succulent on his desk at work or at home.

See the slideshow for some visual references.

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Tags: Fremont, Seattle Floral Vendors, Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Sale: Sportswise

Big discounts on stuff to get sweaty in.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 19, 2010 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

Sportswear by Nau is among the discounted goods at the Sportswise warehouse sale this week

Where: The Canal Building; 716 N 34 St in Fremont

What: Men’s and women’s Sportswise warehouse sale. By now – this is the sixth sportswear sale of its kind in the last year – Seattle must be home to the best-dressed exercisers in the country. I mean, right? Look for discounts from 50 to 90 percent on good stuff to sweat in by Dude Girl, Nau, Merrell, Descente, and more.

When: The official sale begins on Friday July 23 from 10 to 8, continues Saturday from 10 to 6 and goes thru Sunday from 10 to 5. There’s a pre-sale on Thursday, but you’re only privy to that if you’re on Sportswise’s mailing list.

For more information: Visit the Sportswise website

And remember: the words “warehouse sale” are code for “wear modest undergarments and a loose outfit so that you can easily try on purchases in the un-private gang dressing room.”

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Tags: Fremont, Sports, Seattle Menswear, Spring/Summer sale 2010

Opening: Coming Soon

Local multidisciplinary visual artist Jesse Brown shows paper, light, and graphic summer scarves on Saturday night

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 08, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Slideshow: images from Of Paper and Light by Jesse Brown at Coming Soon

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Slideshow: images from Of Paper and Light by Jesse Brown at Coming Soon

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Coming Soon owner Jessica Park reports that the artirts she features in her small space tend to love the challenge of less.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Shadows, light, addition, subtraction: Jesse Brown’s work at Coming Soon

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The open-concept space in Fremont

Where: Coming Soon

What: Paper sculptures and objects of wonder by local multidisciplinary visual artist Jesse Brown on display inside Fremont’s pint-sized open-concept hut. Set to music, also by Brown, the clean white pieces leave lots of open space for ideas about design, urban planning, cartography, textiles, and ancient alphabets (well, okay, that’s what we thought about when we saw them; you might think about anything, including a zenlike nothing at all).

To go with them: Hand-stamped summer scarves, a collaboration between Brown and Coming Soon owner (and fashion label Ampersand as Apostrophe creator) Jessica Park. These complete the promise of retail outlined in Park’s dream of a space that puts art, fashion, design, and commerce in the same room.

When: Saturday July 10 at 8. Opening affairs at Coming Soon are a good time; the block has lately become a gathering spot of arty, urban, architectural types who aren’t afraid to loosen up their advanced degrees and drink cheap beer. Don’t you love summer in Seattle?

Wear: Something crisp and white, but graphic at the same time.

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Tags: Visual Art, Fremont, Coming Soon

Sale: Lamb’s Ear

Sandals of all shapes and sizes

Posted by: Amanda LaPlante on Jul 06, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

This Rachel Comey sandal would look cute at the end of your leg, too

Where: Lamb’s Ear Shoes

What: A progressive summer sale with shoes initially marked down to 30 percent, with deepening discounts as the sale continues. Brands you’ll find at the sale include LD Tuttle, A Detacher and Loeffler Randall. A sure bet in our book is Rachel Comey’s ‘Anna’ in a blush-toned nubuck, sale priced at just over $200.

Of course, we all know that the early bird buys the best shoes, so don’t wait too long.

When: Begins Saturday July 10th (sale prices are effective in Lamb’s Ears’ online shop on the same day); the deals lasts as long as the spring/summer supply does.

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Tags: Fremont, Shoes, Spring/Summer sale 2010, Lamb's Ear

Sale: Lola Pop

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 01, 2010 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

The selection of Repetto shoes is one of the main draws at Lola Pop in Fremont

Where: Lola Pop

What: Great womenswear and shoes throughout the store at various discounts.

When: Sale begins July 1 and runs through July 18. A reason to go early: Take an extra 15 percent off everything in the store before July 10.

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Tags: Fremont, Shoes, Spring/Summer sale 2010

Sale: Merge

Designer sunglasses and slouchy, sexy casual wear for 30 to 50 percent off

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 01, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Sweet deal on Lanvin shades at Merge

Where: Merge

What: Spring/summer sale; 30 to 50% markdowns on sunglasses by Lanvin and Chloe; slouchy separates from Riller and Fount and Julie Park, and miscellany from the Olsen Twins.

When: Sale begins Thursday July 1

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Tags: Fremont, Merge, Spring/Summer sale 2010

Meet the Shopkeeper: Lola Pop

Posted by: Kelly Robinson on Jun 18, 2010 at 07:30AM 0 Comments

Photo: Kelly Robinson

Lola Pop is just off center in the Center of the Universe

If you’re not slipping down side streets, you’re missing some prime shopping opportunities. Lola Pop in Fremont is just ever-so-slightly off the beaten track, yes, but now that you know owner Muriel Monteiro, you’ve got a reason to turn the corner at N 35th Street.

WWW: What’s your personal spin on the ubiquitous “How can I help you?” question?
Monteiro: When someone comes in the store I usually ask them how their day is going, if they have been in the store before … it’s important to me to know about them.

What is your favorite thing in the store right now?
Repetto shoes, made in France. We are soon getting a really nice women’s loafer called Michael in a purple patent leather. I am also really really excited about my fall collections; I spent two weeks in France and four days in Milan last March looking for new designers and I found very good ones, as well as new shoes, new clothing, and accessories.

Where do you shop when you’re not at Lola Pop?
I like Baby & Co and Souvenir in Ballard. I have a lot of respect for those who represent interesting collections and also for those who dare to stick around.

What type of store do you think is missing in Seattle?
I would love to see a really nice lingerie store; something sophisticated, tasteful and elegant… And also a chic umbrella and rain jacket store.

[Hm. How about the pretty underthings at Bellefleur just across the street from Lola Pop? And when it rains, Tuuli. – Ed.]

What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened in your store?
I don’t recall of anything weird ever happening in the store, but a lot of amazing things have happened. I met most of my best friends through Lola Pop.

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Tags: Fremont, Shoes, Meet the Shopkeeper

Solid Gold

Take 30 to 70% off on Saturday at Kimberly Baker Jewelry in Fremont

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Apr 23, 2010 at 06:50AM 0 Comments

Photo: Kari Pearson for Kimberly Baker

Tough chicks who love bunnies love Kimberly Baker Jewelry; on sale this Saturday from 12 to 7

It seems to me that if you gathered all the Seattleites (guys and dolls) who sport one of Kimberly Baker’s iconic Wolfette rings and put them all in the same room, you’d have a who’s who of Seattle’s best-dressed. Haven’t you noticed? It’s like belonging to a secret club.

Add to that mix women from all over the globe who identify with the local jeweler’s Harley-Rider-with-a-heart-of-gold tough/sweet aesthetic and the girls who caught the Baker bug via Blake Lively and company and, well, you’d have quite a party.

Safe bet: Saturday is going to be quite a party at Baker’s newly remodeled world headquarters in Fremont. Retired designs and excess inventory will be marked down from 30 to 70 percent to make way for upcoming collections.

While you’re there: Check out new spring arrivals at Lamb’s Ear (oy vey the Rachel Comey clogs) just downstairs, the new Chloe aviator sunnies at nearby Merge, and the design innovation at Coming Soon, up the street on Fremont Ave. ‘Course, I never miss a carrot muffin at Flying Apron when I’m in the neighborhood, either.

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Tags: Accessories, Fremont, Kimberly Baker

Scents and Sensibilities

Meet essential oil, chocolate, and style expert Mandy Aftel at Essenza on April 24

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Apr 20, 2010 at 06:45AM 0 Comments

Aside from compliments about one’s intellect or kind demeanor, the only thing better than You look amazing today is You smell amazing. If you actively attempt to garner the latter, there’s no doubt you’re already familiar with Essenza in Fremont. And you should also be familiar with Mandy Aftel.

If it matters to you at all, Madonna and Liv Tyler are — in fact, the Berkeley-based perfumer and author made them their own customized scents. A leading expert on natural oils, natural ingredients, and seductive, sweet, earthy, rich, and otherwise desirable smells, Aftel will be at Essenza on Saturday April 24 from 4 to 7 to demonstrate her enviable talents.

Folks from Theo Chocolate will be there too. That little bit above about natural ingredients? I’m not just talking about wild frankincense and organic ginger. Check Aroma, a cookbook Aftel penned with chef Daniel Patterson.

She was included on Forbes’ list of seven bespoke perfumers in the world. and she makes perfumed teas, and sells Ruth Reichl-endorsed essential oils to chefs.

On Saturday, Theo will offer Essenza’s guests a rare essential oil confection created in collaboration with Mandy; a complementary red wine will be served as well.

Below is a brief Q and A with Aftel to get you ready for the event. Oh, and, speaking of getting ready for the event: I’d recommend not wearing your favorite fragrance. Chances are good you’ll have a new one before the day is through, and you certainly don’t want to miss a note of Essenza’s esteemed guest.

Wear What When: Can you explain the intense connection between taste, smell, and our personal histories?

Mandy Aftel: The process by which smell becomes fused with place or experiences is actually involuntary. Smell is the only sense that connects directly to brain’s limbic system — the center of taste, emotion, and memory. This direct link gives scent its emotional power, and it is why we form such strong attachments to things that smell or taste good.

WWW: You’ve been called the Alice Waters of perfumes. How would you like to revolutionize – or at least improve – the American scent industry?

MA: Cooking and natural perfumery share many common characteristics, not only in the reliance on the effects of the limbic system, but the importance of the ingredients in the quality of the final result. I would love to see the use of the best quality natural essences in perfumery.

WWW: I’m interested in your gender non-specific take on scents. Describe the notes and harmonies of a scent you would give a man who professes to be not interested in cologne.

M.A.: I would introduce them to my Fig perfume. It is a real favorite with men and smells like the ripe fruit.

WWW: I love how you relate a meal’s ingredients to a perfume’s ingredients. It’s all about sourcing the most delicious stuff. Are there any correlations between your favorite meals and your favorite perfumes?

M.A.: My favorite meals are quite simple and focus on the beautiful combination of textures, colors and flavors. I think the same way about my perfume essences when I am creating a perfume; the balance between heavy and light essences, woods and florals, sharp and flat aromas.

WWW: Are there any Northwest ingredients, either food- or scent-oriented, that especially appeal to you? Anything you’re excited to get your hands on while you’re here?

M.A.:I love the atmosphere that permeates Seattle: the water, the smell of coffee, the bohemian atmosphere combined with the rugged outdoors, and of course, the rain.

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Tags: Tastings and Classes, Fremont, Seattle Trunk Show, Workshops, Health and Beauty

Sweet Suggestion #7

Enjoy the sweet smell of… sweet smells by Jo Malone

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Feb 12, 2010 at 12:22PM 0 Comments

Photo: Image from www.shannonkoszyk.com

The layered look, by Seattle artist Shannon Koszyk

Together at last: Sunglasses, sweet scents, and Shannon Koszyk’s jewelry.

Tonight, 2/12, from 7 to 10 at Merge in Fremont, Pat Wolfkill welcomes the Jo Malone flagship team. The UK-based company is beloved for their black grosgrain ribbon-wrapped packages and the pitch-perfect scents of their colognes, candles, and more.

Concurrently, a trunk show of spring sunglasses by Lanvin, Chloe, and Proenza Schouler ought to coax the gray away. Add to that Seattle artist Shannon Koszyk’s explorations of iconography, romance, religion, and cold hard cash (coinage, that is), and you’ve got a very stylish evening.

Shop for yourself or someone you love just as much. Either way cupcakes and wine will be served.

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Tags: Locally Made, Fremont, Valentine's Day, Merge, Locally Designed, trunk show