You knew before it started that it was going to be good. The crowd that amassed at the Century Ballroom for Seattle designer Michael Cepress's solo fashion show, American Dreaming, was just that good looking. Just that stylish, just that dandy, dressy, intentional, international, and seemingly open to the relationship between theatrics and tailoring, dress and desire, expression and culture.

And yes, that matters. Fashion is nothing without the people who want to try it on and give it a name. And here was this sold-out room full of bodies who had shown up to buy the story—and, Cepress hopes, the clothes.

Eschewing the New York, Paris, et al model for a more locally appropriate one, the evening was about the designer launching his current collection. Now. Summer clothes for summer people on a summer evening. So the collective good mood and great style really mattered; it meant we were ready to get into something new.

The show was Cepress's declaration that he's ready to bring it. It's here—for now, in this slide show. As it shows up around town, we'll tell you about that, too.

American Dreaming: Michael Cepress's spring/summer 2013 collection for men and women, presented at the Century Ballroom on June 21, 2013.

Image: Kirby Ellis