Slideshow: Nordstrom’s Designer Preview
SLIDESHOW: Down the runway, after the runway, and all about the runway from Nordstrom’s July 21 Designer Preview benefit for Seattle Art Museum. Here, Lanvin. We loved the wide brim hats and tone-on-tone taupes.
Compared to recent seasons, Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni really reigned in the pattern mash-ups and eclectic approach to color theory…
…which just made the exceptions, this this tote, all the more appreciated.
There were so many sumptuous coats on Thursday night. This one, by the always impeccable Dries van Noten, was princely and perfect.
The Missoni look is so Seattle circa the 90s. Slouchy sweater dressing with combat boots and knit hats. Grunge would seem to be the gift that keeps on giving. Chanel was pretty Belltown, too: steel toe-inspired black boots and oversized, copiously cuffed trousers.
Hats were a prominent accessory in general, most notably with Burberry Prorsum. The collection had a super 60s feel topped off by mink news boy hats.
The vibe at Dolce & Gabbana was 80s menswear—boxy Talking Heads style blazer references and short sweaters over slacks-with-suspenders paired with Creeper-style oxfords.:Teddy Boy-esque You can see it in the foreground there, but then in true D&G style, it’s followed by a curve-hugging dress. Animal prints and sequins punctuated the boyish looks, ensuring that the average glam-loving Dolce & Gabbana client got her fix.
Case in point: This dress. I don’t normally go for sequins, but paired with black ankle socks and glittery Dorothy from Oz pumps, it won be over. After the show we watched a serious Nordstrom collector try it on; up close you got the detail of the extra, extra, extra long sleeve. So luxurious.
Gucci is all about the 70s—but with technicolor, supermodern color. The salmon roe red of this high-neck, mid-length dress was in tune with deep emerald greens and iris-blue purple.
More from Gucci: raspberry and an electric shade of eggplant. Photographer Lucas Anderson caught this shot just off the runway; it gets at the moodiness of the film noir-meets-flare legged decadence of the collection.
The finale is the best part, because you start to imagine a real life parade—say, up Pike or down Pine—of all the best pieces. Here, a Givenchy fur in the classic style of a baseball jacket.
With eight or ten looks each from lines like Chanel, Akris, Dries van Noten, and Marc Jacobs, the runway has an electrically charged feel. It’s a once-a-year (at least in Seattle) thing. Some Designer Previews hang around afterward (there’s Pete Nordstrom in the foreground), while others rush to get to where the genuine articles are ready to be tried on.
In addition to the dresses and coats, shoes and bags are available for inspection and order. Nordstrom personnel are there with trademark service.
The day after the show I flipped through my copy of W and noticed that these Miu Miu Bowie-esque glimmer bootie pumps are everywhere.
Of course, the show is always good for people watching. And it’s good for showing off your favorite pieces. This gal took the opportunity to wear boots and a bag from a recent Chanel collection. (Wonder if she was at the Chanel show at Novelty Hill-Januik that we reported from last spring?)
Yours truly with Jamie Fish from Heffner Management and Mia Harrison from Fashion Network Seattle.
