Former Nordstrom buyer Paul Mendes and his business partner Cat McCadden recently opened Style Syndicate, a boutique showcasing Mendes's extensive collective of vintagewear alongside some of the Seattle's best artisan jewelry and accessories.

We chatted with vintage-obsessed Mendes about the Capitol Hill shop, its place in Seattle, and the exciting plans for Style Syndicate's future.

Describe your personal style in three words.
Mendes: I'd like to toss around the awkward term “fashion husbandry.” I love to marry aspects of different eras, price points, and general styles. But to break that down into three words: urbane, textural, variable. Oh, and if may add one more, obsessive.

What inspired you to start Style Syndicate?
For years I have obsessively sought out fab vintage pieces to fill my fashion arsenal. However, I stand nearly 6’5” and most men's vintage isn’t an option for me. So I began collecting the women's vintage I’d find along the way and use it to style my friends for events. My love of styling lead to a growing collection of clothes and accessories that threatened to take over my basement.

The store idea was a suggestion from friends as an outlet for my encroaching collection.  Come to think of it, it may have been a good old-fashioned intervention. 

Where can we see Seattle in the shop?
Style Syndicate has deep Seattle roots and we leveraged those to ensure we represented our city properly. Our mission is to work with and promote local designers and artists and mix them in with my vintage collections.

First off, Cat’s jewelry line is Grace Gow. It’s based in Madison Valley and has been sold around Seattle for about five years now. We also feature leather goods from Moth and Crow, and children's t-shirts from Vashon-based Monster Nation. I have a vintage collection of dresses from another local collector, and we have been reaching out to local artists. Currently we have art by Gannon Weeks and Ana Karina Luna.

What's in store for Style Syndicate's future?
We want to contribute to the Capitol Hill Art Walk. We've also reached out to some local DJs and are planning Friday shop nights. We've done one so far and saw that Seattle loves to shop late. Come see us next Friday and enjoy some tunes, a libation, and shopping. We'll be open until 10!