Fashion Week at the Bellevue Collection

 Had been planning and plotting my escape to Seattle, Washington for weeks when I realized departing a day early would put me in town for the first night of Fashion Week at the Bellevue Collection.

I bought a ticket for the opening night fashion show and lucked out with a great seat.

A surprisingly large crowd turned out for the fashion show.
 Outside the venue were displays of fashions and accessories by local Washington designers.
There was also complimentary beer and wine.

The energy and enthusiasm of these up and coming designers made for a spirited pre-show environment ( the complimentary beer and wine may have also helped )

Most designers already had well established businesses so the skill level was very high.

Hats by Boring Sidney Hats
www.boringsidney.com

 These hats were phenomenal and the designer showed up at my next stop; Hat Camp!

The designer/milliner Belle McCluskey

Finally it was time for the show and I took my awesome, great seat.
Eleven independent designers presented their lines and I saw about 100 fashions parade down the runway!

Below are some highlights; 

Ozen Company by Aykut Ozen

Trina Pierre byTrina Pierre

Paychi Guh by Paychi Karen Guh

Paychi Guh by Paychi Karen Guh

Corban Harper by Corban Harper

Erin Roby by Erin Roby

Lia Pal by Liuba Palanciuc

Sarsen by Heather Blanchard

After the energetic, high volume runway show all the 11 designers came out to thunderous applause and the winner was announced...

Aykut Ozen was named the top designer.

Getting my fashion fix from a live show rather than a magazine is always more enjoyable.

My one night at Bellevue Fashion Week was a great success.

Destination: Hat Camp

My first morning in Washington I boarded a ferry to Vashon Island for adventures unknown at
Hat Camp.

Hat Camp was at Camp Burton, a rustic looking place until you looked out the side of camp along the water's edge...

the view and amenities were all 5 star resort. 

This was definitely not camping!

Not knowing exactly what to expect at Hat Camp I was blown away by how informative at every level all the lectures, demonstrations and evening round table discussions were for beginners to established milliners.

Wayne Wichern, creator of Hat Camp

Great lectures, demonstrations, resource suggestions. and tips on creating hats and the business of millinery.

Lecture and demo on using indigo dye. 

It was amazingly cool to see the items turn from green to blue when the dye oxidized in the air.

Three meals a day served in a beautiful dining space overlooking the water.

Simply gorgeous.

More demos and techniques by experienced milliners and hat makers. 

Priceless!

Feather facts and manipulation by Lynn McMasters who has obviously been obsessed with feathers forever!

( and also informed me my beautiful seagull feathers I have been collecting are illegal!! and I could be fined if I use any in my hats )

Feathers, and ribbons and felts; oh my!

Fabulous vintage and modern hats here,

there,

and everywhere!

In all honesty 4 days and 3 nights of Hat Camp was a lot for a novice like me. 

But the breathtaking beauty of the surroundings, the immensely nice people I met and the inspiring examples of all the great millinery artists made it a truly monumental event.

I LOVED HAT CAMP !!!!

Downtown Seattle; final stop

Hat Camp was over and a fellow camper drove me onto the ferry, freeways and wet downtown Seattle to my funky downtown hotel Moore ( it was great ).

I had exactly 24 hours to spend in Seattle.

Passed the Starbuck factory with it's iconic face peeking at you.

First stop after checking in was a short 4 block walk to the flagship Nordstrom and a quick stop at Starbucks; which are on every corner.

Having visited countless Nordstroms from San Francisco to South Coast Plaza I was not all that bedazzled by the size and inventory of the flagship store but, it was very large.

I was bedazzled by the foam artistry of the barrista in the coffee shop connected to my hotel.

The next morning I walked the 2 blocks to Pikes Market even though it's touristy and I have visited a few times before. The market is just so cool.

Beautiful, colorful displays of produce

and flowers everywhere! 

 Fresh fish with with cute boys throwing it, selling it and yelling about it.

It's always fun at the market and I dare you not to buy something!

I bought yummy chocolate Chukar Cherries as gifts.

passed by Seattle Space Needle 

But, where I most wanted to go was Nancy's Sewing Basket in the Queen Anne area of Seattle. 

It involved a long bus ride and a short walk but, was totally worth it.

2221 Queen Anne Ave N.
www.nancyssewingbasket.com

 Behind the unassuming storefront of Nancy's Sewing Basket is a fabulous selection of fabrics, patterns, books, dyes, buttons, notions and trims that would fuel anyone's imagination. 

But, the ribbon room at Nancy's is the stuff of legends.

Having just visited Los Angeles looking specifically for ribbons and trims I can honestly say the selection at Nancy's was amazing. 

And there are a dozen boards with trim work displayed.

I limited myself to 10 yards total of hard to find iridescent and ombre and silk ribbons ( and some fabulous vintage buttons ).

I could have bought 50 yards and 100 buttons.

Concluded my 24 hours with a scrumptious chowder, sourdough bread and draft beer. 

The perfect end to a perfect trip.

 Bye, bye to the great Northwest, hope I get to visit again real soon.

I bought some great stuff on my trip and actually had to buy a tote bag to carry it all home. The indigo dyed camisole, hat blocks and 5 yards of feather trim are from Hat Camp. The vintage buttons. patterns and ribbons are from Nancy's Sewing Basket.

More projects are definitely something I am trying to escape but, these goods were just irresistible.

Stay tuned for some great projects!