Peace, Love & Fashion, Baby!

As much as I adore perusing the racks, nothing gets my little garment-loving heart pumping like watching new creations stroll down the runway in daring new colors and creative cuts. And while you can never go wrong with classics like Vera Wang or Zac Posen, the fashion world is always on the lookout for the new talents that will shake things up.

At Seattle mag, we are in awe of the new ideas coming from local designers (Shameless plug: this is why we started our Seamless in Seattle fashion design contest, enter this year’s contest by Monday! Details here.) So naturally, when I found out the Art Institute of Seattle’s annual spring fashion show was just down the street at the Showbox SoDo last night, I ran as fast as my 3-inch heels would carry me to check out the scene.

Tuning in to the ever-popular mod revival this year, 24 student designers displayed 89 unique outfits on the runway for an esteemed panel of judges, including our very own Seattle Bride editor Ali Basye and the tannest man in the room, Project Runway alum Blayne Walsh. And boy, were there some highlights:

-    Eunice Poon (whose cake-inspired hues of chocolate cake brown and ivory frosting were simple, chic and restrained in the best possible sense.)

-    Irene Lim (who blended contrasting animal prints with stripes and florals in long flowing dresses that looked effortless and sleekly cool.)

-    Chloe White (with pieces that walked the line in between sexy and sophisticated, including a cozy grey, knee-length dress with kangaroo pockets and wide white collar I want to buy right now.)

-    Michelle LaTeste (with a perfectly constructed plum-colored petal skirt with three-dimensional triangle shaped segments that had the audience oohing and ahhing the minute the model turned the corner.)

To top off the electric atmosphere, the 5 p.m. show was full of high school students, snapping photos, taking notes on the designs and in general dreaming about their future in the fashion world. I’d say Seattle’s own fashion future is looking bright.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as Seattle mag gives you the opportunity to be the fashion critic as the designs from our 2nd annual Seamless in Seattle contest go online. Rate the designs, tell us what you think and vote for your favorite designer in our poll!