Casual Chic in Seattle?

A softball, but good article in Seattle Times about dressing in Seattle.

Seattle remains the kind of place where an outfit for just about any occasion can be had at REI... Everyone dresses like they're going to climb Mount Rainier once they've finished lunch..

Maybe REI is the real problem here.

Thread

Shanon pointed me to Thread Seattle, an quarterly independent designer show happening in Fremont. Next one is on April 22nd, 2007.

Apparently the stuff is at wholesale prices and is worth checking out.

RSVP now to get in for $7 instead of $10.

Jargol

Jargol Seattle looks like a good place to keep tabs on sales around the smaller stores in Seattle.

Their Seattle shopping guide to independent stores also looks worth checking out.

Life after REI

Seattle has some good small outdoor gear stores:

• Feathered Friends across the street from the flagship REI. Great selection, helpful sales people, can make custom down gear if you are into that.
• Pro Mountain Sports in the U District. Small store, but all carefully-selected gear.
• OR and WildRoses factory store on 1st Ave. Great stuff. Check out the clearance section in the back.
• Marmot Mountain Works is on the east side. Great brands, lots of packs, clearance rack and employee-for-sale gear in the back.

For ski and snowboard-specific stuff:

• EVO in Fremont
• Sturtevants on the east side (the place to go for boot fitting)
• BoarderLine if you need a Burton Coalition store. Surprisingly organized for a boarding place. You know what I mean.

A reminder that what you buy at these places is for outdoor activities and not for going out.

Tom Bihn bags

TomBihn is a local messenger/laptop bag maker. Their Seattle factory store is hidden above the OR factory store on 1st in Seattle, a few blocks away from the Starbucks headquarters.

The bags are good quality, use good hardware, and strive for model-specific laptop fit. Especially for newer Macs. It's worth a visit if you like their look or care about having a care tag with a hidden message in French.

I liked the clean look of Jack Spade bags more, but that's just me.

If you do end up stopping in there, check out the OR/Wild Roses factory store on the 1st floor. The clearance section is in the back and usually has lots of great deals.

EVO in Fremont

EVO is a great local ski/board shop that throws lots of parties in their Fremont store. They also sell through evogear.com.

Fremont boutiques

Fremont boutiques are worth checking out. Couple I spent money at:

Ian - nice clothes, Jack Spade bags
Bliss - small selection, almost all good (brands like Report Collection, French Connection, etc)

For what it's worth, both are on the '06 people's choice picks for Men's stores in Seattle

Here is another local guide to men's shopping that looks good.

Cadence clothing

Cadence is a small Seattle brand that puts out limited runs of hand-made, bike-inspired clothes and accessories. There isn't a lot of stuff, but that's good and it all looks worth checking out.

Fridays noon to six at
1492 12th Ave E Seattle, WA 98122