Seattle - June 2010

Not to be your weather report or constantly complain about the northwest weather, but “Junuary” is still present. We’re not going to scrutinize the lady’s ‘fashion’ sense here, but come on – is it this cold? Knit scarf, hat and gloves. Well, let’s hope she gets to forgo a few of these items by the 4th of July. Not fabulous, not wicked – it’s wrong. And she really has no other choice. We need summer – please let us wear and see our women in flowy dresses and sandals…

Seattle - June 2010

Happy Gay Pride 2010. The most fabulous of all the fabulous.

Seattle - June 2010

Early yesterday morning on a bench in Downtown Seattle I sat, Starbucks in hand, with the objective of finding something truly fabulous and/or wicked. And oh the sights I saw! Take this gentleman for example, I snapped this picture of him around 7:00am. While 7:00am may be within pajama wearing hours, it’s not allowed to wear hot pink pajamas, or any pajamas for that matter, outside, in downtown, ever.  Is that a sheet that is wrapped around him? Moving on, check out the heels. The dude has gone lucite. It’s safe to say that this guy is wicked.

It’s hard to believe that the first day of summer is just 17 days away. I am so ready to trade in my trench coat for a sassy summer dress and my boots for some sexy little sandals. I mean seriously. I’m over this rain and gloom. You? While summer seems like a made up phenomenon right now, the Fremont Fair/Summer Solstice Day Parade is at least a reality. Come rain or shine or rain or (hopefully sun)shine, Saturday, June 19^th is the day.

Get ready to line the streets of Fremont to see naked bicyclists, wacky floats, dance troops and street performers in all their glory. And if you don’t quite get why that guy would dress up like a bee and ride a unicycle while singing opera, maybe this will help: Fremont’s official motto is Delibertus Quirkus: Freedom to be peculiar. Love it!

In its 39^th year, the Fremont Fair draws some 100,000 people. Back streets are lined with food vendors, beer gardens, music stages, et cetera. Oh the sights, the sounds, the smells—what a fantabulous bombardment of the senses.

It’s also a terrific place to shop. You can find everything from honey to handmade soaps, art to instruments. And make sure to check out a diverse range of artisans creating all things fashionable. From clothing to jewelry, handbags to hats, you can embrace your love for the hipster or the hippie, the polished or the peculiar in you.

Signed,

In need of fun and sun.

P.S. The Fremont Fair is produced by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and funds raised benefit a number of area non-profits including Solid Ground, a local poverty-focused non-profit who originated and still produces the fair. For more info, go to Fremontfair.org.

Could the girl (the mom) look any more like a true Seattlelite? Not sure. From the hair to the backpack – not an uncommon look here in the Northwest – it’s all about the free spirit. To her advantage being accompanied by her little one – oh so cute.

How many girls can pull off an Annie Lennox haircut, military jacket paired over a black short skirt, Mary Janes and yellow socks? One?

She got something going on that a lot of us should not even try at home. Fabwick vintage girl.

May 2010

I love that this guy can actually pull off mustard colored skinny jeans. But it was his bag by Brit designer Fred Perry that first caught my eye. Add dark pink socks (which you can just see if you look really hard) with his dark grey cardigan and shirt, and not only do you have an interesting color combination, but a look that’s refreshing and fitting—literally.

Fabulous or Wicked?

May 2010

Stopped in University District, this girl had edge in her piercings and personal flare. Everything from her cowgirl boots, to her tank top-zip up hoodie-jean jacket combo, this girl pulls together quite the wicked combo. She has a laid-back vibe furthered by her dirty black pants and tank top from Cozumel, Mexico. With her hood on and her shoulder bag slung across her body, her movement through the Seattle streets is common to the student culture U-District is so distinctly known for.

May 2010

Here’s to all the men out there who wear graphic tees and puffer coats with fur-trimmed hoods. This seems to be the prevailing style amongst young men in Seattle. In order to document street style – you need the most common style out there right? Here it is. I’ve seen guys on college campuses sporting this laid back look more than almost any other style I can think of! They are all about the matching and layering. It’s a unique getup! Definitely not what I would call high fashion, but a lot of other Seattlites seem to have caught on to this trend train. What do you think? Accept the style or hate it?

Fabulous or Wicked? No comment…

Here’s my interpretation of Steampunk in 17 words or less. Steampunk combines the aesthetics and inventions of the Victorian era (think corsets and steam trains) with an imagined future. What? Think every futuristic, sci-fi book, movie or game since 1895. 1895 you ask? That’s when H.G. Wells wrote The Time Machine. Yes, he coined the term and is most credited with the concept of time travel. However, the term Steampunk originated in the late 80’s—basically—and became an offshoot of cyberpunk—basically. So, it makes sense that many punks, goths, techies, geeks and gamers alike embraced this ‘culture’. All the while, literature, comics and movies have of course exploded with futuristic interpretations of our universe. But the aesthetic of Steampunk fashion and accessories has become increasingly popular, at least in a growing sub-culture that seems to continue picking up steam (also in art, architecture and most any other facet you can think of). And we at Fabwick think it’s pretty sweet.

It’s a lovely spring Saturday, April 24. It’s debatable whether it’s 2010 or 1897 at Wanderlust: A Journey of Desire in the Age of Steam – party. Some 250–300 guests attended this most fashionable soiree. I was awestruck by some of the outfits and the time, creativity and money that must have gone into them. Here’s how I’d categorize them:

Victorian Strumpet (plus a Madam or 30): Visualize bustiers, corsets and cleavage galore. Throw in some gloves and fishnets and voila! Where did they find all those cool winkle picker shoes and boots?

Fly Girl: It’s Amelia Earhart gone wild. A little distressed leather, bloomers or sexy skirt, goggles and compasses aplenty. Which way to the bar? I mean north?

Neo-Matrix-Punk: Void of Trinity, I did spot several floor-sweeping vinyl jackets (love!!!) and lots of shiny vests or tops over bustled gowns and crazy boots.

Genteel Gent: I say old chap, do you like my bowler hat? I daresay this moustache is a trite itchy though. (Loved all the pocket watches!)

Stagecoach Aviator: Long coats, top hats, driving gloves (or flying gloves) and proper riding boots. Well done. Jolly good. And lots more goggles.

General/Mad Max: Perhaps I’m leading a war in the previous century. Or perhaps I’m leading a revolution in the next. Add car contraptions and interesting mechanisms to the ensemble and it’s a pretty cool look.

What was I wearing might you ask? I had a Victorian-style hat (normal size) with red satin roses complete with a black, lacy veil, a punk-inspired safety-pinned vest and arm warmers, a very poofy Victorian petticoat (really a square dancing skirt), tall motorcycle boots and watch/clock part rings and necklaces. Time (or at least their mechanisms) seem to be a big element in Steampunk. Some might say I’m a bit obsessed with clocks and watches (or at least buying them or making jewelry), plus Salvador Dali’s painting The Persistence of Memory. You know, the one with the melting clocks. So Steampunk, or at least the way I choose to personalize it, is right up my alley.

Anyway, the next time you see someone donned in any of the above mentioned, now you know it’s Steampunk. And there’s a much larger story to it all than I’ve written about here. I find it all quite captivating and would like to weave a little more steam and punk into my everyday fashion and lifestyle.

For more Steampunk fashion photos, go to popular event photographers website: greghollowayphotography.com. (Wanderlust Seattle). Enjoy.