Okay, so maybe I had a few martinis . . . but it was an open bar, there was live music, some excellent bite-sized eats for uninterrupted shopping and conversation, and (if you’re Julie and Louise) there was even dancing!
You’re likely already aware of the separate components to Julie’s outfit, but here you get to see the full deal in action — and Louise is sporting a dress from Marios Schwab, a British designer I greatly admire.
Schwab has a reputation for structural detail, and this particular dress featured nearly invisible darts and special seaming details that enhanced its fit in subtle yet exceptionally form-flattering ways.
All the world’s a dance floor
One thing that Louise and I noted the whole time we were at the party is how fashion forward a lot of the attendees were dressed — and that’s unusual for the Pacific Northwest. It’s not that Seattleites aren’t stylish, but they’re less concerned with pushing boundaries than they are with practicalities. Living in a consistently rainy climate will have that effect — one has to make purchases with the general state of drizzly weather in mind (suede boots and satin bags are ill-advised), plus a dress needs to comfortably slip underneath a raincoat, just in case.
What we saw last night was very non-Seattle in those respects: silk gowns that trailed on the floor, huge decorative bows on shoulders, suede platform pumps, satin jackets. We were surprised and amazed until we started overhearing snippets of conversations that included the likes of: “When does your flight leave?” and “What hotel are you staying at?”
Obviously, corporate headquarters flew in quite a bit of their own crowd for the event.
“Red is so very IN this season, dahling!”
But the group seemed relaxed and sociable, and when we departed at around 11 p.m., there were still a good number of people wandering about the several floors of merchandise, browsing and shopping . . . because once the booze kicked in, the sales assistants found themselves very busy.
Speaking of busy: Louise snagged her very first pair of Christian Louboutin pumps — in a deep and sequined navy blue.
Sparklies!
She was beyond thrilled, as every single time she’s tried on a Louboutin shoe in the past, the fit has been painfully narrow. This time, it was like Cinderella sliding her foot into the magic glass slipper.
Happiness is a pair of Louboutins that fit.
Julie found a pair of Chloe calf-high leather boots that were stylin’ yet with a sturdy heel and chunky hardware that makes them just practical enough to wear in bad weather throughout the winter while still passing for high-fashion.
The women were presented with gift bags upon exiting the party (I didn’t get one — *hmph*) that contained a Neiman Marcus coffee table pop-up book, a $25.00 “perk” card and some Anthousa incense and home ambiance fragrance.
A detail shot from the Pop-Up Book below:
“Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi . . . “
Julie was kind enough to give me her copy of the book, but she wasn’t about to hand over the Anthousa home ambiance fragrance. Drat it all!
UPDATE:
And what’s a party without someone sh***ing in the punch bowl? Behold, I give you Susanne Bartsch, wife/partner of gym chain owner David Barton (who’s opening his first Pacific Northwest gym in the Bravern development):
“Is it drafty in here, or is it just me?”
She’s a fifty-something party hopper, burlesque aficionado, club promoter and general all-around New York downtown scenester. Apparently, she likes to let it all hang out.
The seventy year old women we took a table next to (as we wolfed down our slices of duck before staging a second blitz assault on the handbags, not to mention the open bar), quietly informed us that she was a prostitute: “Men bring women like that to these kinds of parties, you know.”
We about fell over laughing.
