The atmosphere is thick with anticipation when the lights go down; the buzzing crowd immediately drops to a silent hush, awaiting the start of a fashion show. Suddenly the surrounding video screens burst alive with pictures and light, the music booms throughout the hall, and the runway is awash in the bright house lights as the first model struts their way along the catwalk, electrifying the crowd with that first glimpse of 2010’s Front Row Fashion.
For the last several years, The Bellevue Collection has produced Fashion Week, the annual celebration of fall looks and trends, working with local retailers to generate excitement and inspiration for the latest styles to be incorporated into one’s wardrobe. The momentum for this event has grown, most notably since last year’s partnership with Vogue Magazine, a pairing that continued into this year, furthering Bellevue’s growing profile as a fashion-conscious city.
The headline runway show, Front Row Fashion, incorporating a mix of looks from several stores within The Bellevue Collection, was held on Saturday night to a packed crowd of fashionistas. The evening transformed the Bellevue Hyatt into a luxurious lounge with cocktails and appetizers, with guests parading their own favorite evening looks. Along with getting ideas for what upcoming trends to take note of, the event was held for a good cause, with proceeds benefitting The Moyer Foundation, a local non-profit organization, founded by Mariners pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen, supporting over 200 programs that help children in distress.
Front Row Fashion is a particularly unique show in that it presents pieces from over a dozen different stores, offering looks that are accessible for anyone looking to incorporate something new into their wardrobe. Following the show was an exclusive VIP Shopping Night held at Bellevue Square Mall so that guests could buy exactly what they saw on the runway at a special discounted price. The main trend categories being presented were inspired by this year’s September issue of Vogue, including: Fur and Feathers, Under Wraps, American Sportswear, Urban Luxe, Animal Magnetism, Sweater Girls and A Night on the Town. The looks included flirty feather vests and skirts, rugged military patterns and details, faux furs and leopard prints, and classic cardigans made dazzling with jeweled details. The finale evening were composed of mostly cocktail-length hemlines, with fitted silhouettes. Classic pieces with interesting details and smart accessory choices like layered jewelry or a unique handbag were familiar themes running throughout the show; nothing too outrageous or too avant-garde to be seen at a special event or even around the office. Comments overheard after the show included the compliments over the selection of wearable styles and the ease of envisioning certain pieces being able to work within one’s own wardrobe.
The runway lights have come down, the catwalk is put away for another year, but the inspiration for fashionable living has left its mark on Bellevue. Of course the greatest accessory for any ensemble is the confidence one has in wearing clothing that truly represents one’s own personal sense of style.
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