BRIXTON ON JOSH SPEAR

Our Brixton hats have been cropping up on quite a few heads around town lately, and they just made an appearance on the Josh Spear website, too. Read the article "Brixton Ltd. Hats" and come check out our selection.

[picture from www.joshspear.com]

Brixton Ltd. - "Castor" Fedora
100% paper, available in brown (shown), black, and tan
sizes S, M, L, XL
$48

THIS LITTLE PIGGY GOES TO MARKET

It's the season for fresh produce and farmer's markets, and thank goodness we have a great solution to all those plastic bags that keep piling up under your sink and going to waste. Next time you're in the shop, or if you're strolling through the Ballard Farmer's Market this Sunday, pick up one of our Black Market Bags. They expand to fit a ton of fresh grub, they're inexpensive, light, and small, and the best part is that they're reusable.

Down to Earth - "String Bag"
100% cotton
onesize
$7.75

SWEET LIFE IN BALLARD

Blackbird has a new neighbor to welcome: Dolce Vita is now open on Ballard Avenue, adding to the great collection of shops and restaurants in our neck of the woods. BIENVENUE A BALLARD! Here's a quick rundown of what they have to offer:

Dolce Vita
5323 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
www.shopdolcevita.com
206-783-4177

Dolce Vita, a women's footwear and clothing line, has opened it's fifth shop here in Ballard. It has locations in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and New York, and now on Ballard Avenue. The shop features Dolce Vita's own brand, along with clothing and accessories by other designers, including Filippa K, Dolan, Vince, United Bamboo, Candela, and more. open Mon-Wed 11am-7pm; Thurs-Sat 11am-8pm; Sun 11am-5pm

Dolce Vita's storefront, in Ballard's historical G.B. Sanborn building

Dolce Vita's selection of women's footwear, apparel and accessories from several brands, including their own

PRÊT-À-FILMER

Northwest Film Forum's "Prêt-à-Filmer: A Week of Fashion Films" kicks off tonight with a showing of Rodolphe Marconi's "Lagerfeld Confidential," and its Opening Night Fashion Celebration. From May 30th - June 5th, NWFF is showing five fashion-themed documentary films. For more details and to buy tickets, see www.nwfilmforum.org/cinemas/fashionfilms.

WHAT: NWFF's "Prêt-à-Filmer: A Week of Fashion Films"

WHEN: May 30th - June 5

WHERE: Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave. at Pike
on Capitol Hill, Seattle
[map & parking info]

MAJESTIC ON SALE

We've got a great selection of Majestic International's boxers on sale, so come stock up on this wardrobe essential while they last.

Majestic International - "Regular Fit Boxers"
100% cotton in various colors and prints
sizes 32, 34, 36
orig. $15, now $12.99

SALMON BAKE AT DAYBREAK

Councilmember Larry Phillips for King County's 4th district, which includes Ballard, is hosting his annual Salmon Bake is this Saturday. Join the neighborhood and eat genuine Northwest fare in Discovery Park. Sounds like fun to us!

WHAT: King County Councilmember Larry Phillips' 2008 Salmon Bake

WHEN: Saturday, May 31st 1pm-4pm

WHERE: Daybreak Star Center in Discover Park [MAP]

GAS MASKS, ETC.

This Saturday, check out "Gas Masks, Stilletos, and Designer Jeans", a fashion show fundraiser to benefit the YWCA's Dress For Success and the Queen Anne Helpline. For event details, see the flyer below, and the related blog: gasmasksfashionshow.blogspot.com.

[graphic and information taken from http://gasmasksfashionshow.blogspot.com/]

COMING THIS FALL: OUR LEGACY

Our Legacy, a new line coming to us from Sweden, won't be in our shop until Fall, but we're already spotting them all over the press. Two new articles from Monocle and Refinery29 are below, and keep checking our blog for more info and products coming this fall.

Monocle's article "Blazer Trail - Our Legacy's future hand-me-downs" gives a short introduction to the line, praising its classic look.

[photos and text taken from www.monocle.com]

Refinery29 wrote a more extensive article, "Time Traveler", featuring info about the designers and their art backgrounds, the history of Our Legacy, and the inspiration for their Fall Line. Check out the article [link] for the full story.

[photos from www.refinery29.com]

COLLECTIVE IS BACK!

Collective's great selection of refurbished vintage furniture is back! Their new storefront is a few doors up the street from their old location, and they've moved some of their furniture to their warehouse space, also located in Ballard (1401 NW 50th St, Building A). Alongside the furniture, they've expanded their collection of home goods and sleepwear in the shop, focusing on lines that use high quality and sustainable materials, such as AREA, Bamboo Dreams, Plover, and more. open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-6pm

Collective
5339 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
www.collectiveinballard.com
206-782-1900

Collective's new storefront

Collective's furniture, home accessories, and sleepwear

FRIENDS ON STREET SEEN

Refinery29's "Street Seen" is reminding us of all our favorite friends in the big Apple these days.... Oh, New York.

Dynamic duo, Jeff Halmos and Sam Shipley
(of rocket science fame Shipley & Halmos)

Power couple, Louise DuToit and Steve Wolski
(Acne Brand Manager; B.son Sales Manager)

Renaissance Man, Morgan Collette
(lover of the People, Photographer and Acne Sale Guy)

Chris Corrado
(everyone's friend on Facebook)

SEMI-ANNUAL CLEARANCE SALE BEGINS FRIDAY

BLACKBIRD
SEMI-ANNUAL CLEARANCE SALE
SAVE UP TO 60%*
STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 30TH

*Fresh savings on Spring items in our store, plus further discounts on designer sale items. Prices are as marked and may not be combined with other discounts. All sales are final, items sold as-is.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO OUR FRIENDS AT FIORE

This Friday, Caffe Fiore is celebrating 1 year at its Ballard location. They're just down the street from our store and have a great spot (check it out their sunny patio in our previous blog post), so come help them celebrate. See the flyer, below, for details. See you there!

MIKI TANAKA PINS ON REFINERY29

The short article "Tutenkhamen: One Hot Mummy" on Refinery29 plays with ancient Egyptian fashion inspiration, suggesting some stylish apparel and accessories to take you back to the times of Tut. Among their suggested "goods to have you looking pharaoh-cious" are Miki Tanaka Oxidized Silver Insect Pins, pictured in Refinery29's photo, below.

Check out our selection of Miki Tanaka pins and cuff links; they happen to be on sale so you can take part in the fun without breaking the bank.

[photo from www.refinery29.com]

Miki Tanaka - left to right:
"Stag Beetle Pin" - orig. $132, now $66.99
"Cicada Cufflink" - orig. $264, now $132.99
"Stag Beetle Cufflink" - orig. $264, now $132.99

PREP INSPIRATION FROM "A CONTINUOUS LEAN."

I was sipping my morning coffee and browsing my favorite websites this morning, when I came across this treasure of a blog post on the site: A Continuous Lean.. The post, "Take Ivy", is filled with photos from its namesake book, created in the late 1960's by a Japanese photographer who traveled to U.S. Ivy League schools to document the era's style. These photos really capture the origins of classic "prep", and I love the subtle sense of an outsider's view that they convey. This book is officially on my wish list.

A couple of the photos are below, but be sure to read the original blog post for more photos and info about the book.

[photos from www.acontinuouslean.com]

THE HAPPY CUSTOMER

Blackbird loves to help guys prepare for special events, and we love it even more when we get to see the results in action. Our customer, Craig V., is relocating to Germany and just sent us this great photo from his farewell bash. We're proud to see him looking good and having a great time in the suit, shirt, and tie that we helped him pick out.

Thanks for the photo, Craig, and best of luck with your move to Germany!

DIET BUTCHER SLIM SKIN

Diet Butcher Slim Skin - D81C289 Double layer t-shirt
in black
DETAILS: A beautiful double layered u-neck t-shirt. The layers come together at the hem and sleeve, allowing the neckline to fall nicely while the other areas bunch and twist. Made in Japan from a lovely t-cloth cotton which feels very light and airy when on the body but still manages to stay tough and stretchy.
sizes: 1, 2, 3 (sold out)
$285


Diet Butcher Slim Skin - D81D001 Leather sneakers
in blue
DETAILS: This time around DBSS's basic sneaker is made from this unbelievable foiled goat skin leather. They are built super tough like boots but when worn somehow manage to feel light as a feather. Due to the silhouette, these can be worn a number of ways; slim pants tucked into them, pants going over the top, pants cropped at the ankle, etc. Once they are on your feet they are surprisingly subtle and work in an endless amount of configurations. The foiling is made to age beautifully with wear and any inconsistancies in the processing should be considered intentional and embraced! Please note that these may run a little narrow.
sizes: 2 (42), 3 (43)
$715

BLACKBIRD STAFF UPDATE!

In recent months, Blackbird has welcomed quite a few new faces to our sales team, so we've put together a refreshed roster of our staff. Put on your shoes, hop on your bike, or get in your car if you must, and come introduce yourself. We really think they're the bees knees and we're sure you'll feel the same.

Elena Chávez elena@blackbirdballard.com

Sales Manager

Elena came to Blackbird in March and has been wowing our staff and customers ever since. Come in and ask her for tips on anything from suits and ties to where to grab the best lunch in Ballard - she knows her stuff.

























Ty Ziskis
ty@blackbirdballard.com

Welcome to the newest member of our staff! Ty just relocated to Washington after a brief stint in the hot desert of Arizona, so if you hear of any great houses available for rent, come give him the low-down.

Melissa Fank
melissa@blackbirdballard.com

Melissa has been at Blackbird for just a short time, but she's been working in fashion since she graduated from FTI in New York. She loves art history and people watching.

Leo Gebhardt
leo@blackbirdballard.com

Leo has been with us since Autumn, but we recently welcomed him back after his tour with T.v. Coahran. Come talk fashion, music, or even Boston Terriers with Leo.

Tyler Brown
tyler@blackbirdballard.com

Tyler is the man behind our online sales. He enjoys Osamu Dazai.

NOW HIRING!

If you're interested in becoming the newest member of our sales staff, check out our previous blog post for more details and contact information. Or if you know someone who you think would be great, pass on the info.

BLACKBIRD + ARCHIE MCPHEE = PHOTO FUN

It's nearing the end of National Photo Month, so some of Blackbird's Spring clothing went photo hunting. With all of the fun toys and props available at Archie McPhee Toy Store in Ballard, they ended up with a few great snapshots. Our top pick came from the Archie McPhee photo booth, and we have a few runners-up, so check them all out below:

Blackbird's shirts and accessories pose for the photo booth.

from left to right:
Archie McPhee's storefront
getting set up in the photo booth
Brixton hat, incognito
Shipley & Halmos polo, Paul Frank shorts, and Jack Spade bag hang out by the toys