You can buy a Chinese knock-off for five bucks at Walmart, so why bother paying $375 for a genuine Hermès silk? Part of the rationale, no doubt, is the prestige of owning something by Hermès, but there's an even better reason: luxury goods are part of tradition of fine craftsmanship that is worth preserving. more ›

Sometimes it can be hard to be a fashionista (what's the male equivalent, fashionisto?) in Seattle. While we certainly have our own trends and passion, our density simply cannot always compete with the likes of New York and Paris. That's why when Hermès announces it's launching a multi-city, international festival, Festival des Mètiers (The Festival of Crafts), we're allowed to yelp and squeal like kids in a candy store. Or, kids in a Trophy Cupcakes store, since it's right there. more ›

Twenty years have passed since Rick and Ann Yoder opened the original Wild Ginger, an unusual café with a pan-Asian menu on the Western slope below the Market. In 2000 they moved uphill and took over the spacious Mann building at 3rd & Union, remodeling the upstairs in to a multi-sectioned 450-seat drinking & dining emporium and converting the lower level (a one-time porn theater) into one of the city's leading music venues, the Triple Door. Last year they expanded again, to the Bravern in Bellevue, a ready-made village of ultra shops, power offices and millionaire condos. more ›

Holy driving loafers! Even as Nordstrom's 4Q earnings fell 68 percent, Oscar fashion staple Ferragamo plans to open at Bellevue's Bravern, not far from Needless Markups. Hmm, now that Microsoft's laid-off workers can keep their extra severance, what are the chances they''ll ditch the Crocs and opt for Angelina Jolie's shoes? more ›