This is the fashion show I look forward to every year. Bellevue Fashion Week showcased the top fall trends from: Nordstrom, Ted Baker, Artizia, Eileen Fisher, Robert Graham, Karan Dannenberg, and Kate Spade. Right before the show, the excitement started with meeting up with my fellow fashion enthusiasts to catch up on work and life. These fashion events become central to our friendship and connection together and is always memorable. Since I’m pregnant this year, I didn’t get to enjoy all the bubbly before and after the show. Instead, I indulged in all the yummy appetizers and desserts that were passed around in tiny, photo friendly, nuggets.

There were many trends throughout the show, but these are my functional fashion favorites that I think clients would actually feel comfortable wearing. Yes, some are daring but it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. Special thanks to Vivian Hsu for the photos, this is her 10th year photographing Bellevue Fashion Week!

BELTED BLAZER

BY NORDSTROM

NILI LOTAN stripe top // ALC plaid blazer // ULLA JOHNSON gold metallic pleated skirt

Here’s a fun one to try, mainly because it will change the blazer options you can wear. If you’ve found that the double breasted, long, or oversized blazers haven’t worked for your body type, add a belt! What an easy fix to just add a waist to the jackets that weren’t working. Make sure that the blazer isn’t too short, or else belting will look like a funny mistake. This can be done with a suit or a blazer you wear with a long skirt or denim.

MISMATCHED PRINTS

By Nordstrom

VERONICA BEARD  floral dress // VERONICA BEARD coat // KURT GEIGER LONDON bag 

Love all the new prints this season? Start wearing them together. Forget matchy matchy (although, that’s a trend in itself). If you want a more playful chic look, mixing prints is a must. There is some rhyme and reason to the beautiful chaos of this look. The shoes match the bag and the coat has similar colors to the dress. Don’t be afraid of doing some experimenting until you get it right. You want effortless chic as a result.

TIE DYE + PLAID

By Artizia

WILFRED sweater // WILFRED pants

The grown up tie dye look is fully a thing now. There are many options to choose from but I really enjoyed this tie dye sweater and plaid pants. It’s a perfect business casual look that is pulled together for work but not super serious. The sneakers add a nice touch, it makes me want to wear plaid pants more for weekend wear. Talk about endless possibilities this season.

TURTLENECK UNDER DRESS

BY: KATE SPADE

metallic turtleneck // flora dress // nicola bag

Those thin turtlenecks DO NOT fit all of us yet they are a great way to layer and stay warm. The solution is to layer it with a pretty sleeveless dress. The trick to try mixing colors is wearing a turtleneck in a lighter color such as a light brown, light beige, cream, or even a lavender and then the layer over to be darker. That way it almost seems like the turtleneck is just part of the dress and not the center of the outfit.

SWEATER + PLEATED SKIRT

BY: TED BAKER

contrast panel skirt // chenille sweater

Designers and stylists have made evening wear, functional for daytime be pairing it with sneakers, tees, and sweaters. It’s a cozy way to look pulled together for work. Make sure to twist tuck your sweater, there are few of us that can pull off long sweaters and long skirts. You’ll find that most skirts this season are below the knee. If you are petite you can totally wear this too, break the rules but make sure you don’t look like you’re drowning in your outfit.

Take time to figure it out at home, take time to mix and match outfits that feel comfortable for you. What’s trend are you going to try?