Illi

hen owner Janelle Lancaster moved to Seattle from San Diego about six years ago, she had a fashion crisis. “I was in shock as to what to wear. I would go out in shoes with no socks and people would stare at me,” she says. The weather is obviously different in Seattle than in Southern California, which largely dictates what this town’s retail has to offer. Lancaster wasn’t discouraged, but motivated to open up her own, sexy boutique in Seattle’s up and coming downtown neighborhood, South Lake Union.

Chances are, when you buy a piece at Illi, you’ll be the only one wearing it in Seattle. When you walk in, you notice that the selection feels – and is - different from any other shop in town.

Lancaster knew that’s what her store had to be. “I felt there was a clear niche for diffusion lines, which is couture by the high-end designers - but at a lower cost, like M Missoni from Missoni. I feel like for the 20-something, 30-something, really…any age woman… who may not want to spend $1000 on a blouse, but loves fashion, there was no couture in-between. Either you had super expensive, or too young, and not sophisticated.”

Illi fills that niche with a large selection of M by Missoni, Nolita de Nimes and Moschino Cheap and Chic, for example. For the men, Illi is expanding to include more choices from Moschino. Women’s shoes - feminine, yet practical and fun - are by Pollini, made in Italy, and George Esquivel for the men, out of Los Angeles.

All of those brands, she says, are great for variety and layering, which is something every fashionista needs to embrace in Seattle. Brands, other than Italian, are nestled in between her featured items for Illi’s desired look: flattering fit, sleek lines, sophistication and standout details.

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