*I'm so excited to present Fresh Jess' first contributor piece from Courtney Liu! Courtney is a bright young talent going to school at the University of Washington. She initially reached out to me for an interview included in this piece, which she then shopped around to different publications in the city. We met for coffee and I was drawn to her tenacity and willingness to put herself out there. Looking forward to her insights on fashion trends and more once a month on Fresh Jess. Enjoy!

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week concluded its showcases a couple of months ago, and recently Glamour Magazine presented the top 10 most wearable trends of Spring 2013. These include: Bermuda shorts, black and white, peekaboo pieces, statement sunglasses, bold stripes, luxe leather, beautiful beading, short suits, sporty dresses, and low or flat heels.

Seattle, the good ol’ rainy city, is infamous for its grungy, hipster fashion sense and its wet and cold weather. As a Hawaii native, I’ve gotten used to dressing up in spring trends without having to cover up my chic ensemble with a rain jacket.

Being a non-native of this Pacific Northwest city, I wondered whether or not Seattleites could pull off these spring trends. Contrary to popular belief, they can.

Local Seattle designer, Cameron Levin, is familiar with creating ready-to-wear pieces for women. One of her favorites of the top 10 wearable trend of this spring is black and white.

Long panel tunic paired with organic Tobillo leggings from Cameron Levin’s “Ruby” line

(Photo courtesy of Cameron Levin) 

“Black and white is my favorite because it's such a drastic variation from the typical spring trends of pastels and floral prints,” says Cameron.

The designer expects this trend to fall in everyone’s comfort zones because it’s a classic combination of colors. “It's still dramatic and stark so fashion-enthusiasts can play with fun variations of this motif [including] houndstooth, checkers, stripes, color-blocking, etc.,” she says.

Jess Estrada, editor of the Seattle-run blog FreshJess (Oh heyyy!), also agrees upon black and white as being a favorite of the top 10 trends. But she says she will experiment with short suits, Bermuda shorts and bold stripes as well, to see how they work on her.

The fashion blogger says that it’s all about drawing upon these top trends and exploring your own closet. This way you don’t need to break the bank to be stylish and trendy!

Katy Lohn, senior stylist of the Free People at University Village, recommends how to transform a typical grungy piece of clothing into a trendy spring one for this year…on a budget.

She says to take a band muscle tee and add beading detail to it then to pair it with a high-waisted, long, fitted skirt. It’s still grungy yet with a feminine touch.

Katy also loves the peekaboo pieces trend because she has crafted many tops with cutouts, which you can purchase on her Esty shop, Katy Featured.

Peekaboo pieces are another of Cameron’s favorite trends. She has incorporated this trend into her 2013 spring collection, Ruby. It can be found in the Tunic tops, organic Tobillo leggings and the organic spiral mini skirt, which will be available at Vian Hunter in late March.

“As a designer, I'm drawn to this trend because it makes the overall composition of the garment more interesting and artful. For consumers, it's an easy and accessible way to look sexy without feeling too revealing or uncomfortable,” says Cameron.

She also believes that most of these spring trends are successful because they're so accessible. “Low heels are easy to wear all day long, leather is highly functional, the stripes and black and white themes are timeless, and fun accessories like statement sunglasses feel less intimidating than a bold outfit,” she says.

Cameron feels that since they are all relatively low-maintenance, most of these trends will be appealing to the general Seattle market.

While examining Glamour’s selection of the top 10 Spring 2013 trends, I didn’t see how Seattle’s grunge or hipster scene could embrace them. At the same time, I didn’t think that it was possible to ever look cute or stylish in the cold rain. However, I was proven wrong. As a fashionista myself, I’m always looking for different ways to switch up my wardrobe for the Emerald City’s weather conditions.

“The key to being stylish in Seattle is layering smartly. Wear your peekaboo piece, girl, but bring your trench coat just in case!” says Jess.

Follow Courtney on Twitter, and peep more of her writing in future Fresh Jess posts!

30Fresh. 30 days of posts celebrating 30 years - and 5 of Fresh Jess!