When Isaiah Whitmore won the Student Designer Competition in April, he was the audiences clear favorite. Whitmore, an Art Institute of Seattle student, wowed the crowd with his monochromatic skinny pants, ruffled white halter tops, black lace details, and headscarves for men and women. But at tonights Emerging & Independent Designers Runway Show, part of the ongoing Seattle Fashion Week (through Sat.), hell have to share the spotlight with eight other newcomers. Among them, we also like Rana Ghezelayaghs silk trench-coat dresses and Andrea Voss contemporary, eco-friendly jackets and dresses. But perhaps the most anticipated collection of the evening comes from Laotian immigrant Banchong Douangphrachanh. She recently designed a studded, sharp-shouldered cutoff top that was purchased and worn by the biggest music star in the world, Lady Gaga, in her Poker Face video. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Wed., May 12, 8 p.m., 2010
