Fashion Fresh From Paris

Momo Girl Angela (moi)  has recently returned from France. I noted some Parisian fashion trends that I thought I’d share with everyone. I loved the fact that they were 100% wearable, and would easily translate to Seattle. Keeping it short and sweet, here they are!

• Long, straight wool coats. Solid colors, leaning toward tertiary. 

• Skinny jeans on EVERYONE. Even skinny slacks on businessmen.

• Blanket scarves in mid-weight fabrics. 

• Bright red lipstick for all!

Time to Get Your Warm On

With winter’s first gusts blowing out of the north, it’s time to think fast about ways to stay warm when you’re out and about. Momo is ready with cold-weather essentials to ensure that you remain perfectly snug in the upcoming chill. Let’s take it from the top.

Head First! Squishy and thick cable-knit beanies from New York Hat Co. will keep your noggin toasty. Momo has versatile black and charcoal grey.

From Japan, the ever-popular Beagle House beanies in both knit and jersey.

Neck + Neck: A Momo classic, the “Alvéole” (French honeycombed) scarf from Saint James. Compact, a cinch to slip on and off, beautifully crafted — one of our favorites.

Unisex lightweight cashmere scarves from Nepal are large enough to wrap around your neck multiple times yet sleek enough to stow in your bag ... all while excelling at keeping the chill and rain off of your neck. One of the many charms of cashmere.

Gotta Hand it to You: For everyday wear, we present 100% wool fingerless gloves from New York Hat Co. Thick and sturdy, these will last you many seasons. Available in light grey and black in size medium or large.

On the other hand, luxuriously soft Meg Cohen plush fingerless cashmere gloves are little ‘blankets’ of heaven for your hands (note: they make indulgent holiday presents).

This week’s nighttime temperatures will be hovering around freezing. Beat the cold front to the punch and stock up on cold weather cozies! Momo’s got you covered.

Double Duty : Accessory and Art

Whidbey Islander Nan Leaman is the creator of stunning, one-of-a-kind textiles. If Rorschach had colorful dreams filled with gently repetitive shapes culled from nature, his tests might have resembled the gorgeous scarves that Nan recently delivered to Momo.

What began as an interest in textiles as a youngster evolved into a passion for the entire process — one that led to weaving and hand spinning her own wool, eventually from her own sheep! And although she no longer weaves and spins, she still maintains a flock of over 100 Old English longwool sheep.

For warmer weather, Nan switches to silk, utilizing various techniques to achieve a wide array of exotic patterns. All of her silk starts out white, a blank canvas to which she applies design and color with beautiful results.

Elegant pole-wrapped silk scarf.

Shibori, a Japanese term for a number of methods of resist-dyeing cloth, is one of Nan’s favorite techniques. Pole wrapping, an example of shibori, involves wrapping cloth around a rod or a rope prior to applying the dye. The results are almost tie-dye like, with a striping pattern.








Clamping and dyeing is another type of shibori, one which lends itself to a more geometric pattern — often circles or starbursts.

Clamping and dyeing can create circles ...

... or coffee beans!

Another approach to Nan’s art is the more organic deconstructed silk screen printing. Ever the adorable textile geek, Nan describes the rather involved procedure: “I mix dyes with sodium alginate thickener ...which I then paint right on to the silk screen. I add texture, such as string, wallpaper scraps, rubber gloves and other found items. I let the thickened dye dry on the screen. When dry, clear sodium alginate is squeegeed onto the screen to release the dye into the cloth.” From there, she steams the piece to set the color, washes it and voila! Her science project is ready to adorn the lucky wearer.

We love the vibrant and organic silk screen print. 

Nan’s enthusiasm for fiber arts is both inspirational and contagious. The next time you’re in Chinatown/International District, pop in to Momo and check out her work, we’ll have it through the summer. Perhaps you, too, will feel inspired ... and find yourself researching breeds of sheep (or silkworms)!

Winter is Coming

Seattle’s predicted low is 39 degrees tonight. That is seven small degrees above freezing. Freezing! Lucky for you, Momo has just received some delectable knits from Beagle House N.Y., Japanese designs via New York. Durable and comfortable, the adorable accessories are also enticingly affordable ($32-$49). Fresh for you, via Momo:

•  knit beanies, made in Japan. 100% cotton, these hats are densely woven and are sure to keep your noggin toasty. An easy fit for men or women.

Perfectly sized for a slouchy look and a tight, fine knit for warmth!

•  infinity scarves, also knit in Japan. Made from a blend of fibers, they are lightweight yet surprisingly insulative and feature a sweet pattern reminiscent of traditional Norwegian sweaters.

We love the soft colors of these infinity scarves.

• knit arm warmers. Cable-knit sweaters for your arms! They have a handy thumb-hole to keep them on your hands, and are woven with spandex to help them stay up your arms. 

Available in black, taupe, pale grey/beige and chocolate brown. 

A Good Scarf is a Good Friend

It’s that time of year again — scarf season is upon us and new scarves have been flooding into Momo. We have an enticing array of styles, colors and fabrics to choose from, ranging from affordable acrylic  to lovely linens and cozy cashmere.

Our favorite acrylic is the multipurpose Vivi button sweater-scarf. Not only is it perfect for folks with wool/cashmere sensitivities, it’s also the most versatile accessory imaginable. It can be worn as a halter (in two ways), a long-sleeved shrug, a vest, a poncho, a scarf ... whatever strikes your fancy.

Always a classic, Momo has a fresh batch of St. James “Pucker” scarves. We love the distinctive texture, as well as the ease of use (simply pull one end through the opening on the other end).

A rainbow of St. James from France.

Unique “Pucker’ scarf.

Some folks are still operating under the notion that linen is a textile that is limited to summer wear. We at Momo won’t say that they’re wrong ... but they’re wrong! Linen is one of the most durable fibers on earth (literally). Our Fog Linen scarves from Japan are thickly woven, elegant and warm. Available in solids, stripes or checks.

Fog Linen from Japan. 

Thick, shimmering linen is both elegant and comfortable.

Cashmere is, of course, the winter classic. Soft and toasty, timeless cashmere will always fend off the chill of a winter day. Momo’s new cashmere features a palette of soft greys, blues and taupes — perfect for men and women alike.

Soft-as-a-cloud cashmere.

A great scarf, like a great coat, is invaluable in the cool Pacific Northwest winter — both you'll wear every day. Why not ensure that you’ll stay warm while looking good? Come visit our scarves and find your neck’s new best friend!

Valentine Confusion!

There are a lot of conflicting stories about the origin of Valentine's Day. A LOT. So many, in fact, that this Momogirl blogger has entirely scrapped the idea of a Fun History Lesson today.

It is much simpler to write about some of the wonderful things you can find at Momo for your sweetie. (not that we think you need help brainstorming...but a few ideas are always nice!)



 Jewelry is lovely, ANY time of year. Momo carries many local designers like Flora and Fawn and Shelli Markee.

For the Momo man: award-winning  skin care products by Billy Jealousy. We even have a Variety Pack for those who are indecisive. 

...and there are things that are just cute. Robot Clocks? Yes please. High five!

This rainbow of hand-woven silk scarves from Turkey was too luscious not to post. Hand-spun, hand-dyed, hand-woven - a labor of love to share with someone you love. 

 Need more suggestions? A helping hand, a subtle nudge? Pop on down to Momo - we are always happy to be of assistance. :)


In lieu of a history lesson, I'll leave you with these entertaining factoids:
3% of Valentine's Day cards/gifts are for pets.
Teachers receive more Valentine's Day cards than anyone else.
Men typically spend 2x what women do on V-Day...
However, 85% of valentines are purchased by women.

The key to someone's heart...

Baby, It’s (Almost) Cold Outside

Momo has begun to receive winter jackets and scarves just in time for the rain, wind and chilly evenings.

Spiewak jackets are among some of our new arrivals. Spiewak is a Brooklyn-based, family owned company that has been producing uniforms (for firemen, police and EMTs) since 1904. In more recent times they’ve branched out to include edgy, stylish and durable streetwear/outerwear for both men and women.

The “Warren”: quilted down but tailored through the waist (nice for those of us who don’t want to resemble the StayPuff Marshmallow Man!), it also has some fabulous details like snapback extended cuffs and a cozy hood. Available in a rich, subtle olive.

Spiewak’s “Warren” quilted down jacket.

The “Beeson” is perfect for the months of drizzle that constitute the Seattle winter. It is waterproof, has a hidden inside drawstring waist and a detachable hood. Fun fillips include a gun flap at the shoulder and a droptail hem, all in a rich navy hue.

Spiewak “Beeson” has a removable hood and structured collar.

Thick, cozy, simple: perfect unisex scarf.

Scarves! Scarves are a wonderful multipurpose accessory, keeping your neck toasty warm AND giving you an opportunity to add a splash of color or texture. And we have a wide variety of weights, colors and materials (cashmere, cashmere/wool, cashmere/wool/silk blends). Come and get cozy at Momo!

Lovely and whimsical wool/cashmere/silk blend.