Horray!! We’re over the hump. The days are about to get longer and we can look forward to spring. To get us all in the mood, here’s one thing to look forward to this spring…H&M is debuting a line of over 50 pieces using Marimekko prints. Just in time for us to get our own Portland store! Though I am not a huge supporter of the mass made goods, I am a sucker for Marimekko’s graphic patterns.

Patricia No was one of the illustrious judges of the Mercury’s last fashion show—she is a contributor to Ultra PDX and her own blog, plus a new one called Either the Drapes Go Or I Do. Here’s her take on 2007:

New Stores: Stand Up Comedy. Trends: Dresses for every day of the week. Emerging Local Designers: Emily Ryan. Runway Moments: Adam Arnold’s salon show at his studio.

Worst Idea: VIP room at PFW (local fashion shouldn’t have a hierarchy while promoting local wearability and commerce. Also, it’s so very 2005 L.A. a la Lindsay Lohan. Very below Portland, indeed.)

Hopes and predictions for the new year: More collaborations!

I have posted before about spats Specifically, I fell hard for the thigh high spats that Karl Lagerfeld showed in Chanel’s Fall Couture collection:

And now, Genevieve Dellinger at Denwave just emailed me this link to Posso the Spat—a spat company! I do hope this means she will order some for the store!!

This year, I asked a number of people involved in the local fashion industry to give me their take on 2007, and what they’re looking forward to in 2008. I’ll be posting them as they come in, and you’ll see some early responders in the next issue of the Mercury, too. Here’s what Garett Stenson, CEO of DB Clay had to say:

My favorite new boutique is Lizard Lounge. They have been super cool to work with and they are serious about running a good business. They are responsive, they educate themselves on the brands they carry and simply, they flat out sell product. All too often, I feel, boutiques are too concerned with being cool rather than actually selling product. Lizard Lounge combines both elements nicely. Other honorable mentions: My favorite stores in Portland are Ray’s Ragtime and Alexandra’s on Interstate (Vintage shit). Local 35 always carries cool shit and you can tell Justin is working hard to make it happen and keep it fresh. I buy most of my nice shoes at Johnny Sole…the best men’s shoe store hands down. Though I don’t shop their too much, Upper Playground (Jay Sajko) is doing it right. Great aesthetic, art, products, well done. Jay is a stud and his store is cranking. Emily Katz is a dope chick. She is clever, she is musical, she is innovative, and she is multidimensional. She’s making it happen. I am part of Sameunderneath too…Good people all around. Working hard, pushing the envelope towards a global business model which I like. Education (rather than just fashion) is going to be the competitive advantage that defines. New trends in 2008: Of course, green. Although I feel like this is not being handled very well by most. It’s being used too loosely as a buzz word rather than a genuine pursuit. I fear it will crumble and become a fad if managed poorly which is sad because it is a good cause. I just don’t think people are handling (and marketing it) very well. The internet. Pretty much going to sculpt and radically change the landscape of fashion as we know it…get ready ya’ll… As soon as I get paid (and I’m talking paid), I am going to start buying custom tailored suits from Mario’s…I want to bring back the Great Gatsby days…suits, cufflinks, fancy parties…Rolls Royce. The roaring… Por que no has the best tacos in the world.

(a DB Clay wallet—one of many designs)

UPDATE! This event is happening on Wednesday, January 30th and features designs by: Holly Stalder, Liza Rietz, Adam Arnold, Leanimal (Leanne Marshall), Antidomestic (April Melnick), Frocky Jack Morgan (Julia Barbee), Emily Katz, Kate Towers, Emily Ryan, Elizabeth Dye, and Genevieve Dellinger.

Word is that two shows are coming up quick, ensuring that 2008 will carry the torch of Portland’s fashion focus. On January 31st January 30 is Action/Re-Action Here’s the description:

Local independent fashion designers have created one-of-a-kind pieces in response to the tactile and distinctive work from the Touching Warms the Art exhibition.

Touching Warms the Art opens on 1/19 and “democratizes the experience of art jewelry.”

Check some tiny preview images:

(Emiko Oye)

(Anastasia Azure)

(Mindy Herrin)

(Liaung Chung Yen)

Also, in February (exact date is TBD), The English Dept. is having a bridal show with special guest designers, including—shockingly enough—Adam “I don’t do bridal” Arnold!

Stand Up Comedy is the only new Portland shop to make the list of best new shops in ‘07 on Refinery 29! Congrats!

Here’s what they had to say:

Deeming itself an “avant-general store,” Portland’s newest concept boutique hands-down is the city’s best source for everything you never knew you needed: a custom distortion pedal for your guitar; books and leaflets from the Cosmic Wonder Free Press; or impossibly hip duds by Rachel Comey. Located off the beaten path—down a dark passageway in the backyard of a nondescript building—it’s meant to be sought out, much like the wares the shop carries.

Yep, it’s that time of year again: list time! I want to know what you think were the best new moments of 2007 in fashion—especially local. For instance, would you consider the reemergence of Charlie’s Angels style women’s jeans a best or worst? What do you think are the best local stores to have opened in the past year? Best runway moment?

And, what are your resolutions for 2008? Buying more local clothing? Trying hair extensions? Surprise me.

(IDOM: one of the many store to have opened in PDX 2007)

(To answer my own questions:

• Best to the jeans, if for no other reason than they threw open the door to other cuts besides the skinny. Neither style looks good on anyone who isn’t slim to begin with, but they are so diametrically apposed that everything in between is now considered “in” anyhow, so we all win.

• My top three new local stores have got to be Lille Boutique, IDOM, and Stand Up Comedy.

• My favorite runway moment was Leanne Marshall’s Leanimal spring show at Portland fashion week, when she send out awesome organic/alien pieces to the sounds of Battles.

• My resolutions are to spend more but buy less on/of items I really feel strongly about; and, yes, to buy more locally. (But there’s no way I’m giving up European designs, even if it does use carbon to get here.) And, actually, I would really like to try hair extensions, now that I mention it.)

So you were steered away from Crafty Wonderland after you saw the line (like Marjorie), but you still have some gifts to mark off your list and you’d like to buy handmade this holiday. Here come the creative people at Etsy to the rescue! They have added a nice link to their homepage that lets you search locally for items. Narrowing down your shopping to just Portland will give both you and the artist a chance to get those gifts under the tree by Tuesday morning.
Here’s a sample of what you can find:

Laser Beam Mustang- Archival Print by The Cellophane’s.

Aficionados of the local design scene may want to fork over for a copy of Book Moda’s December/January issue, which should hit local newsstands within the next few days: Portland Fashion Week earned itself four big, glossy pages in the Italian runway magazine. Which seems somehow surreal. I’ve got a PDF of the piece, which highlights Souchi, Anna Cohen, and Seaplane in particular, but has lots of photos from throughout the week—congratulations to all who participated!

Teeny tiny teaser:

… So says the email I just got from Stand Up Comedy, which is offering 20 % off most merchandise (not the printed matter) and 30% off Staerk and Patrik Rzepski—righteous. Sale starts today and runs through Sunday.

(something sexy from Staerk)

Oh, and:

Something to keep in mind if you score some green this season: Perhaps hang on to some of it for Mario’s upcoming Winter Break Sale: You’ll get up to 60% off men’s and women’s, which made aid you in finding something worthy of lounging around at rontoms, like so:

Did anyone hit Crafty Wonderland’s Super Colossal Holiday Sale on Sunday? I know a lot of you did, because when I tried to go, I turned right back around and headed back home at the sight of a huge line stretching down the block. Reports from people who actually made it in confirmed that it was shoulder to shoulder. I’m happy for the Wonderland folks and participating vendors for having such a successful event, but if I wanted to shop while fighting my way through a crowd, I’d go back to Paris for les soldes.

Luckily, there is another opportunity to shop local, handcrafted goods right around the corner: PDX Etsy is having their holiday/solstice sale at the very spacious Smith Center at PSU this Saturday: About 65 vendors are participating, all of whom are pre-screened for professionalism by virtue of the fact that they have their sh*t together enough to run their own Etsy store, meaning you won’t have to wade through a bunch of junk you might have made during arts ‘n’ crafts at summer camp. Instead you’ll find well made wallets, bath and body products, jewelry, handbags, kids’ clothing, hats, pottery, accessories, and much much more.

They will also be screening a film, at 11 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm, called Secondhand (Pepe) about used clothing’s journey from the Salvation Army to Haiti. from the web site:

Secondhand (Pepe) is a 24min tri-lingual documentary about the role of used clothing in diaspora cultures. Filmmakers Shell & Bertozzi weave two narratives into a visual and sonic journey. The historical memoir of a Jewish immigrant rag picker intertwines with the present-day story of “pepe” – secondhand clothing that flows from the United States to Haiti. Secondhand (Pepe) animates the materiality of recycled clothes: their secret afterlives and the unspoken connections among people in an era of globalization.

Also, don’t forget to stop by the farmers’ market in the neighboring South Park Blocks for fabulous food gift ideas and dinner supplies. Sale runs from 8 am to 4 pm this Saturday!

(Urbana pottery)