Who: Julia
Where: Stumptown on SE Belmont
Cutest piece: My vintage Chanel jazz shoes
Photo by: AM

Holy crap.

Nau has announced on their web site that they are closing business operations.

And, um, in the spirit of every cloud having a silver lining, the entire line is now 50% off.

Tomorrow at Anne Bocci Boutique (7824 SW Capitol Hwy), from 1-4 pm, there will be a sample sale of designs from local designer Seth Aaron Henderson’s “Diegio” collection, with items available for as low as $20. Might be worth checking out in case Henderson blows up in the near future… like, on TV or something. The styles? Think Audrey, Marilyn, and Elvis.

Tonight, Lizard Lounge is hosting a First Thursday party. You know what that means: free booze! Plus, you get 10% off regularly-priced merchandise from 7-10pm.
If you haven’t been to Lizard Lounge you should. Whoever does their buying is a genius—everything is very cool without trying too hard. More Kate Hudson than Mary-Kate Olsen.
If you need more incentive: they’ll have a band, and places to sit. Oh and some art by a very talented painter, Arsenio Torres.
But really, shopping under the influence should be enough.

Lizard Lounge, 1323 NW Irving

Tonight at the Art Institute (1122 NW Davis) is the opening of From Vintage to Vamp: 90 Years of Jantzen Swimwear and Advertising, where you can trace the history of bathing suit fashion over nearly 100 years by simply following the advertising art used by the Jantzen company. Sounds like a fine way to keep summoning forth that summer weather…

The reception is tonight from 6-8 pm, and the exhibit will be up through the end of this month.

I’ve got a fashion philosophy: buy a few good pieces instead of a bunch of junk. Quality over quantity. In that vein, check this out:

There are so many things to recommend this dress:
• It’s interwoven with shiny gold lurex thread.
• It’s totally wearable.
• It’s sewn by homemakers in Bangkok. Fair trade!
• It’s inspired by Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye building outside Paris.
• It’s from local designer Modi Soondarotok’s Idom line.
But seriously? I was sold at gold lurex. $215, Idom, 1600 NE Alberta.

May 17th’s Live Wire! will feature Mark Galbraith and Peter Kallen, production design leaders at Nau, with a mini fashion show of sustainable accessories. The show goes down at the Aladdin (3017 SE Milwaukie), 8 pm, $15 general.

Two of Nau’s popular jackets.

First thing’s first: Lose the name!

Okay: So Blush Beauty Bar is celebrating its 4th anniversary next week (May 9-11), with special steals, gifts with every purchase, exclusive products you can’t get anywhere else in town, and a beauty raffle of baskets worth over $200. Tickets are $2, so those freebies are bound to be good…

UPDATE: According to the PR rep who answered my query, Juicy will be going into Pioneer Place Mall on the tentatively planned date of July 24th.

I was doing some Googlin’ last night and stumbled across this : an employment ad for a store manager for a Juicy Couture Portland store. OMG, I can’t believe it took them this long to realize Portland women are the perfect demographic for shlubby (velour!) sweatsuits. I’ve got a message in to the company for more specifics, but in the meantime, are you looking for a job?

Technically, it’s on the 18th that Kirsten Moore will celebrate the 10th birthday of her Piper Ewan line, but this Friday is the closest First Friday to that date, so at the Egg (534 SE Oak, 6 pm-12 am), that’s where you’ll find her, offering 10% off accessories, and 30% off ready to wear. Congratulations!

Looks like the details are still in the works, but Rockin’ Rebelz of Fashion are set to show music and fashion at the Mt Tabor Legacy on June 22nd, with two lines signed up so far: Sweetz Clothing and Ashley’s Assets, plus live music from Honest to Empire . Stay tuned for more details.

Look out for Parallel (1122 NW Marshall) and Lucia Apparel (424 NW 11th), opening in June and late May, respectively. While Lucia is the flagship for the line of the same name designed by Sarah Wallace, Parallel’s Tez Hartley name drops lines like Twenty8Twelve and Sameunderneath that will be in store for this mens (yay!) and women’s boutique. Expect a grand opening for Parallel on August 8, and for Lucia, June 5.

A look from Sienna Miller’s Twenty8Twelve.

Tip of the hat to Neighborhood Notes!

Just to point out the obvious, these things keep popping up in my fashion magazines’ ads, and it’s driving me crazy.

No.

No, no.

Locally based e-shop Le Train Bleu is featured as a “Lucky Break” in Lucky magazine, for 25% off storewide. Order online with the code luckybreaks1, or locals can stop by the store (1905 NW 26th), mention it, and get the discount in person.

(Lahaina Boardwalk Double Pocket Blouse)

My childhood was lovely and stimulating and all that, but it would have been so much cooler if I could have gone to Fashion Design Camp! In the same spirit as cool-kid activities like the Paul Green School of Rock, Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, etc, Fashion Design Camp is on its third year of operation, holding workshops on various aspects of the fashion industry for boys and girls aged 8-16, taught by local industry leaders (past instructors have included designers Holly Stalder and Kate Towers of Seaplane, and Blake Nieman-Davis of Blake. If you’ve got kids with an interest in fashion, you may want to pull them off the Project Runway marathons this summer (the Portland session runs July 28-Aug 1, and a new Los Angeles installment goes down Aug 4-8) and get their hands a little dirty (you can download an application through the web site linked above). Or if you’re childless, just sit back and enjoy the show: On August 1st, the campers will have a fashion show showcasing the fruits of their newfound skillz.

They managed to fit a surprising number of people into the tiny shop, but assuming you weren’t one of the few at Lille Boutique’s 1-year anniversary party and show, I twisted Minh Tran’s arm to take some photos of the store’s latest, including sexy swimsuits for summer.

Many, many more photos beyond the break.