Seems like more than two scant years have passed since Mabel & Zora first set up shop at 1468 NE Alberta, but something tells me they’ve been keeping closer track than I have! Swing by the NE location (not to be mistaken for the newer spot in the Pearl) tomorrow evening from 5-8 pm for champagne and cupcakes and 14% off all Joe’s Jeans (including summer-appropriate Bermuda shorts). And, if you can’t make the party itself, the sale will run through Sunday, so if you need some summer denim you can still get in on the action.

Parallel, the new boutique in the Pearl, just got in some men’s pieces from one of my favorite lines, Trovata. Although this little label lost three of their cute-boy designers, they continue to do easy, undone preppy to perfection.
In particular: shirts. They fit so well—tailored without being tight—and are made of really soft cotton. I bought one yesterday and am probably going to get a couple more before summer’s end!

Parallel, at 1122 NW Marshall, carries a bunch of hard-to-find women’s lines as well.

When Nau announced it was winding down operations in May, the future was uncertain, but those who were taking the last of the inventory off the company’s hands at deep liquidation discounts were aware there was a decent chance they were acquiring some extremely limited pieces from the Portland company that dared to dream of being a sustainable and socially conscious outdoor wear brand, but bit the dust.

But hello, today here comes the announcement that Horny Toad, a like-minded company based in Santa Barbara, has acquired the company, which is relaunching (“Nau 2.0,” as it were). The reincarnation promises a streamlined team, with sales still available on the Nau website (where there is also a statement posted regarding the new arrangement), but will, starting this fall, also be available in select retail outlets. In Portland, that outlet will be the Lizard Lounge (No surprise there; the store was opened by Horny Toad.), with products expected to arrive in-store this fall. In the meantime, you can stay tuned on developments in all things Nau at The Thought Kitchen, Nau’s—er, Horny Toad’s new blog.

This morning, a coworker of mine who is due in mid-August was lamenting how hard it is for her to shop for maternity clothes. So far she’s had pretty good luck taking advantage of the current market for babydoll or empire-waisted tops and dresses. She can just buy the large and call it good. Now that it’s in the final stretch, though, it’s getting to be more of a challenge. Especially since it’s for such a temporary time in her life and she doesn’t want to spend a lot of money. Nolita has designer maternity jeans, which ain’t cheap, but might be worth the investment if she wore them a ton, but other than that I realized I don’t really have an answer for her. I, uh, haven’t ever had to think about it, but honestly I think if I were her, especially since it’s summer, would buy up all the muumuus I could find at the thrift store, hack off the bottoms, and rock mini muumuus till it was all over. But in the interest of doing some surveying on her behalf, does anyone have any other style tips for the last trimester?!

Something like this, except less drunk.

When I was a little boy, I used to rummage through my mom’s jewelry drawer ( I know, shocker). My favorite pieces were the cocktail rings left over from her 70s party girl days—chunky, colorful and way more fabulous than anything she was wearing in her 80s guise as “good christian lady” (that’s another story).
Amy Lux of Lux Jewelry makes rings that totally take me back to that magical jewelry drawer. They’re not quite costume—made with semi-precious stones, they’re a step up yet still affordable. Each piece is completely unique as well, handmade by Amy herself.
So get a few for summer parties…and for any future gay sons.

Turquoise ring, $75, at Lux Jewelry.

Discuss: