If you ever read Blogtown on Fridays, you may be aware that it is a special day of the week here at the Mercury. It began as Cat Friday, but has evolved to include puppies and even cots and buttermilk biscuits (don't ask).

Anyway. In honor of Cat Friday I thought I'd put a calendar item out there that combines my twin passions for boutique shopping and healthy pets (when these two things combine at a store like Meat it is rapturous). The event is the annual Boutiques Unleashed, a human/animal fashion show that is the crowning jewel of Portland's pet fashion week (yes, I am quite serious), March 9-15. In it, human models sport merch from area boutiques, as do their canine (and sometimes more exotic) runway companions. It's partly about fashion, but mostly about cute. This year Meringue, Sofia, Polliwog, Physical Element, Tumbleweed, Urban Edge (404 NW 10th), Pin Me, Eclectikid, and Michael Allen's are contributing, and it's a fun way to benefit a local institution that has some of the most progressive, and impressive, animal-related programs in the nation: DoveLewis. The show will specifically go to the Pet Loss Support program, which is probably the hardest-to-sell on the charity front (it's basically group therapy for pet owners after their animals have died, which is sad and all, but not exactly blankets for homeless crack babies or shelters for battered women or anything), although this video gives a good rundown of all the good things the institution as a whole accomplishes, and it's filled with cute animals, which is the whole point of having Cat Fridays in a universe full of toil and anguish:

The Show takes place on Friday, March 13 at the Wonder Ballroom. General tix are a little spendy at $60, but include free booze and heavy hors d'oeuvres and didn't you see those cute animals in the video??!! More info here.

I'm unfortunately prone to [causing minor] car accidents, and I have an irrational fear that Dragonlily Boutique may one day be the cause of one of my mishaps; I tend to find their outdoor mannequins more interesting to look at than the road. But who can drive past and not cop a look? It's very likely that I'm not the only one facing an impending crash due to pretty clothes and ADD. I just hope no bikers are involved.

Dragonlily, located on 18th and Hawthorne, is celebrating the arrival of the slightly warmer season with a Skip into Spring Celebration Event! It's happening Saturday, February 21st, from 3-8pm only!

What does this event entail, you ask? Lovely question.
It involves: 15% off all new Spring items; tarot readings by Kali Rose between 4:30- 7:30; free head, neck or hand massages by Soma Arts; complimentary Mimosa's, Wine and Hors d' Oeuvres AND you can enter the drawing for a $100 Gift Certificate!

Not only will they be getting great new things in from their current brands (Malagueta, Babykakes, MahaDevi, ipseity, 2-mile, Wema, Xila, Ann Madland, Lynnie Dee, Amy Joy Fields), but they've just picked up two new brands, MahaDevi and Jemini.

Passing this on from the Strut team:

Since STRUT was founded four years ago we have continued to grow this event as a showcase for Portland designers and a benefit for equality in Oregon. Each year we continue to grow attendance and increase our fundraising for Basic Rights Oregon. With the annual success of the show and the rave reviews in the media (The Mercury, Willamette Week, Ultra, Just Out, PDX Magazine and The Oregonian), we continue to work on making this one of the premiere fashion events of the year! Sponsors this year include: Willamette Week, Q6 Model & Artist MGMT., Royce's Prop Shop, Rudy's, KNRK 94.7, and Vibrant Tables to name a few. This will also be our first year as an all ages event!

We would like to invite you to submit your designs for a spring fashion show to be held on Saturday May 16th at Luxe Auto House. This is a unique opportunity to raise money for a great cause while showcasing your designs to the public at no cost to your company. A little volunteer time and help in distributing marketing materials are all that is required. We are looking to really showcase the diversity of designers in Portland and hope you will consider supporting Basic Rights Oregon while bringing something fun and different to the runway.

To submit your designs for consideration, simply send two image samples of your work to StrutPDX@gmail.com along with your company name, contact name, contact phone number, a brief description of your work (50 words or less) and where your line is available for purchase by March 1st.

After a quick review, our committee of industry professionals will contact those chosen for the show in mid March. Unfortunately, not everyone can be in the show due to the vast amount of talented local designers. If your company is not chosen and you would still like to be involved, there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteering, advertising and sponsorship!

Another bridal event is coming down the pipes, this one geared toward the bride wanting to make her wedding as green as possible. It makes sense, then, that the featured dress designer is Frocky Jack Morgan, by Portland resident Julia Barbee, who has emblazoned the home page of her web site with an amusing quote from another local designer, Adam Arnold: "Now she's sustainable. She makes cool dresses out of, like, garbage or something!" To clarify, "garbage" is reams of gossamer, deconstructed couture and other lovely vintage bits revamped into dreamily romantic pieces, all one of a kind, and worthy of lust with or without a concern for the environment. These are to be featured at Olio United's First Friday in March (the 6th, from 5-8 pm). Joining her designs will be other businesses flaunting their greenery, like: Bakery Bar, Alma Chocolate, and SJ Harmon Photography.

Here's one for the single woman staring down the barrel of "singles awareness day," or for the non-single ladies out there who just happen to buy their own lingerie (it's probably for the better that way anyway, don't you think?): Lille Boutique (1007 E Burnside) has been selected as one of 20 best lingerie stores nationwide to host the release of Getting Naked Again: Dating, Romance, Sex, and Love When You've Been Divorced, Widowed, Dumped, or Distracted by Judith Sills, clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author (Tomorrow, 6-9 pm). I know—even though I secretly harbor what's probably an unhealthy fascination with self-help books, that in and of itself would be kind of a whatever, except that it's Lille's gig, and they always make it worthwhile. How? With lingerie models, of course, wearing the store's latest acquisitions from Araks, Wundervoll (recently featured in the NYT style section, BTW), Keep Me, Matters of Leisure, and Stella McCartney. Additionally, you can sample wine from Duck Pond Cellars and vegan truffles from Missionary Chocolates, and check out jewelry from Sahlia Michelle Jewelry.

AND! If you buy the book or make a purchase of $25 or more, you can be entered to win one of the following giveaways:

Lille: Vintage French Silk Stockings and Garter Belt, $80 value
Duck Pond: 1.5L Magnum of Merlot, $75 value
Noble Rot: 2 Wine Flights and 4 Menu Items, $75 value
Lille: Cote Bastide Bath Gift Set, $68 value
Sahlia Michelle Jewelry: Sterling Silver Pounded Ring Necklace, $62 value
Missionary Chocolates: 9 pc. Assorted Truffle Box, $30 value
Lille: $25 Gift Certificate

Lille is also giving away a copy of the book in the drawing, to be held at 8 pm (you must be present to win). While you're waiting and hoping your magic number gets called, check out the boudoir portraits by sometimes Portlander, sometimes New Yorker Marne Lucas, up through the end of the month. Lucas is a pro at bringing out the beauty in women, and her work features lots of Portland women, perhaps even someone you know, rather than professional models. If you ever have want or cause for sexy photos of yourself, she's the woman you need to call.

The fine minds over at OFFICE PDX (2204 NE Alberta) are putting together a discussion panel on Innovation During A Recession, featuring some people you might want to beg for a job network with: Michael Shea, creative director of Nike; Nicholas Weigel, director of Laika/house (fresh off what's looking like a successful Coraline debut); and Jeff Kovel, founder of Skylab Architecture. The moderated discussion should cover how the recession will affect each company externally as well as internally, including budgetary and hiring issues, what's being done differently in each industry to keep clients and team members happy. I don't know about you, but the lamentations and beating of breasts about the economy are getting pretty effing old. I'm ready to hear ideas for solutions, and see some action. The panel takes place at the store on Thursday from 6-8 pm, and is free and open to the public. OFFICE is also offering a 15% off promotion on Pina Zangaro Portfolio Covers that coincides with the event.