This Week in the Mercury
Friday, July 31, 2009
Street Style Al Jaffee to Design T-Shirt for Plazm
Posted by Alison Hallett on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 1:07 PM
Plazm recently announced that the January shirt in their Plazm Thread T-Shirt of the Month Club will be designed by MAD magazine's Al Jaffee, creator of "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" and the magazine's famous Fold-In covers. I'm going to wait and see what the design looks like before dropping $99 on a 6-month, 6-shirt subscription, but... neat.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Fashion Uniforms: Not Just For Role-Playing!
Posted by Hannah Franklin on Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 1:30 PM
What do Daria, Batman, and this girl have in common? Find out after the jump!
Shop Amy
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Heat can have a strange effect on people, inducing mania of a variety of forms. For instance my friend who inexplicably started speaking in a Rodney Dangerfield voice while chilling white wine in the supermarket last night. Stuff like that. It's also alleged that yesterday some of the shops downtown that chose not to wuss out because of the heat had some half-drunk afternoon splurgers roll through. Bonus. Whatever you need to cope. And while summer is notoriously easy to dress for (if you're a woman, or just dress like one), that ease gets a little boring. Thus the fashion world's passion for fall. Idom just placed a new option on the racks, the Amy dress:
This is just as easy to wear as that stupid-easy tee shirt dress you've been living in, but the tucking and draping make it interesting, and it would be effortless for a wedding—I don't know about you, but I am swamped with weddings this summer (at $369 it deserves a more dignified setting than just eating popsicles at the park, at least for its debut).
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Hair Hair makeover winner!
Posted by Brett Glass on Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 4:22 PM
So last week, we offered one lucky reader a complete hair makeover with Dayna at Belle Epoque salon. The lovely Petra Whitacre emailed us with this complaint: "I'm tired of being mistaken for a teenager, and also being mistaken for a goody two shoes."
While I can't really sympathize with being mistaken for a teenager (unfortunately) I do know what it's like to want to look like you could, maybe, if there wasn't, like, a test or anything that day, cut class.
See Petra's transformation (plus tips from Dayna for maintaining colored hair) after the jump!
Petra before:
Event The Last Splash
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 9:35 AM
If you liked Forecast, the Mercury's most recent spring fashion show, then the next project coming up for our crew—myself, the illustrious promoter and event planner Connie Wohn, Mercury contributor Brett Glass, and Frances May's Pamela Baker-Miller—should be on your radar:
It was born out of the fact that Connie, whose birthday is in January, always wanted to have a pool party and never did, and grew from there. We've asked a bunch of artists working in different mediums to design a swimwear look, which will be shown on a runway over the water at the Peninsula Park Pool—definite de-emphasis on functional, mind you; there's been talk of swimwear made out of paper, for instance, and even glass. Here's a partial list of the participants:
* Adam Arnold
* Dana Bruington
* Dana Dart McLean
* Fritz Mesenbrink
* Heather Treadway
* Israel Lund
* Jason Rens
* Jason Sturgil
* Jeremy Pelly
* Joanna Jackson
* Kent Richardson
* Lindsey Reif
* Oregon Painting Society
* Philip Iosca
* Rob Halverson
* Russel Short
* Sam Huffman
* Tom O'Toole/ Ada Mayer
Pam's also just put up a blog for the event, so you can check in on developments as they happen.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Fashion New Discovery: Fuchsia Lin
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Woah.
I had dinner on Saturday with my friend Kate Fitch, who is both marvelously creative and frugal, working intermittently in the costume department of Portland Center Stage while simultaneously working unpaid at home on designing her first computer game. She mentioned that a PCS co-worker had designed some cool clothes, and then sent me a link to these images. The woman is Fuchsia Lin, and I don't know yet if she sells this or where, but I will find out. In the meantime, check it:
Friday, July 24, 2009
Shoe Hello, Kitty
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 3:42 PM
I saw these the other day on High Snobette:
And while I'm really more of a vicarious sneaker person, I liked 'em at first glance. And then doubt set in. To twee or not to twee, that is the question. More shots after the jump. Oh, and they don't drop until November 1st, but when they do, you can buy them here.
Men's The Corvette & The Cannes
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 12:59 PM
A co-worker of mine sent this to me as a joke, but just think about it, okay?
That dude looks awesome.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Fitness Recess: Good News and Inconvenient News
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I just got back the results and personalized recommendations of my Recess fitness program's biometrics testing. The good news is that I'm already at a pretty healthy weight and body fat percentage ("I could have told you that," remarked the boyfriend), but I'm not satisfied to coast: I want to shoot for the lowest end of the spectrum of what's considered ideal for my body type. Basically that means I'm going to try to lose 10 pounds. I'm not saying I'm going to, but I'm going to try to.
Now here's the bad and inconvenient news: I don't know how to diet. I have plenty of experience restricting my diet, mind you, but in general ways, like being a vegan or fasting. But "moderation" and "portion control" are somewhere between foreign and kryptonite. I'm often on the run and eating out, I live with a ridiculously talented cook who likes to throw amazing dinner parties—one of my favorite parts of our life together—and I don't know how you can both eat unprocessed foods from the farmers' market like we're all supposed to (which usually don't come with nutritional facts) and accurately count calories at the same time. An apple is not an apple is not an apple, etc. Oh yeah, and I also really love my wine. So, I'm going to do my best to follow the obtuse dietary recommendations, which seem so disconnected from normal meals. Sample breakfast: 1 cup of soy milk, 1 tbsp of nuts, 1/2 banana, 1 slice of whole wheat bread, and 1/3 cup of cooked beans. Sounds like a runny smoothie with beans on toast to me.
One good thing is the virtually limitless allowance for vegetables, although the concept of only 1 tbsp of dressing for a salad of any magnitude is pretty rough. It would be so much easier for me to, like, not eat anything of a certain color or something. This is going to involve math.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Shoe / Shopping Guide Oliveshoes.com Going Out of Business Sale/Designer Shoe Bargain Orgy
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 11:35 AM
This is the last of them (less than 400 pairs!) for Olive Shoes, which has been incrementally stepping out of the retail maelstrom over recent years. As it says on the email notification for this sale, ":(The Financial Crisis got us and we are going out of business. Every item is marked below cost." That's a bummer. Take a moment.
Okay, now the good news:
Was $435, now $147.90
Was $570, now $199.50
Was $310, now $124
Was $340, now $142.80
Was $740, now $222
I could do this all day... Also, there's free shipping within the US for a limited time, so: Get on it!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Street Style Minhternet Video: Nightvision
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Frequent Mercury contributing photographer Minh Tran just sent me his video project, "Nightvision." Part documentation of what the kids are doing and wearing while you're home asleep, part lovenote to PDX's DJ and club scene, it is perhaps overlong, but filled with flattering images of tipsy young things. In other words, you can probably take it.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Gossip In Defense of Lady GaGa
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 10:44 AM
I've just seen this German video on the outfits of Lady GaGa, whose music I'm only barely familiar with and thoroughly unimpressed with. Also the bits of her speaking that you can hear under the German translation ("We believe in vanity," "I dress like this all the time") don't make me want to know her. But I am super happy that she wears the craziest stuff from the runways. I think it's her duty. Like when Beyonce wore the Balenciaga robot gear. Someone had to do it. For this reason I hope her career is long and resistant to de-glam-ination. The video gives a nice little montage. I hope she dresses like this to go to the grocery store, but I rather doubt she ever goes to the grocery store.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Men's / Fashion Best Hot Weather Shirt for the Boys
Posted by Brett Glass on Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Better than a tee shirt in this heat? A short sleeve button down. Unbutton it when it's really unbearable and get extra air circulation!
Plus, in fall you can layer up with a tee and nice cardigan. Really, they're just more practical than long sleeve shirts. Unfortunately, finding one that fits nice and slim is more difficult than it should be.
Lucky for us, Duchess just whipped up a batch of nifty, sharp little short sleeve shirts for Winn Perry. They are indeed slim, but not tight, and with Duchess' quality tailoring, classic. Very much worth the investment.
Check them out only at Winn Perry!
Shoe Crocs Going Bankrupt?
Posted by Eli Sanders on Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 1:58 PM
Perhaps. And Ezra Klein's reaction seems right on:
Looking back, the fact that people bought 100 million pairs of the ugliest shoes ever made, and then began buying charms in order to add gaudiness to the monstrosity, should have been evidence that the amount of money sloshing through the economy had made us lose our minds.
Hair Win! Hair makeover!
Posted by Brett Glass on Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 1:01 PM
Have you had the same hair for more than two years? Are you bored? Did you just go through a bad breakup? Time for a makeover!
Everyone loves a makeover. Especially me. Which is why I arranged a makeover giveaway with the fantastic Belle Epoque Salon. One MOD reader will win a complete makeover—consultation with owner and master stylist Dayna Cakebread, cut, color and her photo here, for all the world to see.
Email Dayna a photo, why you want new hair and what you'd like your new hair to look like by next Friday, July 24th.
Just make sure you're ready for a complete new look. I want some very dramatic before and after photos to post, okay?
Email Dayna at: daynacakebread@hotmail.com.
Oh Drew! You can do no wrong.
Shop Nolita to Move
Posted by Courtney Ferguson on Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Hmm, Nolita is moving. I hope I can still use my MercPerks!
From the press release:
After five years in its Pearl District location, Nolita will make the move to a new space. The transition will happen later this summer to evolve the original offering with a fresh approach. The current lease expires in August and the owner, Margit Meriwether, felt this would be the perfect time to redefine the Nolita concept.
In the meantime, all remaining stock at the Portland location will be liquidated. Select fixtures will be for sale, and all clothing will be at least 40-80 percent off retail. The sale, which Nolita is calling the “Movin’ on Sale” will run July 22 to July 31, 2009.
Stay tuned for the address of this mysterious move.
UPDATE from Nolita's Katy Kippen:
So... to the best of my knowledge, the owner is planning on staying on the West Side of town... location TBD, as there are several great spots open, and the existing lease is paid through September. The goal of the "Movin' on Sale" is to clear out the old, and open with fresh stock entirely. The fixtures were all custom for the Pearl space—the same designer will be creating all new cabinets & racks coinciding with a new "overall look" for the new store.
This all said... I will not be a part of the new "Nolita" myself, and neither will any of my former staff. However, change can be good! One of my former coworkers will be going back to school, and the other is busy launching his own line of clothing, and hopes to move to LA soon.I will be apprenticing for jeweler John Rink (see eat.shop.portland guide #1) this Fall and launching a new jewelry line soon. In addition, I've begun consulting with other small retailers to assist with their store marketing strategies...this seems to be something I (strangely) enjoy! :)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Shop Nau and Lizard Lounge Double Team It: Pearl District Sale
Posted by Hannah Franklin on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 1:34 PM
If you're going through retail withdrawal after last weekend's bargain-hunting bender, fear not! Your next fix is on the way this weekend in the form of the Pearl District Summer Style Sale. Nau, a bastion of Portland eco-couture, is offering deals of up to 80% off at their "Warehouse Sale." Down the street, Nau stockist and partner-in-crime, Lizard Lounge, will also be offering up to 75% off their clothes all weekend.
Nau boasts immaculately designed urban activewear (think: stuff you can bike to work in and also rock at the office); Lizard Lounge's cozy-industrial interior and unorthodox approach to shopping (it's probably the only place in the world where you can buy sustainable utility pants, play ping-pong, drink coffee or booze, look at art, watch TV, and dance to live music without walking more than a few paces). With forces united, the two are unstoppable—these sales are not to be missed. Both are Friday through Sunday.
Nau and Lizard Lounge are co-hosting an opening bash this Friday from 5-8 pm at the Nau warehouse, replete with a DJ and free beer courtesy of the brothers Widmer. You can stock up on posh activewear at either store and then, uh, actively do keg stands all night in your new duds!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Just... DON'T The Reversible Zombie Shirt
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 4:08 PM
…or is that a zombie wearing a reversible "pasty white male nipples" shirt? Anyhoo, Capcom will be giving these beauties away to promote their new Resident Evil video game at Comi-Con next week. (Warning: Those in attendance should prepare to be blinded by pale rolls of flesh.)
Nipple tips to BuzzFeed!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Fitness Recess: In Which I Attempt Something Called "Hoopdancing"
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 10:45 AM
My participation in the Recess fitness boot camp marches (get it?) on: On Saturday we did some biometrics testing, which essentially boiled down to being weighed, measure around the hips and waist, and having an electrical current run through my body to determine its percentage of fat. I haven't yet had time to fill out the questionnaire that will allow the Recess' online database to calibrate my guidelines for caloric intake, but I'm looking forward to having a personalized prescription. In the meantime, the workout sessions carry on, which thus far have all been different: yoga, pilates, and last night's... hoopdancing. (Just like in a real boot camp.)
I was not the only woman in my class who was skeptical about this activity—while some of the others murmured that they hadn't hula-hooped since childhood, I recalled that I have never been able to hula hoop. And yet, when guest instructor Meg Abernathy showed up with her "adult hoops" (wider and heavier than the ones you probably had as a kid) and gave some basic instructions I thoroughly impressed myself by being able to pick it up somewhat quickly. She ran us through a number of other tricks, from spinning the hoop over our heads, passing it around our bodies, hooping around the hips, and turning around in a circle while hooping around your waist. I should mention that this was all being done in a public and rather busy park, and yes, it felt silly. (Luckily no less than four people I know went by! Hi guys!) Random passersby sniggered. But I have to admit it was fun, and Meg was hilarious, peppering her instructions with tales of her mom, who likes to get drunk and hula hoop, mentioned a show that happened "on 4/20" with a completely straight face, and was named the 2008 Female Hooper of the Year at the Hoopie Awards (seriously), a huge deal in the hooping world, where she is better known as GroovinMeGzz.
As far as a workout goes, it was more vigorous than either the yoga or pilates classes, though we've still not done anything cardio-intensive. My waist today is sore, and we were warned we might have bruises. Hard to tell if the soreness is from the hooping motion or from banging the hoop around my body for an hour. But back to GroovinMeGzz:
Yup, just like in real boot camp.
Fashion From Runway to "Reality"
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 9:48 AM
Monday, July 13, 2009
Shopping Guide / Event It's On: Olio United's Online Trunk Show
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Oh these exciting digital modern times! Olio United shut their brick 'n' mortar some time ago, transferring their business into an online-only affair. That's not stopping them from throwing events, though—today marks day one of a six-day "trunk show," where shopper can click through for 10-50% off regular prices on goods from Portland designers Emily Katz and Sword + Fern, plus New York's Bahar Shahpar and San Francisco's Form and Fauna, brought together under the common cause of eco-sensitive design. (I just made that up, I think. I'm bored of "eco-conscious.") Some highlights of the sale, which runs through Saturday:
Once I got over the thoroughly odd and kind of awful makeup job on the model here, I'm into this unusual top, called the Gauntlet Tank by Bahar Shahpar, made with organic cotton, plant dyes, and iron powder. It's on sale for $188, down from the original price of $211. I'm also going back and forth on the bloomers; they have potential and they look so comfortable, but they whisper "tread carefully":
$190, down from $225. And I love the sexy peek-a-boo that Emily Katz gave dresses in her last collection:
$198, down from $240. I've also got a thing for metallic shoes, and this wedge from Form and Fauna is a no-brainer with jeans:
$125 down from $245. I love my earrings from Sword + Fern, made of recycled car parts—these are a longer, lighter version, and only $35, down from $42.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Shop / Event Nob Hill Sidewalk Sale
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 3:14 PM
As mentioned earlier, this weekend is teeming with neighborhood sales and celebrations all over North and Northeast Portland, and not to be outdone, Northwest is also kickin' out the jams. Starting today and running through Sunday its the Nob Hill Sidewalk Sale, where can can score at up to 80% off at shops along NW 23rd & 21st, as well as points in between. Go nuts.
Fashion / Event Portland Fashion Week Forum This Sunday
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 1:31 PM
I've just been alerted to the fact that my column this week went to press with the incorrect date for *this Sunday's* forum on Portland Fashion Week. It is the 12th, not the 19th, and boy am I glad our copy chief is back from vacation.
I do hope that everyone gets the memo, because as I mention in the current column, it seems that Portland's fashion scene could be doing a bit better job of articulating itself... or not. Maybe Portland really is a rebels' roost and all attempts to organize its rogue independents are doomed. That's perfectly fine, but I think it's worth talking about. As it stands there's a lack of unity, PFW being just one annual event that makes that apparent. Meanwhile, it's just been confirmed that Lufthansa is giving PFW a little ink in the next issue of their in-flight magazine. Along with ad deals with Spin and Surface magazines, PFW honcho Tito Chowdhury says (er, texts, to be more precise) that, "PFW will reach 1 million print subscribers."
Take a moment to think about that, and please do RSVP to attend the forum this Sunday July 12 if you have something to contribute to the conversation.
Another note just in from Chowhury: PFW hotel sponsor The Nines is going to feature participating designers in their lobby, starting tomorrow with Idom.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Event Hit the Streets
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 10:18 AM
This Saturday is all about trekking through N/NE, with the Mississippi Street Fair just a short hop away from the Pix Bastille Day celebration on N Williams. As if that's not enough shopping, eating, music, and mingling to occupy you for a Saturday afternoon, don't forget that NE Fremont will be on Day 2 of the Lower Fremont Summer Fest, which kicks off tomorrow at 4 pm in case you want to get a jump on the daytime crowd for vendors and businesses selling all manner of jewelry, clothing, food, and crafts. Then on Saturday and Sunday, NE Alberta is also going to be hopping, with sidewalk and boutique sales all up and down the street.
What is it about this weekend?
UPDATE! There is also a sidewalk sale this weekend on NE Broadway. Sheesh.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hair Portland's Hot Hair Challenge (This Could Go Poorly)
Posted by Marjorie Skinner on Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 2:50 PM
I find it somehow charming that this contest is sponsored by the Northwest Resource Credit Union (there you go, guys—got me). The Hot Hair Challenge is this: You make an appointment at one of the participating salons for a cut or style (Orchid Salon, Bella Pearl, Bob Shop, Hello Gorgeous, Blue Chair Salon, Leepin Lizards, Blades Hair Studio, Europa Hair Salon, Pulse, Pigment, Rootz, and Grace Hair Salon). When you're all done, they take a photo of you which is then posted on the Hot Hair Challenge Flickr page. Then you round up everyone you know to dogpile the Flickr page with positive* comments on your hairdo—the winner with the highest volume of comments when the contest closes ("around July 22nd," with winners announced on August 10th) will get a $100 gift certificate to the salon that did you right, and the stylist will walk with a $100 Visa gift card, and everyone else is reminded that local credit unions with all their clean(er) hands and personalities and stuff are lookin' pretty cute these post-economic-apocalypse days.
While you get on it with that, the Flickr page is meanwhile filled with placeholder images of celeb portraits of yore. This one is given pride of place at the top of the page—nice choice.
*Perhaps (okay, it's quite likely), the ingrates in Blogtown's comment section (which is not to say, of course, that they are all ingrates) have jaded me, but my first thought was a fear of, um, less than positive comments. Let's hope someone's keeping an editorial eye out over there, yeah?
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