I just got back late last night from New York City (more on that later) and although I quite enjoy the speed and scale of Manhattan, being around so much big-ness gives me a renewed appreciation for the small, thoughtful projects that I encounter all the time by contrast here at home. A recent find has been Locket2You, a line of brass locket necklaces painted with vintage illustrations by Portland couple Scott McCarty and Miranda Layton. You can find them on Etsy (proper web site forthcoming) as well as Presents of Mind, Fuchsia, and Frock, and they have several wholesale accounts in Germany and one in Paris. The selection of images is pretty comprehensive, which is important when creating the kind of piece so overtly implies personal meaning. I have to admit I am beyond weary of bicycle and octopus motifs, but there is plenty else (and plenty other species) that catch my eye.

I have a really hard time wearing jewelry that isn't even moderately ironic, a preference I think I developed in response to covetable, non-ironic jewelry costing mad bank. So ghetto hoops and feather/bone-laden tribal stuff (way mystical!) have been my jewelry wardrobe staples for a long time, ever since it wasn't my Bat Mitzvah anymore and no one wanted to buy me Tiffany sapphire heart pendants.

But I also haven't salivated over jewelry in a long time, especially jewelry I could definitely afford on my unpaid intern budget. Betsy and Iya have finally satisfied my "go big or go home" approach to jewelry as well as my fiscal constraints. Portland-based jewelry designer Betsy Cross ("Iya" is her nickname for her older sister, whom she counts as an inspiration but not a business partner) handcrafts eclectic, affordable jewelry that perfectly balances audacity and femininity. Taking equal inspiration from boozy jazz baby deco, 50's cocktail party glamour, and 90's grrrly grunge, Betsy and Iya jewelry has something for even the pickiest, tightwad-iest ladies (me!). Portlanders can check out Betsy's jewels in the flesh at these local retailers, and anyone can purchase Betsy and Iya at their Etsy store.

Wanna know what your problem is? You don't know how to properly use or tie a scarf. No wonder you're so ugly. However, since I'm really sick of looking at how ugly you are, here's an instructional video on scarf tying for you effing uggos out there who can't seem to master what should be obvious to anyone: tying a scarf.

Thanks for the Scarf tips, Everything is Terrible!

Confession time:

1. For all my squawking about buying local fashion, I also think that American Apparel is pretty great. Sorry.

2. Generally speaking, I love '80s fashion. Again, sorry.

Two notable exceptions in one are the efforts afoot (most prominently on AA's part to re-introduce the scrunchy. It's entirely possible that I'm simply not hanging out in the right places for this, but I have as of yet not noticed the trend (?) take hold in Portland. I bring it up because I just saw an ad that is going into this week's paper of a girl covered in scrunchies, evidence that AA's marketing team is specifically targeting us as promising potential scrunchie consumers. I am helluv not down, but I said the same thing about leggings and skinny jeans (although I kind of knew deep down that I was lying to myself). Also, I find this photo mesmerizing. What do you think, are you falling for this one?

You could appreciate the new line of bags called Jonny Sport from at least two angles. Politically, you could admire the fact that they are made and owned (by Rachel Elizabeth and Dan Revel) locally in Portland and are 100 percent vegan, and/or you can just love the fact that they are made out of the durable synthetic used to make basketballs, which bodes well for durability and is a just plain cool idea. Not to mention it's a great color.

They're also priced very reasonably:

The everything bag, recommended for, ahem, everything from groceries to diapers to use as a travel carry on, is $200.

The weekend bag is $300.

And the kit bag is $70, and intended for travel toiletries and such, although I also like what they've done with it here:

These are brand new (the company launched March 29) and available only online. Also check out the blog for the full story of how the basketball bags were born.

Tanner Goods have begun meting out glimpses of their new good, including updates on favorite pieces like the Premium Cardholder Wallet featuring felted wool and leather (they prioritize sourcing and producing within the region—it's good like that). I'm really into these three in particular:

They've also updated their belt selection with high quality English Bridle leather dyed in varying appealing hues. These are really beautiful, and built to last.

Find Tanner online (linked above), and locally at Blake, Lizard Lounge, and Local.35.

Anna Korte is one of three up for vote right now on Daily Candy as one of 2008's sweetest things, so let's stuff the ballot box, yeah? Here's what they have to say about her (I could do without the pirate thing):

As any pirate knows, there’s good loot (fancy jewels, golden medallions, vintage rum) to be plundered if you know where to look. And Anna Korte does. The Portland-based jewelry designer scours Rose City antiques stores, estate sales, and jewelry warehouses for unusual pieces. Korte repurposes her bohemian treasures (horseshoe charms, leather gloves) into earrings and necklaces — all of which are named after bits of poetry by writers (E.E. Cummings, John Burroughs) who inspire her. Fringed anchors made from textured leather lend an arty appeal, while brassy ball-bearing chains, whistle charms, and orb lockets transform old into new. Aye, aye, me hearties: It’s one serious booty call.

I just bought my first piece of Anna's last month—a charm necklace of sorts, with a leather braid (I'm especially fond of how she uses leather). I'm hoping 2009 is going to be good for her, and that we'll see more of her work in town and beyond. So best of '08 is nice and all, but whatever...

An upswing to these uneasy times is the fact that post-holiday sales this year are going to be off the hook. Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but just to put a bug in your ear (especially if you get any green in your stocking): OFFICE's post-holiday discounts get going right away, with discounts of 25-50% off starting promptly on Friday, including furniture office and paper supplies, laptop bags (god do I need a decent one), and lots of organizational tools to help you fulfill your oncoming New Years resolutions. As a side note, if you've yet to get yourself a calendar (iPhone be damned, I am still loyal to plotting my life the old fashioned way), consider one of the new arrivals from Quo Vadis, with floral patterns to soothe even the most panic-inducing schedule...Sale runs through January 4th!

Alright, we are officially in the last minute holiday shopping zone. The snow is inexplicably still falling, but there's no more time for snow days—there's business to be done. If you are still searching for ideas, MOD is here to help, so you don't have to go willy nilly into the retail jungle without a clue. Partly because the name Better Late Than Never is so appropriate to the hour, and partly because they are adorable and locally made from vintage pieces of place mats and table runners, today's gift suggestion is a pair of funky, feminine, and reasonably priced earrings from the line, available on etsy (linked above) and locally at Redux, Frances May, Pin Me, and Mink.

Look on the bright side: Tough times are an excellent opportunity to train yourself to recognize the quality of merchandise, and know a good deal when you see it. After all, if you have less to spend, you'll want to be cautious and informed about what you do buy, which is what people like me have been harping on you to do anyway for years now. With that in mind I urge you to check out the new book bag collaboration between Stand Up Comedy (811 E Burnside) and the design school Werkplaats Typografie in the Netherlands. SUC designed the bags themselves, which were assembled right here in town by Madeline Williams and silkscreened with graphics designed from the institution's 12 participating graphic designers. There's only five of each, and at just $40 it's an accessible way to support your love of design both local and international. Obviously they're also unisex, and I'm digging the idea of it being used as an everyday carryall in defiance of the suddenly very gauche four-figure it bag thing.

Jewelry makes a great gift (for guys too), not only because you never have to guess (or ask) for a size, but because a lot of people never think to buy something purely decorative for themselves, and a gift can imbue the charm with talisman-like meaning. In the swirl of early fall's Portland Fashion Week festivities, Page Finlay's work was hard to pick out at a distance from the stage at Runaway, layered as it was with the bigger, signature pieces by co-presenter Emily Baker. So I headed down to Finlay's studio in southeast Portland, where she fabricates the varied pieces that make up the Paradox line, a name that seems fitting when you realize the varied array of styles, shapes, and influences that make up her body of work:

Finlay is a transplant to Portland from New York, where she returns several times a year and holds trunk shows for the faithful clientele she earned through her connections as a dancer and teacher in the ballet. In these parts you can look for her work at Seaplane.

Clearly, she is pulling her designs from all over: nature, art nouveau, simple, contrasting, experimental, the rings, cuffs, pendants, and earrings are the work of a magpie for design.

While there's a lot of talk these days about ethic in regards to apparel design, most of the conversation regarding jewelry involves the re-imagining of found pieces and objects. Finlay will use a found object here and there, but fabrication is where her interest lies. Nonetheless, she keeps a close eye on where her metal comes from with the help of Ethical Metalsmiths, a resource dedicated to guiding artisans to responsibly mined metals.

Finlay also does loads of custom work, so contact her if you're interested.

The ancient Romans had a goddess of their sewer system who they named Cloacina, and during the great plagues that ravaged the Western World in the centuries to follow, one might have sent a prayer to the same deity before entering one of the privies where the stricken and healthy alike visited, creating breeding grounds for the plague to spread. It is from this goddess of the outhouse that Lydia Pagett's name for her jewelry line, Cloacine, is derived, a bit of trivia that will be appreciated by the men and women who are attracted to her pieces, the staple of which are the utility rings meant to be worn in layers and featuring protruding spikes that one certainly wouldn't want to feel the business end of:

Actually, Pagett, who wears a set of utility rings daily, says that she uses it all the time for nonviolent tasks like opening boxes and cleaning under her fingernails, noting that the sharpness of the points wear down over time, and promising that she has never caused anyone harm--either purposely or by accident--with it (although she does recommend taking them off before going to sleep, especially if you're not sleeping alone.

In these troubling times, there's something very appealing about jewelry that doubles as a tool, and a weapon, especially if you figure the economic crunch will lead to a rise in property crime. This is one of the meaner looking models, called the Night Escort:

Ouch. You can turn this around so that the spiky end is hidden against your palm, just keep these in the hands of the good guys only. And in terms of pure decor, they look seriously cool embedded in a stack of other, less threatening shapes:

Her most recent work, however, moves into more organic shapes with colorful stones:

Another signature are rings with colossal stones. Here are some of the biggest:

Find Cloacine at Cannibals in Northwest Portland at 518 NW 21st.

If you pay attention to locally made products, you no doubt are already familiar with entermodal and their luxury vegetable tanned bags and wallets for men and women. (Perhaps you've seen them at Olio United, for instance.) While they are carried in stores around the world, renowned for their quality and virtuous longevity, they can seem a little out of reach for the Portlander who wants to support them but finds the price point a little, erm, out of reach. Tonight, then, is an excellent opportunity to find entermodal goods at a huge bargain. This evening (4-8 pm) the company is opening their studio (239 NW 13th Ste 211) for a sample sale, with pieces going for as low as $20!! They'v expanded their range quite significantly over the course of the past year, so the samples will be many and varied. Clink a glass with the entermodal team, who'll be serving up warm winter drinks and other treats, and get your hand's one of Portland's proudest exports. Here are a few of my favorites from the Spring '09 crop:

With Obama on his way to the White House, it makes me want to renew everything for the forthcoming new era, to reinvent myself for the Obama Years by making smart decisions and investments in my wardrobe, things I believe in (read: local design) and want to support (the local business economy). Oh, and maybe change my hair, too. You can start your own transformation today at Covet (429 SW 10th), which is featuring 20% off their selection of Calleen Cordero shoes, belts, and bags through Sunday!

Okay, so Calleen Cordero is not local--she and her goods hail from California. I'm torn today over my home state, which on the one hand is full of a-holes who voted to ban gay marriage, yet who also passed Measure 2, which mandates improved conditions in which the huge food-supplying state must keep its farm animals, most notably chickens. And yes, I am suggesting one can support chicken welfare by purchasing leather goods. So what?