The past year in the local fashion event industry has been playing out like a game of musical chairs, and not to be left out, the Portland Fashion & Style Awards—which I criticized at length for being awesomely out of touch when it debuted last year—has also fallen into new hands. Steve and Anne Akre and producer Jaileene Eubanks have declared their commitment to "bringing in qualified fashion industry judges... and a qualified fashion industry advisory board team."

But the new web site still gives me major sads:

• The Portland Fashion and Style Awards

I consulted informally with the Akres earlier this year, and tried to be very honest about what I saw as fatal flaws of the original event. In short, the awards are completely meaningless gaudy paperweights if they don't represent an informed recognition of the individuals and businesses who are truly putting Portland on the fashion and style map. What's more, I'm not convinced there's a particular need for an awards ceremony at all, and what would be more valuable than physical awards at this point—and might actually get people to care—would be monetary or otherwise useful prizes, like credits to a good fabric store for designers, for example.

I'm not sure at this point whether that will happen, but a few things we do know as of now: The event is moving from earlier in the month to the evening of October 26 at the Ainsworth Event Center (also known as The Scottish Rite). Newly minted Project Runway winner Michelle Lesniak Franklin has signed up as a presenter. Last year's unwieldy list of categories has been whittled down to a more reasonable length and the nomination process is also now open. Unlike last year this crowd sourcing of nominees is supposed to only generate one finalist in each category, with the ultimate winner being determined solely by the judges. So, that's an improvement.

As I sit here typing this, I must admit I’m wearing one of my Sassy must-haves: the ultra comfy and warm Poler Napsack! Absolutely obsessed, and it’s been in my possession for less than 24 hours. So anyway, if you’re hitting up this year’s Sasquatch you probably already know what you’re going to take with, but just in case, here’s a couple of things you might need to bring along. PS: I will be covering fashion, fashion, fashion at Sasquatch all weekend long! I’m shooting on film (old school, none of that iPhone bullshit!). Stay tuned for backstage snaps, glam Sassy goers, and lots of shenanigans.

What’s not to love about AK’s amazing Indigo Straight bodychain? I have one from a few collections ago, and I can’t tell you how many times I get stopped with the “OMG where’d you get that!?” Look no further than the Anna Korte boho goddess for all your festival needs. Pair with a basic bodysuit, or layer on over a simple tee and you’re all set!

• AK Vintage
• AK Vintage INDIGO STRAIGHT Bodychain

MAC Liquid Last Eyeliner is no joke. Bring cat-eye realness to the Gorge with this seemingly permanent liner. With showers (not of the rain variety) on the scarce side, best to play it safe with waterproof. Swoop some here.

• MAC
• MAC Liquid Last Eyeliner

You can scope the weather forecast here, but with highs in the 70s and sun, you mustn't forget SPF, my darlings! Lately I’m super into Supergoop! Protect your little mug, and keep that skin looking Portland pale. Check it out here.

• b-glowing.com
• Supergoop! Don't forget SPF

I can’t get enough of my thrifted camo jacket. It makes the best layering piece because it’s lightweight, can easily be tied around your waist, and has serious pocket space! Grab yours from Goodwill, or really any vintage shop. Stash it in your rucksack for evening shows and layer up with fur or leather.

• Pinterest
• Camo jackets make the best layering piece

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The big bummer about working on Open Season shows is how jealous I am of everyone who can simply enjoy them without having to deal with language-garbling headsets and endless rolls of utility tape. Audrey Goldfarb is a serial attendee of local fashion events, as well as a documentarian of sorts—she once made a truly amazing film about herself that topped two hours and included copious party crashing and Pabst consumption as well as some rather surprising family dynamics. She makes shorter episodes of various things on her blog, including this freshly edited diary of her experience of last week's shows. Vicarious!

Those of us who took the whole ride through this year's four-night series of Open Season fashion shows are probably still convalescing—I know I am, and so is Marissa Sullivan, whose last recap of each night of shows over on MOD is a tiiiny bit delayed. But while it's still top of mind I wanted to get in a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came, selling out every single night (holy crap)!

It takes a village to accomplish these shows, and most of the people who busted their asses to make this happen did so as volunteers. It literally would not have happened without them, and it really would not have happened without the (mostly) local businesses who stepped in as sponsors: Eastside Distilling, Bishops Barbershops, Gilt, Imelda's & Louie's, Viso, Crossroads Trading Company, and 220 Salon all deserve huge props for pitching in, not to mention the venues, designers, models, hair and makeup stylists, co-producers, rope light/pipe 'n' drape/riser installers, flag makers, musicians and DJs, ticket takers, dressers... you get the idea.

Yes, I just combined a fashion show with a Harry Potter reference. This is how you know I am tired.

But fuck tired! Tonight we're capping of Open Season's successful run of happy hour fashion shows with a secret new collaboration between two heavy hitters on the local scene, called Immaculate Martin. Even I don't know exactly what to expect, but I'm vibing that it's going to be a little irreverent, a little non-traditional, and in the spirit of fun. Clearly others are feeling the same way (or just can't resist their curiosity), because online tickets sold out this morning. But don't freak out! There will be a limited amount of tickets being sold for $7 at the door, and we'll do our best to get as many people in as the fire marshal allows.

That said, doors open at 6 at tonight's venue, Dig A Pony, and while the show won't start until 7, you'll want to get there early to nab a good spot and ticket if you waited too long! Also, stick around for a set from the awesome DJ Cooky Parker and live that "Thursday is the new Friday" dream. We'll sleep when we're dead.

Meow.

• Ray Gordon
• Immaculate Martin

We've had two successful nights of Open Season fashion shows, so why stop now? Nope, not gonna!

Tonight features some of the city's heaviest hitters in Pendleton's The Portland Collection, designed by Rachel Turk, Nathaniel Crissman, and John Blasioli. In case you've been living under a fashionless rock, when Pendleton tapped these local designers—riding the crest of a resurgence in popularity and projects with everyone from Opening Ceremony to Adidas—to translate the historic company's aesthetic for the Rachel Comey and A.P.C. set, it... went really well. Their first collection was hotly anticipated and received with international adoration. Now on their third, I feel like they're getting better and better, and we are so stoked to be hosting the fall collection debut.

Continuing our venue roving, tonight we'll be set up at Rontoms (21+, doors at 6, show at 7 or so—word to the wise: come on the earlier side to get a good spot/drink/ticket. Pre-sale is sold out but there will be a limited number of tickets being sold at the door.) This is also the only show for which there will be live music—in the form of the beloved Lovers! And, the show will be immediately followed by a set from DJ Flash Gordon. And another pair of drink specials using Eastside Distilling's Portland Potato Vodka and Burnside Bourbon. Says Ron of the 'toms, "We will be doing a Moscow Mule with the vodka (muddled lime & ginger, vodka and ginger beer) and a Sour Cherry Old Fashioned with the whiskey (whiskey, kirsch, sugar, and sour cherry garnish)." So there you go.

• Ray Gordon

Last night's kick-off of the Open Season series of fashion shows was epic—check out Marissa's recap. But pick yourself back up, because we are just getting started!

This evening at Produce Row (21+, doors at 6, show at 7-ish, with plenty of time to get your weeknight beauty rest—or not) we are presenting two up-and-comers on the scene: Lindsey Reif is nipping at the heels of longer-established designers in town, and quickly becoming one of the savviest design talents in the city. Joining her is Brady Lange, who's been haunting the design community for years, but only last summer launched the first of his bright, versatile, sassy collections. This one's going to be fun.

• Ray Gordon
• Leave it to Brady Lange to make me actually lust after pink flamingo-printed clothing.

Oh! And there are fashionable drink specials going as well: 1) Fierce Voodoo: Portland Potato Vodka, mango juice, fresh mint, lime, sugar and soda, served on the rocks in a pint. 2) New Fashioned: Burnside Bourbon, St Germain, Amaretto, Dandelion Bitters and Lemon Peel, served on the rocks in a bucket. Now you know!

• Elissa Hall
• Spartan Mansion

Tucked along the quiet Seaview, WA coast, beneath a canopy of towering Douglas Firs, sits an odd collection of vintage travel trailers. The fleet clusters around a grand, colonial-style lodge with sweeping porches and the landscape is accented by the perpetual, gentle lull of the Pacific. The setting is equal parts ominous and magical.

This humble acre of Peninsula land holds one of the Northwest creative's best kept secrets, The Historic Sou'wester Lodge.

While the lodge has provided a creative oasis for over a century, Portland transplant Thandi Rosenbaum and Kathy Duffy are in the process of creating it as an active host for Northwest culture. Typically, coast culture conjures pastel galleries, bead shops and seashell art. Forget driftwood furniture, forget taffy shops, the Sou'wester breathes new life into Seaview, WA and draws a wide audience from the likes of Portland, Seattle and Olympia.

• Elissa Hall
• Lodge marketplace-ran on honors system

• Elissa Hall
• The Thrifty Trailer, a makeshift on-site thrift store and treasure trove

• Elissa Hall
• Pop-up shop, curated by artist in residence Jesse Lortz

The summer season holds a grip of promising events. Almost each weekend offers a fantastic show. Personal favorite Little Wings plays this weekend. May 25th showcases Hits of Sunshine, a percussive performance based around Portland artists Heather Treadway, Allan Wilson and Lisa Schonberg's residency in Joshua Tree, CA and Ruby Feathers plays the lodge's first anniversary party on June 1st. Music not your style? August 9-11th marks a Vintage Travel Trailer Rally.

• Elissa Hall
• Lodge fireplace

Indeed, in less than a year the Sou'wester has become a gathering place for performers, artists and seekers of creative community. Perhaps its the strange aura of the Washington sea, the cedar and doug fir incense that hangs in the fog, or the quiet, eclectic crowd of lodgers but the Sou'wester conceals an intimate magic in its teak walls and Rosenbaum and Duffy have applied their skilled hands and warm spirit towards harvesting its full potential.

Book now for the summer season. More photos after the jump...

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Open Season, the four-evening series of fashion shows featuring some of the most exciting design talent in town, kicks off tonight with three of the city's heavy hitters: Holly Stalder, Emily Ryan, and Liza Rietz. Additionally, you'll also get to see jewelry from Sword + Fern and bags by Seaecho paired with Stalder's looks, and BOET jewelry buddied up with Rietz's.

Plus! As you may know, Rietz is also a talented musician—you probably know her best for her work in Tu Fawning along with Toussaint Perrault (also from Babydollars), who has composed an original soundtrack for tonight's runway show. Rietz says, "It is bad ass! Something different and exciting for runway!"

Sounds good to me. Doors at the White Owl Social Club open at 6 this evening, with showtime scheduled at 7. There are still some tickets left–-buy now and you won't have to take your chances at the door!

• Ray Gordon
• Dress by Holly Stalder, Earrings by Hazel Cox.

Next week's series of Open Season fashion shows feature some of the most important and exciting apparel designers working and producing in the city. However! It's also taking place at what are probably four of your favorite places to hang out in on any given beautiful day in late spring/early summer or whatever we are calling this meteorological stroke of luck (global warming?). The shows are scheduled early so you can be bright-eyed and bushy tailed on weekday mornings for that big PowerPoint presentation. (Doors are at 6, shows at 7, and you'll be tucked in and snoozing before 9.)

OR, you are mightier than weekday mornings, and you're down to be out a bit later, in which case the venues are all planning post-show shindigs:

Monday, May 13 after Holly Stalder/Emily Ryan/Liza Rietz at the White Owl Social Club, DJ Maxamillion will take over. On Tuesday at Produce Row, Reif and Brady Lange will be followed by the Supper Set with DJ Rev Shines, an all-vinyl mix of soul, jazz, and rare grooves. On Wednesday, Pendleton's The Portland Collection takes over at Rontoms, followed by... nothing. Because have you seen their patio?! And the weather?! And finally on Thursday after Immaculate Martin at Dig A Pony, DJ Cooky Parker will cap off the whole shebang.

Tickets each night are a nominal $5, and they're on sale and going fast!

On Monday, the first in a four-evening series of Open Season fashion shows featuring some of the greatest designers in the city will kick off (I know, weekdays, but they're early shows, with doors at 6, show at 7-ish each night), and we're giving away a pair of passes good for each night of the shows! To win 'em, email me by 4 pm and I'll choose a winner at random. In the meantime you can find out more about the shows here, including lots of great photos by Ray Gordon. And hey, if you don't win? Tickets are just five bucks!

• Ray Gordon

If you haven't already seen it, check out this week's pretty picture-filled feature on the designers of next week's Open Season series of fashion shows, shot by local badass Ray Gordon. And! Don't forget to pick up your tickets—each night of the shows are a mere $5, so don't sleep till it's too late!

• Ray Gordon
• Dress by Liza Rietz, necklace by BOET.

Finally! Someone's doing a beauty pageant that's intentionally funny, and serves a greater cause than providing endless Q&A based entertainment (sorry Miss Teen South Carolina 2007, you'll never live that one down). The Portlandia Broken Beauty Pageant is a thrift-store themed comedy fashion show and benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, taking place Thursday, May 16 at Society PDX. The event will include a runway show and the dreaded interview portion, and at the end of the night a Broken Beauty Queen OR King will be crowned. There will also be a raffle, an Instagram photo booth and beats by DJ A-Trane. And if you're interested in participating in the pageant there's still time, just FB message event organizer Philip Roman. Get full event details and RSVP here.

• Portland Broken Beauty Pageant

Monday kicks off four days of fashion shows at the series that is the new incarnation of the Mercury's Open Season. We have some of the city's top design talent participating, including Tuesday night's lineup of Reif and Brady Lange.

Now we can add one more name to the list: Jewelry designer Coco Cardenas, who recently returned to Portland after trying San Francisco on for size. Reif and Cardenas have collaborated before, and in earlier days in New York Cardenas worked closely making jewelry for Heatherette. Check out the rest of the schedule below, and grab those tickets (a mere five bucks per night) over here.

• Stephan Alexandr

After a widely successful three years with Sticks & Stones, co-founder and creative director Stephan Alexandr has switched gears to find himself creating his own independent works of art. His work primarily utilizes animal skulls, bones and jaws to create one of a kind progressive wall mounts and decor.

This Saturday May 11th starting at 3pm, Stephan teams up with Backtalk to host a night of music, drinks, pretty people and art.

Music By: Futro Fam and Dual Mode