More Emmys fashion, this time from Topless Robot:

I don't want to be a killjoy, but does anyone else miss the days when clothing that expressed your interests and enthusiasms for things that aren't clothes were limited to t-shirts?

This week, I keep having these conversations with women I know in which we discuss what we're planning to wear for the almost-always ultra-casual 4th of July festivities. Invariably it involves red, white, and/or blues (mostly denim), but it also always seems to give people license to revel in trashy-kitsch (daisy duke cut-offs and mini jean skirts your mother would never have allowed you out of the house in, Budweiser print string bikinis, tube tops, etc.). Nobody seems act this way for Christmas, or even Valentine's Day. The only thing I can think of that's comparable is Halloween, where so many people tack a "sexy" element onto their costume theme (sexy vampire, sexy baby, sexy Harry Potter, etc). Also, what does it mean that the tackiest things (terry cloth anything, bedazzled-ass jeans, lucite heels, eating Cheetos) suddenly feel right on Independence Day? I'm not saying it's not fun, I'm just saying...

For the record: I do plan to wear a scandalous denim skirt that my mother would have never let me leave the house in.

[Erik just posted this on Blogtown, but I thought it might be of interest to the MOD crowd. —Marjorie]:

So that Leverage show that shoots here? They need extras—specifically, "hip and fashionable men and women to be fashion show attendees, fashion designers, buyers, magazine editors, etc." They're also looking for "runway models" between 18-30 years old who "NEED TO KNOW HOW TO WALK THE RUNWAY." (Christ, I get it, stop shouting at me. That's the last time I show off the walk I learned from Top Model.)

And yes, they're paying—which in times like these, justifies posting notices like this one on Blogtown. Hit the jump for the full press release and all the details.

Yeah yeah, American Vogue sucks, but I dare you to resist the temptation of September Issue, the forthcoming documentary feature on Anna Wintour. Though one can't reasonably expect too many surprises, fashion docs have been on a roll (Lagerfeld Confidential and Valentino: The Last Emperor are both worth a spin in the old DVD machine. This one opens in—you guessed it—September, and I suspect I'll be called on for the Merc's review. In the meantime, here's the trailer:

Via Film Drunk.

Over the weekend, Olio United debuted the first documentary short profiling a local apparel designer in their new "Makermade" series. I love it, can't wait to see more:

Minh Tran snapped some photos of Chairlift's recent show at the Doug Fir. I am inherently interested in musicians' stage attire, and Chairlift's singer/indie fashion plate Caroline Polachek does not disappoint here, where she has fashioned a plastic bad not only into a dress but a dress with a bustle-style globular shape.

Again I find myself wishing there was an "Inspiration" category for the blog, because today I was alerted to MODELFEED (tag line: "not made up"). It's basically just like Blogtown except if it were written by beautiful barely legal globetrotting models, and instead of tags like "News" there were tags like "Confessions." The pictures are good, the videos even better (everything from a model practicing the ukelele in her underwear to footage of an obscure thrift store one of them discovered in Stockholm), but the writing is the best.

Sample post titles:
"Hat Parade!"
"How to Shoot A Bikini"
"Berry Heaven!"
"Yum! Dim! Sum!"

Sample opening lines:
"I spent my 18th birthday half in New York.. and half in London."
"Saying I love tea is a complete understatement."
"I am so all about nutrition and diet."

Just be careful, it's addictive.

I posted earlier that designer May Tee has moved production of her high-quality women's wear line from New York to Portland, having founded the Filo Factory, and yesterday evening I went in to take a look at the space. Clean and well-lit, it began as the shared studio of Alyson Clair (her line is called simply Clair) and Sarah Wallace (her line and store are Lucia). They connected with May Tee through PDX Fashion Synergy, a fledgling organization that was May's brainchild, and which has partnered with the Art Institute of Portland to establish a scholarship (the first one awarded was to Janeane Marie). The goals are ultimately broad, but in general the aim is to foster and support the apparel design industry in Portland through relationships and shared resources—maybe even offer health insurance through membership.

Tee and Wallace pooled together to add five industrial machines to their existing resources, a proper cutting table, and hired Susie Ruan, a talented sample maker, with the goal of eventually having her take on a production manager role as the factory's client base grows and they are able to take on additional sewing employees. They've also leased a program called OptiTex, which all three swear by for precise digitized grading, maximizing fabric yield, and generally doing wonders for quality and consistency.

Filo is poised to fill a role that many Portland designers struggle with. Any legitimate factory located in the region requires a large minimum of pieces to produce, and a designer working on a smaller scale is faced with shouldering much of the production work on their own, or contracting it out to sewers who work out of their homes, which can result in inconsistent quality. Filo joins the Portland Garment Factory and Sofada in trying to fill that void, with low or no minimums at reasonable cost to local designers.

May points out that Filo has several advantages over even the work that she's experienced with her own line at the hands of New York factories, where by virtue of the distance between here and there design details are frequently lost, despite monthly trips to monitor the production. There's an old-school mentality that resists computerization despite its effectiveness, likely out of the fear of taking on any additional costs. A traditional factory might charge more for a greater range of sizes, while with OptiTex it can be mapped out with minimal hassle, and thus expense.

"There's a lot of talent here," says May of the sewers in Portland, "you just have to handpick them." This is probably particularly true now, with layoffs at large firms. Along with Ruan, they and their associates in the Synergy group are keeping their eye on such candidates, and if the factory is able to grow and create enough new jobs, there's the possibility of additional support from the Portland Development Commission.

If you're a designer looking for a local, reliable source for production—even on tricky fabric like woven knits—Filo is extremely well equipped, and Ruan comes highly praised. May Tee's line is, after all, carried at Mario's, which is not known for compromising luxury and quality for sentimental feelings toward local design, and her work there is testament to the standards upheld by Filo.

Check out Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's contribution to the fur/fashion dialogue:

Photos via dlisted.

Gotta love it. Also recall Castelbajac's Lego-inspired looks from Spring '08—and definitely check out the video (how badly do you want the Anna Wintour Lego figure?!):

As a kind of open letter/general request to all designers and retailers with web sites:

Increasingly, window-shopping is being done online. The seductive waltz between a shopper and a business now begins long before the prospective customer walks through the door. Stores have long-ago begun catering to internet usage with online purchasing options and blogs, both of which are awesome, and can really draw people into the merchandise. Many companies and stores give excellent, detailed descriptions of the products, their materials, sizes, color options, etc. Companies that go out of their way to market themselves to customers as being green in particular tend to be fastidious in their presentation of the hows and whys of materiality—all very valuable information.

The one thing that consistently blows my mind and irritates the hell out of me is how frequently what I consider to be a crucial detail is omitted: Please be upfront about where things are made. If you are detail oriented enough to provide information on how many square inches a pocket on a bag has, you can do this. If I'm tempted by your blog or online store to come in and try on or examine what you're selling, you know what one of the first things I'm going to do is anyway? Look at the tag.

Okay, done.

I recently paid a visit to the Portland Garment Factory, excited to check out a production house not only within city limits, but located smack in the heart of SE Belmont in a cute little teal cube of a building that founder Britt Howard shares with other creative entrepreneurs. It began as something of an experiment--Howard had no idea what the response will be, and as a mother of two she also holds down other employment. The positive response from local apparel designers has been good enough that Howard may soon have to move the operation into roomier digs. The current space is tiny and windowless, but Howard and her employees seem content enough, and there is talk of the artist down the hall lending his hand to cheer the space up a bit, make things, oooh, a little less sweat-shoppy in decor. After all, this is the most anti-sweatshop thing ever! An apparel production house in Portland, Oregon! Let's get a window up in here!

The Factory's charming facade

Britt working at her machine

Here's a sweet story to set your week off on a positive note, from Portland designer Lindsey Reif. If you're an apparel designer or crafter who produces a lot of scrap it's also a good reminder that there's a demand for such things:

One thing I've realized about being a designer is that no matter how cautious a person is when cutting, sewing, designing, there is bound to be a staggering amount of waste fabric. Being the pack rat that I am, I have saved nearly all of my scraps over the past year, and this week I realized that I had 7 (!!) trash bags of scrap fabric in my basement that I really needed to do something with. I decided to post an ad on craigslist to find a home for the fabric. I received 38 emails in less than 12 hours, so I had to come up with some criteria for the lucky recipient. I decided that they had to be using the fabric for a good cause, and they could not be making money from the scraps.

Most of what I had leftover was fleece, and I found the perfect match! Kathy Sayles, a volunteer for the Cat Adoption Team Shelter in Sherwood, OR ( about 20 minutes outside of Portland) contacted me about a possible donation. She makes beds for the kitties at the shelter, and is always in search of scrap fabric, especially fleece, to make the kitties feel comfortable. Kathy was very grateful for the donation, and it made me feel great as well! It's nice to know that I have a home for future leftover fabric!

And, here is one of Kathy's cat beds. Awwwww....

Wow, this woman is trying to sue Victoria's Secret for a piece of thong that flew off into her eye. She's lucky the thing wasn't on fire. (Yes, that's my attempt at a cheap fabric joke.)

(Thanks to dlisted.)

Giovanna Parolari owns one of my favorite stores in town. Not only does she have the perfect mix of designers (choosing from both an international and local crop), but she also arranges it just so. It's like you're discovering something incredibly special. Here, we pick her brain about what she's into right now.

What are your picks of this season from your store?
For the summer:

-Mociun tank dress in tie die
-Selima Optique sunglasses (coming this month)
-pyt jewelry
-local jewelry and bag designer Sara Barner's rings!!!
-scarves any and all kinds.

Place to eat:
Navarre of course! Also, Clyde Common, Masu East, Helvetia Tavern, Maki

Drink of choice:
Compari and soda. White wine and rosé

Summer music you're playing at your store:
Wings
Fleetwood Mac tusk
Rihanna
Brightblack
Tu Fawning
Neil Young
Liz Phair
George Harrison
Tito Puente

Travel destination and dream companion:
Brazil, Argentina or Japan, with John, my partner. He's by far my favorite travel companion, too much fun, too much food and too much wine!

Favorite quote:
"medium"

Items in your wear-every-day outfit:
I'm too moody, except for certain jewels.

What Portland event/concert you're looking forward to:

River time and driving home afterwards- sitting in the back, nice music, staring out the window at the leaves and light. The windows down, slight breeze, you're a little smelly, a little burned and the most relaxed you've been in awhile. Thinking about food with your friends, trying to keep the feeling around a bit longer... Bocce challenge with friends and food.

Last thing you bought:
Malia Mills bikini for myself
Rag & Bone cardigan and Lova short sleeve cardigan for my beau

Una
2802 SE Ankeny / Portland, Oregon 97214
www.una-myheartisfull.com
www.unaportland.blogspot.com