The annual Buffalo Exchange fur-donation program is right around the corner, kicking off on the 14th of this month through April 22nd. For those unfamiliar with the "Coats for Cubs" program, it's a drive to collect authentic fur and shearling pieces—even just trims and collars—for the Humane Society to use as bedding for injured and orphaned wildlife cuz it reminds them of their mommies. Take a minute to think about how sweet and sad and cute that is.

Now gather up whatever fur you're not using (tattered and battered is a-okay) and bring it down to any Buffalo location between those dates, and tell them it's a donation for the program. Voila. (If you want to claim a tax deduction, mail it to The Humane Society of the United States, attn: Coats for Cubs, 2100 L St, NW, Washington, DC, 20037).

I just got back from the press conference for FUSE, the inaugural event kicking off tomorrow in celebration of new attempts between the design communities of Portland and the Henan province of China. The primary local liaison in the Portland Fashion Synergy (PDXFS) group, which is working alongside Portland's Art Institute and—hopefully—the city to explore mutually beneficial arrangements and exchanges. It seems to boil down to this: The delegate here from China, consisting of designers as well as the CEOs of large apparel factories (the region specializes in the design and production of women's pants—as in, they are responsible for over 50 percent of all of China's production of women's pants) have things to teach Portland on a technical level as well as how to streamline production. Portland, in turn, can share its creative design approaches, particularly in regard to approaching manufacture of apparel in sustainable ways. Visions of this playing out include organizing student exchange programs—Shao XIanwei, president of the Henan Institute of Engineering, which has 25,000 students, 1,700 of which are studying apparel design, was one of the speakers—as well as mutual exchanges of design and manufacturing ideas. If it all sounds a little vague, take heart that the itinerary of the trip also includes a visit to Sam Adams' office, who I trust will be interested in the possibility of creating a greater number of apparel-industry jobs in the area, further meetings with AI, as well as tours of some of Portland's existing design studios and production facilities.

Just about every Chinese delegate who spoke this morning invited Portlanders to visit China and get a better idea of what their operations are like, something which I hope to be able to do (hey, Mercury, feel like chipping in on my ticket?) as this relationship develops, to see if it's really possible to make it work in such a way that will benefit Portland's economy and industry in a meaningful way, and effectively integrate environmentally sensitive practices in a culture that most liberal Americans (such as Portlanders) strongly associate with industrial pollution and questionable labor practices. The first step will be to see what comes of tomorrow's black tie affair, I suppose...

We've got to get our eight hours of beauty sleep followed by 6 am yoga, followed by catching up on all the correspondence that's come in since I fled the local scene to sink an entire paycheck into New York, after all. So let the bloodshot-eyed news hounds do their compendiums at the truly stunning hour of 6:30 am. I think I was barely through my first round of sun salutations at that point. Anyhow, to bring things up to speed, there are a couple (no, actually, a ton) of developments of note that have emerged in the past week.

1. The lineup and schedule for Portland Fashion Week (Oct 7-11) has been announced, including repeat participants Icebreaker, Amai Unmei, Idom, Lizzie Parker, as well as a fair number of new names, many more of which are international than in years past, with collections hailing from Sweden, Australia, Pakistan, and Paris. Of particular intrigue is the return of Anna Cohen with her new Imperial Collection headlining the last night of the affair (it was funded in part by a US Department of Agriculture grant, made with wool from Oregon's Imperial Stock Ranch, a National Conservation Farm!), as well as the "Ready to Roll" matinee show of cyclewear.

2. The lineup has also been announced for next Friday's FUSE fashion show, the first major event put on by the PDX Fashion Synergy group that features a handful of designers from China as well as local names Emily Katz, May Tee, Defyance, Adam Andreas, Hillary Day, Janeane Marie, Barbara Seipp, Emily Sunnell, Christa Taylor, Heather Treadway—a handsome lineup indeed! As for the Chinese contingent, they are apparently website-less, so it will be a surprise (I love surprises) but their names are Cathaya, Cui Wen, and Ching Jian.

3. For the 7th year in a row, Sweet F.A. is gearing up for its always-fun marriage of young designers and a rock 'n' roll theme coming up in February, and they are now accepting applications from designers who'd like to participate. Here are the deets on applications, which are due to be emailed here by November 2nd:

-First and foremost, this is a Rock & Roll fashion show, so your designs should reflect that. Does not matter what season, size, or gender (we would love to see more menswear though.)
-Sketches of 6-8 outfits. Each component must be constructed by you.
-Color and/or fabric swatches.
-A paragraph/visuals of what inspired your collection.
-A bio of you/your line and pictures of previous work.

4. Oblation Papers and Press is readying for its 20th anniversary with a cheese 'n' wine reception on Oct 9th, followed on Saturday the 10th with a day of letterpress and papermaking demonstrations and 20 percent off both days on their lovely selection of paper, pens, art cards, and more.

5. On Sunday, Sept 27th, yet another line that marries tee and hoodie screenprinting with artists' work, called 1of7, makes its debut, featuring only seven pieces from each artist. Sniff it out at Tree's Restaurant in the Pacwest Building (1211 SW 5th) from 6-10 pm.

6. West end boutique Narcisse has a birthday to celebrate on Friday, Sept 25th, where they've just received the fall shipment of their flagship line, Noa Noa. Stop in from 2-7 pm for snacks, drinks, a drawing, and 10 percent off.

7. Purveyor of adorable home decorations from wallpaper to pillowcases Makelike launched an online shop full of Portland-designed and produced products based on a given theme, starting with "cactus."

8. This Saturday from 11 am-6 pm is the 12th annual Alberta Street fair, which is going to be a crazy swarm of vendors and bands and freaky people, but those brave enough to venture into it are sure to find some killer deals at the shops.

9. Further south on Saturday on NE Broadway, Soho Boutique (1605 NE Broadway) is having a trunk show featuring locals Banay Designs jewelry and Jane Raymond handbags. Pop in from noon-5 pm for champagne, a drawing, and 20% off all regular priced clothing.

10. Pinkham Millinery is collaborating with Elizabeth Dye, Kate Towers, Frocky Jack Morgan, MothLove, Emily Ryan, Holly Stalder, Jayme Hansen, Duchess Clothier, Emily Bixler, and Valerie Mathus for a show called "The Procession" on October 9th at 6 pm (plenty of time to make it to that night's installment of Portland Fashion Week, I've been assured!) at a top-secret location to be revealed to those who RSVP the day prior.

11. Yet another anniversary—this one belonging to Tilde—goes down this Saturday, all day, from 10 am-8 pm, with 20% off everything in the store, a limited edition reusable shopping bag for every purchase over $40 (while supply lasts) plus cookies and prosecco starting at 2, which is 5 o'clock somewhere.

12. The deadline for artists and designers to be a part of Scrap's annual Junk to Funk recycled fashion show is approaching: Collect your garbage by October 14th!

And finally, this amazing bra—it's more than a bra, though isn't it?—is calling my name from Lille Boutique, where it just arrived with its matching French knicker and bikini brief, all part of the Sofia Flashing set from Stella McCartney. I think I'm in love.

Let's take a moment to wash that name out of our brains with soap, henceforth to be referred to as PFF.

Okay, so this one goes out to all kid brothers and sisters in the house. PFF is an annual scholarship competition open to high school seniors that's currently in its fifth year. The winnings are not to be scoffed at: Full tuition scholarships in apparel design, apparel accessory design, or fashion marketing at Art Institute schools across the country, including of course the Art Institute of Portland. If that's not enough, in partnership with Seventeen, grand prize winner will get a trip to a New York Fashion Week fashion show, a $500 shopping spree, and opportunities to rub shoulders with the Seventeen staff. All the details are here, and the deadline for applications is November 20th. Come out come out wherever you are, young designers. The world needs fresh blood.

Portland Fashion Week is coming up in a few short months (click that link if it's been a while... the web site's been redesigned, and it's better now) and they're looking for a few good models to walk the runway on a work-for-trade basis, with the added bonus of being splashed around in the media, becoming a permanent part of a rising designer's portfolio and of course, networking. I sure hope to see a lot of new faces and a variety! Here are the basic requirements:

Females:
MINIMUM 5'8" - 6'0"
DRESS SIZES 0-6
BRING HEELS

Males:
5'10" - 6'2"
Waist 28-32
Jacket Sizes Up to 42L

Open auditions are taking place this coming Sunday, August 30 at the Art Institute of Portland from 2-5 pm. You should also check out Project Green Search, a Greenloop-sponsored "green model" search that's working in symbiosis with PFW, and which offers some sweet prizes and opportunities for the winner.

On Friday I had the opportunity to pop down to the new location of the Portland Garment Factory in the up-and-coming Montavilla neighborhood at 7910 SE Stark. In contrast to the small, dark location on Belmont, the new Factory is flooded with natural light, bright and spacious.

The added square footage is going to be used as a showroom/storefront where buyers can place orders on clients' designs as well as shoppers being able to pluck pieces off the racks, including samples and one-offs. Meanwhile, the factory, which does patterns, grading, and production for indie designers throughout the region, occupies the back end of the long space, providing a pleasant busy-bee hum in the background. The new digs will be celebrated with a grand opening party on Saturday, September 5th. Look for more details in an upcoming issue of the print edition.

in recent years, Portland Fashion Week has been the only major organization dedicated to Portland fashion. Not so anymore, with the emergence of the Portland Fashion Synergy group, whose aims are more widespread than an annual fashion show of the caliber found in fashion capitals. They're interested in developing local means of production (founder May Tee also started the Filo factory, which has since joined forces with Kenneth Doswell of Betty Jean Couture's N Portland operations, an ambitious co-joining that bodes well and exciting for high quality production work in town), and are facilitating an exchange with designers and buyers in China, for instance. Their monthly meeting took place on Thursday, where they finally hammered out the main players:

President: May Tee
Vice President: Thomas Desouza
Secretary: Heather Shroyer
Treasurer: Kenneth Doswell
Director of Event Planning: Jillian Rabe
Director of Scholarships: Christa Taylor
Director of Memberships: Almarina Bianchi
Nominations have been agreed upon by the founded members
Advisory Board Members
Representative of Designers - Sarah Wallace
Representative of International Affairs - Kerry Yu
The following Advisory Board Positions are to be established this week. As the commitments are made for the following positions we will notify the rest of the organization.
Retail Representative:
Designer Rep: Sarah Wallace
Attorney:
Financial Officer:
PR/Media:
Marketing:
Manufacturer:
Brand Advisors:
Education Entity - e.g. AI:
City Rep.:

(It's not too late to get involved!)

While it would seem like the obvious, and mutually beneficial thing for PFW and PFS to work together, after a few initial attempts, PFS has officially decided that—at least for now—it is going to keep itself out of PFW's business. From the meeting minutes:

4)Portland Fashion Week
-We will not be participating in Portland Fashion Week for Fall of 2009 at this time.
-Perhaps with time Portland Fashion Synergy will participate with Portland Fashion Week in the future.
-An upcoming meeting is to be scheduled with the Board of Directors and Portland Fashion Week.

I believe that is what they call a "dis." Hit the jump for bios of the board members.

Have you ever had some weird physical malady that was completely unexplainable... until you stumbled upon some weird arcane explanation that totally explained it? THAT JUST HAPPENED TO ME! Dude...

For as long as I can remember (and I swear to God, I'm not joking about this), I have experienced an intermittent tingling sensation in my thigh—that's not unlike the feeling of a cellphone vibrating in my pocket (which I was fooled into thinking on numerous occasions). Naturally, I assumed I had thigh cancer and ignored it. BUT THEN I READ THIS LIFE-ALTERING ARTICLE! From MSNBC.com…

When [Parmeeta Ghoman] wore a pair of super-tight skinny jeans to dinner with friends in December, she noticed an odd tingly sensation running up and down her thighs. And when she got up to walk around, things got weirder. She felt like she was almost "floating," because she couldn't feel her legs. “It felt really strange — it felt like my leg had gone to sleep,” Ghoman says.

Ghoman’s skin-tight denim may have caused a temporary bout of a nerve condition called meralgia paresthetica, also known as “tingling thigh syndrome.” The condition can happen when constant pressure — in Ghoman's case, from the skin-tight denim — cuts off the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, causing a numb, tingling or burning sensation along the thigh.

THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT! THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT! Now, you might be thinking, "Well, Steve… why don't you simply just take off those tight pants?" to which I would respond, "You first!" I'm sorry, but there is no freaking way I'm going to dress like those clinically insane idiots who walk around wearing baggy jeans and looking like goddamn circus clowns. Besides, covering up a slice of sweet and juicy ham (like the one that currently resides in my pants) would be a sin of the greatest proportion—and if that means living with a tad of meralgia paresthetica? THEN SO BE IT!

Besides, according to Parmeeta Ghoman, there is another solution.

“Have you heard of these things — they’re called jeggings? Or treggings?” she asks. She's talking about a type of leggings made to look like super-tight jeans. “I haven’t tried them yet, but people are saying they’re comfortable.”

Yeah, I'm not going to do that either.

Coco Avant Chanel, the Coco Chanel biopic starring Audrey Tatou, is releasing in France tomorrow, meaning its US release is—um, hopefully—not too far behind!

In the meantime, all us Yanks have to tide ourselves over with is the trailer that came out last month... in French. (The American version with English subtitles is apparently a few weeks out.) So, Videogum, which apparently shares my impatience, had a high school freshman with one and a half semesters of French under her belt translate it for those of us who, despite eight ostensible years of grade-school French, can still barely sing Frére Jacques:

Hmm. Maybe something got lost in the translation there, but that actually looks underwhelming and washed out. In fact the whole proposition seemed more fascinating when it was first announced, didn't it? Stay tuned for the US debut, sometime this year (fingers crossed).

Celebrity fashion gossip time!!

Lauren Conrad (aka LC or as Marjorie just said, "some bitch from The Hills") is temporarily stopping her fashion line. Yes the former best friend of Mrs. Spencer Pratt has a clothing line. Where she sold it I have no idea. There were reports LC was ditching it for good, but thank the good Lord himself, it's just going to take a break for a few seasons.

Hey! Mandy Moore did the same thing! Yes, she has a clothing line too, and in case you're wondering it's called Mblem and it's actually been around since 2005. Again, word was she was ending it but turns out she's just "taking a break for a few seasons" as well.

At the same time that the aforementioned celebrities are putting theirs on hold, Gwyneth Paltrow is starting a fashion line! Currently working on her Fall/Winter collection, she'll be collaborating with French fashion house ZOEtee’s for her line ZOEtee’s Loves Gwyneth. The line will be like her—free-spirited ('70s inspired) and goodhearted (all proceeds will go to the charity London’s Kids Company).

Lindsay Lohan. Crap, I hate this bitch. She's acting as "a modern 'Alice in Wonderland' who explores three metaphysical settings characterized by fluctuating geometrical shapes with neon colors" in a new Fornarina ad for the Spring/Summer line. I rue the day I bought Fornarina shoes.

The fashion world at large is abuzz with disseminating the fruits of fashion weeks around the globe, and we'll leave you to catch up with Style.com for that. In the meantime, here's a roundup of news from the industry that doesn't stem from a runway..

American Apparel was considering bankruptcy! How great would it be if all the "hipsters" of the world actually had to start putting some form of originality into their look, rather than just buying a deep-v and braided headband? Alas, AA is partaking in a financing agreement with London-based Lion Capital LLP for $80 million to pay off old debts and stay afloat. Oh well, the hipsters would just start shopping at Urban Outfitters more anyway.

Shepard Fairey, the street artist who created the iconic Andre the Giant image but became famous for his red and blue Obama HOPE poster, has not only made it to the National Portrait Gallery but he has made it to...Saks. The artist recently unveiled a tote bag to be sold at Saks for $20. Is it just me or is this weird? Saks?

Neiman Marcus reported a loss of $509.3 million last quarter. That same quarter last year, ending January 31st, they had made $44.3 million. Write-downs are to blame for half a billion dollars of the loss, and the rest is because their wealthy shoppers are tightening their belt just like the rest of us. It's about time.

To the dismay of many, Wal-Mart reported a rise in sales for the month of February. Sales rose well above the 2.4% expected, to end at 5.1% for the month. Target, meanwhile (my corporate, small-business killing super store of choice), was down 4.1% for the month. All I have to say is, oh crap...

Milan's economic crisis is having an interesting effect on Milan Fashion Week. Check out Agatha Ruiz De La Prada's interesting new collection, which includes breakfast foods, birdcages, and something that looks like a Monsters, Inc. character.

More from Milan: Dolce & Gabbana are launching a luxury makeup line. A pipe dream for years, the pair has turned to their Sicilian and Mediterranean roots for inspiration, and to Scarlett Johansson as a face for the line. Expect the line to be sold in "very selected top-luxury department stores".

Coco Avant Chanel, a biopic of Coco Chanel's early years, will be released in France on April 22 and here in the US sometime shortly after. Audrey Tautou, the you're-so-beautiful-I-hate-you star from Amélie, will be playing Ms. Chanel. The trailer just came out and is in French with no subtitles, but for those of you who want a sneek peek you can check it out here. (Karl Lagerfeld did the costumes, no wonder they look amazing.)

The body is the canvas for fashion, so let's talk about the body. Have you noticed how bangin' Michelle Obama's arms look? I know I've noticed and yearned for similarly sculpted arms. And it seems I'm not the only one taking note of her extremities. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd said recently in a column titled "Should Michelle Cover Up?":

Let’s face it: The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama’s sculpted biceps. Her husband urges bold action, but it is Michelle who looks as though she could easily wind up and punch out Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Madoff, and all the corporate creeps who ripped off America.

On the local front: Olio United will soon be selling Portland designer Sarah Seven's breathtakingly beautiful creations (which are currently only online and at Seaplane). Keep an eye out, her dresses are as desirable as chocolate cake to a diabetic. But more expensive.

Last but not least...
Blessed be, Lindsay Lohan is launching a self-tanning mist! It will: Tan you in 2-5 hours and last 4-5 days. It won't: Stain, or make you shrink to superhuman size. Good lord, she's frightening.