Bubble Boutique is kicking off the holiday party season this Thursday evening with a fashion show of holiday party looks from Karen Zambos, Susana Monaco, and Kyumi. Come by early for snacks and bubbly beginning at 6, with the show scheduled to begin at 7. (RSVPs are nice but not required.)

There is so much more where that came from... check it out.

This delightfully malleable contraption is the latest from Stephanie Simek Wearables, available for pre-order here.

Birds of A Feather is a new online community where Portland fashion designers can gather, meet, and share their work and ideas. This is a newborn project and is still very much a blank canvas. There is amazing potential for how the site can be used, both individually and collectively... This site is intended for the broad range of folks who are involved in the local fashion scene; from the Portland boutiques who support local makers to the apparel and accessory designers, stylists, models and photographers... Users will be able to create profiles with images and biographies, post blogs and comments, list or check upcoming events in the calendar …etc.! This is a space where you might find others interested in collaborative projects or find fashion-related job opportunities for pay or trade. Here you can discuss craft or business matters, network and promote!

Designers who've already joined include Adam Arnold, who through sheer alphabetical advantage has made it so that this awesome photo jumps out from the top of the "designers" page:

Awesome.

Anyhow, he is joined by Sword + Fern, Emily Katz, and Frocky Jack Morgan, among others. The boutique section so far includes Flutter and Narcisse, and you'll find me under "resources" along with Input vs. Output and Brian Stevenson Photography. That's a decent start, but there are still plenty of tumbleweeds over there. If you're involved in the local industry (and haven't yet reached critical mass tending to your various online communities), come on over and sign up. Let's try to make this interesting.

Winona will be available to sign books, answer questions, compliment your shoes, dispense fabulous fashion advice and magical fairy dust—and she will also share her "go-to" outfit picks from the Mabel and Zora winter collection.

Bubbles and cookies will be served. Giveaways, and a 15% discount on one Mabel & Zora item per person will be offered. Cocktail wear is encouraged. We hope to see you there!

Bubbles AND cookies? These people know what they're doing.

1. Depending on the resolution of your monitor, you’ll see the two videos side by side (which is ideal) or on top of each other (which is a bit of a bummer but not the biggest of deals).

2. Completely mute the volume on one of the videos - the audio is identical on both so you won’t be missing out. If you want to see each of the videos individually in full screen, return the volume to normal levels for the one you muted (obviously). Depending on your internet connection and the processing capabilities of your computer, you may have to watch these videos independently for smooth playback. We tried our best to make each of the videos entertaining on their own.

3. Press play on one video and then as quickly as possible press play on the other video. Then go back to the first video and pause it for a split second to compensate for the difference in start times.

4. When the opening sequences start up, the videos should be identical, pause and unpause accordingly to get them synchronized as closely as possible. You should be all set after this.

Let the hot girls, good times in Portland clubs and even the scary ending be your inspiration for this weekend's parties. Oh, and dibs on the black fringed mini-dress!

You can buy the shirt here, but only 'til Nov 1st, so if you've got any, say, Gay Deceivers fans on your list, you could have this totally handled long before Christmas.

Holly Stalder:

Reif:

Sword & Fern:

Hit the jump for many more...

Not to mention: an always-impressive array of food, spiced cider, prizes and Halloween-themed games, free tarot readings, and music. It all goes down at the store from 5-9 pm. Be there!

"We will be featuring one piece (or look) from some of our favorite local apparel and jewelry designers we have worked with over the past year.

Our celebration will be on Tuesday, Oct. 20th from 5-9pm. We will have free Tarot readings, games with wonderful prizes, delicious eats, and an array of local talent on display."

All photos, Minh Tran!

Second came Mountains of the Moon, a Chicago designer focusing on eco-friendly materials. Bland, hippie fashion. These dresses would be glamorous only on a commune.

Third, and the highlight of the evening, Jonano was doing something the rest of them weren't—making the models look attractive. Using traditional forms with cashmere and organic cotton, the clothing was sexy and feminine—womanly without being girlish. All of these "eco" designers were aware of the granola, nature-loving side to the Pacific Northwest, but Jonano incorporated it without sacrificing their aesthetic.

Which is exactly the problem French designer Ethos Paris had. The first two-thirds of their run were bland earth tones. Eco doesn't have to mean brown and green. And environmental doesn't mean it has to look like it was drug from the forest. The shapes and styles of the clothing worked well, it was the color choices that failed. Sometimes basic is a synonym for boring.

The main event of the evening, Anna Cohen and Imperial Stock Ranch, began with a classroom-style presentation from Jeanne Carver about the inner-workings and history of the ranch. Carver spoke about the progression of the use of livestock in the modern marketplace. "Our challenge was to look creatively at ways to survive," she said. She went on to talk about reducing carbon footprints (hoof prints?) and finding ways to raise livestock in an environmental manner. The message seemed a little lost on the crowd. They began to fidget. One woman left. Another slept. And I watched yet another motion "over my head" to her friend when Carver brought up slow food.

But how were the clothes? The clothes were a little more...inventive. For example, one model came out in what looked to be wool lingerie. Fortunately the point was in finding new ways to develop materials, because some of the designs weren't sustainable in the sense that people could actually wear them.

All photos, Minh Tran.

La Vie by Michelle DeCourcy:

DeCourcy's show opened with a number of featherweight sweater pieces in this baby blue that included dresses and tops as well as sweaters. This is the one I wanted to jump into right away.

There were only a couple pieces in this emerald satin but they stood way out in simple cuts.

Jesica Milton:

The Seattle designer showed a number of pieces embellished with this crepe-y, splashy fabric. I think it works best as a shirt... with pants. Add some black stovepipes in there and I'm sold.

WyattOrr:

Another one from Seattle, the first jacket out is my favorite out of the entire collection.

Yes it is weird that this dress has an orange-rimmed hole on the front of it. But I like it.

Idom:

It's difficult to tell in the photo, but this red fabric is awesome, super slick and mean.

The flowers sculpted into the shoulder of this dress are off the hook.

I actually borrowed this very same dress for a photo shoot earlier in the week and adored the fringe-y "fur" skirt. (I'm not alone—this one elicited applause from the audience.)

Amai Unmei:

My favorite dress in a collection that as a whole was a sexier Amai Unmei than the one I've known—good move!

Versatile, go-anywhere top, and I love the pleats peeking from under the lace on the skirt—I'd style it up a bit tougher for my taste, though. Hit the jump to see my picks from Saturday, too!

Speaking of Minh Tran, here’s a video he made for the event:

Don't worry, there will be refreshments, too. Hot damn! Tickets are $10 pre-sale, $12 at the door. Get ‘em here.

...But in case that wasn’t enough, there will also be a DJ and you can get $50 off any rag & bone purchase. Okay-enough said. For real.

More shots of Suzabelle, emerging designers, and Art Institute students after the jump!

Then things really went south. Hit the jump for the gory details.

Liza Rietz:

Emily Ryan:

Fuchsia Lin:

and Idom:

Unlike the majority of what you'll be seeing this week, this show will be showing clothes for right now—fall and winter, that is. Oh the joy of near-instant gratification!: There will be a trunk show at Rietz and Ryan's shared studio/shop at 2305 NW Savier on October 24, 11 am-6 pm, where you can snap up discounted samples from past collections and put your orders in for new pieces from Rietz and Ryan, plus guest-pieces in the shop from Idom for the day.

and this graceful contribution by Janeane Marie:

Then the show presented full spring collections from some of PDX's choice designers, beginning with May Tee, who has historically been a master of solid, neutral colored, timelessly structured and travel-ready luxury pieces. New elements were at play here with a shot of peach-pink that ran throughout the collection:

and prints in the form of tiny giraffes (I thought they were birds from where I was sitting—I like the giraffes better!):

This was my favorite look, however, which is the May Tee I already know. You could arrive anywhere in the world in this and be perfect:

This dress is an iteration of a design for last season, but I thinks it's poppier and sexier in the new hues:

The finale dress was the one piece that was clearly inspired by the Portland/China collaboration, and it's exquisite—the fabric is to-die-for (attention brides-to-be):

Next up was Emily Katz, who showed some of the shapes she's been playing with in past seasons as well as some new direction. Just about everything looked soft and clean and wearable:

Katz first showed this belly-baring little dress at the Forecast show in April, and I think she was right to keep it in for this year:

Like May Tee, Katz introduced a new pattern. Thumbs up:

It's even better from behind, plus Katz is pretty cute here too:

There's more... so much more. Hit the break for the rest!