Portland Mercury: MOD

Workroom 719 Grand Opening Tomorrow

news@portlandmercury.com (Ali "the Intern" Reingold) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:54:42 -0800

The press release pretty much says it all....

Workroom719 is a temporary shop/studio/artist collaborative occupying a vacant storefront (the former See's Candy Shop) right in the heart of the commercial district in SW Portland, OR. I have chosen a selection of work by other artists, designers and craftspeople to accompany my clothing line, Charles & Victoria. Please join us all this Saturday, November 21st, 11-7pm for the Grand Opening to view the shop, talk to the artists and have a glass of wine. We will be here all day but the wine is in the afternoon, 5-7pm.

Featured Artists:
Abra Ancliffe - artist prints
Jayson Wynkoop - artist prints
Scarlet Chamberlin - jewelry
Suzy Root - B-ings (animals)
Chelsea Heffner - plainMade retail (bags and scarves)
Rachel Ancliffe - Charles & Victoria clothing
Larry Olmstead - Entermodal bags
Halo Shoes - special shoe delivery
Eva Wylie - artist prints

Location:
719 SW Morrison St
Portland, OR 97205
503.793.8932

And check this out, too!

There are two promotions this Saturday (same day as Grand Opening) that you should know about:
1) American Express is giving out $50 gift cards to anyone that purchases items downtown with a value over $50! And, the redemption location is in my store. So, if you purchase over $50 worth of goodies in Downtown this Saturday, you can get a $50 gift card for free! There is a small catch; they will be giving away gift cards between 1-3pm and they are only while supplies last.
2) Parking Amnesty this Saturday - All Day! This Saturday only and only in Smart Park facilities downtown. Again a small catch; you have to get in between 10:30 am and noon. Obviously, this is only while there are spaces available. How long do you get to park for free? All-Day-Long!

Chelsea Heffner Felt Bags available at Workroom 719

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Malia Mills

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:02:04 -0800

Habitués of Lille Boutique are familiar with Malia Mills, whose remarkably flattering bathing suits were available at the store this past spring and summer. For December's First Friday soiree (Dec 4), she will be coming to Lille for a trunk show of her new styles for Spring/Summer 2010, as well as the debut of her lingerie! At the meet-and-greet event she'll be talking about the philosophy behind the brand, too, which you can get a sense of through her blog. Sunny days will be here again, so make sure you're covered with a suit you love (and that loves you back).

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Black Friday Gets Blacker and Blacker

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:36:49 -0800

Two more to throw on the pile of holiday sales and events: Tribute Gallery is hosting a three-day pop-up store of handmade gift ideas for those who like to keep it local.

And if you're okay with your goodies having traveled a little, Mabel & Zora's cute stock of dresses will be on sale at 15% off both Friday and Saturday Nov 27 & 28.

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PDX Says Party at saysay boutique

news@portlandmercury.com (Ali "the Intern" Reingold) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:48:20 -0800

saysay boutique is having a sipping, snacking, and shopping event this Friday, November 20th, from 4-8pm, featuring several local designers. Among the goodies provided are cupcakes by bliss and coffee by Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters, and the featured designers include Nora Catherine, Plume jewelry, Skyler Stainless Steel Cuffs, and Sue Bradbury. Check it!

Brass Leaf Earrings by Nora Catherine

Bird pin by Plume Jewelry

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Lulu's Vintage Shopping Bonanza and Benefit

news@portlandmercury.com (Ali "the Intern" Reingold) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:55 -0800

If you like animals and vintage clothing, don't miss out on Lulu's Vintage Shopping Bonanza and Benefit, which starts today at 23 NW 4th Ave. Although now mainly an online presence, Lulu's Vintage and Shop Vintage Online will be opening a pop-up shop to sell an array of vintage clothing and accessories, with 20% of the proceeds donated to DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital.

Here are the days you can catch the sale, from 11am-7pm:

November 18-21
November 24-25
November 27-29

Vintage Blue Lace Dress from lulu'svintage.com

Dog.

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Pantsless in Paris

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:52:29 -0800

Good morning fashion trivia: Did you know that it's technically illegal for women in Paris to wear pants? It's true, according to this Huffington Post article about the ban, which was passed in 1800. What does the "minister in charge of gender equality" (do we have one of those?!) have to say about it? "Disuse is sometimes more efficient than (state) intervention in adapting the law to changing mores." Just go ahead and erase it, dude. Lose it. I guarantee that pioneering pants-wearer Coco Chanel is a greater national treasure than some dusty-ass obsolete city ordinance that, it has been pointed out, makes Paris less progressive than Sudan. Meanwhile, Garance Doré recently wrote an amusing post about the trouble with low-rise jeans:

But in practice, well, during the first five minutes I’m wearing them, when I leave my apartment, making my way down the street as a happy and accomplished woman, hair in the wind, I’m contented… Until I feel my jeans slipping down my leg a little with each step. The wind in my hair stops flat. No need to even look, I know exactly what’s going down: in two seconds, my belt is going to be at mid-ass, and the crotch of the jeans is going to be at mid-thigh. Low-rise jeans: they fall, they slip, they never stay in place.

And this is when the dance starts that’ll keep on keepin’ on for the rest of my day: THE DANCE OF PICKING MY JEANS BACK UP. You gotta grab ‘em by each side and wooooooh! give ‘em a nice yank to get them back up nice and high, bend and straighten each leg in a stupifyingly graceful way, and then a nice little shimmy-shake to get the butt-cheeks back in their original position.

These jeans… Do I have to banish them from my wardrobe as well?

Yeah Garance, technically you do.

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Experiment No. 1

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:02:48 -0800

Mercy Studios (537 SE Ash #25) is the new, communal 2,000sf studio of Andy Lifschutz, Janeane Marie, and Nialls Fallon, jewelry designer, apparel designer, and artist respectively. This Friday, starting at 6 pm, they're breaking in the space with a grand opening party, "Experiement No. 1," and I'm already looking forward to "Experiment No. 2" because A) I will be out of town on Friday and B) they are pulling no punches here: Lifschutz, who I met for the first time at Content, is supremely talented—he has just been asked to participated in Berlin Fashion Week, so you might want to pick some of his work up at Local35 before he blows up and out of your price range. Or better yet, he'll be selling at Friday's party at 25% off. And, if you haven't familiarized yourself with Janeane Marie, she is one of the most rapidly rising stars on Portland's apparel scene (you could get me her "gravity dress" for Christmas if you want). Fallon, meanwhile, is a gifted photographer who has shot everything from warm portraits of pretty girls in bed to stark documentation of Hurricane Katrina. If that's not enough they've also hooked up live painters and modern dancers, music starting at 10 pm from DJ Hanukkah Miracle and Doctor Adam, food from Clyde Common and Olympic Provisions, and lots of donated drink-ables. Please go and enjoy it on my behalf.

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Flurry's Grand Opening Party

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:10:33 -0800

If you've yet to check out the new downtown holiday pop-up shops, here's another excuse to: In the wake of last week's soft openings comes the grand opening party for Flurry (at SW 4th & Morrison, 7-11 pm), the larger of the two in-operation locations, spearheaded by May Tee and the Portland Fashion Synergy group. Here's the crew posing with the mayor, who headed up ribbon cutting duties last week:

The Flurry crew: knows how to party.

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The Xtabay Holiday Party/Sale

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:44:44 -0800

The holidays are coming up fast, yo! That means you'd better be set up with some party clothes, and Xtabay is making it easier for you: On Saturday, December 5, the SE Clinton vintage mainstay is offering 25% off along with "festive libations" and cupcakes. If you don't already know, Xtabay is one of PDX's best sources for vintage eveningwear, especially coats and dresses, as well as bags, baubles, and shoes. It's definitely worth a look-see, especially if your wardrobe could use a little something special to sail you through to New Year's Eve.

I have nothing to say but "oh my GOD" and "WOW" to this Hermés orange John Galanos dress. You wear this, and you steal the show. You win. Done.

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Junk to Funk Roundup

news@portlandmercury.com (Sarah Mirk) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:30:19 -0800

The 4th Annual Junk to Funk recycled fashion show last Saturday night was a pretty swank affair for fashion show celebrating trash.

Here's the idea: Thirty local designers pieced together original clothes from trashed goods, like traffic cones, six-pack rings, bubble wrap and Sytrofoam. For one night only, the clothes are displayed on a stunning catwalk at the Crystal Ballroom at a fashion show MC'd by Mayor Sam Adams and our own Marjorie Skinner, who are forced to wear a top hat and vest, respectively, fashioned from old CDs. The whole thing raises awareness about the waste we create. It's a great idea and a great cause.

Before the show, hundreds of Portlanders packed the Crystal Ballroom, hot-gluing DIY corsages courtesy of SCRAP and generally having a good time. The live band was great, the fashion show set pieced together from giant Styrofoam blocks was stellar.

But once the show actually got going... eh. Marjorie and Mayor Adams were given WAY too long of scripts to read, filling the time between clothing sets with long minutes of forced banter that the audience quickly learned to tune out. It was an example of what should be the number one rule of hosting events: KEEP IT SHORT!

Some of the clothing pieces were cool, but nothing knocked me out and I got tired of the lack of variety—almost every piece in the show was either a wide, fluffy dress or a tight, sexy dress.

I also learned an important lesson: I suck at fashion photography. Below are a couple of the better photos I took of the pieces I most enjoyed, so you can at least get a gist of what went down.

Old safety vest, maybe?

Coffee filter and scrap ribbon dress — Adrienne Duckrow

"Sunkissed" - beanbag and old screen-made dress from Kristin Olson-Huddle

Bubble wrap jacket and old ticket hat

Hooves for humans!

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East Meets West on Black Friday

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:13:22 -0800

Some of Portland's best stores—on both sides of the river—are teaming up for the "East Meets West Passport Event" on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and ~~buy nothing day~~ the biggest shopping day of the year! (Actually for the whole weekend.) The deal is that you pick up a Shop Local Passport at any of the participating stores on Friday, Nov 27, and get it stamped by at least six of the locations by that evening for entrance into that night's VIP after-party at the Cleaners from 8-11 pm. (You can still come to the party anyway but it'll cost ya five bones!) At the party there will be prize drawings for goodies from the boutiques as well as rad businesses like the Ace Hotel, Cacao, Canoe, Clyde Common, Entrust Salon (1111 E Burnside Ste 100), Grendel's, Kir, and Le Pigeon. FURTHERMORE, there are discounts at the stores with your passports, like so:

Friday, 10am-12pm: Buy 1 Get 1 Half Off
12pm-8pm: 20% off store-wide

Saturday 11am-7pm: 15% off store-wide w/Passport

Sunday 12-6pm: 15% off store-wide w/Passport

Okay and I've saved the best for last—these are the stores on the East Side: Frank James, Lille Boutique, Redux, Rock 'n' Rose, and Second Nature. On the West Side: Covet, Flora, Frances May, Narcisse, and Radish Underground. Unfortunately I will be out of town while all of this is going on, so if you need some gift ideas, these are all on my wish list...

spoon bracelet at Redux

woodland journal at Flora

layered skirt at Frances May

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Holiday Party Dress Fashion Show

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:57:14 -0800

You may as well keep your calendars out, because they just keep coming...

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.)

A perfect party LBD from Karen Zambos.

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Anah Claire and Talitha at Soho

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:09:24 -0800

It's definitely shopping-event season, and things are starting to heat up all over town and the calendar. This Saturday at Soho Boutique (1605 NE Broadway), the store is hosting a dual trunk show with Anah Claire's colorful jewelry and Talitha leather accessories from noon-4 pm, plus all clothing will be 20% off, one day only.

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Coming Soon: Sequel Apparel

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:24:20 -0800

Wondering what's behind the papered windows at 6012 SE Stark?:

It's SE Stark's soon-to-be new vintage spot, Sequel (get it? oh and that links to their not-ready-yet web site, but someday it will be a useful link.). From the looks of it it seems that this is going to be a good place to find a deal on jeans, above all:

Stay tuned...

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Acceptable?

news@portlandmercury.com (Courtney Ferguson) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:58:42 -0800

I saw a non-hippie girl wearing these barefoot shoes over the summer and didn't think twice about it. But this weekend I saw an attractive, non-hippie guy wearing these and was utterly repulsed. Why am I having such a strong reaction about a dude wearing these shoes, and no volatile lady reaction? Maybe because she was at a park and he was at a bar on a Saturday night? I'm not sure.

Would you accompany someone out in public if they were wearing these?

Think of all the things that could get caught between those creepy little toes. Shudder.

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Local35's Sixth Anniversary: Tonight!

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:53:39 -0800

The past couple years in Portland we've seen our fair share of indie boutiques shutter. Local35—which was one of the pioneering establishments in a now-populous category—is not one of them. Nimbly adjusting their merchandise to accommodate fluctuations in local culture and economics, the Hawthorne Blvd institution has forged ahead, tonight celebrating having made it to another finish line with their sixth birthday:

Come out and party!

Adorable, PDX-made Geoffrey David bowties, $35 at the store

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Moving Sale: Union Rose

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:33:20 -0800

The tiny, locally minded Union Rose boutique is pulling up its stakes from 2023 NE MLK and moving on to the Montavilla neighborhood (to 7909 SE Stark, to be open in "very early December"), with its last day in the original location slated to be November 29. To help lighten the load, take 20% off all clothing in the shop today and tomorrow. Hook it up!

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Charles & Victoria: The Best Damn Deal in Town

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:57:04 -0800

So Workroom719, one of downtown's new holiday pop-up stores, had its soft opening last night and OMG—curator Rachel Ancliffe's trove of deadstock from her Charles & Victoria line has got to be the best deal in town right now. Priced at 75% off what it was meant to retail for, this stuff is just waiting to be stolen. If you are still looking for a holiday party dress/top/evening coat, get your ass over to 719 SW Morrison while the getting's good.

Silk chiffon braided top (also in a silvery light gray and black), $49—originally $198

Button-front dresses, $125—originally $498

Go-to party dress, $99—originally $398

Go-to party top, $55—originally $235

The perfect black pants to wear with the party top, and really, any top, $99—originally $398

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

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Dowtown Pop-Ups Are Popping Up, Starting Tonight

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:43:22 -0800

The first two (of what will eventually be four) pop-up shops are opening for business in the heart of downtown's shopping district this evening. The result of about a year's worth of brainstorming and negotiations between public and private entities, the pop-ups serve as part of the city's plan to rejuvenate downtown along SW Morrison and Yamhill. Flurry is the larger of the two, opening in the former Shoe Pavilion at 401 SW Morrison at 5 pm this evening. Largely spearheaded by Portland Fashion Synergy President May Tee, the store will showcase Portland apparel and accessories designers (listed here) through the end of December, the hope being that it will attract shoppers going to and fro the usuals of the mall, Nordy's, et al. The landlords of both Flurry and Workroom719, down the road at 719 SW Morrison, have donated use of the spaces in the same spirit that a real estate agent would prefer to show an activated space versus a dead one. Rachel Ancliffe of the Art Institute is the curator of Workroom719, itself boasting a sweet roster of involved lines and boutiques including a special stash of shoes from Halo, the re-emergence of Entermodal, and hundreds of pieces of dead stock from Charles & Victoria, a line Ancliffe was hired to design, but which eventually fell victim to the recession (read an anticipatory article JC Report posted last year here)—those pieces will be offered at 75% off what they would have been for retail, which is essentially at cost, in a range of about $49-249 for high-end, USA-made fashion. Ancliffe will also animate the space by having the designers represented there using it to make their bag/apparel/jewelry/etc designs, further pulling in the customer to the personal experience of buying local. Workroom719 will get going tonight as well, around 5:30, and the mayor will be making appearances both there and at Flurry early in the evening, so show up when doors open to catch him and find out more about his plans to inject some life into the neighborhood and foster small businesses. Look in the coming weeks, too, for two more pop-ups opening by Thanksgiving, and next week on Thursday the 19th for the grand opening celebrations of Workroom719 and Flurry (tonight being the soft openings). I stopped in to both spaces yesterday, and there was still quite a bit of work to be done. Stay tuned for the "after" images, and hopefully I will see you there tonight!

Workroom719 in the raw:

All the makings for a festive window display in the making at Flurry:

David and Goliath: the view of Nordstrom from the front window of Workroom719:

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It's Happening Tomorrow: Private Shopping Event at Blush Beauty Bar

news@portlandmercury.com (Ali "the Intern" Reingold) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:14:31 -0800

Blush Beauty Bar is hosting an event tomorrow night (November 12th) from 6-9 pm, and here's what to expect:

-Receive Blush certificate equal to 10% of purchase
-New holiday products & our famous holiday gift sets
-Special deals throughout the store
-Tasty treats
-Free gift wrap
-Swag bag with purchase(while supplies last)
-Meet BareMinerals Regional Artist, Learn about the latest Skincare gadget "The Beam" from the creator, Get tips and tricks from one of Seattle's beauty insiders...

Apparently there's limited availability at this thing, so call 503.227.3390 to reserve your spot now!

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Oh Baby Corsets and Cognac Party

news@portlandmercury.com (Ali "the Intern" Reingold) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:59:25 -0800

The sexiest store in town is having a party! Yep, Oh Baby will be hosting its annual Corsets and Cognac party at its Broadway location on Friday, November 20th, from 6-9 pm. Plus there's a new line by Toute La Nuite in stores now, so you can get a little number like this:

Don't miss it!

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Fat Fancy Signed A Lease!

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:52:44 -0800

According to the size/body-positive pop-up store's (which has been on the hunt for a brick and mortar storefront of their very own for some time) Twitter:

Signed the lease on the space of our dreams!!!!!!!!!! GRAND OPENING and HAIRSPRAY themed Dance Party: Dec 5th 2009. SAVE THE DATE!!!

Roger that. Stay tuned.

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Art of Weddings 2010

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:08:11 -0800

It's a little ways down the road, but something to note in the calendar is the upcoming Art of Weddings event scheduled for January 7th at the Portland Center Stage Armory. The 2010 edition will, as in the past, feature businesses providing everything from catering to stationary to photography to flowers, but of course I'm most interested in the fashion show portion of the evening, with looks from Amai Unmei, Sarah Seven, Magnifique Boutique, and Duchess' menswear.

Gorgeous ~~dresses~~ skirt and top, at center, by Sarah Seven, as featured by Martha Stewart(!)

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Flurry

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:46:07 -0800

UPDATE: The project also has a secondary location at 719 SW Morrison, called Workroom719!

After months of murmurs and negotiations, the Flurry pop-up project is finally on, and officially announced! An effort spearheaded Portland Fashion Synergy, the concept behind Flurry is to revitalize some of the dead retail space downtown (401 SW Morrison, to be precise) and fill it during the holiday shopping season with the work of local designers. Ideally, the temporary shop, which will be open from this Thursday, November 12 through December 30, will sidetrack some of those downtown shoppers on their way to Saks or Nordy's with their fistfuls of platinum cards and inject some cash into the local economy instead. Fourteen local designers will make up the store's inventory: Betty Jean Couture, Christa Taylor, DefYance, Isaac Hers, Janeane Marie, La Merde, Looptworks, Luminita, MAYTEE, O'Pearl Jewelry, RYZ, Sahlia Michelle, Varnish, and WeMa.

The store's hours will be Mon-Sat 10 am-7 pm and Sun noon-5 pm. I'm crossing my fingers that this goes off well—if it does it might just become a local institution. Be among the first to check it out at the opening celebration this Friday at 5 pm!

Design by Janeane Marie

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It's A Bag, It's A Hood, It's A Top: It's Stephanie Simek's New "Hoodie Bag"

news@portlandmercury.com (Marjorie Skinner) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:36:54 -0800

How is this for multi-tasking:

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

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