Uber-talented photographer Melissa Toledo has once again captured the essence of a Portland fashion show. This time, the Junk to Funk Trashion Camp!
In this unique camp, 10-18 year old campers work with the Junk to Funk Trashion Collective to transform everyday materials into extravagant fashion accessories and dumpster couture. The results are inspiring! Check them out:
Portland’s Gaslight Explorers, Adventurers, & Romantics Convention (Portland GEAR Con) is three days of steampunk celebration in Inner Northeast Portland. Phenomenally talented photographer, Melissa Toledo, captured the amazing colors, styles and tantalizing designs of last Saturday’s Steampunk Fashion Show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Steampunk Fashion Show:
Taken By The Sky….Historical, steampunk and burlesque apparel.
Designer, Laura Hagen
See more of Melissa’s beautiful photos on her website!
To live in Portland you must be able to understand what it means to be collaborative in all aspects of your life; collaborative with yourself, your family, co-workers, the food you eat, and the environment. Today we are going to look at a jewelry designer who has taken a collaborative approach to create styles that anyone can cherish. Hilary Alexander created Lumafina with the skills of a silversmith and the heart of an artist.
Her styles are a melding of vintage notions with modern flair, natural pieces with funky twists that have truly been created in the reflection of the world around her. And listen up Portlanders: a majority of the material that she uses is reclaimed and recycled. Lumafina was built on the foundation of local collaboration and Hilary works hard to develop conscientious pieces from local suppliers.
Hilary works with a variety of metals and organic materials to create her pieces. You can really see the mesh of contrast that occurs in her pieces when you look at something like the Cicatrix Necklace pictured here–it is made of antler on a bright sterling silver chain. Gorgeous! One of our favorite pieces so far by Lumafina has been her earrings call Dishy Posts. I love the simplicity of the design and the rough edges on the piece with makes it look antique. She hand saws each circle separately so no two are alike. The oxidizing agent she uses is an environmentally friendly black patina – it gorgeously takes the silver from sterling to worn! One of Hilary’s signature pieces, Luma Earrings, are constructed from brushed, vintage brass stampings on hand-worked earring hooks. And for the allergy conscious, your earring backs can be treated with Lumafina’s signature black hypoallergenic patina.
Lumafina’s amazing products are available on Etsy. Photos courtesy of Lumafina’s Etsy page.
~ ReBecca Pickrel
Free to Dosha customers are 20% Discount Coupons (sale items and custom sizing services are excluded) to Popina, good at either Popina location. These coupons are available at the Dosha Northwest and Hawthorne locations only. Additionally, If you are or become a fan of the Dosha facebook page as well as the Popina facebook page, you are eligible to win a $100 Gift Certificate to Popina and a consultation with the designer of Popina swimwear. Two winners will be chosen at 5 p.m. July 11th.
Photography: Ian McNeil Styling: Briana Jacobs
Briana Jacobs is currently a student at The Art Institute of Portland, studying Fashion Design. Krystle recently interviewed Briana to find out what drives her passion for the fashion industry. Keep reading to learn more about this young, gifted designer and to view some of her designs. We expect to see more of Briana in the future of fashion!
StylePoint: What ultimately helped you make the decision to pursue a career in fashion?
Briana: Fashion and style have always been something I have had a connection with. I have a strong passion for creating and expressing myself artistically. I can’t really remember when I decided I wanted my future to be in fashion, it’s like I’ve always known it’s going to be a part of my life and career.
Two projects that really gave me confidence in pursuing an education and career in fashion design was the prom dress I made for my jr. year prom in 2008 and the dress I made that won the Passion for Fashion scholarship at The Art Institute of Portland in 2009.
StylePoint: What is the best thing about fashion design and going to school at The Art Institute?
Briana: What I love about studying fashion design at The Art Institute of Portland is that I am always being challenged! My teachers really push me to the best of my ability. It keeps me very motivated and focused on my dreams of becoming a designer.
StylePoint: What is/are the biggest challenge(s) in fashion design?
Briana: Time management. Being a successful fashion designer takes up almost all of your time. Being a student studying fashion design and juggling a part time job is very difficult. I spend a lot of late nights and 12-15 hour days at school sewing and trying to finish up all my projects on time. Even though it can be very stressful I still enjoy every minute of it, and stay very dedicated to the time commitment.
StylePoint: To date, what do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in fashion so far?
Briana: My school work.
StylePoint: Where does your inspiration come from?
Briana: So many things inspire me!
StylePoint: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Briana: Living in California either working for a large corporation or designing for my own private boutique.
StylePoint: What trends do you see for Summer 2011?
Briana:
StylePoint: Where do you see Portland fashion in the next five years?
Briana: The same as it is now.
StylePoint: Who are some of your favorite designers?
Briana: Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Burberry
Here are some of Briana’s recent designs:
Thanks again for your time, Briana! We look forward to seeing your continued impact on the fashion industry!
And the Project Runway love for Portland continues on… Eden Dawn tells us more! Click here to read the full story on Portland Monthly Shop Talk.
I know who two of the contestants are for the upcoming season of Project Runway. How? Because I personally handed them over as recommendations to the show. — Eden Dawn
When did Garnish Apparel open? And what was the path to get here?
I introduced my first line in the summer of 2005 selling wholesale to other boutiques in Portland and a few other cities. At the time I working at adidas, but shortly thereafter I quit to concentrate on Garnish full time. The boutique on Alberta Street opened in October of 2006.
What is the best thing about owning and running Garnish Apparel?
I love working with my customers and I have great employees who I love spending the day with! I also love the variety that having a business provides – it keeps things interesting and constantly provides new challenges.
What are your biggest challenges?
Marketing is the beast that I never seem to know how to tackle. We don’t do a lot of advertising and rely mostly on word of mouth and walk by traffic. We recently launched a new website which was a challenge, but we were really happy with the end result.
Where would you like to see Garnish Apparel in 5 years?
I am hoping to open another location next year so who knows, maybe in 5 years we’ll have a third (but that also sounds a bit crazy as I type with my 6 month old on my lap!). I would also like to see the website grow to be a larger percentage of our business.
What are some reasons you decide to carry particular designers’ lines/pieces?
I have designed most of the pieces in the shop. We do carry a few basic items that compliment the Garnish line such as tees and leggings.
What trends are you seeing for summer this year?
Color blocking is a fun trend for the summer. We usually don’t follow the trends, but this summer I have been digging the tunic and legging look so we made some for our July collection.
What do you offer consumers that makes Garnish Apparel stand apart?
We offer ultra-flattering, wearable pieces in beautiful fabrics. We concentrate on an accurate fit and offer in-house alterations so our pieces really make our customers look their best. We love working closely with our customers to try to get them in the right garment for their figure and we’ll be very honest with them when deciding what works and what doesn’t.
What do you see for fashion in Portland in the next 5 years?
The great thing about fashion in Portland is that it is never defined by one look- it’s all about self expression here which I think is great.
Visit Garnish Apparel:
It’s the time of the year when save-the-date cards and invitations start appearing in our mailboxes and we immediately shift our thinking to “but, what do I wear?” Weddings are really one of the most fun occasions to dress for (even when you’re in them, but that’s for an entirely different reason, clearly) and we’ve scoped out some of the best wedding guest ensembles a girl could have. Look no further for chic, stylish, head-turning looks – found at some fantastic Portland stores.
Where to find it: Anne Bocci Boutique & Gallery
Where to find them: Mink
Where to find it: Covet
Where to find them: Imelda’s Shoes & Louie’s Shoes for Men
Where to find it: Sofada
Where to find it: Moulé
My City Designers and photographer Michael Zaugg have some amazing photos of the Art Institute of Portland's Fit2Print fashion show last Saturday! Check out the slideshow, and a sneak preview here:
When did Shop Adorn open? And what was the path to get here?
Shop Adorn was opened in 2008 online. We wanted to be a part of the Portland boutique scene, but were not sure about what niche we wanted to target. We spent the first two years figuring that out. We opened up on NE Fremont in 2010 and I just love where we are right now. Portland boutiques are so unique and constantly changing, it’s just really fun finding out who we are!
What is the best thing about owning and running Shop Adorn?
Hands down – my customers. I enjoy buying and marketing, but it’s when my regulars come in that I am the happiest. Really it’s like getting to hang out with my girlfriends at work. I have met so many amazing people working here and there is something new and exciting every day!
What are your biggest challenges?
Making sure we have what people are looking for. You discover these pockets where people are just not finding what they are looking for and then we have it. It’s really looking for the pockets and making sure we fill that gap. For example, size 24 jeans & size 16 jeans. Two opposite ends of the size spectrum, but both sizes have a hard time finding jeans that fit!
Where would you like to see Shop Adorn in 5 years?
I have big plans for Shop Adorn. A lot of the growth I see is with our website, ShopAdorn.com and the usability. All I can say right now is to be ready for big things. We are trying to be innovative with our web plan, so a lot of our online plans are top secret. As for our Portland boutique, I really just want more people to know we are here, and become a destination spot!
What are some reasons you decide to carry particular designers' lines/pieces?
We try to be responsible, so half of our lines are made in the USA. I love our new line, Prairie Underground, because it is made in Seattle, dyed in Seattle, and made from organic cotton. For summer we wanted to have easy dresses, and clothing that can be layered for our crazy Portland weather. I also want to make sure we get pieces that will last. I think it’s important to love every piece in your closet and for those loved pieces to last a long time!
What trends are you seeing for summer this year?
Maxi dresses & skirts are back for sure! Of course the high rise flare, which we personally love. Personal favorite is the J Brand Bette. It’s not only a good fit, but it’s a butt lifter. You will LOVE your butt in these jeans!
What do you offer consumers that makes Shop Adorn stand apart?
Complimentary Style Consults & Complimentary Closet Cleanout. Personal shopping experience in store. All of our customers get 5% of their purchase back in store credit. We also offer 15 days for people to return for cash back and 90 days to exchange. I don’t see a lot of boutiques with that kind of return policy. If your jeans are damaged, we work with the manufacturer to get our customer taken care of.
What do you see for fashion in Portland in the next 5 years?
The past few years have been tough on Portland boutiques, but I think we are making a comeback. Portland is so great about shopping local – so I think we will continue to see more Portland boutiques pop up. As for fashion specifically, what I hope is that Portlanders will go for quality over quantity. It used to be that Portland caught on to fashion trends, just as they were over, but I really see a faster response. My customers have been embracing the flare jean for example! Crop tops … not so much, but they will get there!
Any emerging designers you have your eye on?
I love Ms. Wood. We will be carrying her for summer and fall …. and I think every piece she creates tells a story.
