Hey, I know I should be updating you on fashion in NYC…that will come. I had a great day shopping with my client on Friday. However, one my highlights of the week so far was the Kirov Ballet performance at New York City Center. I was completely blown away. Dance is a huge part of my life beyond fashion and art…so you can imagine how giddy I was. All the way there, I was singing the song from “A Chorus Line”…”everything is beautiful at the ballet…” And, it was. The dancers were exquisite. The performances were pristine and the costumes, oh the costumes. We had terrific seats and it was a lovely evening. Off to a poetry reading now…more from NYC. RL
Apr
6
Apr
4
Hey from NYC…the trip has just started and the week promises to be busy. However, since it was a travel day yesterday, I thought I would fill you in on a film short that I did wardrobe for last week. In the midst of all my prep for Portland and NYC travel, I forgot to mention the film. The Fly Film program is pretty cool and it is done through the Seattle International Film Festival. Four indy directors are selected and then given certain parameters to work within…pretty cool. Megan Griffith was selected this year and she asked me to do the wardrobe…cool,” except we can’t spend any money..”The challenge was on and it was fun. I did all the fittings of the 5 actors and pulled the wardrobe together in 24 hours. I couldn’t be on set for the shooting, but apparently it went really well. Can’t wait to see it. Megan is the writer/director of a film I plan to work on in the future some time called The Off Hours. RL
Apr
2
Portland Fashion Week organized a great opportunity to educate folks at the Better Living Show about the sustainable stories behind the landmark designers/brands showcased this weekend. Nau, Lizzie Parker and Anna Cohen all have one thing in common and that is, they are pioneers in the industry. With limited resources in the past available to fashion designers, each of them have been innovative in their use of and sourcing sustainable options. With great design that is appealing and yes, even stylish and sexy, consumers have options now more than ever to make a sustainable choice with the clothing they wear. My favorite quote of the event was one that related to the stylish and sexy approach to sustainability. It was from Lizzie Parker who said, “In the end, it’s about a hot chick in a great dress”. I love this and interpret it to really mean…it’s about great design.The Eco - Panel was a well attended event that garnered many excellent questions and observations from the attendees. We can look forward to future practices by the fashion industry that will help consumers make sustainable choices by a seal of sustainable approval by Sustainable Style Foundation, as well as, a standard by fashion designers that includes a baseline of sustainable business and design practices. The lively discussion led by me representing Sustainable Style Foundation, and Leslie Hoffman (Earth Pledge/Future Fashion - NYC) had a honest and open tone that led to sharing and creating a sense of community that will be necessary for us all to make sustainability a mainstay in our world.Had a great night out with some of the PFW crew and rounded out my last day in the city at Portland Art Museum checking out my favorite painters, Degas, Toulouse- Lautrec and Forain, and thier work on one of my other favorite arts, Dance. If you have a chance to check it out by May, 11. I would. It was done exceedingly well.On my train ride home, I was ready to get back to lovely SEA and prep for NYC. RLphoto credit | Tana Thurman, Portland - OR
Mar
29
I am still on the road and loving my days here in Portland. Staying at the Ace, I don’t feel like I have to venture out, but I am meeting some wonderful people. Last holiday season, a met a couple of lovely women at a holiday event for The Finerie in Seattle. The were the designer, Naomi, and rep, Sandy, behind YedOmi Jewerly. I instantly fell in love with the design of their pieces, bought one for me and special ordered a few for my clients. I met the gals for a couple of cocktails last night at a fun place on NW 23rd called 23Hoyt ~ great happy hour destination btw. It was really fun the get the “story” behind the line of jewelry which is a delicate yet sexy and bold combination of metal and semi-precious gems. It turns out the Naomi loves to play with metal. She has an art background and started forging and sculpting back in art school days. It developed from there. She hand creates all aspects of her pieces and works through gem rep to get gems directly from the source country. Can we all say together, “sustainable”? I love that I zoned in on the pieces for their unique beauty and style and it turns out, it is sustainable too…Naomi now works on design with her husband and continues to be fascinated with “how far she can go with metal”. While it was hard for her to decide which piece out of her collection is her favorite, they are all like her children, she is zeroing in on her chandelier earrings this season. She is known in PDX for her custom wedding jewelry and basically the bees knees as far as I am concerned. If you are a client of mine, you will be seeing her work. RLP.S. Still trying to figure out how to get on-line photos with my MAC…sorry no image on this one, but as soon as I get a PC later this weekend, I will get one up.
Mar
28
Hey Everyone. I am back in PDX participating in Portland Fashions Week’s events around the Better Living Show. Pretty great scene down here as mentioned in my previous blogs and last night’s event was really fun with an oh so fab showing of the chic fashion crowd. The crew down here in Portland is really pushing for it’s fashion scene be all inclusive and a representation of what is happening in the Northwest. I love this thought and the collaborative mindset of Tito and Chris, the producers of Portland Fashion Week. I know that Sustainable Style Foundation is looking forward to working with them to help forward our mission to educate around the area of sustainability and lifestyle choices. I look forward to bring you more news from here. Today I will be meeting a few PDX fashionistas for cocktails and Saturday I will be participating on the Eco-Fashion Panel at the Better Living Show. I will post again this weekend if I can with photos. RL
Mar
12
Just got in last night from a couple of days in Portland. I headed down to participate in Crave Party’s Shop 08 Conference for Independents. One was held in Seattle last week and I was thrilled to be able to participate in the Portland event. The panel I was on focused on Trends and the effective use of them in your business whether it be a retail business or not. My co-panelists were really amazing (go to the list on the conference site to check them out). The biggest message we left the attendees with was being true to your business and yourself, despite trends, by really focusing on your customer, their experience, needs and feedback. Check out the link to get all the info and follow the links to all the speakers. It was an incredible crew and congrats to Erika and Melody for a job well done. I would definitely note this on your calendar to attend next year…
Of course I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t check out the scene in PDX while I was there. It is pretty evident that there is a relative hipness around the city that it harder to find here in SEA. The epi-center has to be the Ace Hotel and the surrounding block on Stark. The two restaurants flanking the hotel rock not only for the scene, but the food and of course, Stumphouse Coffee can’t be beat. If you are planning a stay in the city, stay there. Each room is unique and has fun elements like record players and found objects from the city. If you live in PDX, hit the bar. They have a great happy hour and the Fig infused vodka Martini is the cocktail to try…for lunch, yes, I went there twice, try the egg sandwich and a bloody mary…
I ended up on my own in the city Monday night and really wanted to seek out something super local. It was recommended to me to go check out Karaoke from Hell at Dante’s, apparently a Portland institution. The first thing I said was, “isn’t that the strip club?”…”well, yeah…but it’s not in that part of the space…” I couldn’t resist and headed out….I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wow, so much better than watching TV in my hotel room. This list of characters couldn’t have been cast better. I stayed the entire time and even got up and to dance. The concept is a live band; super talented musicians, backing you up as you live out your dream of being a rock star. We had a run of this for awhile in Seattle with Rockaroke at the Sunset Tavern…remember? These guys however, blew ours out of the water. The host was funny and a complete a#@, but that made it better. There were obvious regulars coming up to the stage. My favorites included the conservative suit wearing guy who was super funny on the mic, a bit like Steve Carrel, who sang ACDC’s Shook Me all Night Long, and sang it well.
Portland folks are super friendly and by the end, I felt quite at home. By the way, I met people not just from Portland, but also Manhattan, Saudia Arabia, Puerto Rico and well, Bend, OR…check it out next time you find yourself in Portland on a Monday night.
And, of course, I did shop for clients and did my regular turn of stores in the Pearl and Zelda’s shoe bar on NW 23rd. I finally got to check out my friend and designer Rachel Mara’s store Moule’ in the Pearl. It is a beautiful space and I they have a great selection for men and women. They also have amazing jewelry, great home accessories and yes, even something for the bambino’s and pets in your life. It was fun to meet all the folks working there who are super nice…spring is just coming in, so if you head there in a week or so, you should have lots to choose from. RL
Mar
9
Hola friends…I know, I know…no entries since the Oscars? What kind of blogger are you? I am the kind that is bringing Winter Break back baby…I just recovered from my fabulous trip to Mexico with our fantastic friends. Where there were no phones, no Internet, no work…just the roosters, the dogs, the beach and friends.
We decided to join our lovely friends Corinna & Rob as they celebrated their wedding in a charming fishing village north of PV. It was absolutely incredible and so relaxing. Traveling with friends can sometimes be difficult. But, of course, our friends rock to travel with. Even more fun for me, was all the incredible style we had in this little town. It helps that the bride is a designer friend of mine and the our traveling companions are in the style industries…but it is nice not to be with group that doesn’t resort to khaki shorts and baseball caps.
There was a lot of prep involved with me going on this trip. We planned it last minute so I only had a month in the gym to get my self comfortable in a bikini. I did actually try the Bliss Spa products for this purpose…I couldn’t exactly tell if it helped? But somehow, I felt better and that is all you need right? I had to dial in my wardrobe as well as my husbands and yes, I know, what do you need if you are going be by a pool or on a beach drinking cervazas all day? Well,you know. My gal pals all had fabulous looks as did our guys and we all had a fab mutual admiration society going on. Our guys definitely appreciated the effort and we girls had fun…My cutie pie bff ,V, had a line that was so fun I adapted it…”has there been a picture of me taken in this outfit yet?” Now this may all seem superficial and not relaxing, but I tell you, it made it so lovely as we all had confidence in ourselves that allowed us to let loose and have fun…and that my friends is the ultimate lesson.
We all adapted Mexico names that ranged from Coco to Rico and Juan Carlo. My name is Rita…as in…All of this just helped melt all the pressures of our other life away. A winter break rocks and it has to be done in the most relaxing atmosphere…I recommend it to all.
Off to Portland now to participate in Crave’s Shop 08 conference for retailers…stand by for a full report. RL or Rita till the tan fades…
p.s. later this week I will post my fav finds for shopping and prepping for a bikini clad week…stand by
Feb
8
The fall 08 collection for Reem Acra was a beautiful. Her combinations of silk charmeuse with sequins was really compelling for me. I love mixes of texture and her mix this season was amazing. “Jewel tones such as midnight blue, aubergine, mustard and forest green are complemented by metallic neutrals and chocolate brown….the collection represents confident, modern luxury, and a global sense of belonging…” was how she described her collection. The wait was the usual in the tents, but it was worth it for the show.
After the show I made my way back downtown to check out Sandbox, a really beautiful photography studio with locations in NYC and SF, where my bff, L, was working for the week for a quick visit and tour.
Next stop was the NBBJ party where they were showcasing their new offices in the financial district; The new space was lovely, spacious (a commodity in the city as you new), modern and sustainable on top of that. They are going for the LEED certification Gold status. For more on what this means, go to sustainablestyle.org. My gal pal Christine was the interior designer for the project and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
After the party we snuck out for a well deserved steak frites and a glass of wine.
NYC Style Note: Girls with bangs, loose berets and flat boots everywhere….
Feb
7
We were in the tents Monday night and the favorite show that we check out was the Ports 1961. The invite they sent out was fabulous with fabric swatches, an added bonus for us garmentos. The intriguing pieces on the runway included all the solid knits in styles and colors inspired by Scotland; deep green, rich purples and vibrant orange-red. Already for fall it looks like there is going to be lots of texture. Celebrity sighting ~ Mandy Moore. We also check out the IODICE show. Our fashion scene diva said this: “The coolest (at IODICHE) was the black sheer and solid dresses that they had with interesting big thick yellow knit sweaters…”
We have more to come from shows on Thursday, Friday and more trends for Fall 08. Stay tuned. RL
Photo courtesy of mecerdes benz
Feb
3
Fashion week in Bryant Park started on Friday and while I am usually there the whole week, I am heading there later this week to catch the tail end. No worries, I have my NY folks on it and they will be hitting a few of the shows and reporting back. I am excited to see what Reem Acra is up to as her elegance always inspires. I also typically check out the young designers. And, you can bet I will let you know what I see inside the tents; it truly is a circus. So far the dress prevails for Fall 08. Stand by for more news this week. RL