Halloween and Fashion

As people are getting ready for Halloween parties and the like, I have noticed that costumes for women seem to be quite trashy lately. What happened to dressing up as something classic like a witch or ghost? When did the standard for women's Halloween fashion become the slutty (insert character here)? If anyone has thoughts on where to find a nice tasteful costume that is not embarrassing when you get pulled over on your way to or fro that rip roaring Halloween party, let me know? Maybe the only option is to make our own costumes. This could be very scary as I have no real artistic abilities. I am a finance person by training. If it doesn't involve numbers I find it to be a challenge.

Portland Fashion Week

As I stated in my previous blog, the girls and I were in Portland last weekend to attend the Portland Fashion Week show. We were only able to attend on Saturday night due to traffic delays on Friday and I was really tired come Sunday. The show is advertised as the second longest running show on the West Coast. As such I can say they did have some things that I really liked from an organizational perspective. First the location. While I must say it was out in BFE, it was quite the interesting venue. Second, the seating concept. Each person was given a card with a row # based on what type of ticket they bought. The actual seating probably could have been smoother but in concept it was a great idea. The show itself. The designers we saw had great items. The show was thought out and well planned. My only issue was that the runway was on the floor and from where I was seated I could not see the length of pants or what shoes were paired with various items. Overall it was a lot of fun. Tonight is the last night. To see pictures from Saturday that Tarah took, look here. To see pictures of other nights check out ultrapdx

Portland - It is More Than Just Sales Tax Free Shopping

Tarah, Regina, and I headed to Portland this past weekend for Portland Fashion Week. I will follow up with a review of that in a later blog however I wanted to comment on some of the great boutique shopping Portland has to offer. On Saturday, we started out Downtown at your traditional shopping stores. I had not brought enough clothes and in my pregnant state needed to get some maternity items. After that (in the rain no less), we headed up to NW 23rd (walking).
The street is very cute and neighborhood like. Our initial mission was to get to the Sameunderneath Warehouse Clearance Sale. We each found some great items. From there we found Souchi. The items are beautiful. The owner hand looms the items in her line as well as she carries a few other designers. We talked with one of the sales people, who was very helpful and informative about other stores to check out on the street. She referred us to SeaPlane. The store carries local designer wares. There was quite a selection especially when you see the size of the store. If only I wasn't pregnant, I would instead have come back from Portland extremely poor. Regina and I checked out the Sameunderneath retail store. They have a cashmere hoody dress that I am so in love with and really want. Maybe at the end of the season since I want it as a post pregnancy item.
On Sunday, we decided to check out the Pearl District. Regina had lived in Portland about 10 years ago and said the Pearl District was definitely a lot nicer now that it was then. We roamed what seemed like the entire district. My favorite store was Bubble. The items are all from European designers. The store owner was very knowledgeable about the items that she carried. A place to check out when down south. We also had some great cupcakes from Jones Cupcakes. Tried to check out Michelle Decourcey but her store was closed due to her Spring line being shown at PFW later than night.
The trip was great. I think that in the spring after the unborn one is a little older I will have to make another trek south. This time it will be for the purchases. We are hoping to launch a Portland portion to our site sometime in 2008. We found out this weekend that there is a lot of leg work involved as they have a lot of great places and designers.

Seattle Green Fashion Week

I realize that fashion week has been over for almost a week so I apologize for the delay in posting my review. Unfortunately I was only able to attend the final evening, which was considered the grand finale. It was held at the Bell Harbor Terminal. We started with cocktails (Dry Soda for me). Next there was a silent auction. I was unaware and in turn unprepared for the silent auction. There was a great bike, some wine and some very nice pieces of jewelry. We made our way to our seats for the fashion show. This was no typical "green" fashion show. The designers included Abi Ferrin, Souchi, Anna Cohen, Pine IV, Lizzie Parker, Earth Pledge & Future Fashion, Thieves by Sonja den Elzen, Prairie Underground, Sling and Stone & Good Society, and Lara Miller. I had many favorite items however my favorite designer was Abi Ferrin. The clothes were bold colors mostly in dresses that could be used for day or evening. To see pictures of the entire show view Tarah's Blog.
This weekend we will be heading to Portland for Portland Fashion Week.

Sameunderneath Trunk Show - La Rousse

Friday night Tarah and I attended the Sameunderneath trunk show at La Rousse. The trunk show coincided with Seattle's Green Fashion Week. I did a little research before heading over and fell in love with the clothes instantly. The majority of the line is made out of bamboo which is extremely soft and a sustainable product. While at the trunk show I picked up 2 shirts. I actually found them more comfortable and longer than most maternity tops. I would definitely check out their website and order up some items or even pop into La Rousse and check it out. Sameunderneath will be participating in Portland Fashion Week October 19th - October 26th. The show is showcasing Spring/Summer 2008 and is about sustainability and fashion

Rock Concert and Fashion

Last night I attended the Chris Cornell show with my child and husband (Our family is really into music). It is pretty much the last place I expect to see anything noteworthy however last night I saw some girls dressed very stylish. The one thought that kept going through my head all night is 'When will Clinton and Stacy be coming on stage and doing a fashion intervention.' I am definitely not one to speak last night as being pregnant limits what fits let alone what I can stand to have on for a long period. Next time you attend an event with the mass public, take a look around at all the interesting styles that exist.
On a different note, I found a dress at Mimi Maternity for next weeks DIFFA party. I paid $39.99 for the dress. It was quite a steal, especially realizing I will probably only wear it once.

Neiman, Choo, & Prada - Who Could Ask for More

Bellevue Fashion Week was a couple of weeks ago and one thing that is becoming apparent quickly is that Bellevue is the high end fashion hub of the Northwest. First Neiman Marcus announced that they were coming to Bellevue. Next Jimmy Choo was announced to be putting a store in The Bravern. Now to top it off Nordstrom has decided to carry Prada at the Bellevue store. We may all ask why Bellevue, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal, eight of the ten wealthiest zip codes reside on the eastside. I will say that if I want to see the extremely high end I will trek to Bellevue and the rest of the time when I want to support local designers and boutiques I will make my way to Seattle. Bellevue may be where high end is however Seattle is a great place to check out new up and coming designers as well as great boutiques. The only question remains is, when will Manolo be joining the Bellevue crowd with its own store.

Seattle International Fashion Week (SIFW)

Regina, Tarah and I attended the Finale Show for Seattle International Fashion Week Saturday night. The event was held at EMP in the Sky Church. Admission was $50 general and $100 VIP. The VIP package included at seat along the runway as well as a gift bag (included Crave book, a bottle of wine, and some coupons for various sponsors). The doors opened at 8pm and had a no host bar. We made our way to our seats for the start of the show. The runway show included clothing from Atsui Tokyo, Arden B, Kenneth Cole, Road, MNG by Mango, Jos A Bank, Sureel Boutique, Moda Europa, and Silhouette World. Unfortunately I was unable to stay for the entire show due to my advanced state of pregnancy so we missed performances by Maryline Blackburn and April Villanueva. To see pictures of the portion of the show we attended visit Tarahs Site