Overlook | October 16th, 2009 By Liz Hummer

Portland Fashion Week: Day 5

Sunday nights should be reserved for cozying up in your comfiest clothes, especially with the chill back in the air. But with the last night of Portland Fashion Week the most anticipated—at least for me—I made one last trek out to Swan Island with intrepid photographer Ken Aaron (what a trooper!) for “Sustainable Sunday.” I know, you’d think every designer at what is billed as the world’s greenest fashion week would be in the sustainable club, but apparently it’s not a prerequisite. Every night did include lines created with natural, renewable fibers or other sustainable practices, but the finale showcased five designers who are known for being pioneers in eco-fashion. Okay then, I guess I can get behind the nickname.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking of comfort—the crowd was noticeably more casual, with more denim, chunky sweaters, and yes, even some fleece in the mix. (That’s such an easy target, I’m not even going to go there.) I even spotted a few Carharts and cowboy hats in the crowd, a nod to the debut of the Imperial Collection, a new partnership between local eco-couture designer Anna Cohen and the High Desert Imperial Stock Ranch. It was definitely “ranch to runway,” as they billed it—when I sat down, I was sandwiched between a heavily-perfumed, French manicured, Burberry-toting chick and a woman whose hand-knit scarf gave off what I’ll nicely call an “earthy” scent. At least it was the most authentic night of the bunch.

As if to hit that point home, Mayor Sam Adams greeted the crowd with a quick speech that recalled when the PFW organizers came to the city for support four years ago and got it with the promise to become the leading showcase for sustainable design. As he put it, the city hopes to “grow the talent we have here to become an eco-fashion mecca.” And I flashed on a question that ran through my head the night before: Is Portland Fashion Week about Portland fashion, or is it about sustainable design? You’d think it could be both—with so many local designers using green practices, it would be easy to hold a multitude of shows featuring just PDX talent, cultivating a compelling look at our distinct aesthetic. Yet, I know that many amazing local designers chose not to participate in PFW for varying reasons (cost, reputation, restrictions), and instead created their own independent events (more on those at the end). So PFW is not a complete look at the fashion coming out of Portland. If it’s not Portland Fashion Week, should it be Green Fashion Week, with a focus on showcasing sustainable designers from around the world? Does it help our city, our economy, our creative talent to bring in outside designers (many of whom don’t even sell their clothes in our local boutiques) and become known for that (still) niche category? Or should Portland’s official fashion week champion its own? My head was swirling and I hadn’t even seen a single garment!

Luckily, the first pieces out of the gate weren’t too complicated—hemp and cotton sundresses from Portland transplant (via NYC) Janessa Bautista’s a fortes design. They were easy on my eye, but maybe not in a good way; I love simple, but plain is a whole other story. These muted eco-prairie pieces showed the start of nice detail work—faint botanical shadows, folded hems, braided straps, apron pockets—that could take these looks to the next level if used more deliberately, but as is, they were too reminiscent of the burlap bag stereotype people still associate with hemp clothing. Since Bautista spends time creating these handmade textiles with an emphasis on their durability (as I learned from her web site post-show), it would be nice to see designs that make the most of it. a fortes is available at Pin-Me Apparel.

a fortes design

Mountains of the Moon, from Chicagoan Melissa Baswell, also left something to be desired. You certainly can’t argue with the low-impact dyes, sweatshop-free labor, and sustainable fabrics, but the fashions looked homemade. Hand-pleated rows added nice texture across large areas like the black Ellie skirt and the bodice of a blouse, but looked more like Venetian blinds on a the triangle top of a maxi dress. The fabrics seemed stiff, and bows and ruffles in contrasting colors looked stuck on, an afterthought to add some unnecessary flair, both of which added to the juvenile feel. I would, however, wear the black one-shoulder dress in a heartbeat—just switch the cutesy ribbon bow for a sharp hardware-laden belt to add an edge to the sweet swirls of the skirt. (It’s a move that would help the whole line: stick with the softer shapes, eliminate the excess, and pick classy over cutesy.) Some pieces are available through Greenloop, now located in Seven Planet.

Mountains of the Moon

Next, Jonano, a sustainable line out of Pittsburgh, showed pieces from its many different collections. There was a simple bamboo tank and undies (paired with a chunky knit shawl/hood that I wanted to crawl into right then and there!) to start, then I was confused: a few dresses in pink prints and silhouettes that recalled my junior high shopping days at Contempo Casuals, a lavender high-neck blouse that seemed a tad two small for the model (and the mini chest pocket didn’t help matters), an embroidered peasant dress, and a neon rainbow tie-dye shawl—for real? Mixed in were looks I actually liked: a long white oxford peeking out from a curve-hugging black vest, a relaxed army-green shirt dress, a silver draped top, and silk shifts with thick belt wraps. They’ve got nearly a dozen different collections according to their web site, which would account for the overwhelming diversity, but they may be trying to do too much at once.

Jonano

Finally, Ethos Paris brought a very cohesive collection to the runway in a palette of tans, greens, taupes, and creams. The seven-year-old mother-daughter company from France uses fair trade labor, herbal dyes, and organic cotton, alpaca, and raffia in its men’s and women’s wear (but apparently not an iron, since the creases from packing were still quite visible on the models), and while my complaint would be that the t-shirt and button-up heavy line was a bit boring for the runway, I appreciated their signature styling (chunky wood jewelry, scarves on the dudes) to create an experience of viewing the clothing. Although much of the collection felt suited for a designer caravan in the African desert—khaki vests, safari pockets—the last few bright prints were refreshing in color, but not as flattering as the former’s clean lines. Two of my favorite pieces, though, broke the mold, offering ladylike shapes in heavier textures; the brown swing coat and the purple sheath may be headed for my closet soon.

Ethos Paris

And that’s exactly where I would like every item of the Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen to end up. The eleven pieces styled into seven looks were just a preview of the Fall 2010 line, made entirely from wool raised in Eastern Oregon. Imperial Stock Ranch owner (with her Stetson-clad husband Dan) Jeanne Carver introduced the night’s finale with a protracted but heartfelt speech about the ranch’s history and its renaissance over the last ten years. Only the fourth people to own the ranch since it was founded in 1871, the Carvers worked hard to cooperate with nature, lowering their fossil fuel use, increasing the amount of water on the land, and tripling the beef and lamb production (shipped directly to local chefs). But as wool markets diminished, they also had to find a place for all that fiber, so they created their own yarn line and selection of “slow wear” (think “slow food”) finished hats, scarves, and sweaters made by local artisans within 100 miles of the ranch. Working with a designer to bring this organic fabric to the larger fashion scene seemed like the next logical step, and thanks to a Department of Agriculture grant, Imperial Stock Ranch was able to partner with Anna Cohen as the creative director of this new ready-to-wear designer line. “We want to connect the savvy urban customer to the Oregon desert and the people who tend it, to bring fashion back to the source,” Carver said wrapping up her intro. More than just using a natural fabric, it’s an innovative collaborative business model that goes back to the basics, akin to knowing who grows your vegetables—it cuts out the middle man and allows consumers to directly support the folks getting their hands dirty with the raw materials, which makes it not only environmentally, but economically sustainable as well.

Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen

But would the clothes be able to sustain my wardrobe? Indeed, the designs were just my style, a mix of body-conscious drapes and structured details that would make any woman feel strong and alluring at the same time. The first look out was an all-cream ensemble that featured a snuggle-worthy coat with oversized buttons, lovely curve-away hems and cuffs, and a quilted texture (also shown later buttoned up in brown). The same diaphanous cream blouse, with mussed ruffle v-neck and architectural seams, came out in black with low-slung red trousers, a polished yet vivid uniform for one of Portland’s professional creatives. The thick knit cape/shrug, meanwhile, looked like the perfect way to stay warm on the town while still being able to show off your hot outfit (those ingenious sleeves tucked under the shawl look like they do the trick). Some slightly less wearable, but no less beautiful, items included a high-waist (verging on girdle) cable-knit bikini (though the blazer over top would easily become a staple) and a delicate pointelle sweater with winged shoulders—a look that requires some moxie, for sure, but one of the few versions of the bold shoulder trend I’ve seen that actually looked pretty instead of linebacker-tough. And of course, the dress. A simple little tomato-red dress with a clean scoop neck and loose capped sleeves, but a v-dip and dramatic bow bustle that somehow managed to be refined and understated while still striking enough to create a stir behind your back. (Retail locations have yet to be announced, but follow online for announcements.)

The crowd definitely seemed abuzz as the models took that last parade up and down the runway, and for maybe the first time that week, I felt thrilled to have been there, to have heard the story behind those fashions firsthand and to appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship up close. “This is what Portland Fashion Week should be all about,” I found myself telling anyone who would listen.

But I was—and still am—left with those same questions that had been brewing all week. There are obvious improvements to be made with the actual production, mostly in terms of crowd management, venue choice, and model coaching (walk slowly and in the middle of the runway already!). But larger concerns surround the motivation of PFW organizers—what is the goal of Portland Fashion Week? And how is that best achieved? If it is about shining a light on our local talent, then why are so many of Portland’s best missing? Some answers may be found in the event’s cost (designers are charged to show collections at PFW, and not all of them feel they get a enough exposure to justify that investment), its reputation (there is a chronic frustration that organizers are not really all that connected with what’s happening in the local fashion community), and the restrictions that go along with it (designers can’t choose their own models, for instance).

I don’t bring up these issues because I want to see Portland Fashion Week fail. Believe me, I want it to succeed—I love our local fashion scene! But I think our incredible talent deserves an incredible showcase, and we just aren’t there yet with this incarnation of Portland Fashion Week. It may look good, it may sound good, and it may do good by being green, but it’s not quite good enough when it doesn’t unite Portland designers (and in some cases, is a bit of an embarrassment some don’t want to be associated with). It doesn’t help anyone to play nice in public and then snark about it in their private cliques. I don’t want PFW to go away—I want it to get better. So let’s work on improving it with constructive criticism and open, insightful dialogue! What did you think of Portland Fashion Week? Who was your favorite designer? The worst? How was the atmosphere and the crowd? If you didn’t go—why not?

I’m working on a more in-depth look at the local fashion community—talking to PFW insiders and outsiders, the new Portland Fashion Synergy, independent designers, boutique owners, writers, models, admirers—and the more opinions the better!

Still to come: a review of Monday’s Fashion Collective show at the Armory, which proved to be a distinct counterpoint to Portland Fashion Week.

And you thought this was all the fashion Portland had up its sleeve? Nuh-uh. If you’ve been reading these recaps, you really don’t want to miss design collective How We Develop’s CONTENT 09 this Sunday, when 38 independent fashion designers will take over the entire second floor of the Ace Hotel downtown. It’ll be a free-for-all of Portland’s best style, music, art, and design (and if you’re not into that sort of thing, then at least you’ll know where all the hipsters disappeared to). The cast is impressive: pioneers of PDX fashion (Pinkham Millinery, Holly Stalder, Elizabeth Dye, Adam Arnold, Liza Reitz, Jess Beebe’s Linea), a few hits from PFW (Idom and Janeane Marie), some of my more recent favorites (John Blasioli, church & state, Emily Katz), and even more that are new to me or new to the scene. And wouldn’t you know it, I’m out of town! So pretty please, buy a $10 ticket and go in my honor? You’ll be happy you did!