It's hard to feel pretty this time of year. Bundled up against the cold, our faces are wrapped in scarves, hair buried under hats, and polished nails hidden inside mittens and boots. And don't get me started on what I look like when I've shed the gear—frizzy hair riddled with static, ruddy skin, chapped lips…ooph. It's enough to make a girl want to hibernate until April. But, alas, this is probably more...

Portland is called many things—clean, green, progressive, friendly—but "fancy" is not often one of them. Even if the fleece-and-hiking-boots stereotype doesn't tell the whole story, this is still a city where people wear jeans to the symphony and sweatshirts to four-star restaurants. And while that laid-back, anything-goes attitude is what makes this such a livable and dynamic place, it can lead to some more...

What do you do after the whirlwind (read: exhausting) five days of Portland Fashion Week come to an end? You get right back in those heels and head to the Portland Center Stage Armory for the independent Fashion Collective show. But it’s a pleasure rather than an ordeal because you know you’ll be seeing some of the most innovative local designs in one of the most gorgeous—and quintessentially more...

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 more...

By the fourth night, the alternate reality of Portland Fashion Week was quite familiar—driving out to the shipyards felt like heading to another planet, where makeup and hairspray and heels are de rigeur (usually so alien in Portland), and time has flash-forwarded to Spring 2010. I was lulled into wearing a tank top and lightweight trench on the coldest night thus far, which left me shivering outside, but was perfectly suited more...

The second night of Portland Fashion Week was all about getting a sneak peek at the next generation of local designers—from Art Institute of Portland seniors to the Emerging Designer of the year runoff. This time we breezed past security without whipping out IDs and were greeted by my new favorite vanquisher of the high seas, the massive "Il Falcone Maltese"—inexplicably based in Wilmington, DE. I'm hoping more...

Waiting in a line of cars to have our IDs checked at a security gate wasn't the most welcoming start to Portland Fashion Week, but then again, we were at a working shipyard (Vigor Industrial Shipyards on Swan Island). It made me a bit nostalgic for the nights searching for that secret rave in some industrial warehouse—fitting, considering the ‘90s are making their way back into style. Tucked amidst hulking more...

There has been a flurry of activity in the retailscape of NW 23rd Avenue. New businesses have been peppered along the avenue and are adding new flavor—in some cases, flavors—to one of Portland's favorite shopping destinations.Last week, Clogs-N-More, a "European comfort shoe" boutique, opened in the former Wham! location at 617 NW 23rd Avenue. Clogs-N-More will fill the shoes of longtime comfort source Nob Hill more...

Sweet Jayne celebrated its grand opening on Saturday. It's located at 826 NW 23rd Avenue in the former location of Steel for Men. This is the second location for this value-conscious fashion retailer. The original location is on the eastside at 1914 NE Broadway.Everything in the store—jeans, tops, bags, and more—is priced at $18 or less. New merchandise weekly.Sweet Jayne826 NW 23rd Avenuewww.sweetjayne.netHours: more...

We just learned that Fez Studio will move from its current digs at 1125 NW 9th Avenue into a sunny new spot at 205 NW 10th Avenue. Neighborhood sleuths will recognize the new address as the home of Urbane Zen, which is currently in the midst of its closing sale.Fez Studio expects to open in the new space mid-June. Stay tuned for details.  more...