It's interesting to be a journalist in a tight-knit industry like Portland's fashion scene. You get to know people, and then you hear things, and that generally works out great, but when there's a larger company involved it becomes a game of contracts and secrets, ignored confirmation requests and official announcements, and it's usually not worth risking relationships just to say "first" on a gossipy news item that most people only care about on a superficial level, if at all.

That said, Pendleton has announced that Gretchen Jones—who you may remember from her notoriously controversial Project Runway win, after which she moved to New York to make waves with her eponymous line—has returned to Portland to work for them "primarily on the company’s apparel collections." Aaaaand, that's as specific as it gets, but it raises additional questions, like the rumor that her position will include work on the brand's Portland Collection. If not, her aesthetic might lend itself to another, more contemporary line aimed at the boutique crowd (just a thought).

It appears, however, that Pendleton wants to mete out the confirmation of its secrets. We're asking for more information but for now we can definitely say that Gretchen Jones works for Pendleton.