The Portland Fashion Institute (2111 NE 43rd) has come a long way in its seven-year existence. What started as a sewing class of four students under the name Portland Sewing by fashion industry veteran Sharon Blair has grown into a full-fledged licensed career school that offers a range of sewing, patternmaking, and design and business classes. This weekend, they’ll help kick off Design Week Portland and celebrate their seven-year anniversary with activities ranging from pop-up shops, a panel discussion, and demos at the school, to a boutique bus tour that will stop at 12 different shops.

The panel discussion will start the weekend and include Sarah Donofrio of One Imaginary Girl, Kate Troyer and Shelby Morgan of Veil & Valor, fashion stylist Lis Bothwell, and myself, because apparently I know a few things about fashion (Sat April 22, 11 am-noon, free). Demos will follow the discussion and focus on four different disciplines: eco-couture, patternmaking, the history of fashion, and couture sewing (Sat April 22, noon-2 pm, free). The next day will begin with “Sip ’N’ Sew” at the school (Sun April 23, 10 am-1 pm, $5 for supply kit), and end with the boutique bus tour. The tour will stop at Anne Bocci Boutique, Garnish, Folly, Radish Underground, Wildfang, Tender Loving Empire, Woonwinkle, Haunt, Liza Reitz, Seven Sisters, the 811 Design Center, and MOORE Custom Goods, and include snacks, specials, and surprises along the way (Sun April 23, 1-5 pm, bus loads at 12:30 pm, $30, sign up at designweekpfi.com). The pop-up shops will round out the weekend and feature collections from One Imaginary Girl, Veil & Valor, Wandering Muse, Machine Apparel, Candy Lagoon Apparel, and Many Weathers (Sat April 22, 10 am-2 pm, Sun April 23, 10 am-1 pm, free).


More Design Week Portland Events!
(Full calendar at designweekportland.com.)

Laptops and Smalltalk will host a Sustainable Fashion Forum with a panel that includes designers Lizz Basinger, Jason Calderon of West Daily, Marcela Dyer of Myriam Marcela, Alexa Stark, and the ladies from Veil & Valor discussing “the obstacles and opportunities faced in the effort to create ethically-made and fashion-forward clothing.” Following the discussion, Modified Style Portland environmental consultant Kelly Raynor will speak on how our fashion choices affect the environment and how we can create change. The afternoon will be topped off by a fashion show featuring lines from panel speakers as well as Laurs Kemp, Designs by THOR, Piper Dalton, MOORE, Opal Heart, Be., Ferocious Love, VAVA Lingerie, and Jaefields. Sun April 23, 3-6 pm, The Good Mod, 1313 W Burnside, $20


Fashion in Film, curated by Sold Out founder Marjorie Skinner and Portland Monthly style editor Eden Dawn, will celebrate its third anniversary with a showing of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Having never seen this movie, the only memory I have was becoming extremely angry that The Cure’s “Plainsong” was played during the television advertisements, because I was a moody teenager when it was released in 2006. That being said, I do know that it does right by the amazing costumes and mile-high hairdos of its mid-18th century setting, which garnered it several awards including an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Bonus: Before the film, Holly Stalder will create a one-night-only fashion installation inspired by the movie. Mon April 24, 7:30-9:45 pm, Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, $7-9


dfrntpigeon will launch their new spring 2017 collection, “Identity,” where the designs will ask, “Which Portland do we own, and which Portland do we hide away?” The project “focuses on adversities the city of Portland has faced over the years specifically around racial prejudice and gentrification.” While fashion sometimes negatively appropriates the current social and political strife, dfrntpigeon takes an alternate approach. It’s a streetwear brand launched by New Avenues for Youth and provides at-risk youth design mentorships from volunteers who work in Portland’s creative industries. Participants in the program are directly involved in all stages of development, and that helps them take steps toward economic independence while giving them a platform to challenge the negative perception of youth homelessness. Wed April 26, 4-8 pm, The Cleaners at Ace Hotel, 403 SW 10th, free