Life is not fair. And so while you may be a promising Portland designer, full of taste and vision, you’re going to have to deal with the fact that Adam Arnold gets all the attention. But there’s a reason why the PDX fashion community jumps to attention when an Arnold collection makes its debut. His […]
Marjorie Skinner
Marjorie Skinner is the Portland Mercury's Managing Editor, author of the weekly Sold Out column chronicling the area's independent fashion and retail industry, and a frequent contributor to the film and other arts and feature sections of the paper. She has been writing about Portland life and culture for the Mercury since 2001, produces one of Portland's largest annual spring fashion shows, and occasionally answers emails.
Posted inMovies & TV
Her So-Called Life
Ellie Parker‘s Angst Fest
Ellie Parker is confused. A young woman pounding the pavement in Hollywood’s nauseating, dog-eat-dog struggling-actor scene, she has finally lost herself. And one could hardly blame her, with the dour outlook Ellie Parker has of life through an LA lens: Awkward auditions with pretentious small-time producers, loser men, and perpetual self-doubt keep Ellie (Naomi Watts) […]
Posted inUncategorized
Get Pho’d Up
(“Pho” Rhymes with “Duh”)
PHO! Yummy, steamy, noodly, Vietnamese-y, beefy-brothy, spicy bowls of hot, hot goodness! PHO! How could such simple ingredients as mint, basil, lemon or lime, bean sprouts, and chili peppers combine in such perfect unity? PHO! Sip it for what ails you. Slurp it to fill your gut. It’s both light and filling, and ever so […]
Posted inSold Out
SOLD OUT
This Week in Shopping
Not to sound like a broken record, but… there’s a new store on East Burnside! And while the area’s boutiques are popping up so quickly it’s hard to keep track of them, there is certainly no lack of variety among them. Upholding this standard is Redux, which was opened last week by Tamara Goldsmith. Occupying […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Girl for Hire
McConaughey Manipulated—Again!
IN 2003, Kate Hudson played a character in How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, who, through the ridiculousness of her position at a women’s magazine, was paid to torment Matthew McConaughey for a “how to” article. Three years down the road, in Failure to Launch, Sarah Jessica Parker is similarly fucking with McConaughey’s […]
Posted inSold Out
SOLD OUT
This Week in Shopping
On the ever-developing strip of East Burnside, still more changes are afoot. Burnside Proper, the salon/retail space/workshop at 626 has a new lineup taking charge of this multi-purpose destination. Gone is the woodworking of JJ Wyatt, and the Birds of Prey apparel and hats crafted by Jayme Hansen (whose handiwork you can still see showcased […]
Posted inUncategorized
Flour Power
Blow Your Dough on This Dough
The marriage of flour and water remains one of life’s great treasures; the elemental force behind all things baked goods… Except for baked goods that don’t use flour, like flourless chocolate cake. And spelt bread. And baked Alaska. Okay, forget the flour. Water! Water remains one of life’s great… ah, forget it. Just shut up […]
Posted inMovies & TV
The Thrill Is Gone
Free Us from Films Like Freedomland
Freedomland is a thriller that begins in the throes of one woman’s personal disaster: After being carjacked with her four-year-old son still in the backseat, Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) wanders into the emergency room, her hands covered in blood. She describes her attacker as an African American man from the projects, an accusation that quickly […]
Posted inSold Out
Sold Out
This Week in Shopping
First and foremost, big congratulations go out to Alice Dobson, whose clothing line Sofada (a name derived from the Portuguese word for “naughty”) made its debut at New York City’s Fall Fashion Week on Monday, February 6. An Oregon coast native, Dobson graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, and […]
Posted inSold Out
Sold Out
This Week in Shopping
Seasons be damned. Even when you’re resourcefully recycling summer’s tube tops into miniskirts over thick tights, or cherishing your favorite muscle T-shirt even if no one else can see it under your other three layers, Portland winters are long, making your cold weather uniform feel as monotonous as it is wet. But even if the […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Always a Bridesmaid
Something New Almost Lives Up to Its Name
When it comes to romantic comedies, you gotta lay your cards on the table. So—even though it’s about as sophisticated a statement on cinema as “I don’t like movies with subtitles”—here it is: I am a sucker for romantic comedies. In fact, romantic comedies can even go easy on the comedy—the comedy’s really just there […]