• Mercantile keeps its trunk show pace a’steady, this time with Vince‘s spring ’15 collection, available alongside light refreshments for a long weekend. Mercantile, 729 SW Alder, Thurs March 5-Sun March 8
• Twist is having their huge, 26th annual sale this week, with discounts starting at 50 percent off on over 2,000 pieces, including those designed by huge names like Pamela Love and Melissa Joy Manning. Twist, 30 NW 23rd, Fri March 6-Sun March 16
• Now in its 10th year, Power of the Purse pairs “Purse-o-nalities” (stay with me) like Venus Williams (!) and the von Trapps (!!) along with bag designers such as Ellington and Spooltown to create one-of-a-kind handbags. The results are auctioned off at a splashy gala to benefit Girls Inc, a non-profit that preps and inspires young girls for bold careers. You can also skip the gala and go straight for the pop-up boutique if you want to throw some support and get some shopping done. Portland Hilton, 921 SW 6th, Fri March 6, 4:30 pm (boutique) & 7 pm (dinner and auction), $40 (boutique only)-175
• Union Rose is having its annual spring cleaning sale, with lots of locally designed goods on “mega-clearance: Dresses under $100 and separates below $50, including samples and past season items. Union Rose, 7909 SE Stark, Fri March 6, 4-9 pm
• I first became acquainted with Fortress of Inca via The Annex, which is carrying a selection of their ankle boots that look a lot like a certain ubiquitous Rachel Comey style, and are also made in Peru but retail at a fraction of the price. Now the brand is opening up a store of its own, where you can explore the rest of the range as well. Fortress of Inca, 729 E Burnside, grand opening Fri March 6, 6-10 pm
- Fortress of Inca
• To provide a broader backdrop of the era covered in the Portland Art Museum’s Italian Style: Fashion Since 1945, Third Angle Music provides a “Made in Italy” show from the music perspective. The program will create a timeline of works from the 1940s to the present day, tracing a soundtrack to the garments on view next door. Portland Art Museum’s Kridel Grand Ballroom, 1219 SW Park, Sat March 7, 2 pm, free
• In other Italian Style programming news, Veil & Valor will be in the lower level’s Object Stories gallery to chat with visitors and demonstrate design techniques as part of the weekly Crafting Fashion series. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, Sat March 7, noon-5 pm
• PAM’s series of talks in conjunction with Italian Fashion brings former Oregonian film critic and author Shawn Levy in next. Levy’s in the process of researching his next book, examining Italy’s cultural rise from the ashes of WWII, an era he’ll explore in “The Real Dolce Vita.” Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, Sun March 8, 2 pm, free