Last Friday, September 19, Adidas and Compound (107 NW 5th) held a launch party for the latest in Portland-centric collectible sneakers: the Tokyo Rose. The shoe is the inaugural collaboration between the store (one of the city's premier sources for kicks as well as Japanese toys and DVD rentals) and the sportswear monolith, after Compound was tapped to join Adidas' consortium group of elite boutiques worldwide. The group's collaborations with the brand result in limited-edition design projects such as this, wherein each consortium member designed a version of the classic Adidas ZX running shoe. The Tokyo Rose's black-white-and-red palette is an homage to the Blazers, plus it features a rose motif (as in "city of"), as well as the Compound logo, and—perhaps most impressively—the insole is an aerial photograph of downtown. It's hard to think of a more specific way of showing your allegiance to the 503 (971?), other than perhaps a pair of complementing jeans from the A.N.Other Project, which also debuted on Friday; the streetwear pieces—designed with one foot in Tokyo and one in Portland—include jeans with waistbands boasting the same rose lasering.
Saturday, September 20, brought us the fashion show featured at the Doug Fir's free Fir Fest party, with vintage looks from neighbors Hattie's Vintage (729 E Burnside, #101) and Rock 'n' Rose (616 E Burnside), plus show-stopping lingerie from the new fall arrivals at Lille Boutique (1007 E Burnside). Highlights included thigh-high stirrups from VPL in gray and vicious orange paired with matching bra and panties. Lille owner Sarah Wizemann recommends wearing them with a skirt just short enough to offer a peep of orange, and with the stirrups over your shoes. More generally, look for lots of bra and camisole styles this fall with racerbacks, and panties with high waists, which complement the current rise in pant and skirt waistlines.
This week, things get exciting with the double-whammy fashion show presented by Emily Ryan and Liza Rietz, two longtime Portland designers who helped define the city's aesthetic with sculptural flourishes and elegant, comfortable wearability. The level of artistry and detail that these two are capable of is staggering; past shows have seen their models elevated above the crowds as living statues in a gallery. This time around—lucky for those of us who want to wear simpler iterations on a daily basis—they are both concentrating on ready-to-wear designs. (The Cleaners, 403 SW 10th, Thurs Sept 25, 8 pm, $5-7)
If you like to mix "the establishment" with your indie (not to mention help raise money for the beloved PICA), take note of Nordstrom Via the Runway, with looks (and shopping) from 3.1 Phillip Lim, M Missoni, Milly, and more. (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, 224 NW 13th, Sat Sept 27, 6:30 pm, $100)
