Perhaps you’ve already ventured out to 2305 NW Savier, where
Liza Rietz set up shop at July’s end with her eponymous line of
modern womenswear. If so, you probably know that the studio/storefront
was never intended to be a solitary venture. This Friday marks the
grand opening of Liza Rietz and a broken spoke, as
completed by the addition of a broken spoke‘s creator and
cofounder of the space, John Blasioli.
While Rietz has already had something of a grand opening, the work
of Blasioli, one of the precious few designers doing quality menswear
design, demands another fête. While most locally produced
menswear carries the ultra-casual hallmarks of screenprinting or hoodie
embellishment, Blasioli—much like his former mentor, Adam
Arnold—has something of a “dressed-up casual” vision,
encouraging men to embrace tailoring beyond the proverbial Sunday Best.
To that end, his pieces serve as proof that spiffing up doesn’t have to
be that hard. Blasioli cites Clive Owen‘s role in Children
of Men as an inspiring example of what he means. Here the
character is half drunk, amidst the chaos of an apocalypse, and yet
with a few basic, well fitting pieces—trench coat, collared
shirt, and pants—he still manages to look sharp.
As a designer, Blasioli is always striving to execute cleaner and
cleaner lines with subtle intrigue—careful details that make the
garments quietly outstanding. Unexpected touches appear on familiar
silhouettes, whether they be fastidiously placed buttons on a sweater
or the placement of the pockets on an ever-so-slightly asymmetrical
jacket. The work demonstrates an understanding of the reluctance,
common in men, to draw attention to themselves through adornment. At
the cusp of a fall season that has Vogue devoting prime
editorial real estate to hand wringing over women’s fear/inability to
dress up in the face of designers’ suddenly mature—even
severe—directives, a bit of coaxing seems in order for a
complementing masculine show of effort.
Perhaps because Blasioli is young, and West Coast, the efforts that
a broken spoke suggests are low pressure. Jackets have become a
focus for him, and proof that just one piece can transform a man’s
wardrobe without any fuss or sacrificing utility.
As for the henhouse, women have been clamoring for more of
Blasioli’s dabbling in womenswear, and Rietz may be an instrumental
influence in that arena (and vice versa), with Blasioli calling
collaboration “a very real possibility.” (Liza Rietz and a
broken spoke grand opening Friday, 2305 NW Savior, 5-8 pm with
drinks, food, and a DJ, free)
Man up: marjorie@portlandmercury.com