SOLD OUT

As we tiptoe into spring, local fashion designers are beginning to
mount exhibitions of their work for the new season, taking fragile
comfort in the changing economy. For some, business is surprisingly
booming on Etsy.com, the massive
online craft network that is quickly becoming the bread-and-butter
income source for many Portland designers, apparently benefiting from
the renewed consciousness of progressive consumers.

Meanwhile, diversity is alive and productive on local runways, where
fashion is regularly called upon as entertainment for a variety of
causes. This week, designers provide a boost for an event benefiting
Alec Martinez, a two-year-old faced with cancer. A worthy cause,
no doubt, and one that has attracted the participation of several
noteworthy design contributors.

Emily Sunnell‘s Emilia Kaye line was last seen at a
December show, where a tribute to Marie Antoinette resulted in
giddily frothy reconstructions of tulle and lace that took satisfying
tactile pleasure in the sheer decadence of their materials. The
hairstyles nearly stole the show, with exaggerated volume, curls, and
braids that threatened to overshadow the clothes, and the salon lobby
that served as a venue was frankly too small to contain the effort put
forth. The opportunity to see Sunnell’s energy on a bigger stage will
be a delicious treat in a town where too often punches are pulled at
the expense of drama.

Art Institute graduate (and Mercury fashion show alum)
Janeane Marie is another hot name on the ticket. A former intern
for green-fashion icon Anna Cohen, and more recently of
Project Runway hometown winner Leanne Marshall,
Marie’s combination of influences is downright titillating for local
design connoisseurs. Glimpses of the spring line reveal muted, ladylike
pieces with a European sensibility (a white suit’s ankle offers a crisp
whiff of thoughtful placement, a creamy shell top with a fringed collar
recalls Marshall’s signature balance of embellishment and restraint).
Although one has the sense that Marie might eventually benefit from
exploring some of her more outrageous tastes, hers is a design voice
that is a pleasure to watch coming into its own.

Also on the bill is a second Mercury show veteran, Rio
Wrenn‘s R.A.W. Lingerie. Fundamentally a textile artist more
accustomed to gallery settings, her one-of-a-kind pieces take a page
from Victorian boudoir and are painstakingly dyed and rusted through a
litany of techniques using everything from scrap metal to insect
corpses. The result is striking and unusually pretty, adding a modern,
earthy element to traditional shapes for an almost shabby-chic luxury.
Also on the docket: Lux Jewelry, Beauty and the Bead,
Sarah Seven, Stephanie D. Couture, and Dimitri,
plus a presentation from Haberdashers men’s boutique (428 NW
11th). (Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway, Sat Feb 28, 9 pm, $15, all
ages)