TAKE A DEEP BREATH. Get everything mended and dry-cleaned. Maybe
trim your hair. Okay, are you ready for Portland Fashion Week?
Because it’s coming, whether you like it or not. And in as much as this
little town can muster, that means a mini-maelstrom of fashion events
to be crammed into the next week and beyond. And while I may be one of
the only people in town for whom this time of year more or less utterly
consumes their schedule, anyone with a passing interest in the local
industry (and local industry in general) would do well to keep aware of
the upcoming proceedings.
Kicking off on Wednesday, October 7, and running through October 11,
this year’s schedule includes a healthy number of companies from
outside Portland, with lines from Sweden, New Zealand, France, and
Pakistan representing alongside Pacific Northwesterners. There are a
few returning stars from years past, perhaps most notably Anna
Cohen, who is returning with the Imperial Collection after a
brief hiatus from the industry. Headlining the final night’s showcase
of sustainably focused designs, the line’s production was funded in
part by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture! There will also
be a matinee show dedicated to cycling fashion, called “Ready to Roll,”
and always welcome new looks from favorites like Idom and a
re-vamped Michelle DeCourcy.
Things will get going on Wednesday with a series of active-wear
lines to warm things up (pun intended) called “Moving Fashion.” Perhaps
not the most scintillating premise for a fashion show, true, but I’m
generally in favor of the wool designs of Icebreaker, and am
anxious to see the Swedish equestrian gear (why not?) on offer from
Gersemi. Defyance and Tony Dimitri will hold down
the menswear, while Bend’s NelliDru Design will make its first
formal introduction.
The Mercury will be covering every night of the shows, of
course, and you can follow along at mod.portlandmercury.com, where
you will find (increasingly unhinged) commentary, in addition to
smashing photographs of all the looks by the inimitable Minh Tran. See
you at the shows! (Portland Fashion Week runs Oct 7-11 at Vigor
Industrial Shipyards, 5555 N Channel. See portlandfashionweek.net for full
schedule and event information.)