a glossary of The Collections week of fashion shows and receptions for a couple of handfuls of Portland’s better designers
design: adam arnold, spring 06. model: mackenzie, Q6. photo: adam levey
A is for Arnold�The story of Portland fashion in fall 2006 begins with Adam Arnold, the bike-riding, gregarious perfectionist with vision and a thousand dead tailors guiding his massive scissors. He’s the heavy hitter, batting first with his show tonight at NAAU. See also the enigmatic Anti-Domestic who rarely shows, but when she does, blows the doors off (see Conceptual).
B is for Best�Best served hot. There is nothing like the energy, immediacy, and shared buzz of the first public showing of a new collection. Don’t miss it. See also bell (sleeves), bows (but only big dramatic ones), bustle, blue ribbon designers.
C is for Conceptual�Work not made merely to adorn or to shelter, conceptual garments are reflexive, asking questions about clothes like what, perhaps, we expect a garment to do anyway (or what it does do with or without our intention) and is that a reasonable expectation, or what does the wearing of this garment mean for our individual and societal relationship with clothes? See also: Cloak, couture, collar, crown, Cox (Hazel).
D is for Deconstruction�A jumping off point for many Portland designers who cut their teeth remaking found garments into one-of-a-kind pieces. More profoundly, the questioning of various elements of a garment through extremem modification or elimination. Still a powerful undercurrent in PDX. See also, Dye (Elizabeth), Denwave (Genevieve Dellinger and Hazel Cox), Dayna (Pinkham), and Dan (Stiles, the designer who graciously designed the poster for the ultra party).
E is for Eastside�With the majority of Collections shows skewing Eastside�Adam Arnold tomorrow night (Friday) at contemporary arts hotspot New American Art Union (922 SE Ankeny) (Ty Ennis showed hear before being chosen for the Biennial), Kathryn Towers and Holly Stalder of Seaplane showing at Studio Ten-Fifty (1050 Water), Elizabeth Dye showing Thursday September 7 at Simpatica (828 SE Ash), Church & State at 2201 SE Powell, and Denwave on Friday the 9th at 9 PM at 811 E Burnside�there’s a statement being made about the creative vitality of the coming ‘hood. See you also at TBA’s Works down by Small A Projects (1430 SE Third). See also economy, local, and watch the independent fashion micro-segment grow.
F is for Fussy�”Fussy is finished,” declares Polly Mellen with some finality in the Isaac Mizrahi documentary “Unzipped.” Watch this play out with a greater restraint in all collections for fall. See also: fit (the Adam Arnold watchword), and fantasy, or should we say fallacy (the invented story of rivalry between two fashion weeks. Can you say “drama-seeking missile”? Wait, those aren’t F-words.).
G is for Girls Girls Girls�Only two of The Collections designers ever do menswear: Adam Arnold and Church + State. As Mike Merrill of UrbanHonking has pointed out, “Boys like to be fancy too.” Yes, but your options are limited gentlemen…for now. See also a certain jaded glamour and Golden Hour, the show of eponymous lines by Kathryn Towers and Holly Stalder Wednesday, September 6 at Studio Ten-Fifty (1050 Water) at 8 PM.
H is for Hats�2006 marks the first time a milliner will do a show with The Collections (last year). Dayna Pinkham is the finest hatmaker in PDX. She’ll show next Tuesday, September 5 at 7 PM at Olive or Twist (925 NW 11th). H is also for Home Team of which The Collections designers are many of the finest representatives on the field. See also hoods and Holly (Stalder).
I is for Ideas�”Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”�Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
J is for Jackrabbits�Let the runway models not dash but saunter to give we viewers a moment to ponder. See also Jess, as in Beebe, designer of the line Linea.
K is for Kathryn�Co-owner of Seaplane with Holly Stalder, Kathryn Towers and Stalder have maintained Seaplane as loose nucleus for designers with a shared aesthetic. Reference the letter “Z” for “Ground Zero.” See also Kate.
L is for Laboratory�Portland is the lab in which all manner of creative experiment is possible (and probable), and where the overlaps in the practice of art, design, and fashion are many and fruitful. See also Jess Beebe’s line Linea, whose 60s influenced fall collection (this vibe has been percolating in her lovely work for a couple of seasons now) will be introduced at a reception at Seaplane (827 NW 23rd) Tuesday, September 5 at 8 PM. See also literary references (trust Liz Dye to find inspiration in lit) and lowercase.
photo: Pete Springer
M is for Models�Our favorites, the serene models, honor and elevate the garments rather than showboat, hold to a calm center in the midst of runway chaos: Sarah Weick (she’s not showing in The Collections, but is a fine designer we anticipate seeing more from), Wendy Swartz, and Mackenzie Courtney.
N is for Numbers�The numbers, 7 shows, 6 days, 13 designers. See also Nathaniel, as in Crissman, who along with Rachel Turk designs the super-modern line Church + State (recently getting the nod from GenArt for their simple, 60s-influenced mini-dresses). See their work next Friday, September 8 at 8 PM (2201 SE Powell).
O is for Oh!�Oh to be floored by talent, by vision, surprised by a new twist, a subtle but unexpected detail.
design: Dan Stiles
P is for Party�ultra throws our first-ever party to celebrate the close of The Collections (AND our one-year+ anniversary) Sunday September 10 at 9 PM at Rake Gallery (325 NW 6th). DJ Anjali will spin. Thanks to Valentine’s and New Deal for food and drink respectively. $5, but invite gets you in free. See also Passage of Hats, the Pinkham Millinery show, and pockets.
Q is for Quiescent�The shows of The Collections feature bodies both at rest and in motion. The final show of next week, “hoods, trains, pockets, and crowns” with work by Liza Rietz, Emily Ryan, and Anti-Domestic, features models on pedestals, quiet, still, at rest.
R is for Runway�Absent from many of the fashion events for The Collections, the runway will be walked at shows by Kathryn Towers and Holly Stalder, Elizabeth Dye, Adam Arnold, Pinkham Millinery. In lieu of runway, we’ll see installation, reception, and work presented on a plinth. See also Rietz and Ryan that’s Liza and Emily respectively, showing next Sunday with Anti-Domestic, September 10 at Rake Gallery, 325 NW 6th at 8 PM.
S is for Sixties�From early-60s bracelet-sleeve coats to mini-trapeze dresses, see the influences of this earthshaking decade resurface. See also, Seaplane, Stalder (Holly), skirt, swing, and streetcar (Pinkham Millinery’s show features an invite-only pre-show on a hired streetcar!).
T is for Twenty-six�Letters in the alphabet. Thorough, aren’t we.
U is for ultra�Portland as the ne plus ultra of a small city with its critical mass in culture and creative entrepreneurialism meets Livability with a capital-L. ultra ?’s PDX makers.
V is for Volume�While our NW aesthetic tends toward clean and modern, don’t expect PDX immunity from the volume story for fall with swing coats, trapeze dresses, voluminous ruffles, big skirts and more. See also vision.
W is for Week plural�Two “weeks” of fashion shows and receptions in Portland this fall means 2 times as much to love.
X is for X�Cross out Saturday, Sunday, Monday, September 2-4, on your calendar…even fashion takes a break for Labor Day weekend.
Y is for You�You without whom there would be no Collections…if a dress falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?
Z is for Zero�Designers, organizers, impresarios have come and gone, but one boutique has been ground-zero for cutting-edge independent designers in Portland since the turn of the millennium: Seaplane. They’ve provided community, support, catalyst, and retail exposure for countless Portland designers.
WHAT TO DO NOW?