Debrief: Liza Rietz and Emily Ryan

designer: Liza Rietz. photo: Josh Elliott.

Not to be reductionist, but fashion design, really, comes down to structure, ornamentation, and fabric. Some designers, like Adam Arnold, for example, are all structure. Others, like Holly Stalder, employ lush ornamentation.

In recent collections, Portland-based designer Liza Rietz has moved away from the small knife-pleated ornament that had been a signature in past (although the detail of a narrow pleated “runner” of fabric falling from collar to beyond hem was lovely), and has gloriously and adventurously been exploring structure. Her collection for Thursday night’s fashion show at the Cleaners at the Ace Hotel moved on in this direction with great results. She has absolutely hit her stride in this collection showing a number of sharp, tailored dresses, beautiful side-draped skirts (short and sculptural in wovens, and long and drapey in jersey), and favored unstructured dolman and kimono sleeves. But our love for her experiments with shape trump all. A “half circle herringbone tunic with stand up collar” was a beautifully architectural coccoon with deep arm holes, apparently a circle form folded in at the sides, that read more as jacket than tunic. Please go to Rietz’ shop (2305 NW Savier) to see this piece.

designer: Emily Ryan. photo: Josh Elliott.

Emily Ryan, whose work is the most conceptual we will find in Portland, exploring form in a sculptural manner, long ago slotted in to using a lot of grey, a lot of cotton fleece, to create form that is both directional and comfortable. It takes a certain girl to wear some of Ryan’s past designs like bubble rompers, or her brilliantly sculptural triumph of a tent dress from last fall’s fashion week. Ornamentation, for Ryan has been the result of elaborate manipulation of fabric, through circular pleated applique, for example. Thursday night, there were some (to our eyes) firsts for Ryan in both ornamentation and fabric. One of our favorite Ryan looks of the evening featured a dramatically high collar ornamented with b/w print seed pods and a couple of black pod forms hanging from its rim…it was like built in jewelry for the ivory quilted top worn under a black jumper. But a close second was the grey dress with three trapunto bird forms on the front, and quilted or stuffed hem and sleeve cuff…the circular cuff standing away from the wrist in a beautiful, space age frame. Ryan showed a number of generously hooded designs, a crowd favorite being a black dress (in surprising-for-Ryan floral print over black) with ruffled lapels cascading down the front and genius lantern sleeves. But Ryan always shows a look or two that will be tough to pull off even for a Ryan girl like a skirt with a flap between the legs from front to back hem like a dropped codpiece.

designer: Emily Ryan. photo: Josh Elliott.

designer: Liza Rietz. photo: Josh Elliott.

designer: Emily Ryan. photo: Josh Elliott.

Thank you to Portland-based photographer, Josh Elliott, who shot (and art directed) our most recent Point-of-View, for photos.