Chicago Harper fashion show now posted

Thatcher wears Chicago Harper Knit Pique Jacket with Twist Neck T-shirt and Arch Shorts. Nicole wears StudioSKB Menjou Knit Top and Adolph Pants.

Weren’t able to attend Portland Fashion Week? No problem!

You can now see the Spring 2012 lines designed by Sharon Blair and Joshua Buck by hitting this YouTube link: StudioSKB/Chicago Harper

Not all the garments were shown at Portland Fashion Week. We were limited to 8 looks. For more, visit our StudioSKB product pages.

Enjoy!

We're #2!

Despite strong reviews from audience members and judges, Chicago Harper lost Portland Fashion Week’s emerging designer competition to Grishley, a Pendleton-backed women’s wear line.

Judges liked the strong design, construction and fit, but as one observer noted, most of the voting audience members were women and “they are going to vote for what they understand and can wear.”

Chicago Harper also showed Spring 2012 garments, in line with what other nationwide fashion shows would offer. Grishley’s garments were wool, more appropriate to the rainy and cold Fall weather on the day of show or “what the audience could wear today.”

But, as designer Joshua Buck said, “We’re proud to have honorable mention. Menswear is a difficult market to enter and it shows we won attention.

“What’s more important is how well we do at Portland Fashion Week Market on Sunday.” At the market, buyers can take a look at the runway and new, more ready-to-wear samples. Chicago Harper will take orders for Spring 2012 delivery.

Or as I like to say, Chris Daughtry didn’t win American Idol and look how well he did.

For a wrap-up of the emerging designer show, here’s a link to Marjorie Skinner’s article for Mercury on Design.

Photo: Michael wears the epaulet tank top and arch pants in blue plaid. photo by Rhys.

Arriving in Paris

Nous arrivons a Paris!
12 hours in the air. At least 2 hours of lay over in Houston. 9 hours of time change forward. That’s what it takes to get to Paris from Portland. 45 minutes waiting for the bags. 15 minutes going through customs. 30 minutes waiting for the shuttle. 90 minutes to get from Charles De Gaulle airport to midtown Paris. That’s what it takes to get in town during peak rush hour. One hour later, we’re checked into our hotel. That’s what it takes to finally be at home in Paris, ready to go for a walk, find a restaurant and do some people watching. So, here, dear reader, are some cogent comments for you:

C’est une voiture. Most all are boxy and small – the better to squeeze together on the highway and make sudden lane changes

C’est une rue. Most were laid out as game trails before Julius Caeser conquered Gaul. Now they full of parked cars. All the time. Sometime on both sides. Yet drivers treat them as 4-lane highways. What’s the speed limit here? Who knows! Pedestrians beware.

C’est un boulevard. This is at 8 pm, not rush hour — at the corner of boulevards Arago and Port Royal in Les Gobilins section of the Latin Quarter. And if you get into a near fender-bender, don’t apologize. Instead, roll down your windows and curse each other.

C’est un trottoit (sidewalk). Thankfully these are nearly as wide as the boulevards. Poles separate pedestrians from speeding cars – unlike on the rues.

C’est les bicyclettes. For a few Euros, you can rent a bicycle from one of these kiosks and use it as much as you want until you park it at another kiosk. It’s becoming a popular way to commute. Strangely, bicycles use the boulevards, not the sidewalks. And the cyclists rarely wear helmets. Seems like an easy way to see the grim reaper. But we’ve yet to see an accident.

C’est un cafe. There’s one on nearly every corner, unless the other corners host a McDonalds, bank, bookstore or garden. Sometimes there are two or three more down the block. They seem to be full at more than dinner time. But I’ve yet to see an obese or overweight Parisien. And I’ve discovered the secret of their weight management system: Walk a lot (especially with a dog). Bicycle a lot. Smoke a lot.

C’est le style Parisien. You won’t see baggy hip-hop pants, overblown Nikes, hoodies or oversized sweatshirts. Not even a baseball cap, forward, backward or sideways. Young men wear casual-fit straight-legged jeans and khakis at just below the waist with dress shirts and jackets or long-sleeved pullovers. Women wear dresses, skirts or dressier pants and tops. Jewelry is non-existent or understated. Purses come as messenger bags or hobos of various sizes worn over one shoulder and to the front – to ward off pickpockets, I think. Everyone wears dress shoes. For women it’s flats, a small heel or sensible sandals. A few younger women wear Keds or Converse. No flip-flops or sneakers please – that’s how you spot the tourists.
Tomorrow — Your orientation to Paris!

Fashion show boosts Portland fashion community, women's shelter

Everybody needs a sanctuary in these troubled times – a place of joy and hope for the future.

Saturday, April 16 brings such sanctuary to Portland in the form of a hopeful vision for the city’s fashion business.

On that day, Portland Sewing brings together eight emerging designers for a “Garden Party Fashion Event.”

“Part of our vision is to create a market center for the apparel industry here in Portland,” says Portland Sewing owner Sharon Blair, “We have so much talent here, why not?”

Portland Sewing, 2111 NE 43rd, is a prep and finishing school for those seeking jobs in fashion design and the apparel industry. It offers classes from beginning sewing to patternmaking, fashion design and apparel business – from how to start your own business to hiring sales representatives.

Many of Portland’s designers have studied with Blair, including those featured at the show. Two students, Gretchen Jones and Janeane Marie, have gone on to compete on Project Runway.

Designers featured at the garden party event are:

-- Bryce Black, Grey Gardens. StudioSKB is Sharon Blair’s line of clothing. This year she is turning it around and using the label to launch a designer a year. This year, the designer is Bryce Black. Black soon will graduate from Art Institute. His clothes have been featured in Portland Monthly. His Fall 2011 collection, Grey Gardens, set the tone for the garden party fashion event. It is inspired by the documentary and film about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’ relatives.

-- Alicia Wood, Ms. Wood. Wood studied at Parsons before coming to Portland and Portland Sewing. She combines draped kimono sleeves with fabrics such as silk, chiffon and leather. Her line includes obi belts, hats, bags, jewelry and handcrafted shoes. She was named Best Emerging Designer of 2010 at last year’s Portland Fashion Week.

-- Alyson Clair, Clair Vintage Inspired, aims to flatter all womanly figures. Her line ranges from XS to XL and is made primarily of knits. “I take a lot of pride in the fact that my entire line is designed and manufactured right here in Portland, Ore.,” she says.

-- Nyla Jano’s Torrain line of accessories was inspired by a trip to Cambodia. She recycles rice bags into purses, wallets, handbags and backpacks. She wants to encourage style mixed with a global conscience.

-- Robin Forsythe, Estate, sells her clothes at Portland boutiques Union Rose, Sofada and Tumbleweed. Estate upcycles fabrics to create apparel from existing fabrics, preferably made from natural fibers. She chooses subdued colors and textures.

-- Stephanie Dong, Stephanie D Couture. She uses her bachelors degree in apparel design to create ready-to-wear, bridal and custom-made garments. After five years in the business, she is in the process of opening her own boutique.

-- Tiffany Bean, Tiffany Bean. Owner for five years of Mabel and Zora, a boutique in Portland’s Pearl District, Bean is launching her eponymous line at the garden party event. She describes her line as “inspired by Doris Day and James Bond movies. My line has a 1960’s influence, bright colors, bold prints and flattering, feminine silhouettes.”

-- Vien To, Vien. Her well-constructed silhouettes are sold in boutiques in Salem, Ore., and will soon be sold in a boutique of her own. She earned her apparel degree in 2009.

The interior of the sewing school will be turned into an indoor garden featuring bird-friendly plants.

Proceeds go to Peace Garden at Coburn Place Safe Haven – a women’s shelter. Coburn gives women who have suffered from domestic violence and their children a sanctuary where they can start anew.

Garden Party Fashion Event

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Doors open @ 7 pm; Show starts @ 8 pm

$10 in advance; $15 at the door

To buy tickets, go to: Fashion Show Tickets