Fashion Trend of the Week: The Mini Dress

July 13, 2010

With summer finally arriving in Portland, I am excited to finally be able to wear dresses again every day.  There are tons of cute styles out there right now, like bohemian long dresses, v-neck wrap arounds and strapless tube dresses.  My favorite style though is The Mini from Mabel & Zora located in The Pearl.

The Veronica M. Kimono Mini Dress is light, flowing and I love the brightly colored flowers.  It shows off my long legs, hides my mid section problem areas and it would work well with a vibrant neck piece, like the one pictured above.  It is the type of dress you wish you could get away with wearing every day!

Mabel & Zora is located at 748 NW 11th Ave in Portland, Oregon.

Clothing Trend of the Week: Wing Briefs

July 6, 2010

Thongs are old news.  There is a much better way to cover your nether area, be comfortable, not have panty lines, and avoid the incredibly tacky whale tail, and the solution is boy shorts (briefs)!  They are great under short skirts, jeans, tight dresses, and I love just walking around my house in them.  I own quite a few pairs, but my favorite briefs say BRAINS on the butt.  That is the great thing about boy shorts you can write or design anything to go on your booty!  I recently discovered this adorable pair of Wing Briefs at Radish Underground.

The Wing Briefs are part of designer Roxi Sugar’s signature wing collection available at ANGeLRoX based out of Brooklyn, New York.  Radish Underground is the first boutique in Portland to carry her line.  Besides these angelic briefs, they also have hoodies, t-shirts, jeans, and even baby onesies.  You can find other one of a kind items like this at Radish Underground, which mixes independent fashion with art.

Radish Undeground is located at 414 SW 10th Ave in Portland, Oregon.

Fashion Item of the Week: The Drape Skirt

June 29, 2010

Perfect for a night out on the town, a lunch date, or even just a trip to the grocery store, the LA Made Anuk drape skirt from Moxie has the perfect mix of sexy chic and comfortable casual.  I love the way the skirt hugs your hips to show off your curves, and has a slight slant up the front to really give you that fun, flirty look.  This skirt is very similar to the one shown in the Alexander Wang collection, but instead of being $395 (pictured on the left) it is only $78 at Moxie (pictured on the right).

Moxie is located at 2400 E. Burnside in Portland, Oregon.

Fashion in the City of Angels

June 22, 2010

Los Angeles is one of the top shopping destinations in the world.  There are enough independent boutiques to suit all kinds of tastes. But for a genuine LA shopping experience you must venture out on to Melrose Ave in Hollywood. The shops on Melrose cater more towards the younger crowd, and the clothes tend to be funkier and cheaper than in other parts of LA.


As American, which is located on the corner of Melrose and Martel, has a large variety of items—from long floral flowery dresses to combat boots. They have a huge selection of almost anything you could ever want. It’s a pretty big store, so be prepared to really look around. Everything is very organized and labeled clearly so there really is no problem navigating through the store. American has an impressive selection of coats, like the one below, that can be worn over a flirty floral dress to keep you warm on brisk summer nights.


Chantell on the corner of Poinsettia and Melrose is called the “shopping gem on Melrose.” Sometimes the shops on Melrose can be a little homogenous but not Chantell.  They have an assortment to choose from not found in other boutiques on the Ave. This boutique can be characterized as carrying “misses wear” which ranges from teens to thirty’s wear. There are tons of floral and geometric patterned dresses all made of very light material. Onesie’s and rompers is another popular item that is lining the walls at Chantell.

Treat Yourself to a Fun Retro Style in “The City by the Bay”

June 15, 2010

Haight and Ashbury is one of San Francisco’s most well known and eclectic communities. This cross road was once known for its cutting edge social scene in the 1970’s, but has since continued its popularity by housing a variety of clothing stores and cafes. In walking down Haight Street one can find an abundance of unique boutiques that provide locals and visitors with clothing from a variety of decades. The retro vibe has become increasingly more popular in San Francisco, and the shops in Haight Street reflect this growing trend.

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Dema, one of Haight’s most well known boutiques, offers flirty and 1960’s inspired dresses and skirts. Perfect for a night out on the town or a day in the park, Dema’s fashion is affordable and unique. Dema carries a variety of dress designs that are flattering to every body type, like the dress shown to the right, and are ideal for any occasion. To finish off any look, they also carry an assortment of accessories including the ultra comfortable espadrilles by Pare Gabia.

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Your browser may not support display of this image.Decades of Fashion, pictured below, is a vintage shop located on Haight Street that carries a variety of items from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. If you’re bummed that your mom didn’t save her bell bottoms from high school, or your grandmother didn’t hold onto that vintage tweed jacket, no need to worry. You can find all your vintage needs at this one stop shop boutique. Customers have even said that “this has got to be the best vintage shop I’ve ever been in.” Stop in and grab an affordable find, and pair it with modern accessories for a fresh summer look.

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Vintage is certainly a popular look in the bay area, and the trend even has crossed over to the glasses they wear.  Large black rimmed glasses have recently been dubbed as hipster, and everyone from Britney Spears to Woody Allen has been seen rocking them. Even if you don’t have a prescribed need to wear these glasses, they are fun to throw on and change up any look. Bang-On, located on Haight street stocks a variety of frames that are suitable for any face shape. Their glasses are not only fun, but insanely affordable. Pick up a pair for a measly $10.00!  Pair these glasses with a flirty retro inspired dress from Dema and you’ve got yourself a fun bay area look.

Fashion Trends from Coast to Coast

June 8, 2010

Fashion trends vary from coast to coast, state to state, and even city to city.  It is interesting to compare the style in Philadelphia, where flowing dresses and comfy leather sandals are in, to what people are wearing in New York, where business coats paired with girlie dresses is fashionable.  Depending on where you live,  purple is the new red, snakeskin is the new leopard, leg warmers aren’t just for ballet dancers, and plaid is cool.  How do you keep up to date on the trends and maintain your fashionista status?  The best place to start is at your local boutiques.  Retail shop owners have an eye for fashion trends, and they can not only direct you to the most popular selling items, but give you helpful tips on how to create your own unique style.

In my own personal quest to stay abreast of what is chic I am checking out local retail shops around the country for current fads and bringing them to you in the form of a weekly blog.  Every week I will present a new fashion trend from a local shop, starting with my home town Portland, Oregon.

Shop Adorn

My favorite thing about Shop Adorn, located at  4759 NE Fremont, is that they carry the types of clothing seen on gorgeous celebs like Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Aniston, but at a quarter of the price.  Right now some of the biggest selling items are there Trove Tkees Foundation Leather Sandals, as seen on everyone’s favorite celeb mom Angelina Jolie.  The appeal of these sandals is that they are comfortable, well made, and stylish enough to wear out on the town.

Another popular item that Portland can’t get enough of is the Flashdance sweatshirt made famous by Jennifer Beals.  The label, Alternative Apparel, has given the shirt a more modern spin but it still maintains that classic ’80′s look that is so big right now.

Moxie

The mod 60′s French style is really big in Portland right now, and Moxie, located at 2400 E. Burnside, has everything you need to be a mysterious French starlet or a sleek brooding bloke.  Their Clair Vintage Stripey Dress is oh so cute and perfect for summer, and even better it goes perfectly with another one of their best sellers TOMS canvas flats.

The Red Light Clothing Exchange

The Oregonian recently named The Red Light “Portland’s Attic,” and rightly so.  The shop located at 3590 SE Hawthorne has the best in one-of-a-kind items and vintage wears.  They carry a lot of stuff from local designers, and my personal favorite is their feathered earrings.  I own at least four pairs of the feathered earrings, and have bought them as gifts for friends and family.

***Blog written by Forkfly Executive Coordinator Deanna Uutela

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