Did you read Part 1? Ok, so here we are now, finished eating and ready for some sustainable, creative, beautiful fashion. Is it vegan? Not specifically. But the only bit of "fur" I saw was definitely faux, and there were no leather outfits at all. "Recycled" and "up-cycled" are recurring themes in the show, and that goes hand-in-hand with being animal-friendly. You can still get tickets for
Portland Fashion Week. It runs through the weekend. Do join us.
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Here I am with my friend, Cristina Melinte, who is a talented artist and designer,
and helped me figure out what to wear to all these events the last few weeks. |
Aside from the two designers I've already mentioned in an
earlier post,
Sweet Skins, which put on a great show, filled with clothes I'd actually like to wear, and
Jules of Morocco, which I
did have the pleasure of wearing last night, three designers stood out of the crowd for me on opening night.
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| Sweet Skins |
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| Jules of Morocco |
The first is a young designer, Kate Miles (no relation), of
Kate's Couture, who's just starting her junior year in high school. She's been sewing since she was four, and focuses on elegant gowns and formal wear made from up-cycled fabrics. I was truly impressed, as was the rest of the crowd, who ooh-ed and ahh-ed over each and every design confection to hit the runway.
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| Kate's Couture |
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| Kate's Couture |
The idea of using recycled materials in fashion jumped a few levels when
Plastics Make it Possible took the spotlight. These designs were made of everything from yoga mats to tents to springy things that looked like retro phone cords. While most of it wasn't meant to be something most of us would actually wear, there was a billowy skirt made from a parachute that I absolutely
loved. I can't find anything on their website about fashion, as it seems they're really all about recycling. But the designer who put this collection together clearly has talent that was put to more interesting use than the usual recycled-plastic-bottle-fleece-jacket form of clothing we're used to.
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| Plastics Make it Possible |
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| The parachute skirt |
Last up was a standout collection from
Clayton Beck, who emphasizes recycled materials in his garment designs. He's also a photographer, among other things, and has a great theatrical flair in his presentation. His show was so high energy and playful and fun and beautiful. I loved the back detailing almost more than the front view of his designs. I'm really looking forward to more from him, as he's scheduled to show every night of Portland Fashion Week. Can't wait!
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| Clayton Beck |
And with that, we're caught up for the moment. I need to choose my outfit for tonight and get myself ready to go around again. More coffee please! I'll sleep next week!
