Spring
Fashion
Index
A
Woman for All Seasons:
This year and every year, women could stand to take a few
style cues from So-fee-ah.
Buh-Bye
Gwyneth, Hello Lita Ford:
You knew they'd be back before too long. WW presents
'80s looks now, in all their trashy glory.
The
Tale of the Taper:
Why guys should show a little love for their own legs.
Five-Minute
Shoe Shakedown:
We interrogated four Portlanders with serious shoe-buying
habits to find out why they worship at the temple of Imelda.
Taking
It to the Streets:
What do your clothes say about you? Quite a bit--but,
as our snapshot of Portland style reveals, the message is
often way off the mark.
The
Summertime Sum:
Legs of leather, a python purse and preppy pieces turned
on their heads will help you stride through summer without
sweating out your wallet.
Use
it or Lose it:
Traditional tennis togs are the least sporty sportswear,
which makes them perfect for off-court duty.
You
Lookin' at Me?
The season's best bets for hiding those lyin' eyes
The
Panelists
RachelL Hawley
is a casting assistant with Danny Stoltz Casting and Extras
Only, so she is often sifting through piles of tapes, trying
to find undiscovered models and future stars. Her approach
to fashion is to "wear what you feel--you can always tell
my mood by what I am wearing."
Disc Jockey
Gregarious, Esq., is a local disc jockey and resident
ham, spinning in bars and clubs throughout Portland. His new
band, Birdy Num Num, has been busy writing and recording for
an upcoming movie. Gregarious advises: "You should always
dress as if you are a character in your own movie."
Jamee Harkins, a recent graduate from the University of
Montana in modern dance, works as an assistant clothing buyer
for Moda. This August, Harkins will manage Moda's new store
opening in Seattle. Benjamin Kent is Moda's assistant
buyer for shoes. Kent also designs clothes.
Jo Ann Bowman is an Oregon state representative, board
liaison policy adviser to County Commissioner Beverly Stein
and chairwoman of the African-American Census Committee. She
believes that "fashion is an attitude; it is more about comfort
and confidence than the pieces."
Last November, The New York Times Magazine produced
a smashing issue that discussed clothing in relation to
identity. One feature captured New York pedestrians on film
for a panel of experts to dissect. The effect was so brilliant,
we couldn't resist our copy-cat impulse. On a sunny weekend
in March, we hit Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and the Lloyd
Center and seized upon Saturday shoppers--each exhibiting
individual, assertive style. We then sought the probing
analysis of local fashion mavens. While New York may be
ground zero for panache and personality, our foray proved
what we knew all along: Portlanders have presence.
(1)
Hawley:
Holding on to youth. Hairdresser maybe. The
hat is fun and she's got pretty hair. Probably a mom, the
type that has her sons or daughters as best friends. She
probably has some money.
Gregarious:
I want to know what is under that coat.
Probably every red-blooded American's impulse. Sooo Capricorn--obvious
in her choice of materials. She works in a resale boutique.
She is on her lunch, and she is newly trying vegetarianism,
but it is not going so well. Her nails, that color--she
is a restrained kinky. She listens to Love, The Monkees.
She might be at some Papillon shows.
Harkins and Kent:
BK: I think she's cold.
JH: She is probably a hair stylist; she has nice hair.
Or a boutique owner.
BK: Right, she owns her own business.
Bowman:
She has a nice style, very simplistic. The hat is the
ummph. She wants to draw all of the attention to the hat.
I am sure that this woman works in a law office or some
kind of accounting firm. She might do taxes.
(2)
Hawley:
He has got a style going on. Psychology student
or something like that. Wants to be very comfortable but
still stylish. The shoes are worn. He probably walks a lot
or rides a bike. It seems like the Hugh Grant look in Notting
Hill. He probably has a nice girlfriend, though not
married.
Gregarious:
He is a bartender in a brewpub. This
guy listens to Luna. He just got Kaitlyn ni Donovan's new
album. He likes the Grateful Dead, but he doesn't admit
it. He is so Aquarius that he could almost audition for
a role in Hair. He has been with his girlfriend for
about three years. She wants to tie the knot; he's a little
slippery. He wants to, he just wants to be sure.
Harkins and Kent:
BK: His clothes and his posture
tell you a lot about him: warm and inviting. He is definitely
on a career track.
JH: His accessories are nice. He looks comfortable in his
clothes. He doesn't look like he's trying too hard.
BK: I would say that he is probably a good friend to everybody
he knows.
JH: I think he probably owns his own business.
BK: Or will.
Bowman:
This gentleman here is an old student. He looks like the
perfect student. Someone that simply needs something to
wear to go down the street.
(3)
Hawley:
Cute, really cute. Maybe a law student. Probably
outgoing, likes to dance. I don't think she's married. She
has got a neat look going on: professional or trying to
get into a professional career.
Gregarious:
She is pretty put-together. The haircut,
the glasses, the nails. Everything has been given consideration.
I'm pretty sure she is an administrative assistant for a
textile company. Her choice of fabrics says to me that she
is immersed in fabric. She is definitely an Aries and is
engaged. I think she listens to contemporary urban music,
whatever that is. I know she listens to sex-you-up, oh-baby-treat-you-right
music.
Harkins and Kent:
BK: I have no idea. I have no idea
at all.
JH: I think she probably works in an office. She is trying
to create a professional look--she has the silver fingernails.
Probably a fun person to have around the office.
Bowman:
She is conservative yet stylish, so I'd say that she
works in an office that requires some kind of decorum.
(4)
Hawley:
He probably likes boating, and I do not know
why. He definitely has a fashion thing going: The belt matches
the little buckles on the coat. He might be in sales. He
definitely cares about how he looks. Divorced, four kids:
He is dressed up enough that he is trying to attract.
Gregarious:
This guy works in a hair salon. To get
that casual look in his hair takes a lot of work. The mustache
says it all. He has a partner. He has a Vespa that he likes
to ride. He is very proud of it. This guy makes it work.
He is a Cancer, and he doesn't have any children. He listens
to DMX exclusively. In the morning he listens to Channel
60, the Nature Sounds channel. By about noon, he moves on
to 80 which is a cheesy '80s channel.
Harkins and Kent:
BK: Definitely a restaurateur.
JH: Yeah, he is a restaurant owner.
Bowman:
I would say that this guy is definitely a professional.
An accountant or a lawyer.
Hawley:
Probably a bartender or waitress. I think
liberal for some reason--an Ani DiFranco fan, or Janis Joplin.
I see rings, but I wouldn't guess she's married. Kids? Maybe
one.
Gregarious:
She is a heavy drinker, in a good way.
Her clothing is basically styled around her drinking lifestyle.
The easy-off sweater. The layers give her protection. I
think she works as a cocktail waitress. She is definitely
a Pisces. Not married. She listens to 1920s can-can music
exclusively. She won't listen to anything after 1925.
Harkins and Kent:
BK: The hat looks like she does
something creative.
JH: Maybe she works in a record store. She is very outgoing.
Bowman:
This is a woman that is probably a manicurist. A manicurist
or a waitress in a bar. Her style suggests that she is someone
who does work in the public, but doesn't have to look a
certain way. Obviously they let her do whatever she wants
to do.
(6)
Hawley:
The theater! Wow. He has maybe a little bit of a dark
side. Maybe he's a clubber--something in production or music.
The all-black thing and the bracelet are interesting. He
seems a little bit cynical. Cynical or sarcastic, maybe.
It looks good though--I mean, he definitely has an attitude
with it.
Gregarious:
Isn't this the guy from Bronski Beat?
This guy looks for fun in every corner of his life. He works
in a copy place--he thought it would be glamorous. He is
the kook at work, not the obnoxious guy. He makes faces
at the customers and gets everyone to laugh. Of course he
is a Gemini. He listens to old Metallica. He listens to
these jazz, beat Dr. Seuss records from the '50s. He listens
to Pulp. Right now in his car is the Clash's London Calling.
Harkins and Kent:
JH: He is probably a hair stylist.
BK: Yeah, definitely aspiring to be something creative
but not quite there yet. Musician, artist, hair. Something
along those lines.
Bowman:
He actually works for City Hall. Just kidding.
I'd say that he is a hair stylist.
THE
ANSWERS
1. Blou (pronounced blue) Carman, age 52,
was born to teach. After five years at OSU, she's spent
the last 20 teaching high school in Corvallis, instructing
in English, literature, psychology and writing. Blou has
been married for 32 years and has no children. In her American
Lit classroom she keeps a mannequin that is dressed according
to the time period being studied. Blou collects vintage
dresses and trades antiques and jewelry. "Reclamation" is
one of her passions--from reviving an old cashmere sweater
to refinishing an oak parquet floor. At age 17, her Mom
told her that one day "you will be too old for long hair."
BACK
2. Derek Rookhuizen, age 24, is a research assistant
at OHSU, and he does have a nice girlfriend. He graduated
with a degree in biology and is considering a graduate degree
in sciences; he is also a writer with a penchant for Hemingway.
Walking is his primary mode of transportation. To accompany
his wandering feet, he has a wandering mind that invents
outfits he could wear "to catch a freight train in at any
time." BACK
3. Deondra Williams, age 18, is a senior at Jefferson
High School. She will attend Fisk University in Nashville,
Tenn., next fall, where she plans to major in business and
music. Deondra is passionate about singing and aspires to
be an R&B diva. She agrees that she sports a classic
look, and her nails are acrylics--manicured every two weeks.
BACK
4. Saud Alarifi, age 35, is a businessman and contractor
in the construction and electrical industries. He lives
in Lake Oswego with his family, having moved there from
Saudi Arabia. When it comes to fashion, sources confirm
that he "tries everything." BACK
5. Susan McKinney, age 32, is a waitress at the
Bagdad Cafe. She has a boyfriend and has lived in Portland
for five years. Susan sews and designs clothes, and yes,
she likes to layer tank tops. BACK
6. John Molenaar, age 29, is a M.A.C. makeup artist
at Nordstrom who is passionate about play-writing (he describes
his style as Noel Coward meets Oscar Wilde) and dabbles
in acting. He has been in Portland for four years, after
teaching English composition at the University of Idaho.
Working the M.A.C. counter means wearing all black on the
job, so he says it has lost its "mystique of sophistication"
for him. Fave colors to wear when not working are baby blue,
yellow and orange. Naturally, he's a Gemini.
BACK
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Willamette Week | originally
published April 12,
2000
|
