Sold Out
EcoVibe keeps brick-and-mortar alive. by Cassie Ridgway In the last year there’ve been a number of daunting articles and studies highlighting a decline in retail sales, and many experts cite the...
View ArticleSold Out
The sixth annual Portland Fashion & Style Awards. by Cassie Ridgway Sunday, November 5 marked the sixth annual Portland Fashion & Style Awards (PFSA)—an event created and spearheaded by Venus...
View ArticleSold Out
Tiffany Bean gives us a peek at her upcoming Fade to Light collection. by Cassie Ridgway IT'S JANUARY, so don’t be surprised to find yourself engrossed in the winter doldrums of sobriety resolutions...
View ArticleSold Out
A peek at the bold, new Betsy & Iya spring/summer lookbook. by Cassie Ridgway WARM-WEATHER LOOKBOOKS are popping up and coloring the landscape of Portland's fashion scene in dynamic ways. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
The new Copper Union lookbook encourages curves. by Cassie Ridgway NOBODY CAN STOP ME from gushing about Copper Union apparel. Go ahead and try... you will fail. That's because this ground-breaking...
View ArticleSold Out
Chatting with local makeup maven Gina Campbell. by Cassie Ridgway EVERY FASHION DESIGNER knows the challenge of styling their own collection. The work of creating a fully realized lookbook, runway...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Portland Fashion Institute: Fashion Forward 2016 Review
by Cassie Ridgway On Saturday evening, I had the honor to attend the fifth annual Portland Sewing: Fashion Forward Show, which is a capstone runway preview of the students who are graduating the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out: Dea Dia
Meet jeweler Jessica Lawson. by Cassie Ridgway OUR CITY BOASTS an impressive league of metalsmiths and jewelers creating pieces that just so happen to be my personal kryptonite in this life. There are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
A chat with designer Lizz Basinger. by Cassie Ridgway DURING OUR most recent heat wave, I realized that despite my desire to sweat it all out in cutoffs and an old band tee, I had professional...
View ArticleBoutique Alert: Gem Gem
Talking to Jewelry Enthusiasts Allison Bartline and Heidi Lieberman by Cassie Ridgway PORTLAND'S EVER-CHANGING brick and mortar scene has been rapidly turning districts into unrecognizable labyrinths...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alley 33 Recap: Hot Fashion from the Summer's Hottest Runway Show
by Cassie Ridgway The Alley 33 Fashion event took place on a perfect summer day for a block party in the heart of SE Portland. Each year this show builds out a massive runway in an unassuming alley at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Look Back at Fade to Light
Highlights from August’s installment of the ongoing local fashion event. by Cassie Ridgway LAST WEEK, Portland’s style scene was taken by storm at the Fade to Light fashion show at the Crystal...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
Don’t miss the Knock Out plus size fashion show! by Cassie Ridgway DON’T THINK the impending fall weather is going to slow the tide of fashion events. To the contrary, the style calendar is just...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FashionXT: Night One in Review
by Cassie Ridgway The first night of FashioNXT came out with a bang. Arriving at the venue, guests were dressed to the nines as they entered a massive industrial building that is currently converted...
View ArticleSold Out
The new Duchess Clothier lookbook holds many surprises. by Cassie Ridgway IT'S LOOKBOOK SEASON, so let’s cast some light on Portland tailoring specialists Duchess Clothier, who proudly manufacture and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FULL RECAP: FashioNXT 2016
by Cassie Ridgway My apologies for how long it has taken me to recap FashioNXT. To be honest, fitting this much fashion into one four-day marathon is a Herculean effort, and recapping every designer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
Cooler weather is the perfect time for Bridge & Burn. by Cassie Ridgway Real Northwesterners revel in colder weather. Bright fall leaves and gentle foggy mornings are as romantic as a crackling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why What (and Where) You Buy Matters
Why what (and where) you buy matters. by Cassie Ridgway On election night, the reality slowly came over me like a fever—which, hours later, became a non-metaphorical fever. Like many, I felt helpless,...
View ArticleSold Out
Veil & Valor look to the Vikings for inspiration. by Cassie Ridgway ONE MAJOR CHALLENGE that every apparel designer in Portland faces is textile sourcing. With scarce options for wholesaling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
How a snowy week birthed a retail movement. by Cassie Ridgway THAT FIRST DAY of snow was pretty rad, watching the tiny little puffs delicately fall through the crisp, clear air and stick to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
Sparking winter with the Salt Empire. by Cassie Ridgway I'm over it.I’m OVER feeling sluggish and looking at the gray sky, gray city-life, and gray ennui. The rain and snow gray-out all the verdant...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Fifth Annual FADE TO LIGHT Fashion Show
by Cassie Ridgway Last week’s Fade To Light ushered in it’s 5th year with bravado. True to form, this show provided a beautifully realized “multidimensional” event that included stage performance,...
View ArticleSold Out
Sarah Donofrio brings imagination to Portland. by Cassie Ridgway Our city boasts some impressive Project Runway finalists: some who’ve won, some who’ve come close, and some who were cruelly robbed of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Politics of Shopping
Vote with your dollar to make small businesses and Portland great. by Cassie Ridgway Because you’re a Portland Mercury reader, I assume you care about the vibrancy and charm that make Portland the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
Rock & Rose turns 10! by Cassie Ridgway Independent retail is an industry of perseverance. For shop owners, particularly those in Portland, weathering seasonal changes, ebbs and flows of business,...
View ArticleSold Out
Inside Boutique Guide Portland and Portland Fashion Insitute by Cassie Ridgway During Design Week Portland, a little green book began circulating. This book, Boutique Guide Portland, is a field guide...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
A roundup of spring/summer 2017 lookbooks. by Cassie Ridgway As summer is finally beginning to heat up in the Northwest, most of our city’s independent designers are already focusing on shooting their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What You May Have Missed at the Alley 33 Fashion Event
A play-by-play—with pictures!—of the outdoor fashion show. by Cassie Ridgway This year marked the seventh annual Alley 33 Fashion Event: a huge outdoor fashion show that focuses on Portland-based...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Art Institute’s Annual Fashion Show
Looks from the Art Institute’s annual fashion show. by Cassie Ridgway Between Alley 33, Fade to Light, Projections, and Modified Style, this summer has packed more local designs into a single season...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sold Out
The Fade to Light fall preview. by Cassie Ridgway Fade to Light is quickly becoming the Portland fashion show due to the diligent showmanship offered to both audience and designers alike. Attendees...
View ArticleA Q&A With PDX Shopping Tours
A Q&A with PDX Shopping Tours. by Cassie Ridgway October signals the doldrums for independent retailers. Collectively, nearly every business district experiences a major lull in foot traffic and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q&A with FashioNXT Emerging Designer Winner, Sundari Franklin
by Cassie Ridgway The designer behind the new line Minnie Opal has garnered a heap of attention as the winner of the UpNXT competition as well as being awarded the Portland Fashion & Style Awards...
View ArticleWhere to Shop for Your Holiday Look
Don You Now Your Gay Apparel—Locally! by Cassie Ridgway The holidays aren’t just Peacock Lane, peppermint mochas, white elephant gift exchanges, and Mariah Carey on a loop. In the fashion world, it’s...
View Article2018 Fashion Forecast
Predicting what you’ll be wearing in the New Year. by Cassie Ridgway January snuck up on us this year—but hopefully the palate of your imagination is refreshed and you’re ready for another ride. A new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spring/Summer Fashion: Coming in Hot!
Say hello to floral motifs and soft pastels. by Cassie Ridgway Two days of sun is all I need to feel completely ready for spring/summer fashion. We’ve clearly reached that turning point in the year...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More Spring/Summer Lookbook Style
Portland designers explore hot colorways for warmer weather. by Cassie Ridgway I’m back with another spring/summer roundup, and truth be told, this is my favorite time of year for lookbooks. That’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Portland Boutiques Provide Spring Inspiration
Showing love to Portland’s innovative, risk-taking retailers. by Cassie Ridgway Here at Mercury Fashion HQ, we strive to bring you all the pertinent fashion-related news our busy city has to offer....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Summer Lookbooks Are Comin’ in Hot
These lookbooks don’t disappoint. by Cassie Ridgway In many ways, summer is the most expressive and energetic season for Portland’s design companies. Pops of vibrant color and more adventurous...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Blithe and Bonny’s Backstory
by Cassie Ridgway The independent shops of Portland often tell a story of family. When you walk into a small business, you’re entering the dreams of the shop’s creators—dreams that enrich our...
View ArticleFade to Light Returns with Its Biggest Lineup Yet
A preview of the semiannual fashion show. by Cassie Ridgway We’re in the sixth year of the beloved, semiannual Fade to Light fashion show, which will be presenting a two-day fashion event on August 21...
View Article