In Style
Green textiles grow in popularity
Here’s how plant-based fabrics flax, hemp, bamboo and Tencel stack up in terms of sustainability
Much as they’re trumpeted by so-called eco-designers, plant-based alternatives to cotton are a minuscule piece of the fashion puzzle. Dwarfed by cotton and synthetics such as polyester, spandex and rayon, textiles made from flax, wood pulp, hemp and bamboo make up less than 2 percent of the market. But that percentage is growing because of consumer and corporate demand, as well as technological advancements that make natural fibers easier to transform into wearable fabrics.
Yellow not so mellow this season
I ran into my very cool and always fashionable friend Ali last week at (not surprisingly) the nail salon, and she was toting a season-old, but very current-looking, neon-yellow Celine chain-strap bag that brought incredible life to her simple ensemble of a charcoal gray blazer, black skinny trousers and white T-shirt. It was the pop of yellow that tied her sleek basics together so well and worked perfectly to update a classic look. A burst of the sunny shade is a great tool in this transitional weather — you can wear layered pieces from fall or winter and just update them with a hit of summery, sunshine-y color. Another plus: Pairing the yellow bag with a tailored charcoal blazer made for a fresh and interesting combination.
A feathery phenomenon
Feather hair extensions are shaping up to be one the year’s hottest trends
Never have rooster saddle hackles been as in-demand at The Greased Line Fly Shoppe as in the past two months. That’s because the feathers, which are typically used in fly-fishing to tie flies, now are being snapped up by women to use as hair extensions. “It’s a phenomenon,” said Mark R. Noble, owner of the Vancouver fly-fishing and adventure travel shop. “After 36 years of business, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Legging out an outfit
Many women — but not all — like versatility of leggings
A public service announcement: Tights and leggings are not one and the same. “Tights are meant to be worn under a garment. Tights are not meant to be worn as an exterior piece,” said Vancouver designer and “Project Runway” winner SethAaron Henderson.
‘Lemonade Mouth’ stars groom their own style rules
Hayley Kiyoko and Naomi Scott, the next generation of Disney Channel starlets, hit the media circuit this week and had a premiere to attend before today’s debut of the TV movie “Lemonade Mouth,” the story of kids who form a band. But if this whole experience has been “just weird, just crazy,” as Scott says, dressing the part hasn’t. Kiyoko, 20, seems poised to become a fashion force, gravitating toward funky styles such as wearing a leather cowboy shirt and shorts with tights. She even pulls off a leather fanny pack.
Whales, dogs preppy favorites
Spring welcomes a rebirth of clothes covered in critters
Not all critters are created equal: Dogs and waterfowl are popular, but cats barely make it onto the radar — at least when it comes to creatures featured on the preppy clothes and accessories that seem synonymous with spring. You also can’t go wrong with a whale or crab; girls love their ponies and butterflies; and boys have a thing for sharks.
Fashion world taps Coachella festival to see and be seen
LOS ANGELES — More than 100,000 people are expected to descend on Indio, Calif., starting today for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and the fashion world will be watching. While Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon are jamming onstage, fashion and lifestyle companies will be vying for the attention of festival-goers offstage, with branded cooling tents, beach balls, Coachella “survival kits” at the Empire Polo Club grounds, plus pool parties with bottomless cocktails and their own live music at hotels and estates offsite. In 12 years, the three-day spring break for adults has become a branding juggernaut approaching Sundance Film Festival proportions. At Sundance, gift lounges dominate the freebie scene, but at Coachella, brands want to reach a wider audience of “influencers” with events such as the G by Guess Artist Retreat Pool Party and BBQ, the A/X + 944 Neon Carnival, the Mulberry BBQ & Pool Party and the fourth-annual Jeremy Scott + Adidas Shindig.
SethAaron takes fashion to the beasts
Vancouver designer and “Project Runway” winner SethAaron Henderson is known for creating fashion-forward women’s clothing, but he recently showed once again just how versatile he is. Henderson, 39, designed outfits for a chicken, an alpaca and a pug for a fundraiser for the DoveLewis Pet Loss Support Program. It was his second time contributing to the benefit. Last year, he designed clothing for a llama and a rabbit.
SethAaron makes splash at Portland Fashion Week
Industrial shipyards on Portland’s Swan Island turned into a sartorial epicenter Saturday evening as models, designers and fashionistas descended to see SethAaron Henderson and three other “Project Runway” alumni present collections. The show was part of the seventh annual Portland Fashion Week, a five-day event that wrapped up Sunday and featured local, regional, national and international designers’ spring and summer collections.
Cool designer, hot collection
Solar power inspires Vancouver’s SethAaron Henderson’s futuristic clothes for Portland Fashion Week
‘Star Wars” was among the first things to pop into Vancouver fashion designer and “Project Runway” winner SethAaron Henderson’s mind when he toured the SolarWorld plant in Hillsboro, Ore., this summer. He was seeking ideas for a solar energy-inspired collection to debut at Portland Fashion Week. “When I was there, it felt like I was on the Death Star. I felt like I was in outer space,” said Henderson, 39. “It just felt very futuristic. It’s all machines and metal. It was a very cold, industrial vibe.”
Firm foundation for historical underwear
Clark County expert tells how women’s underwear shaped societal roles
From the organ-crushing, bust-enhancing corsets of the mid- to late 1700s to the butt-boosting bustles of the late 1800s to the curve-flattening girdles of the 1920s and ’30s, ladies’ undergarments have evolved over centuries as ideals of beauty — and notions about the role of women in and outside of the home — changed. “Primarily what women’s underwear was meant to do was change women’s shapes to be appealing to whatever area of the woman’s body was preferred by men at that time,” said Yacolt historic costumer and re-enactor Rebecca Morrison-Peck.
Yacolt costumer finds niche in historical looks
Yacolt historical costumer Rebecca Morrison-Peck got an early introduction to what would later become her career. Growing up in San Diego, Calif., her mother and grandmother taught her to sew at a young age. By the sixth grade, she was making her own clothes. Historic costuming combines Morrison-Peck’s love of clothing and history. She made her first reproduction costume for a Renaissance fair in the late 1960s. It was a midnight-blue, velvet, Elizabethan-style gown covered in pearls and gold brocade.
Vancouver designer SethAaron Henderson featured in Marie Claire
Spread in women’s fashion magazine part of Vancouver designer's ‘Runway’ prize
Vancouver designer SethAaron Henderson is just now reaping one of the best rewards for winning the reality television show “Project Runway” nearly five months ago. Henderson, 39, and his “Project Runway” Fashion Week designs are featured in a five-page editorial spread in the July issue of Marie Claire magazine. The feature was part of his prize package, along with $100,000 and a design technology suite.
Tutus seamless for seamstress
Columbia Dance volunteer’s talent for making tutus earns honor
About 75 hours of painstaking work, layers of tulle and netting, rows of hook-and-eye closures, appliqués, ribbons and Swarovski crystals go into each tutu Brenda Smith makes for Columbia Dance as a volunteer costumer. “There’s a real art to it,” said Smith, a Columbia Dance board member.
Vancouver welcomes delegates, honors designer
SethAaron Henderson gets key to city at GOP-sponsored Party in the Park
The key to the city doesn’t actually open anything, but Vancouver’s most recent recipient, Project Runway winner SethAaron Henderson, joked “I’m going to try, anyway.” Mayor Tim Leavitt handed over a shiny, oversized cardboard key before presenting Henderson a plaque featuring a smaller bronze version on Friday in Esther Short Park, part of a day long public celebration sponsored by the state Republican convention.
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