Portland Picks: May Flowers & Farmer's

After a hard week searching for the best, most beautiful, freshest, funkiest and fun-tastic stuff in the area, we dish directly to you. We aspire to endlessly surprise you with hip, “insider-only” tidbits about fashion, food, entertainment & pop culture in the Portland area! We hope, like that morning cup of Joe, you come to depend on us each Friday to start your day and send you on your merry way.

Summer Sports Pick: Golf

If you have the time, take up golf this summer. This might seem like a near impossible task (with the 17 jobs you already have) but schedule it in, 9 holes, one day a week…for no other reason than the Cuteness Factor that has finally crept into this testosterone sport. Gone are the days of frumpiness and manly styles for women. There is a pink glimmer of hope on the horizon:

Feminine fashion has finally found golf, thanks to the new generation of female golfers like the 25-year-old beautiful and stylish LPGA Champion Grace Park. She oozes talent, beauty and style, helped, of course, by her head to toe Nike Golf contract to keep her always lovely on the links. Finally, an athletic AND fashionable role model to aspire to!

And then there’s always Lilly. And now we can thank her too, for her very fabulous Lilly Pulitzer Golfwear. We might even have to take up 18 holes of golf just so we can wear her more! (Or wear her for cuteness and pretend we just got off the links.) Loud colors and clashing patterns have always been part of the male golfer's wardrobe. Leave it to a woman to make it look chic.

Hey, and now you can even get a Chanel golf bag and a Louis Vuitton golf glove to go with your super chicy and coolest of the cool Nike golf shoes (love Nike Golf’s SP-5!). All we need now is our VW Bug-like retro pink golf car and we’ll officially be golfers!

Spring Style Picks:

1. Kanpai!

   Sake anyone? One of the hottest new skincare lines among those celebrities “in the know” right now boasts age-old ingredients derived from our favorite sushi accompaniment, rice wine. Kate Moss, Sadie Frost, Jennifer Connelly and Portia de Rossi are all fans of SK-II’s high-end, high-result skin serums & creams, and we are too.

   Their Power Signs Concentrate fights those pesky fine lines around the eye, mouth, throat & décolletage…resulting in wrinkle reduction and improved elasticity ($200).

   Don’t have the big bucks for beauty products right now? Splurge on their Facial Treatment Mask, a relaxing facial treatment that leaves your face drenched in moisture and ready to conquer the world ($15).

   Pick up these and other SK-II products at www.saks.com or visit their store downtown.

2. We can’t stop fantasizing about what it would feel like to traipse around the ‘hood in these fabulous Gucci sandals…a little S & M and a lot of sass & satin combine to create the sexiest shoes we’ve seen in years.

   Available from Gucci in sage, black, turquoise & nude with metallic accents and a fabulous bamboo heel, they aren’t for the financially footloose and fancy free ($675), but they’re a powerhouse Spring accessory that will showcase those curvy calves of yours! This and so much more available at www.gucci.com.

3. Spring is here, summer's around the corner, and it's time to get that beach bod buffed & beautified.

   So, Step One: Get moving! Ride your bike, walk, jog, take up yoga, but get mooooooving. Step Two: Try a nice thigh mask from our local Blue skincare sold at Urbane Zen. It’s a mud mask for your thighs. Just what they need to get from flab to firm for that new bikini of yours. Also, just to hide those teensy ripples, add a little Fake Bake for an all-over smooth and bronzed bottom. It’s amazing how a little sunless tan seems to take off a few pounds.

4. Forget black – go for the green – it's the hot color and goes with more than you realize! This spring if it’s green it goes.

   Groovy green for a day bag or a classic clutch at night, green is the color this spring (shown, Kate Spade, $295).

5. Thin Belts – while they may not really hold anything up, they add just that little something to khaki pants or a baby doll dress over pants (think metallic leather). Club Monaco's take on this new trend is slightly punk but more sleek ($29 at your local Club Monaco store). If you prefer a more traditional belt this spring check out some of the lovely styles at www.bananarepublic.com (pictured, $32) or visit them at Washington Square or Downtown.

   Get rid of the clunky black leather monstrosity with the paperweight belt buckle, the look for spring is a dainty and quaint line across your hips for accent and attitude. Think slinky, think thin, dress up the mundane with that little lash of color and contrast.

6. Cropped or rolled up pants and capris – they're a spring basic allowing you to be sexy and cool, with the ability to transform effortlessly from day to night. Capris look amazing on the long and lanky and take years off you while rolled up pants are flattering on the rest of us!

   You'll turn plenty of heads without baring all --- there's a funky, eighth grade school dance feel to rolled cuffs that will return you to your whimsical past! You’ll feel like walking on the beach and skipping stones, put some summer in your step early!

   We love the cuffed faded jeans from the gap (shown) and adore Free People's cotton/spandex twill version of this look ($87 at www.girlshop.com) or Nordstrom.

7. Accessories with a mix of wild prints brought out with coordinating florals --- We love these gorgeous matching shoes and purse by Dolce & Gabbana at www.dolcegabbana.it.

8. The spectator pump – our favorites are Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Edmundo Castillo & this affordable pair by Charles David (www.zappos.com, $181).

9. Flirty and Flouncy and Flaring circle skirts are in the air.

   Anthropologie and the Gap (above) have a huge collection. Also Mimi and Lena, Elizabeth Street and Galore on Northwest 23rd, or Gracie’s and Naturals in Lake Oswego. They’re everywhere and you can go anywhere in them. Be your own romantic heroine in this loose and lovely look that screams spring.

10. Growing up in oft-gray Ory-gone means any crack in the clouds, you found yourself slicked in Baby Oil, holding your mirror under your chin at just right angle. Of course, things change, you learn, and now you must redeem yourself. Our Portland Picks words of stylish wisdom: Hats, hats, hats! You can’t go wrong with hats. Wear them to be oh, so stylish, and to protect that ivory skin of yours from further sun damage.

    We love the groovy retro hats from www.fashiondollaccessories.com (shown)
    Or check out Galore Department Stores pink Pucci-esque or pink patten leather hat. Or try the Terry Beach hats from Coach.

    The hat is definitely the Thing for spring.

11. Dresses!
    Hey Gidget, go for the 60’s summer dresses like this
    David Meister Dot Dress or this Elie Tahari number from Saks. You’ll make quite a statement. Retro fun, sassy and totally sexy, you’ll definitely turn heads! Very fun, very festive and very feminine.

12. Bags are going Big, Big, Bigger. Bags like this clear tote from Isabella Fiore or Juicy Couture are just the ticket for this summer. Big enough to fit everything you need for a day at the beach, weekend travel, or shopping.

We Dare You Picks:

This week we double dog dare you to –

1. Go to a movie by yourself. And don’t forget the Milk Duds and extra large, extra heavily buttered popcorn. (Just this one time, as part of the whole decadent experience.)
2. Forget the book club. Gather your best girlfriends together and form a Garage Band. First, and most important, you need to pick a clever Girl Band name. Next, of course, you need to discuss the outfits. Each of you must dibs an instrument and practice on your own. Then get together once a week in your garage, drink some tea (and then wine), and jam out. You’ll be creative, you’ll learn something you didn’t know about yourself, you’ll feel young again…and have new and very interesting, braggy cocktail party conversation. Not only will your kids think you are ultra cool (or possibly be ultra embarrassed by you), but so will everyone else. “Oh I can’t tonight, I have rehearsal.” Man, you’re awesome! (And talk about good therapy-especially for the drummer.)
3. Add yet another talent to your repertoire.
   Take up sailing. Sign up for a private sailing class at the Willamette Sailing Club, or a group course with a friend or two (or summer camp). You’ll feel free, accomplished, in control as you sail around the Willamette in your very own sailboat.
   www.willamettesailingclub.com
4. It’s your birthday. What’s a girl to do? Instead of the usual grownup party, why not act like a kid again, celebrate your youth? Invite a handful of your favorite friends, throw on your grubbies, and have a Paint Ball party. This is one war you’ll adore!
5. Call your best friend that you haven’t seen in awhile and meet her at the new Henry’s Tavern for lunch and a little shopping at the very hip Diesel Store in the Cellar Building. (Just don’t over-nosh before you try on all their must-have styles for spring. Or better yet, shop first, then eat.)

   Diesel Store
   The Cellar Building, 30 Northwest 12th Street
   503 241 1355

Food Picks: The Farmer’s Market

It’s May and most of the Farmer’s Markets around town have started “sprouting” up. There’s nothing more fun than Farmer’s Market Hopping. Each weekend we make a point of visiting another. It’s a fun and leisurely thing to do on the weekend for you and your family. Pick up some fresh, local and organic produce. Have a Beer Sausage or a burrito. Listen to some live Blue Grass music. Check out the local folk art. Oregon Farmer’s Markets…a lovely sign of summer.

Lake Oswego Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 9:00 - 2:00
May 15 - October 9
Millennium Park and Evergreen

**Lake Oswego's Farmers' Market opens up for the
season this weekend, back in its much more attractive location at Millennium
Park off A Street and State.

Beaverton Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8:00 - 1:30
May 8 - October 30
Hall blvd, between 3rd & 5th sts

Portland Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 8:30 - 2:00
May 1 - November 20
Park Blocks at PSU campus
1800 SW Broadway at Montgomery

Portland Wednesday Farmers' Market
Wednesdays, 10:00 - 2:00
May 12 - October 27
South Park Blocks behind
Schnitzer Concert Hall
SW Salmon & Park

Portland Thursday Farmers' Market
Thursdays evenings, 4:00 - 8:00
June 3 - September 2
Ecotrust Building, NW 10th & Johnson

Tigard Area Farmers ' Market
Sundays, 9:00 - 2:00
May 9 - October 31
NE corner of Hall Blvd. & Oleson Rd

Eastbank Farmers' Market
Thursdays, 3:30 - 7:30
June 3 - September 30
SE 20th and SE Salmon

Milwaukie Sunday Farmer's Market
Sundays, 9:30 - 2:00
May 16 - October 10
SE Main between Harrison & Jackson sts
Across from City Hall

Gresham Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8:30 - 2:00
May 8 - October 30
(No Market Aug 14th)
Miller Street between 2nd & 3rd

Portland Picks wades through the cultural swamp to pluck the most luscious offerings in town. We cover our favorite topics: fashion, retro-inspired everything, music, dining, shopping, travel and more. Portland Picks, all about your life.... with style.