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| PORTLAND PICKS | ||
| life + style to you: every Friday | ||
| July 23 2004 |
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It is not proper to dance through the streets singing, “I’m so pretty, oh so pretty, I’m so pretty and witty and gay!” For a number of reasons, PC nomenclature not withstanding, it just is not the done thing but oh my and oh dear, the fashion this month is so very quaint and dated and delightful that we want to be in a musical! We deserve to be! Audrey, step aside, this is our dance. See if you don’t agree, this week’s Picks is full of wholesome and world-weary romantic delight. We need a divan to swoon on, we need gloves, we need linen and quick! Take a step back into the future, dream and crave the best of what was and what can be with the people who matter most, our girls! |
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| Pick of the Week: | |||
| A | Okay, close your eyes. Now picture yourself on a leisurely
stroll on a sunny afternoon through a field of wildflowers. Now think : Smitherman
and Barnwell. Inspired by the Italian countryside surrounding a quaint villa
in Italy, designer Vondra Barnwell-Williams set her sights on crafting fashion
indulgences that were classic and at the same time whimsically fantastic. Utilizing
this beautiful setting that has stirred many of the world’s renowned
artists, her creations are an apt tribute to the perfect palate of rich texture
and amazing hues.
The Smitherman & Barnwell line is defined by an appreciation for nature’s finest offerings in fabric and color matched with impeccable cut and style. Oh these dresses are so gorgeous This beautiful, classic dress in white linen has a blue & white vintage ribbon around the bodice and is fully lined. It has delicate buttons in the back of the dress and comes with the perfect matching jacket! Made of 100% Imported European Linen. Smitherman and Barnwell’s must have ready-to-wear dresses are the finest dresses in the world. The "Tea Party Collection" and the "Madison" Collection is perfect for your little girl. Just picture your little princess in these custom designed dresses on Easter Sunday, or as a flower girl at Aunt Sara’s wedding in the Hamptons, or as the belle-of-the-ball at the Ballet at Lincoln Center. Simply classic and beautiful, as all their designs are. Order today
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| B | Risotto - Neckwear Collection You know small dogs are all the rage, and what they wear is as important as what you wear. They are a reflection of us and it’s important that our best friend always look his best. You should never send your dog out without being fully accessorized in their finest finery, just like you should never be caught dead without your lipstick. Risotto Neckwear for dogs was named after a Yorkie named Risotto who, like you, simply demands the very best. The idea to design neckwear was developed after Risotto’s many visits to the doggie spa (see, just like you!) Risotto’s owner noticed little Risotto was not a happy camper wearing the "cotton handkerchief". He was embarrassed, self-conscious. He didn’t feel good about himself, wasn’t putting his best paw forward. So Risotto’s talented designing owner created Risotto Neckwear! Risotto neckwear is beautiful, like an up-to-date ascot for your pooch.
As Risotto’s designing owner recalls, “in one day, Risotto went
from a rodeo cowboy to New Jersey's Top Dog! Smitherman & Barnwell signature line of Doggie Neckwear is designed to turn heads and bring the fashionista out of darling dogs from Manhattan to Portland to Milan. Designed with the finest grade of vintage fabrics and an endearing flair, this chic collection is perfect to luminate the beauty of your little treasure. And Risotto Neckwear is worn by all the celebrities little doggies. Nothing but the finest for Risotto or for your little yipster hipster. Order today
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 Risotto neckwear |
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Portland Picks: |
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| 1 | House Dressing on NE Broadway is a fairly new kid on this hip block. They are a lovely store filled with cottage style furnishings, linens and accessories, reminiscent of familiar architecture and interiors we once knew in the Hamptons, Jersey Shore and Martha’s Vineyard. Shabby Chic, eclectic, and of the highest quality, like the house cat, you’ll want to curl up in the bed and make yourself at home in this warm environment. House Dressing. For the best dressed house. Lush linens, funky chandeliers, fun lip gloss and spa finds, groovy gifts, greeting cards and bath products, pillows, candles, furnishings, along with other cottage style accessories make this a fun must-see on your next shopping trip. They also sell locally made Jelly Bath. All you do is add Jelly Bath to your warm bathtub and it becomes a translucent, fluffy jelly that retains its heat up to four times longer than water. It’s a virtual bath blanket! This revolutionary product changes the viscosity of water. It’s crazy science, man. House Dressing |
 House Dressing |
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| 2 | Private Pilates. We experience internal dissonance when we share secrets. Do we hoard them for ourselves, or expose them for the greater good? To share or not to share. Hmmm. That is a good question. Well, because it’s your health we are talking about, we must share the wealth. This is one secret that is too good to keep. We have been taking Pilates for a fairly short time but are really enjoying it and feel like we are metamorphosing. We already feel longer, taller, stronger, and svelte even (maybe a smidge). I think we’ve grown a couple inches, no kidding! Well maybe not, but we are standing a little taller which gives the illusion of confidence and height. There might even be a glimmer of a 6-pack brewing [way] within. Granted, we often feel like we are rehearsing for Cirque de Soleil with some of the contraptions and machines, but they certainly add an amusing element. And Gina is so fabulous. We love her. It doesn’t even feel like exercise. It’s so good for you. You have to really be able to communicate each of the Pilates methods because so much of it is subtle and internal. Gina can explain as well as demonstrate it so you get it. Pilates is very particular and it’s easy to get it wrong and think, “boy, what’s up with this? I don’t see the big deal.” But when you get it right, and you can’t fake it, you can feel it to your core, you shake, you are rewarded. And Gina is the IT Girl…. she works with professional athletes as well as beginners to the advanced. She is your gal. Gina Frabotta, gina@integraonline.com |
 Pilates |
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| 3 | 8 Women This is right up your alley. This darling boutique is filled to the brim with one of a kind, fun and fabulous gift accessories, feminine jammies, and lovely gifts for mum and child. Located in trendy Hawthorne, they are stocked with the latest gorgeous locally designed jewelry, hip products from interactive books to bedding and luxuries for baby, and lovely loungewear for you. They are warm and inviting, with chandeliers in the windows, and little closets and cubbies filled with treasures. As they say in New York, a well-lighted place, and the quintessential boutique for unique! 8 Women |
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| 4 | Le Rouge. Try on their sexy skirt from Paris, affectionately dubbed the “Butt Skirt” since it makes your butt look so good. Stand on the leopard laden stage and belt out [the only French song we know], "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi" in your pink fur capelet. They have shelves of locally designed silk handbags appropriately labeled, “Not Your Mama’s Bag” They have bejeweled flower toe rings, and necklaces and jewelry boxes from a local designer, Kindred Spirit. It’s a fun store and we welcome them with our open arms and our open wallets. Le Rouge |
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| Chick Stuff: | |||
| 1 | Shame on you if you’ve been bronzing yourself au natural when you have so many other self-tanning options available to you. Enter Fake Bake’s fabulous Babe Tools Bag for the ultimate in getting that bronzed, babelicious look for summer! Each Tools Bag contains Tinted Body Glow, Sunburn Blush, Face and Body Bronzing Compact, Bronzing Brush, Beachy Babe Lip Gloss and Prissy Lips Lip Gloss. Get the look of St. Tropez for only $60 at www.beautyofasite.com while keeping your skin smooth and wrinkle-free! |
 Babe Tools Bag |
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| 2 | We thought we’d seen it all, but apparently we were a little behind the times when it came to cutting edge hygiene choices for, uh, “down there”. Sweet Spot’s Eau de Spot, Spot Delight! disks not only make it smell good down there, but contain essential oils that complement you (did we just say that?) Each pH-balanced and alcohol-free pad is infused with lasting aromas that will keep you fresh as a daisy, and is gentle, pH-balanced and alcohol-free. Conveniently available in purse-size compacts for the girl on the go. Sweeten your spot at www.sephora.com ($22). |
 Sweet Spot |
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| 3 | It’s not easy keeping your summer “do” in tip top shape during the most damaging months of the year imaginable, but now Emmett Cooper Hair care can rescue your hair from the inevitable summer blues with their fresh new line of innovative products. A staple of such A-listers as Kate Blanchett, Drew Barrymore and Ashley Judd, the shampoos, conditioners and styling sprays all have a unique fresh scent that’s hard to find in the sea of hair products on the market. Mix them, layer them, but just use them…you won’t regret it! Go to www.emmettcooperhaircare.com for a fresh take on hair care and a retailer near you (Masque 10 oz. $24, Wash 8 oz. $16). |
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| 4 | J-Lo and Lucy Liu won’t have anything on you once you’ve tried this cult favorite with the celebs…Such an easy way to cheat in the volume and length department without the requisite falsies that tend to fall off at the WORST possible time. Kiss Me Cream Mascara will take you through the evening by forming tiny tubes around each lash, coating them in lush, thick volume that only you will know is a tad…uh…exaggerated! Be a true Valley Girl and go tubular ASAP at www.sephora.com ($24). |
 Kiss Me Cream Mascara |
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| 5 | How do you stuff a wild bikini? With a refreshing summer cocktail as you gaze out on the deep blue sea from your hammock (or the busy street below from your sofa) of course! We adore this clever (and shapely) take on the traditional cocktail glass. Feeling frisky? They make a heck of a vase and they’re a bargain to boot…snap up a set of four up for only $25 at www.shopintuition.com.
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 Bikini Glasses |
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| 6 | Portland Pick girls should look pretty as a picture whether at their latest soiree or weeding in the backyard. But what’s a girl to do… Thank the Fashion Goddesses for Hable Construction’s fab, quirky gardening wear (think Coach but infinitely less expensive). Pick up one item or all three at www.fredflare.com (hat, $19.95, gloves, $9.95, apron, $29.95). |
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| 7 | Take a summer vacation from the ordinary. These pure spa body products are scrumptious. They have a cocktail for your lips! Okay, not your “normal” cocktail, but the next best thing. Try on their Mint Julep and experience spring break brain, while keeping your lips organically pure, protected and moisturized. Take a “mini” vacation to Santa Fe, Telluride, Cape Cod, South Beach and other hip vacation spots merely with their body wash or body lotion. |
 B Pure |
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| 8 | Public restrooms, dear God, can be such a perilous experience, often sanitary insanity at best. Watch out for the doorknob! But now there is protection for the scariest of all creatures: The toilet seat. Now you can bring a friend to fight the lurking evils and provide you and your loved ones with the safety and courage to brave this torrid jungle. You simply untuck from your purse, fold, use, flush…. Zeet is there for you, at your disposal. |
 Zeets |
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| Go Backwards to Move Forward: | |||
There are certain things we missed somehow when we were growing up. We often think we may have been absent that day, when they were teaching that darn math stuff, that crazy history, that metric system that we had to know (oh yeah, it’s alright we were absent that day.) So to better ourselves, our life as a ‘works in progress,’ we often like to go back and check off the things we didn’t quite master way back when. It’s never too late afterall. So here’s our checklist of To Do’s to further enhance our lives: |
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| A | Reread the Classics. If you’ve already forgotten what great literature is…log on
to: www.classicauthors.net
for a recommended list of authors and their works. Our favorites: Jane Austen,
Henry James, Shakespeare, and the more contemporary F. Scott Fitzgerald and
JD Salinger, among others. |
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| B | Take Piano Lessons. You’re still haunted by your first recital when all you could play was chopsticks, and you even messed that up, only remembering the chorus, that you nervously played over and over and over and over again. Now that you’re older, and more serious, and no one is ‘making’
you practice, you could be an accomplished pianist! Carnegie Hall perhaps?!
At least you can learn the rest of Chopsticks and impress the kids. |
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| C | Take a Private Swim Lesson We were on the swim team at an early age and quite serious about it. But then that pesky adolescence hit, we discovered boys, and all hell broke loose. Soon we were hitting the baby oil, basking on silver blankets, secretly frequently tanning booths and other sun vices we now remorse over. Forget the fact we might have been Olympic bound and we’ll never really know. We left the actual swimming behind for years and years and merely dipped a toe in to cool off, or “used it” for the reflection to get a deeper darker burn. So in all that obsessive and sinning sunning, we kinda forgot how to swim. And now we see these skinny little bikini clad young women who nonchalantly uproot themselves from their lounge chair and with nary a second thought, dive into the pool …or just hop, skip, and dive off the side of the boat into the river in a beautiful swan dive. They don’t even think for a moment that it might be cold, or could muss their hair, or there could be pollution in the river, or fish, or other ickiness. We want to be cool, and cute, and bikini-clad, and dive into the water too! But, we forgot how. We want to be a fun mom, actually get into the pool with the kids, and play
chicken and throw them around like the dads do, even if our hair does get
wet. And maybe just maybe we’ll want to do a triathlon someday, maybe.
So, we should probably learn to swim again, and dive without our bikini bottoms
falling off. |
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| Portland Picks Must Have CD: | |||
| 1 | If Modest Mouse sounds a titch familiar you’ve probably heard them on that sassy Nissan minivan commercial (how come so many good songs come from car commercials?) While this band has been around for years, they’ve finally settled into a satisfying, yet edgy "party pop" sound. Think melodic guitars & bouncy beats that we dare you to get out of your pretty little head. We can’t get enough of their newest single, Float On, and neither will you! Check out our band of the moment at www.amazon.com ($9.99)
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 Buy Now |
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| 2 | Maroon 5, Songs About Jane. We love music if you can’t tell. We feel music. It conjurs up visions of different places and different times in our life, reminds us of certain people and relationships, preserves and isolates this time and will help us recall it some day. This cd by such an incredibly talented young group will be a classic that we will hear in the future and will help us remember this moment. Every song they sing is fun and fabulous. It’s sort of a modern day Motown sound, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder occasionally. It makes you want to dance in your kitchen, or roll the windows down in your SUV and pump up the volume, so the world can also enjoy your music ….though a lady would never do that. (You don’t really want to be one of those people!) And it’s not one of those cds you buy because you like one song. You will love every song. Our current favorites is, “She Will Be Loved.” And speaking of love: We love this song, we love this entire cd, we love Maroon 5, and we looooove Adam Levin. Maroon 5 is our Pick….they are one foxy swaggering boy band! |
 Buy Now |
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| Portland Picks Book of the Week: | |||
The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting by Christie Mellor This book shines the light on, and pokes fun at, how we’ve gone a little too overboard, become a little too obsessive, with our children and child-rearing. This witty book brings us back down to earth, reminding us of a simpler time when things were a little more balanced and sensible, and when parents were the center of the family, and not the kids and their fragile self-esteem. Highly entertaining, Mellor has a wonderful dry sense of humor. This is a must-read for every parent. Chapters include:
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 Buy Now |
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| Portland Pick’s Guilty Pleasure: | |||
| THE MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN, HBO. Get the Tivo ready! THE MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN takes a funny, insightful look at the challenges of modern-day marriage from a decidedly male perspective. Back for a second season, the HBO comedy series follows three friends and co-workers who are bonded together in the institution of long-term marriage, but have very different opinions on how to make their marriages work to say the least. This is a bit like Sex and The City for men. But it is quite hysterical, and depressing. Ironically, it’s hard to believe the male star would think about other women when his wife is so beautiful and intelligent. We are wearily assured, by a few, that it’s fiction, and not all men think this way. The intro, and song, is fabulous. It may be too racy for some (warning!), but very well done. You will more than likely be able to relate to the dynamic between husband and wife and baby. Enlightening to say the least, and very entertaining. (Check local listings!) Available on DVD or Comcast Cable "On-Demand" |
 The Mind of the Married Man |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Put some zip back into your summer! Get the kids out and enjoy the experience. Come check out the new, revitalized Bibo, which has relocated to 1516 NE 15th Avenue*. Feast and have fun at Bibo grand re-opening AUGUST 6-8. Featuring, along with Portland's best smoothies, their new and expanded menu that now includes, fair trade coffee, and espresso, fantastic sandwiches made with nitrate free, free range meats, and artisan cheeses and breads. Also included on the menu will be gourmet salads using only the best organic produce and their own freshly made house dressings. They now have plenty of comfortable seating. Join them during the grand re-opening and get a chance to win merchandise
and gift certificates from local Irvington merchants and grand prize, a spa
getaway for two. Indigo will provide live music on Saturday, August 7 and
they’ll have balloons for the kids. There will be a lot of fun and good
eating so come join them, August 6-8. Mention Portland Picks and receive a
special free sandwich or salad**. *(Three doors down from Koji's in the Lloyd Place Apartment
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| 2 | BASILICO OPENS IN THE HEART OF NORTHWEST PORTLAND on 21st Avenue offering Authentic tastes of Italy. On July 19, Basilico opened its doors and has begun serving traditional, authentic Italian cuisine. The creation of Roman-born Luca and Sharon Viola in collaboration with executive chef Paul Ornstein, Basilico promises to create a dining experience — both in terms of food and hospitality — that is unmistakably Italian. Basilico is Northwest Portland’s newest restaurant with an emphasis on sagely prepared, traditional Italian cuisine, using only the freshest, seasonal ingredients. Basilico’s interior is warm and inviting. It has bold yellows, reds and oranges playing against the various textures and patterns of the cork and fabric panels that line the walls. The colorful space was created by John Hurst Design, who also designed the Enoteca bar space. The Enoteca features a cozy alcove, lined with wine racks on three sides as well as a wall which abstractly represents the elements of an inverted wine bottle: cork tiles make up the foundation of the bottle-green walls, separated with a narrow ribbon of copper to represent a wine bottle’s foil wrapping. With a moderately priced menu, Basilico hopes to establish itself as an
integral part of Northwest Portland’s bustling neighborhood. Located
at 500 NW 21st Avenue, Basilico is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through
Thursday, and until 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday. The Enoteca is open until
11 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and until 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday. |
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| 3 | PDX Fashion Incubator has opened the R-Evolving Showroom featuring clothes, accessories, and jewelry from local designers. PDX Fashion Incubator has discriminating taste and recognizes the next thing. Each month up to eight different up and coming designers are featured. Be on the edge and pay them a visit. 23 NW Fifth Ave., 503.241.4004 PDX Fashion Incubator |
 PDX Fashion Incubator |
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So, darlings, swoon if you must but do it in a stylish and fashionable spot! Portland Picks is there to pick you up and serve you a refreshing aromatic treat to bring you back to your perfect delightful self! Don’t hesitate to whisper or shout your ideas and response to the wacky and wonderful places we chose! Some of our best ideas come from you, our dear readers. We’re working hard, trying everything, loving life in Portland and sampling the beautiful array of treats this area provides. Keep us posted, keep happy and get busy loving life! |
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