Work It, Girl!

Picture this: You’re sipping an iced mocha on NW 23rd, catching a wifi connection, sending clever emails and feeling sooo 21st Century. You’re noticing that as the hipsters and hippies pass by, everyone is noticing you. What could it be? Your new haircut? Your delicious coffee? Do you have a humongous blemish or something? Oh, hold on a biscuit…most surely it’s that sleek metal portfolio you’re taking notes in, and the hot-pink laptop bag you’ve casually slung behind your chair. Are you really this stylish?

It doesn’t matter if you’re not, because the design team behind OFFICE can make it look like you’re on the cutting edge. This brand-new store – dedicated to “quality products for the modern worker” – carries unique items that combine style, form and function. Innovative design products from around the world (lots of Portland exclusives!) are side by side with fun vintage objects. They have snappy laptop bags (NAVA, Jack Spade, Flight 001, Acme and Merrell, among them), stationery, presentation tools, paper goods, desk accessories, travel goods and design books. And from $10-$300, it’s all at a price that the workingman or woman can appreciate.

OFFICE also features a mini art gallery, with original works by Northwest artists. Most pieces are in the range of $250 to $1000. There’s also a free resource library, where folks in the design industry can get connected and inspired. Leave your business card and plug in to check out what’s new.

We love looking like we know what we’re doing, and even more, we love looking good while we’re doing it!

OFFICE
2204 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211
503.282.7200
www.officepdx.com

Una, Dos, Tres

One isn't necessarily the loneliest number. Especially when your name is Giovanna (previously with Tumbleweed). Una means “one” in the most adventurous sense of the word. One girl. One Shop. One world (that is her oyster). It's also her first shop...and a shop it 'tis.

Located on 28th and SE Ankeny, Una carries a fabulous mix of designs from New York and Los Angeles. You’ll find vintage Dior and designer duds at huge discounted prices – really a superb mix in a cleverly designed space – along with imported soaps and vintage jewels and accessories you can't find anywhere else.

And Giovanna is so adorable and modest. Grab a latte across the street and hang out in front of Una at her quaint table, and when you're good and pumped, get your heiney inside for some love at Una sight.

Una
2802 SE Ankeny
Portland, OR 97214
503.235.2326

Well, yeah, they have some affordable stuff. But let’s face it. If you want the most luxurious bedding available from the finest linen store west of the Rockies, you’ve got to pony up to get the hard-earned dividends. We’re on the list and we just found out it’s Sultry Sale time again at French Quarter and our dividends will go quite a bit further! Starting today and unadvertised through Labor Day, you’ll find a host of ways to spruce up your bedroom for the hot nights still ahead this summer. Adding a few odds and ends to your fall bedding wardrobe isn’t such a bad idea either, because there’s lots of stuff on sale.

Offers of 20-50% off select bedding, towels, rugs and furniture will keep dedicated French Quarter shoppers busy all month. Names that ring bells are Peacock Alley, Leitner, The Purists, Nancy Koltes, Yves Delorme and Sferra. French Quarter has recently introduced a magnificent line of French furniture in their Pearl District and Bridgeport stores and is offering a 20% discount as an incentive. All special order bed frames are also 20% off during the sale.

So now you know. Go. Shop. Look for discounts. Treat yourself well. Oh, and about those dividends: All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.

1313 NW Glisan
Portland, OR 97209
503.282.8200

2325 NW Westover
Portland, OR 97210
503.241.8436

7439 SW 72nd Avenue
Tigard, 97224
503.639.3800

Spa for One

Okay, so we can be a bit selfish at times. It could stem from childhood, when we had to share Atari with our little brother. (He always hogged the joystick!) Or perhaps it’s because of that roommate we had who considered everything in the fridge fair game, even our most prized bread-pudding leftovers. (That fiendish girl!) So when we found Natural Skin Revival Therapies, a “spa for one,” we figured we hit the jackpot.

ShoeFly, PLEASE Bother Me!

Bridgeport Village pretty much requires weekly visits these days to keep up on all the new boutiques and restaurants still opening up throughout the summer and into the fall. (Urban Outfitters later this summer, California Pizza Kitchen (yum!) in autumn.)

Our new favorite right now, though, is ShoeFly, a boutique that celebrates our obsessive love of shoes, complete with affirmative quotes about shoes whimsically painted on the walls. (As if we needed affirmations about footwear!) With two popular locations in the Seattle area, the owners are spreading their shoe love to us in Portland with their first remote location – hooray!

We walked in and wanted pretty much every shoe they had, and they haven’t even gotten in all their planned inventory yet! Colorful heels by Faryl Robin, strappy flats from Jeffrey Campbell, funky espadrilles from his I Heart JC line, Charles David’s more affordable Exchange line, not to mention comfy but cute Campers, cheap chic Bronx Shoes, whimsical Seychelles, classic ballet slippers from Delman and the previously unavailable-in-Portland Cynthia Rowley line. Even more exciting are all the small/indie lines (Coclico, Cordani, Detny, Blay, Biviel, Kaju…etc., etc.) that we’ve never heard of, but definitely want to now add to our collection (we love to learn new things!)

And if you’re not lucky enough to own your mom’s (or your own) vintage Frye boots from those collegiate days, ShoeFly will be the place to get the resurrected classics in a just a few weeks, along with a whole slew of other designers’ hot boots for fall. We can’t stand the idea of covering up our beautifully pedicured toesies just yet, but these boots may very well change our minds!

At Bridgeport Village
17001 SW 72nd Ave.,
Tigard, OR 97224

Dreaming of Fabulous Hair

Like most women, we have good hair days, and not-so-good hair days. We bounce from one salon to another, trying to find that magical cut that will keep us from relying on elastic bands to “do” our “do.” And while we were looking, we found a new salon run by two stylists who were willing to transform our tired tresses into totally foxy hair.

Nina and Amy, who have worked together for more than 12 years, dreamed of opening a salon together. They finally realized their dream in the form of a chic, small space off NE 12th. It’s called Le Reve, which, naturally, means “the dream” en francais.

They specialize in cuts and color and in making each client’s experience completely personal. This isn’t a warehouse with scissors, a la TV’s celebrity stylists. The ladies wanted an intimate space…quiet, not noisy. Personalized, not anonymous. There are only three stations in their salon-dash-sitting room, and it looks like a hip slice of Soho with its exposed brick, round mirrors and gorgeous fresh flowers. One happy client, visiting from Florida for a cut & color, exclaimed, “You can be beautiful AND real here.”

No need to pinch yourself…you’re not dreaming It’s Le Reve.

Le Reve
411 NE 12th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
503.797.2220

Pampered Pets

Like you, your dog deserves only the finest in life, down to his furry little toes. And now there are Doggie Bombs for your doggie’s luxurious bath.

Though it sounds like something the military uses in overseas maneuvers, a Doggie Bomb is a bath bomb for your dog! They’re an amazing alternative to pet cleansers with their mixture of organic pet shampoo and animal-safe skin treatment products molded into solid form. When the Doggie Bomb is thrown in the water, it fizzes and bubbles away. The bombs save you the trouble of trying to hold on to your (unhappy and ready to escape) pooch with one hand and the slippery shampoo bottle with the other.

Made in Portland, and in this case, proudly tested on animals (of course), you can pick up your doggie bombs from Portland’s Jillian With a J website, and look for it in local stores.

Three Doggie Bombs in a large Chinese Take-Out box is a feast of 3 Bombs for 3 Baths! Woof, baby. It's da bomb.

These Feet Were Made for (Fire) Walking

What should we do this weekend? Hmm, maybe go to a movie, or maybe walk on fire or shards of glass. Yes, that sounds like such fun!

We are goal-oriented. We have a big To Do List of things that we need to do before we die. We have big, lofty goals: We want to learn to do a cartwheel, join the mile-high club, and learn to fire-walk, to name a few.

The cartwheel, truly that's a biggie. Not sure we can achieve that without breaking something. It certainly won't be pretty (we imagine we’ll look like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy while turning in mid-air, but it could be more like Tootie from Facts of Life.) The mile-high club, well, those darn added security measures won't help this any. But fire-walking, hey, no prob. And Portland has just the place to do it (if you haven't noticed, Portland has everything!)

Fire-walking teaches control, how you can achieve success and grants you courage to follow your dreams. Man, if you can fire-walk, you can do anything. And you can do it in just one evening if you'd like. Remember…no pain, no gain. And if that's not hot enough for you, and you want more abuse, you can always do glass-walking. Walking barefoot across shards of broken glass works to release inhibitions. Or maybe you'd prefer to swallow fire. The world is your oyster, baby.

Wings of Fire Seminars
3255 SE Caruthers
Portland, OR 97214
503.236.3343

Okay, you don’t know what to do with the canvas, but here’s a little help. We can’t paint (or draw or sing or dance to save our lives) but now we can pretend!

We can paint murals on our walls and tell everyone we did it ourselves, and then we can pretend to be one of those people who are totally together and spend time cutting the roses, baking apple pie and hosting the perfect garden party, not to mention actually getting the kids to school on time and getting a shower in before noon. “Oh, that silly thing, why yes, I painted that myself…as the angels slumbered.” And really, the angels can help too, and it’s really not that much of a nightmare.

You see, there’s a little help, a little guidance. The Artist’s Room. It’s like a paint-by-number for your walls. You can decorate every room in your house with funky, whimsical murals…all done by you! Who’da thunk it?!?

Really, you never cease to amaze.

Brush Up!

We have a fear of bad breath, a fear of boogers, a fear of something in our teeth, and a fear of something ON our teeth (e.g. lipstick, red wine). No duh…we lead tortured lives, but at least now there's help.

Don't forgo the vino, just wipe your lips and teeth with oral b brush ups and say buh-bye to those pesky stains…and at least one less mortal fear.

Oh yeah, we also fear our bra straps showing. But now we're encouraged to show them off with Strapteasers. Let it all hang out with these clever and darling bra straps you actually want to show off.

Available at Bendel's and coming soon to Portland, this is the “it” item for accessory junkies, and is available in all kids of hot styles.

This jewelry designer will blow you away. Wendy Hill Designs, from San Francisco, does handmade jewelry with an understated elegance.

She sells her designs almost exclusively at Saks and through her website.

Check her out, you’ll love what you see.

Hello Kitty

Sometimes we can’t be as neat and tidy as we’d like. Summer’s here and we might very well be caught dead between bikini wax appointments, ick. So what is one to do?

That’s where the Kitty kit comes in. Give your Kitty some “boundaries” with Bikini Kitty’s Clean-Up Kit. Kitty elimates razor rash, razor burn and ingrown hairs. Now that’s one smooth kitty.

And Bikini Kitty is made right here in Portland. That’s what we call Purr-fect!

“Is He The One? 101 Questions That Will Lead You To The Truth, Whatever That Is” by Susan Swimmer

“Summer lovin’, had me a blast/Summer lovin’, happened so fast.” Now, if WE had written that song from “Grease,” we would make our next line “summer lovin’, how long can it last?”

You know how it goes. We meet a cute guy, kiss a little, and about three months later we see his true colors. Hopefully, we’re not really jaded by then. The guys we meet accuse us of asking “girl questions,” and then try to duck them as fast as we pitch ‘em!

We have all new lines now that we’ve devoured this cute little pink book “Is He the One? 101 Questions That Will Lead You to the Truth, Whatever That Is.” Can you handle the truth? Because you’re asking yourself Susan Swimmer’s questions and listen to how you answer! Like, “Can you name the parts of you he finds most beautiful?” “Have you ever suspected him of lying?” Eww, deal-breaker time. “Has he seen you when you’re at your worst?” Not your natural beauty, but on a day when everything goes wrong. And, about HIS bad days: “Does he control his temper?”

We love this one: “Have you learned anything from him?” One guy reminded us how to laugh. Another taught us swing dancing, telling us, “Don’t fight the lead,” and reminding us that surrender can be a good thing.

Even if you’re married, you can ask yourself these questions. They’re fun and informative. “Do you accept the amount of time he spends apart from you?” It has to be right for you.

Susan Swimmer has cool facts, too. Like this one, especially if you’re single and quick to say, “Next!” Only 15 percent of those who took the trip down the aisle knew when they first met their hubby-to-be that they were in love. So we’ll give the guy a chance next time, and, if he gives us a great big smile, you bet we’ll keep him.

That’s number one in the book!

Has anyone ever seen the movie “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” from 1973?

They inherit an old house and one room is off limits. Though she was urged to never go in there she does anyway, and finds the old fireplace is bricked shut. Against obvious warnings, she opens up the fireplace and the ash door and out pops these little goblins that look like those shrunken apple people.

They haunt her and drive her crazy and even pull on her napkin during a dinner party. FREAK-Y. We still have visions of the scary little buggers if ever we leave a closet door or the fireplace vent open. If we don't properly close it immediately the little shrunken-apple people might come and get us, God Forbid. The babysitter should NOT have let us watch...(Eileen!)

Or the one where the girls are prank calling, "I saw what you did and I know who you are." And it happened to be a guy that just murdered someone (the irony!) and now he's out to get them. We were terrorized, though it didn't curb our prank calling any.

Those movies haunt us still today, and now you can check them out, along with your other old-favorite campy thrillers at IMDb - Earth's biggest movie database. Face your fears! And get a laugh out of them.

Opening Gala at the Jupiter Hotel Benefits Portland Art Museum’s new Center for Modern and Contemporary Art

Contemporary art lovers from around the world will gather in Portland for the 2nd annual AFFAIR @ The Jupiter Hotel 2005, from Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2. Organized by Stuart Horodner and Laurel Gitlen, AFFAIR @ The Jupiter Hotel 2005 draws some of the U.S. and Canada’s best contemporary art galleries and non-profit art centers, as well as guest curators, artists and publishers for an intimate art gathering at Portland’s Jupiter Hotel.

Weekend activities include an opening gala and preview to benefit the Portland Art Museum’s new Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, an after-hours Artist’s Party with live music, a panel discussion and lecture, and public hours for viewing and purchasing art.

For more information, visit www.affair-jupiterhotel.com.

“AFFAIR @ The Jupiter Hotel will transform 37 guestrooms into temporary art galleries for the three-day event. “You’ll find art on beds and walls and inside closets and bathrooms,” says Jupiter owner Kelsey Bunker. “This accessible approach to viewing art makes the fair unique.”

OFFICE Grand Opening, Saturday, Aug 13, form 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Design is your element at OFFICE, and you can soak it up while munching on free donuts. Even without the complimentary confections, you should drop by to browse quality products for the modern worker – ideal for your office, home, or home-office. Inside this 1950s-inspired retail space, you’ll find innovative design products from around the world (lots of Portland exclusives!) side by side with fun vintage objects – at OFFICE, form, function and price meet.

Come back on Sunday for the launch of the Juice Bag from 1-4 p.m. Meet the Juice Bag founder and be the first to see this line of sustainable computer bags. The solar panel on the outside of this lightweight pack powers your laptop while you wear it!

And OFFICE is open for First Thursday, too, with an artist’s reception featuring the works of UNKL, a division of the design firm Big Giant. 5-8 p.m.

2204 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211
503.282.7200
www.officepdx.com

It’s a Crave Summer Extravaganza

An exclusive, festive, glam-gal gathering of fun, entertainment, personal pampering, specialty shopping, sipping, noshing and just hanging out with the girls. Wear your comfy pajamas or your favorite leisure ensemble and enter the lush world of "everything you crave" under one roof.

What’s Happening:

• One-of-kind Indian head massages and the new “sugaring” all-natural waxing technique.
• Marilyn Monroe is your emcee hosting live fashion shows and live music by JMatter.
• A succulent salmon BBQ on the patio, wine-tasting and mouth-watering gelato by Staccato Gelato.
• Fabulous raffle prizes abound, with to-die-for “pamper packages” (all raffle proceeds benefit the American Domestic Violence Hotline)
• Space is limited so register today at www.craveportland.com !

Charity Classic Vintage Race Brings 3 Days Of Thunder
Benefitting The Boys & Girls Aid Society of Oregon

Join the fun Labor Day weekend at Portland International Raceway as we thunder with the most powerful cars ever raced. The Columbia River Classic Vintage Race, Sept. 3-5, 2005, will feature a full grid of vintage cars. The Sunday feature race, The Battle of Britain, is a special race for British cars of all makes and models. Win prizes if you dress in vintage clothing! Prizes awarded for best individuals and group costumes.

Special Race Treat - On Saturday night, Sept. 3, the Columbia River Classic will host a Vintage Block Party from 6 to 10 p.m. on Charleston St. at Lombard Ave. in Historic St. Johns. The party includes a People¹s Choice concourse of racecars, some tasty hot rods, a great vintage fashion show and live music. Vintage Block Party tickets are $25 per person - includes all food and drink, and a shuttle to and from the track. Block party tickets are limited.

Visit www.crclassic.com/party for more information