 |
|
presenting |
| PORTLAND PICKS | ||
| life + style to you: every Friday | ||
| September 2, 2005 |
|
|
|
Everyone has a horrible moment
in footwear. For us, it was when we were 10 years old, and growing so fast
that Mom was getting frustrated. To make matters worse, our budding fashion
sense didn’t jibe with Mom’s frugality, and one dark afternoon
she foisted upon us a bright yellow pair of Keds. We were demolished at the sight of them. Completely broken-hearted. We cried as we pulled on the horrible yellow kicks…we boo-hooed as we shuffled our way to the bus stop…tears dripped silently from our eyes as we hid behind a bush, ashamed of our ridiculous footwear… And then it hit us. We are Standing Behind a Bush! A bush! Ditch the shoes! Ditch the shoes! And so we did. Two hours later we found ourselves shoeless in the nurse’s office, with an angry Mom driving like a banshee to pick us up at school. She plopped us in the back seat of the car and demanded to know: Where were the shoes? What did we do with the shoes? Sputtering through tears, we directed Mom to the bush. We found the shoes. We put the shoes on. We were taken back to school, faces bright red from hysterics, feet bright yellow from Keds. Ever since that fateful day, we’ve been on a double mission: A) to choose our own footwear, and B) to never again wear shoes we’re ashamed of. |
||
Portland Picks: |
|||
| 1 | Here’s Looking at Shoe Is it wrong to harbor a shoe fetish this strong? Is it wrong to love leather,
pleather, raffia and lace as much as we do? |
|
|
| 2 | Sole Searching We’d be content with fig leaves, as long as we could shop at Johnny
Sole. With brands like Biviel, Squintos, Miz Mooz, Spanish Leather and Kenneth
Cole we could be happy living in caves. We’d stare dreamily at our cute
loafers with a square heel and a just-so buckle, slowly turning our ankles
this way and that to catch our best angle. Oh, it would be lovely. |
 johnnysole.net |
|
| 3 | Too Cool for School Have you ever been “too cool for school”? We haven’t,
but always wished that we were. There were always a gaggle of kids who looked
like they weren’t trying at all, and somehow they were the coolest.
Vintage sunglasses, cool t-shirts, rockin jeans. Where on Earth did they shop? |
|
|
| 4 | Dark & Lovely Ever since a memorable trip to Spain we have been suckers for a romantic
hole-in-the-wall bar. Someplace where we could drink sangria and listen to
gypsy guitar. Someplace that was low-lit, even at high noon. And most especially,
we love a place that’s swank enough for us to wear strappy heels while
shooting pool, without looking like we’re slumming or like some tipsy
extra who wandered off the set of Wild On! (Has anyone seen Tara? Tara???) |
 crowbarpdx.com |
|
| 5 | Local Beauty...You’re In For a Treat Portland has made amazing strides in the fashion scene and now it’s making strides in Beauty. Three of our favorite local beauty care designers are selling their wares at our favorite Blush Beauty Bar. Get your beauty on with Treat, Bacchus and Lily Lambert.
Oregon has never been so beautiful, nor have you! |
 the blush beauty bar.com |
|
| 6 | Here’s Looking At Your Kids Yep, it’s that time of year again. September. And you know what that means! Holiday cards. Yes, ’fraid so. You know it’ll take at least a million dollars in Kodak film to capture that perfect photo of your children. You bribe them with toys, with candy, with everything that goes against your religion (or what your mom said about raising kids), and still you get nothing. Nothing, that is, that resembles who they really are, darn it. You want angelic, handsome, beautiful, perfect...not grimy, dirty, silly...or maybe you do want those things. But you can’t do it alone. You need someone who specializes in children’s portraits – like Linnea Osterberg. Linnea provides large quantities of photos (suitable for holiday card photos or baby announcements) and photos of kids in their Halloween costumes, in addition to hand-printed images made in the darkroom using traditional and time honored techniques...plenty of heart-warming choices to choose from and show off to all! Linnea also has a Master's Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in Child and Family Counseling, which allows her a particular ability to connect with her subjects, ignoring the frantic mom stress and thus creating authentic and thoughtful portraits of your little angels. For the perfect holiday card, check out www.osterbergphoto.com. |
 osterbergphoto.com |
|
| 7 | Small Collections Deserve Your Attention We bet you’re the kind of person who likes to stand out. You read Portland Picks, so you obviously have an eye for distinctive and original bits of culture and fashion. We like that about you, and think you’re quite remarkable. When you want to dress your standout self in clothes that fit your personality, pay a visit to Ipnosi. This joint is jam-packed with small collections of truly fashionable finds that – simply because they’re small collections – won’t be seen from Mississippi to Vista. We love their one-of-a-kind attitude and emphasis on glitzy but understated glamour. Ipnosi is a fab find for menswear, too! We love their well-chosen mens collection – especially the striped shirt with manly butterflies emblazoned on the front. Yes, we said “manly butterflies.” You have to see to believe. If you know a man who hates to shop but thinks he’s hip, this is the store for him. True genius. Oh, and the prices are right, too! Most items run $17-$80. And after you’ve picked up an outfit and accessories, head down the block to Ether, their sister store, for shoes to match! Ipnosi |
 |
|
| 8 | Mini Crave Parties What’s a girl to do when she wants to entertain...but with a twist? How about a girl’s day or night out held in your comfortable home digs or swishy hotel suite with your friends for drinks, nibbles and spa treats. Crave provides the spa services; you bring your friends. Choose from their
menu of services and they plan the rest. Perfect for bridal showers and bachelorette
parties! Now offering massage (Indian head, back, shoulders, neck and full
body), facials, waxing (or sugaring), henna and manis/pedis. Specialty shopping,
tarot and other fun entertainment also is available, upon request. |
 |
|
| 9 | Oh My Gosh, Josh! You can get pizza delivered. You can get the dry cleaning delivered. And now you can get Josh delivered. Sometimes it’s too overwhelming to have to leave the house, especially to exercise. But if you knew someone was coming there for you, it’s harder to cancel. Especially when it comes to a set workout. It’s easy to say, oh I’m running late for step aerobics today, I’ll go tomorrow. But if you knew you had an appointment at home, you couldn’t be late (or that would be pretty pathetic). And if it was Josh, you would be there with bells on...and maybe lipstick. Josh is a personal trainer that will get you in ship shape, asap! And he delivers, in more ways than one. He will come to you with all the equipment, no ifs ands or buts...and he’ll get after that butt! Josh Hunt Personal Fitness Training believes that everyone is an athlete. His slogan is: “Because life doesn’t happen in a gym.” Whether you are training for an athletic event, trying to improve your health, or trying to look your best, Josh will develop a program designed to help you meet your objectives quickly and safely. Josh’s functional integrated training combines strength, balance, and muscle coordination, a combination difficult to get from the machines at the gym. Josh specializes in one on one and small group training. Josh conveniently travels, with equipment, to your home, office, or wherever you want to work out. And with Josh, results are certain! Josh Hunt Personal Fitness Training
|
 |
|
| Portland Picks Book of the Week: | |||
Vintage Style: Buying and Wearing Classic
Vintage Clothes Sometimes it’s all about the hunt, the treasure hunt that is. Searching for the perfect Chanel from the 60s at half the price…now that’s a treasure! For any woman who ever wondered how to wear vintage clothing with panache, at last there is Vintage Style, the book that takes the mystery out of buying, wearing, and caring for vintage clothes. This is not about Victorian whites, poodle skirts, or boogie-woogie-bugle-boy outfits with peplums, seamed stockings and snoods. It's about vintage clothes as a mainstream choice, and this fully illustrated book shows just how easily the fashions of yesteryear can be incorporated into a modern wardrobe. It’s balance, baby, like everything else; you want to avoid looking like the stock boy at the used music store. Accent your wardrobe with a classic vintage piece to add your own sense of style that is all yours. Vintage Style tells you – and shows you – exactly how to get into vintage. This is nothing short of a money-saving source guide and an inspirational blueprint for understanding how to wear vintage clothes with style. |
 Buy Now! |
||
| Portland Picks Cocktail of the Week: | |||
| Rasmopolitan (from www.Marthastewart.com)
Bring the summer cocktail season to a sassy close with Martha Stewart’s clever take on the traditional Cosmopolitan cocktail. In a salute to the end of the balmy weather and the end of Martha’s legal troubles, we bring you the Rasmopolitan. We love you, Martha! Makes one cocktail:
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add vodkas, Chambord, lime juice, simple syrup, and cranberry juice. Shake or stir until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with raspberries; serve. |
 marthastewart.com |
||
The warm weather is finally getting to us, so we’re shorter (and hopefully sweeter) this week. It’s Labor Day...so go play! |
|||
| Send Page To a Friend | |||
Log onto www.portlandpicks.com and check out past newsletters (archives). If you like what you see, forward to a friend and encourage them to log onto www.portlandpicks.com and become a free subscriber. If you would like to subscribe or contribute, please email us at Contribute@PortlandPicks.com
|
|||
