After organizing Provo Fashion Week (now Utah Fashion Week) in my college town and moving away I checked to see if my new city had a fashion week. Sure enough Portland Fashion Week exists! Although it is the 3rd oldest fashion week in the United States, behind LA and New York, Portland Fashion Week is nowhere near the size of the LA or New York productions. The event is still fairly large and is put on entirely by volunteers. I went to a preview event where the fall designers were announced and met the director. I told her I just graduated with a PR degree and am anxious to help where ever I am needed and she immediately put me in contact with the communications director.
The best part about volunteering? The best seat in the house. For free. I spent all three shows sitting next to the professional photographers… They weren’t intimidated by my iPhone shots.
People watching is extra fun at gigs like these. The woman below was passing out little rolled up papers. I never got a chance to see one so I don’t know what her message was but she sure attracted a lot of attention. There’s a front and back shot just so you can get the full effect of her ensemble. The lights are my favorite part.
The final evening was a show put on by the students at the Art Institute of Portland, Fashion Design program. Instead of full collections, some students showed just one piece from a class assignment. There was a re-purposed denim project and the audience got to vote on the winner!
This next video is of one of the emerging designer winners. She is 15 years old. Here is my favorite piece from her collection. The bodice is covered with broken mirror pieces.
Just because I know you’ll want a closer look at it…
A cellist and dancer performed on the runway before the models came out.
For the next collection, I should have videoed the runway show instead of the finale because it was much more interesting. These ladies actually cast fishing lures off the stage and someone hooked a fake fish on it for them to reel in : )