Tuesday, December 01, 2009

DoG - Get the code

Full price is dead. You'll never have to choose between gear and groceries again


You gotta be crafty and sleuth your way in to Department of Goods, another new store from the team at Backcountry.com, selling the latest outdoor, surf, skate, bike, and mountain equipment from more than 400 pinnacle brands. Once discovered you might have just stumbled upon the promised land of premium gear. Boasting up to 70% off of tons of ski gear, up to 50% off everything bike, and up to 70% off of everything for riding too, how can you possibly go wrong?

Not convinced yet? Check out this snapshot of the array of products you'll find from DoG:






Tuesday, November 03, 2009

What's in that bottle?


I've been looking at this bottle sitting in our bathroom for a couple of year's now, mind you it's more than a couple of year's old...a bottle of Spohn's Compound, a bottle that I inherited from my dad who is ditching his vintage bottle collection. A bottle that is inspiring to me, almost every time I look at it. A bottle worth sharing with friends, of a "Stimulating Expectorant for HORSES, MULES, DOGS, RABBITS, apparently one of those wonders of the early 1900's. A bottle that would tuck nicely inside of a LaMerde jacket for the occasion that a gentleman might need it.



When I say Airblaster what comes to mind?


Spending some time hitting the streets in PDX this week and yesterday's travels had me at the US Outdoor Store, where making a purchase choice can cause a veritable quandary, there is surely enough outdoor gear to meet any single person on the planet's need for gear. Since the last time I truly looked in every nook and cranny of the store things have changed. First of all, the amount of gear in the store this time of year is overwhelming, the assortment for the square footage is enough to wear you out just pushing back one style to see another. (This is more true on the main floor than upstairs where it is refreshingly open in comparison.) Secondly, I didn't realize there was a bargain/sale annex upstairs...maybe it's a sign of the times, but it could have also been there before.

I have to admit I didn't spend too much time on the first floor except to confirm my suspicions that outdoor still remains well, you know, the same. It was great to see Armada's new outerwear collection front and center though on the half of the store that isn't dominated by The North Face. So I rather quickly ended up upstairs this trip. I immediately found two brands that I didn't see at SIA, of course they could have been there, but I didn't see them.

That brings me to Airblaster, a brand that touts themselves as being a small company from Portland, Bend OR, Lake Tahoe CA, and San Fran CA and a sketchy RV somewhere in the great USA. Just one look at the line I was able to admire their irreverence, this is what I believe is missing in the outdoor industry where everyone takes themselves way too seriously for irreverence. (I heard one of the store employees asking another if they "had" to go to Outdoor Retailer, and when the other said no and how boring the show was, the girl who will be going lamented the same.) US Outdoor had a pretty decent size assortment of this new partially local brand, always great to see local support.

The SUMO SUIT had me laughing right away, there is something a little phallic about it, luv it!


The line is sort of a fun mix of bold 80's colorblocking with crazy bright colors, as well as a nod to classic ski styling of the late 60's and 70's. You can easily see that in the aptly named BIG SKY jacket here


Another fun style is the COLORING BOOK jacket and pant, where you can customize panels with your own fantastic creations for a a truly one of a kind look.


If I say 80's you say Airblaster....



There is not as large of an assortment for the girlies, but you gotta love the DONNA jacket and STRETCH bib, think how dry your back will stay, these babies got you covered, and I gotta say it, wish there were more brights for the chica's we like color too.


I've yet to try them on or hear anything on fit/performance, but if I do will be sure to share. Keep thinking about snow, and stay tuned for more soon!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Portland Fashion Week Ready to Roll, benefitting Oregon Manifest

On October 10th a different kind of fashion show happened celebrating the bike friendly spirit of PDX. Ready to Roll showcased new designs via a runway show highlighting both bikes and fashion together from Apres Velo, Cestelli, Hell Yes, Icebreaker, Keen, Nau, Patagonia, Simple Shoes, and Showers Pass to name a few. Thought I'd share a few photos that found inspiring from this event.







Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Fun Design Project for Filson

One of the best things about having a freelance design studio is the variety of work and projects that you get to work on. Last Spring I worked together with the Filson team up in Seattle to create some new outerwear pieces for their collection. Filson is one of the few classic American heritage brands that has been in business for a very long time, since 1897.
1897 Klondike gold seekers come to C.C. Filson for rugged outfits to survive -50 cold.
1902 Loggers line up for Filson's new clothing line for loggers.
1914 Patent is granted for Filson Cruiser coat, still made and sold today.
1927 Filson Cruiser becomes copied extensively when patent expires.
1941 Filson expands its line of boots.
1945 U.S. Forest Service commissions new water repellent garments, dyed Forestry Green.
1985 Factory moves to Seattle's historic Pioneer Square, 5 blocks from original 1897 store.
1991 Luggage line is re-introduced, made of Rugged Twill and Bridle Leather.
1996 Fly fishing vests are introduced after 10 years of research and development.
1998 New lodge-like store opens in historic building 10 blocks from original location.
2003 Original Wool Shirt made of 100% virgin Merino wool is introduced.
2005 New Recoil Pad Technology introduced in our Super Shooting Shirts and in several of Shooting and Hunting Outerwear products. New, easier to use website introduced.

The office location is near to the flagship store in Seattle, and they are one of the few brands that still has a factory right there making oilcloth and leather clothing, bags, and goods right there. It is a beautiful thing to see the craftsmanship that goes into the pieces that they make. Here are a few of the pieces that were created for Filson by SY Design that you can now find on their website. It doesn't take long to realize that they take their slogan "Might As Well Have The Best," very seriously.

Classic Down never goes out of style, these pieces utilize a unique polyester/wool blend fabric with a special down proof construction. The fabric really gives these style a unique outdoor twist for Filson.



The Wingshooting Jacket is Filson's first lighter weight WPB hunting jacket. This was a fun style to create because it uses many of the latest technologies, and has integrated inside pocketing to accommodate a recoil pad for either left or right handed shooters.




The North Fork Wading Jacket for $325.00 is a beautiful classic fly fishing WPB jacket, that has been lightened up a little from what the traditional Filson look would normally be.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

I'm back! Outside magazine, Gear of the Year Award 2010!!

I know... I've fallen off the face of the earth with my blogging since mid-summer. What's a girl to do? Twitter has been growing like mad and I've been spending more time doing updates more often there. You can always check them out here for almost daily tweets about the outdoors, adventure, fashion, green living, music, etc.

But, I'm promising to get back at it again and start getting some blog posts going on a more regular basis too. Besides it's time to post some thoughts on all the new Fall/Winter product out there right now.

I was really excited to hear that the FirsTurn softshell jacket that I designed for Cloudveil recently won Outside magazine's Gear of the Year award for winter 2010! Yipee, it's not every day that it happens so when it does it's time to celebrate. Thought I would share some photos of the creation and final product here for you.

Here it was way back in March of 2008 when I created it...




Tons of details to call out for the factory to make sure it ends up being just right



and finally the finished product, voila`!

Friday, July 10, 2009

At What Price, a sustainable movie in the making.



Change is all around us, and I was excited to read about this short film, "At What Price", that is currently filming and attempting to be as environmentally responsible as possible. Are we finally coming to the end of our oh so wasteful and multi-million dollar movie set days? Probably not yet, but this is at least a start.
Giving Back to the Community
The local community - in this case East Hollywood - was important to Enci's internal green dialogue. Catering for the film production will be serviced by local restaurants and produce vendors. The crew will be asked to bring in their own coffee mugs while washable utensils and plates will be provided with meals. The location of the shoot in East Hollywood is readily accessible by public transit and the crew is encouraged to avail themselves of L.A.'s public transit system to help minimize parking issues with local citizens and thereby shrink the production's environmental footprint further. Enci is also partnering with a local organization to plant trees in the neighborhood as a testament to her willingness to ensure a green film with a lasting benefit to the community.
First time director Enci intent to make film green.
Enci's pre-production checklist includes facilitating most decisions online where possible. Casting calls were via electronic submissions and all paperwork relating to the film is done online as At What Price? is a SAG production. This simple procedure mitigates paper waste. Production meetings are held in locations that are convenient to and accessible by all modes of public transport. "Up to this point," says Enci "the 'green' journey has been somewhat conceptual with a bit of drama thrown in as we grapple with shade-grown versus free-trade coffee choices for our production meetings."

With shooting of At What Price? set to commence in July, Enci has looked into sustainable lighting, set design and film options. If necessary, her outfit, Rebel Without a Car Productions, has even looked into the availability of a solar-powered generator.

The Green Machine
"My husband and I are getting a team together that is quite a mix," she says with regards to the crew that will see her film dream come to life. "Some are already 'green', carfree, vegetarian, and some are not even close to being green. We don't just want to preach to the choir, we want to inspire those who are not thinking about their carbon footprint or the future of the planet.

"All these people are very excited about helping and being part of this production. I also hope to inspire the 'non-green' people in our production to be more sustainable, to drive less, to bring their own mugs and to order their drinks in glass or china when they sit down in a coffee shop. I would also like to encourage them to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables or grow some produce themselves."

"Living sustainably has been always close to my heart," states Enci as she explains that her environmental concerns predate this film project. "I came to the U.S. almost 13 years ago and I love it here in America but I always found it shocking how much is wasted. Food, disposables, idling cars, a/c running with doors and windows open, etcetera. Through all my years of living here I have tried to recycle - even when it was difficult because recycling bins were not always readily available. I've always used canvas bags when I shop and I started riding a bike when my husband, not only encouraged me, but also rode along with me everywhere, until I felt comfortable enough to ride on my own," she says before adding proudly, "Now we're both car-free!"

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Are Bolo Ties the Next Big Trend?

I'm not sure I can bite off on this, but thought it was interesting that Refinery 29 said today:
"We Predict Bolo Ties Will be the Next Crazy Thing the Cool Kids Wear."

"In theory it's just a simple piece of neck wear, but there's something kind of rebellious about a bolo tie, like a little metallic trimmed f-you to the man and his pricey silk cravats. Pre-Madoff, we might have scorned the Rock-a-billy throwback, but after seeing a few rough-and-tumble trend setters tying one one, we've started to develop a definite string thing. Could it be that like Swine Flu (more on that later!), we've allowed this southwestern staple (and official tie of New Mexico) to invade our borders? After all, it's probably just the natural progression from this bow tie trend that's snuck away from its Upper East Side predecessors to the downtown kids, don't you think?"

And just in case you were wondering what is a Bolo? The bolo, or bola,was created in the late 1940s, when a silversmith named Victor Cedarstaff went riding with friends in the Bradshaw Mountains outside Wickenburg, Arizona. When the wind blew his hat off, Cedarstaff removed the hatband, which had a silver buckle he did not want to lose, and put it around his neck. When his friends complemented him on the new apparel, Cedarstaff returned home, and wove a leather string. He added silver balls to the ends and ran it through a turquoise buckle. Cedarstaff later patented the new neckwear, which was called the bolo because it resembled the lengths of rope used by Argentine gauchos to catch game or cattle. Now you know more than you'll ever need to know about a trend that may never happen! Giddy-up!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Globe-Trotter, hand made luggage


I'm working on a new hat and bag project, and in my research I came across Globe-Trotter, and even though I can't fathom how much these babies must cost, they surely are a work of art, offering visual stimulation for sure. Keep your hands on your desk and take a look.




The one above is my fave, I'm not the girl to pick an outfit to go with my luggage, but these pieces conjure up images in my head of a girl in a crisp cotton dress, with a white linen dude hat, vintage shoes, and some sweet shades, waiting patiently at a tiny train station in Italia, all the while catching the eye of every guy near her. You know those stations right, tiny boardwalk surrounding the old station, cute flowers outside, and an old sign hanging from above denoting the station name. Usually there is a cigarette machine somewhere in the vicinity and a couple of sturdy wooden benches that could tell a million stories if they could talk. Who knew luggage could conjure up such thoughts?!?!



Ciao Bella!

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Cobrasnake

You know you aren't just the average human when you are defined in Wikipedia:
Mark Hunter (photographer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Hunter (born 1986, Los Angeles, California), best known by his pseudonym The Cobrasnake, is an American photographer based out of the Los Angeles area. He maintains a photoblog, The Cobrasnake (formerly known as Polaroid Scene), which predominantly chronicles Los Angeles hipster and underground party culture as well as documenting the high fashion world. The blog has risen to popularity as an internet phenomenon, and has since been featured in The Los Angeles Times , The New York Times, Nylon Magazine, the LA Weekly and a number of other arts, culture, and fashion publications.

So next time you need a little divine inspiration, here's another great place to get it, a gratis!