NAU now

new to NAU? think Patagonia... + local + sustainable + urban flair. ya! NAU is a wonderful place to work--on account of all the funtastic people. ; ) the Portlanders behind this brand are the type of people anyone can become instant friends with. the immaterial atmosphere is one of pure joy. i became fast friends with all the girls and let me tell you, they are first class, grade A, dandy!

carma (middle, clothing stylist)

 kimberly (right, hair and makeup)

the actual environment is also quite lovely, complete with beautiful industrial art, delicious music and abundant fanciful food. BUT the emotional ambiance is truly inspiring! the people love their jobs (understandably), and they love each other (this is also understandable).

all these products for a "natural finish"

one or two clothing designers and a handful of staff are present at most shoots and help the stylists primp, preen, trim, and garnish each outfit. NAU indubitably benefits from this sense of personal responsibility, ownership, and pride carried by each employee.

peter (designer)

now back to that fanciful food and gorgeous art! NAU is photographed at Sandbox, a warehouse studio with multiple sets. the high ceilings and open layout help create a friendly, inviting, and somehow intimate space. concrete floors and garage doors look somehow glamorous as the backdrop for the metal and wood art pieces, technical equipment, old bikes, and a mix of modern and vintage furniture.

while we shoot the online catalog for NAU.com, two other sets are also hot (live). for instance, one set will be overflowing with dozens of pairs of brand new Doc Martens, lined up and perfectly perched on their boxes, being constantly polished and dusted for a product shoot. while, nearby, another set is being used to photograph a graphic for the Oprah magazine...something involving a goldfish i believe.


in my mind, NAU is the ultimate "Portland" company. who can argue with local, sustainable, high-end design with a natural finish?

and, on the off-chance you've been living in a cave, local and sustainable are the new hip and chic...in the northwest any way!



the NAU look: natural makeup

yo vintage!

as a little girl i loved playing dress-up! awwww, who am i kidding? as a lady-girl type, i still LOVE playing dress-up. what could be better than an afternoon of experimenting with hair and makeup and trying on vintage designs with girlfriends? not a whole lot, i tell you!

my friend samantha is a talented hair and makeup artist. i trust her with all my cutting and coloring, and bonus--sometimes we even get to work together on sets. today was a particularly fun day for sam and jac. ha!

220 Salon sits between Portland's own Voodoo Doughnut (quickie wedding, anyone?) and Valentine's restaurant. inside, huge picture windows and brick walls frame vintage furniture, distressed wood floors, and retro wall paper. all of this ahhmahhzzzingness mixes together with the fun, energetic mood set by the stylists... into the perfect cocktail of girly fun.

today the occasion is a collaborative event thrown by 220 Salon, Yo Vintage!, and Madame Ranunculus Design (two words: terarrium necklace). lots of playing with hair, makeup, jewelry, and vintage clothes...leading up to a fabulous night of talented designers, beautiful art, indoor swinging (yes), yummy food bites, wine, friends, and more incredible clothes.

spending a day with creative, artistic, driven women provided me with quite the boost of inspiration! Portland is full, i mean absolutely stuffed and overflowing with, TALENTED artists and designers. from interior decorating to event design, from handmade jewelry to vintage treasures, and from urban edge to outdoor chic--Portland is a very artistically inspiring place to live. lucky us!


220 Salon
http://www.220studiopdx.com/220salon/

Yo Vintage!
http://www.shopyovintage.com/

Madame Ranunculus Design
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Madame-Ranunculus-Design/143461402378529

nice pistol mine is chrome

pistol. pistal. pistil. say that five times fast. ha! seriously though, PISTIL is a hat company based right here in our most favorite state---oregon! (yes i realize i live in washington. i often forget. hmmmm...

7 years ago pistil started with simply a hat. their designs are now sold through rei, zappos, sierra trading post, and altrec, to name a limited few. this locally owned and operated company values (and achieves) functionality, quality, design, and detail. each hat, scarf, visor, cap, belt, and headband is sturdy and durable, juxtaposed with dainty artistic touches.

this is tood, one of the owners of pistil. you can tell just from the picture that she is kind, warm and friendly. i liked her instantly because she hugged me when we met. good first impression...i think i'll start doing that!

hat and hair styling. this h & mu artist was so freaking sweet and bubbly. i absolutely adored her. unfortunately i am an arse and i don't remeber her name...sorry!

the color and texture of this wall were calling the photographer's name. kind of tuscan if you crop out the pile of industry. we wedged our way through the tractors to get to that gorgeous wall and the photograher stood atop a ladder, zooming in on a hat-clad ashley. just another prime example of one of my favorite sayings, "where there's a will, there's a way!"

ashley and i always have fun working together. who would think i'm an entire decade older than her! we both forgot things at the studio and the pistil owners were sweet enough not only to drop them off at q6, but to also bring each of us an amazing pistil scarf. of course i was thrilled with the gift and it will always remind me of the fun day we had. 

the pistil team was absolutely wonderful. they are welcoming, easy-going, and down to earth. i loved spending the day with them in hood river, a place i had not spent much time. what a gorge-ous spot! pun intended ; )

http://www.pistildesigns.com/

kiss kiss ZANG ZANG

i shop at thrift stores. i shop at ross. i'm not above buying clothes off the sale rack at walmart. i do, however, have a deeply-rooted appreciation for and admiration of couture fashion. i'm slowly learning about the artistry behind it and i recently made a discovery that is straight cray cray (urban dictionary. look it up)! one word: HAND CUT SEQUINS. (okay three words).

hand cut, hand sewn sequins

what the what! while most of us are wearing clothes from department stores and 'ready to wear' lines, one designer is keeping the art of hand sewn, custom fashion alive. zang toi is the remarkable man responsible for the most amazing clothes i have ever seen in my whole life. i hesitate to call them clothes, so i will be referring to them as the pieces of art they truly are. 

                isn't this a rad neckline?!         

                                  

each piece of zang toi art is hand sewn. each and every stitch. the handmade sequins are actually attached to the garments by hand. the label, or signature rather, is delicately applied with minimal hand stitching. zang is understandably proud of his craftsmanship and lit up as he presented and talked about each piece. his energy and love of fashion were so contagious that i accidentally jumped up and down and hugged him while telling him how much i LOVE his work. he was thrilled with the compliments and very gracious and appreciative. his humility and genuine response were impressive and endeared him to me. here is a man who is making gowns for saudi princesses and he was thankful for a compliment from a northwest girl who shops at the salvation army.

this necklace was crafted with sapphires for a saudi princess... 

this is the $10,000 non-precious stone version.

zang is small only in stature. he is full of personality and has a sweet demeanor that is seemingly untouched by his burgeoning fame. he was wearing black velvet pants and velvet slippers when i met him. his short hair was heavily gelled, swept to the side, and held in place with a single bejeweled bobby pin. his thick malaysian accent is difficult to understand, but i heard him loud and clear when he paused his phone conversation to holler at me, "you have it upside down... sweetheart!!!!" i had put a shawl/shrug thingy on wrong, but zang was extremely kind and not the least bit perturbed by my lack of polish and culture.

30 yards of lace. thirty yards of lace!

zang's designs are outta this world aaaaaaaaamazzzzzzzzzing (insert oprah accent)! each piece is literally a work of art. each outfit is literally tens of thousands of dollars. go buy yourself something today! oh, and by the way, these clothes are not sold in stores. each piece is handmade to perfectly fit the wearer...er, uh art collector.

(check out the video from the zang toi fashion week runway show. hang in there until the end to watch him jump for joy backstage like a little child when the crowd goes wild and honors him with a standing ovation. it's pretty cute. http://vimeo.com/20606439)

too bad there's no place to wear an evening gown in portland.

ANN HE

a good time to start a journal or blog is when you've encountered something that strikes you in such a way that in one hot second everything you thought you knew about the world is put into question!

early this friday morning i showed up at the yu center in southeast portland ready to get to work on an all-day nike shoot. it was cold and rainy so i stayed in my fogged-up subaru and waited for the crew to show up and unlock the building. i thumbed through the call sheet...art director, makeup and hair, photography assistant, craft services, models, stylist, producer, photographer, and photographer's mom...oh how cute! i thought, she's just like me and loves her mom so she brought her!

...wrong-o jacquelien!

once inside the freezing cold, static, abandoned-looking ballroom, i got to chatting with the mother of the photographer while we drank coffee, ate breakfast burritos, and waited for h. & m.u. to set up. i told ann's mom how awesome it is that she and her daughter travel together. "well, i have to because she's only 16." what what what! that is not what i was expecting to hear. ever! granted, ann he does look young, but i had just assumed she was around my age. ha! 

ann he is an-up-and-coming fashion photographer whom nike flew in from dallas, tx. i quickly learned she is getting international attention for her work and picked up a camera for the first time only two years ago. it was at this point i really started to question my life and all the things i thought i knew about the world around me. how could this high school sophomore be a professional photographer for one of the most prominent companies in the world? where did i go wrong? why am i TEN years older than this girl and basically a total loser while she's getting published in fashion magazines? (this is what i was thinking. of course i realize she is a prodigy and highly extraordinary!)

nike sought to work with ann because of her artistic eye and unique way of setting up photographs. she is shy, mild-mannered and soft-spoken, yet she is mature for her age--more than any other 16-year-old i've been around--and she knows what pictures she wants and how to get them. she is a slight little person, but she wields an enormous camera and a fistful of talent.

look for ann he's work in the near future. the very near. she is a photographic genius and a delight to be around. her art will get her through the door. her young age will wow those around her. but her sweet-as-sugar personality will win favor with everyone she works with. lucky me for having had the privilege to not only meet her, but to spend the day with her and witness the way she forms photographs. http://annhe.4ormat.com/ enjoi~!

life is FULL of surprises!