Posts Tagged ‘Portland’
Well, back to Portland for today. I’m bit disappointed that I didn’t do a little more nosing around for great shops there until it was too late to visit them. Anyways, I posted a link to Una on the McTega post, but it really deserves its own separate post.
I spaced the fact that Una is in Portland while I was there until Ashley at Frances May mentioned it, and I spotted it in a slightly older edition of the eat.shop. guide for Portland that our neighbors kindly lent us. Unfortunately, they close at 6pm on Friday night and it was already quarter after 5 when I checked the hours to see if we could make it. Sad, but it gives me a placed to visit the next time we’re there!
Anyways, it’ll come as no surprise that I like Una because owner, Giovanna, stocks lots of independents and even some very talented local designers. While there is no real webshop to speak of, they do have a blog where you can see their current items and call or email to purchase. The items are nicely photographed and everything they carry feels so cohesive-great editing! They have a fantastic inventory of accessories.
My finds at Frances May!
Believe it or not, but it took me almost my entire week here in Portland to realize that just on the opposite side of the block that the Ace is in there was a boutique bursting with some of my favourite labels, notably Rachel Comey. I’m not completely oriented here even though we’ve been walking and riding public transportation everywhere. I spotted Comey’s Metalsmith’s dress in the window of Frances May when I happened to glance out of the bus window and knew I had to stop in.
Well, today I did and am I ever glad I did. The selection is fantastic and skillfully edited, and Ashley who was watching over the shop while we were there was amazing. Portlanders, you are some of the nicest people I’ve met yet. I’ve been nothing but continually impressed with how friendly and open everyone is and it’s been an utter joy to shop here. Ashley gave us the scoop on Portland (her family has lived in Portland for four generations!), cool places to visit (including other clothing boutiques), and we even got to have a laugh over our dairyland, my dear diary, and livejournal histories.
Aside from lots of great pieces from Rachel Comey, I spotted items from Clu, A.P.C., Vena Cava, Bodkin, Mociun, Lover, Duskin, YMC, and many others. The coolest part about Frances May is that it’s owned by Brooklyn art school graduate Pamela Baker-Miller and her grandmother, Connie Codding. Fantastic, no?
I know I’ve stumbled over the website a few times in the past, but it got lost in my bookmarks and I’m ever so glad to have rediscovered it. Brannan and I both found some fantastic pieces on the sales rack, and I got to try on the Metalsmith’s dress for future consideration-hee. Again this is another really special boutique in Portland that needs to be added to everyone’s regular bookmarks. Don’t forget all that you can enlarge the photos by simply clicking on them!
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