I have been going to every Portland Fashion Week show for years and have seen pretty much every kind of crowd you can imagine. But last night was the most amped up wild one ever. The Project Runway madness had hit and resulted in the VIP lounge area looking (but thankfully not smelling) like a tightly packed sardine case. I thought the mass would quiet some once we had all slowly herded into our seats, but was sorely mistaken. And when the cover was lifted from the solar panel runway, signifying the start of the show, a shrill whistle of excitement went off behind my left ear at a dizzying decibel. The lights went up and away we went.

Goga by Gordana’s collection was the definition of femininity. Without my trusty thesaurus and with a sleep deprived brain I wrote “so pretty” about each ensemble that floated down. Gordana’s strengths lie in her ability to embellish with pleating and patching fabric without it ever looking overworked or unflattering to the body.

Next was Jay Nicolas Sario’s collection that evoked an underlying military theme with his use of metal hardware, epaulettes and funnel collars. It was an interesting juxtaposition of hard and soft, with his flowing palazzo pants and tailored jackets.

Jonathan Joseph Peters obviously had fun designing his kicky collection using his signature cutaway fabric technique. Bold, vibrant prints with the occasional sparkle of gold sequins made this an exceedingly wearable line for those who want to put a fashionable pep in their step come spring.

The finale of the evening came from Vancouver’s Seth Aaron presenting his Solar World collection. The looks were theatrical and dramatic with strong shapes, shoulders and showmanship. The craftsmanship for such unique materials was impressive. How does one sew things made from photovoltaic panels? I have no idea, but obviously Seth does and the audience was thrilled down to the last leather masked look.

After the show ended I, being the full service writer that I am, went out with Project Runway alums Janeane Marie and Jonathan Joseph Peters for a night of hilarious tales of what went on during filming and Michael Kors impersonations. My sides hurt this morning from laughing and it’s nice to see that in an era of snarky reality television friendships can bloom and survive. My exhaustion level is growing though from seeing hundreds of faces every night, cheek kissing, pounding beats and clacking keyboards all morning. This fashion writer gig is a really tough job, but someone has to do it….

Click View Slideshow for in depth reviews.

The Evenings’ Designers

- Seth Aaron SolarWorld Collection Presented by Portland Fashion Week
- Jonathan Joseph Peters
- Jay Sario
- Goga by Gordana (Project Runway Season 6)

Upcoming: Tonight is the very last night of PFW for a whole year! Featuring international designers Amelia Toro, Ethos Paris plus Oregon’s own powerhouse Pendleton. Don’t be the only one in town to miss out on the hoopla..

Fashion Week Information:

www.PortlandFashionWeek.net
When: Wednesday, October 6th – Sunday, October 10th
Doors: 6:30pm, Seating 8:00pm
Where: Vigor Industrial Shipyard: 5555 N. Channel Avenue. Portland OR 97217

Find Portland Fashion Week 2010 event info on our Events Calendar.