Saturday’s Art Institute fashion show was a smashing success. Perhaps I shouldn’t make that statement with the level of bias I have to the event. Any of the nearly 1,000 attended were forced got to see me shimmy on the stage in my floor-length sequin Ms. Wood gown before the main event, so yes, I personally had a great time. However, I know it was a success because we raised nearly $20,000 for the student scholarship fund shattering our previous years’ results. That kind of community support can give anyone a case of the warm fuzzies.

As for the show itself, the designs were broken into three segments. The first included dresses made for sponsors out of their marketing materials. Hello gown made entirely from entirely Portland Monthly’s! Next up was the act devoted to creating outfits inspired by Portland neighborhoods from Pill Hill (OHSU) to Hawthorne. Finally, the majority of the show was devoted to the graduating seniors collections. Instead of making a long-winded attempt to dissect the approximately fifty designers, I’ve compiled pictures of some of my top favorites.

To the slide show!