Another holiday easy shopping collaborative event for the calendar. For the first time Pop Up Shop Pdx takes over The Cleaners at the Ace with local faves like Jacobsen's Salt, Imaginary Authors perfume, and Bean Goods. Find apparel, beauty products, and home goods in this one-day-only event.

TNT Color Lab Preview
Thursday, December 4, 5–8 pm
West End Select Shop
927 SW Oak St

 Use this three-hour window to catch a preview of Portland-based TNT Color Lab, a premium online shop for Korean cosmetics and skincare set to launch in early 2014. The brainchild of Tina Bue, a color designer by trade, she’s creating an edited selection of Korean beauty products for what she calls, “a modern approach to makeup, color, and skincare.”  Stop by the party for drinks, treats, and 10% off all TNT products at the event. 

The New Afterglow Special
December 1–31
Loyly
2713 SE 21st Ave

For the month of December Loyly hosts a special discounted package called The New Afterglow. The restorative treatment starts with 60 minutes in the sauna and steam facility, followed by a relaxing 45 minute massage and finishing with a 45 minute custom holistic Evan Healy facial before ending up with a cleansing spice tea. Allow 2 1/2 hours. Limited online booking, for more options, call the front desk: 503-236-6850, $125

Fashion Shows

Xtabay’s Winter Fashion Show      
Saturday, December 6, 7pm & 8pm
2515 SE Clinton St, $12

See all the beautiful vintage dresses from days of old in full glamorous styling at Xtabay’s fashion show. Saving up some favorite items throughout the year, owner Liz Gross promises the shows will fulfill any vintage lover. Snag $12 tickets to the either 7 or 8pm shows that benefit the Cascade AIDS Project.

Gross encourages you to dress up full swank saying, “This is the one place where you simply will never feel overdressed.” 

 

Karl vonBuck Fashion Show
Thursday, December 4, 7:30 pm
Adorn, 3366 SE Division

Another fashion collaboration full of good cheer makes its debut this week. Two years after closing her Blackbox boutique Isaac Hers, Barbara Seipp returns to the fashion world along with local model and denim designer Kate Troedsson. The duo formed a friendship through their respective model/designer titles and joined together to form a line they say “represents an attitude, and adrenaline rush, an escape from normality, a way of life, a dollar hard earned, a giant punch in the face, a righteous article of clothing. “

Before the big runway debut Thursday night at Adorn’s new Division location we asked the two for some insider info.

Eden Dawn: How did you two end up together? 
Barbara Seipp: We have known each other for several years as Kate modeled for me back in the Isaac Hers era.  Over the past year, we have become closer through mutual friends and realized how well we get along.  There is a strong mutual respect.  I saw Kate's work at PFW last year and was impressed with the level of detail on the pieces, especially for a recent design grad.  It was late summer, and Kate expressed interest in "getting involved in something."  Coincidentally, I was also thinking about getting started again.  We talked and agreed that we both wanted to collaborate, without the pressure of commitment, just for our creative sanity.  I was working at Adorn, so we thought it would be fun to do a capsule for Adorn.  Nicole was totally supportive and excited to be a part of it. 

Kate Troedsson:  I have always admired Barbara's design aesthetic with Isaac Hers and the tenacity with which she ran her business.  I firmly believe that you never stop learning and that those around you have so much to offer.  When Barbara and I got to talking genuinely about the Portland apparel industry at her late summer barbecue I expressed my interest in becoming involved in something new.  As a recent design graduate, life can become discouraging when the economy is rough.  Barbara and I bonded over the idea of how refreshing and vitalizing it would be to collaborate on something entirely on our terms; that breathing life into a new creative endeavor would in turn renew creative life to ourselves.  

What was the inspiration for the collaboration?
Barbara:  The line is denim based at its heart.  We both love denim and menswear and wanted to make pieces we would want in our closet.   There is an undercurrent of preppy/punk, though it is tempered with a strong PNW sensibility.  It’s all easy to wear, from denim button ups, denim dresses to classic jeans.  One of our original concepts was hot pink denim.  So we did some dying and we are loving the pink in the collection.  We added in some plaid wool, tencel and fur to round out the collection.  

Kate:  We were inspired by creating entirely on our own terms.  That means that we had complete control over our materials, adding to our collections vibe of independence.  Barbara did all the dyeing by hand, testing various shades of pink.  I used professional sanding machinery to add fade and subtle distress to various garments; as well as hammering hardware.

Barbara:  The vonBuck gal knows who she is.  She tough, seeks excitement, works hard, creates her own path, and does it on her own terms. I think the attitude has a strong element of breaking free from what others expect you to do.   It’s a way of life, and I think Kate and I both embody it, even though we are at different stages of lives and careers.  We created a definition, which is not meant to be a dictionary definition per se, but rather a brainstorm of concepts/things that define Karl vonBuck.  We think it sums things up pretty well while still allowing room for interpretation.  

Do you think of this line as an extension of what you’ve done in the past or is it something you feel very differently about?
Barbara:  Personally, I think it relates to everything I have done in the past.  It's just a reflection of where I am now, after 2.5 years off.  I'm excited to work more with denim as i think it’s a great medium for where I am right now and its so much versatile that people think.

Kate:  I also think it's a really cool blend of two personalities.  Barbara's design aesthetic mixed with mine has resulted in such an original collection!   I really think highly of collaboration, as the result is always something entirely new.  

Will your items be in Shop Adorn? Any other shops?
Right now, Karl vonBuck will be in Adorn for the month of December.  After that, we will have to see!

Is it all custom made or are you doing size runs?
We will have full size runs in the store, but there will be color options and ordering.  You can try on the sizes, find what fits and then order it.

What’re the goals for 2015?
The future is unknown for vonBuck.  We are both really loving doing it, but we are going to see how it goes.  So far, it has been amazing working together and I would love to see it continue.  The challenge as always is to find a way make enough money while still having some kind of work-life balance.   We will  try to make it work.