The number-one complaint I get regarding local fashion is that the cost is a chunk more that the low, low bargain prices of the big-box retailers. Instead of launching into my arsenal of facts—on the horrible, sweatshop conditions behind most of that clothing, the amount of fabric that ends up in the landfills every year because the cheap-o stuff falls apart quickly and people toss it into the garbage, and that quality-made pieces take time—I’ll just direct you to this tour on Saturday, September 24.

Fashion Collective Portland has former fashion columnist Marjorie Skinner helming a five-stop local fashion bus tour to some of our most talented designers' boutiques and maker spaces. Meet five successful designers and talk to them about what goes into making their garments. See their spaces with pattern pieces hanging askew, walls of thread, and shop the collections that come from the process. Indulge in some refreshments on the bus, and quiz Skinner on the local fashion industry with her 10 years of experience covering it.

FASHION COLLECTIVE DESIGNER TOUR
Date: September 24, 2016
Time: 1–5 p.m.
Tickets: $30 

Destinations:
Haunt + Holly Stalder Designs: 811 E Burnside St #113 
Six/Seven: 811 E Burnside St #111 
Garnish: 404 NW 12th Ave
Amelia: 2230 NE Alberta St
Altar PDX: 3279 SE Hawthorne Blvd