fall/winter styles on sale!

i've reduced the prices of my fall/winter 08 styles just in time for the holidays. please visit my online stores to enjoy discounts over %50 off the retail price:

reif on etsy
reif on smashing darling

happy holidays!
lindsey

Great press!

Thanks, Urban Socialite, for the kind mention!

urbansocialite.com

Runaway photos

REIF's runway debut was on October 10th, and it was a blast! Thanks to Gretchen Jones of Mothlove for organizing the show, and to all of the backstage people and the other designers for making the show a success. In case you missed it, here are some photos, courtesy of Minh Tran (www.minhternet.com).






Also, check out the Ultra PDX and the Portland Mercury's write ups of the show!

ultra.
portland mercury

xoxo,
lindsey

Our ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices...

One thing I've realized about being a designer is that no matter how cautious a person is when cutting, sewing, designing, there is bound to be a staggering amount of waste fabric. Being the pack rat that I am, I have saved nearly all of my scraps over the past year, and this week I realized that I had 7 (!!) trash bags of fabric in my basement that I really needed to do something with. I decided to post an ad on craigslist to find a home for the fabric. I received 38 emails in less than 12 hours, so I had to come up with some criteria for the lucky recipient. I decided that they had to be using the fabric for a good cause, and they could not be making money from the scraps.

Most of what I had leftover was fleece, and I found the perfect match! Kathy Sayles, a volunteer for the Cat Adoption Team Shelter in Sherwood, OR ( about 20 minutes outside of Portland) contacted me about a possible donation. She makes beds for the kitties at the shelter, and is always in search of scrap fabric, especially fleece, to make the kitties feel comfortable. Kathy was very grateful for the donation, and it made me feel great as well! It's nice to know that I have a home for future leftover fabric!

Here is a photo of one of the beds Kathy made...

fashion show poster

probably the coolest fashion show poster ever? i think so!!

go get 'em, tiger!

Remember me?

Just dropped off orders for fall 08 at Olio United and Foundation Garments. Get 'em while the gettin's good.

Our first fashion show!

We are pleased to announce that we will participating in our first fashion show here in Portland. It will be happening October 10th at Someday Lounge. The line up is Reif, Emily Katz, Moth Love, and Dust by Julia Blackburn. Jewelry will be provided by Emily Baker of sword+fern, and Paige of paradox jewelry. We'll be showcasing our Spring 09 collection.



There will be live bands, DJs and a videographer. Sounds like a good time, huh?

Doors open at 9pm, show begins at 10.

See you there!

Ultra PDX's write up of the show

Takin' a dip in the POOL

me and chelsea erhart workin' it at the POOL trade show in Vegas!

Exciting new stockists!

                                                       fraulein dress - spring 09 collection
Greetings!

Reif is back from Vegas and we are pleased to announce two fabulous new stockists.

Here in Portland, our garments will be available at sword+fern.  Sword+fern is a super cute new shop owned by Emily Baker of Clever Castle.  It is located at 811 E. Burnside.  I'm really stoked!

Reif has finally made it to the East Coast!  We'll be available at Vagabond. 

They will be carrying our Spring 09 collection, so look for us in stores in February

we've been BUSY!

Oh, man. So much to say!

Just added my fall/winter 08 collection to my smashingdarling online store!
Check it out.

11 days to go until I leave for Vegas! Reif will be debuting Spring 09 at the POOL tradeshow, August 25-27th. We'll be in space 1106.  Make an appointment to see the collection.  Here's a sneak preview.....

xo,

Lindsey

Fashion Fight Club Trunk Show this Sunday!

Reif will be representing at the Fashion Fight Club trunk show this Sunday at Olio United.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the FFC, you will be very soon!  We are a Portland based designer collective who share resources and promote each other while at the same time promoting independent fashion as a whole.  

We will be having a trunk show in celebration of the formation of this group, with DJs Beyonda and Equestrian providing their musical stylings.  There will be lots of overstock from all of the designers, and one of a kind pieces.  Reif will be bringing a preview of their Spring/Summer '09 line which we'll be presenting at the Pool tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Here are the important details:

Olio United 

1028 SE Water Ave.  (across from clarklewis, next to Lippman party supply)

noon to five

bring cash, and all your friends!

http://www.wweek.com/wwire/?p=12200 --->WWeek article on the Trunk Show

photos!

Here are some shots from the photo shoot for my fall/winter collection.

I would like to thank my photographer, Angela Cash for being so awesome.  Also, my models, Kim and Will, for being very patient and all around swell people.  Jayme Hansen provided her styling expertise.

 

mayfair trench and carnaby fleece jumper

carnaby fleece jumper and abbey turtleneck

camden tee and bromley pant

kim: abbey turtleneck  will: savile bomber jacket bromley pants

First Photoshoot

Yes!  I have finally completed my fall/winter collection and the photoshoot is complete.  It was such a motivating experience.  I feel like I've been working for so long to get this line launched, and once I saw the clothes on the models I felt like my hard work payed off.  

Here are some lessons that I've learned in the past month, as crunch time for getting my collection finished drew near....

    1) Trying to dye things by hand is hard work.  The one drawback to using sustainable fabrics is that they generally only come in one color - natural.  This means that you have to have the garments dyed professionally or try to do it yourself.  I did a couple of test  batches in my washing machine, which seems to produce the most even results, but I just couldn't get the colors that I wanted.  Then, on the brink of achieving near color perfection, my washing machine broke!  I looked down at my feet to see a puddle of blue water inching toward my sewing room.  It seems the washing machine was leaking from the bottom.   With the photoshoot only a day away, I made an emergency trip to the fabric store.  So much for that idea!  

     2) Finishing samples for the photoshoot at 7:15pm when you need to be on location at 8:00pm is such a great idea.  If I can procrastinate, I will, especially when it comes to deadlines.  I got all 6 styles finished, although not perfect, and they looked great on the models, but the amount of stress that I experienced trying to get everything done took a toll on me.  I won't procrastinate like that again, that's for sure!

Tomorrow I'll be going through the photos with my photographer and hopefully I'll have some to post.  Move over, Prada!

w-w-website!

Although the content is sparse, my website is up nonetheless.  Now all I need to do is make some clothes....

The Reif Haus 

xo,

Lindsey

Let Me Introduce Myself...

My name is Lindsey, and I like to sew.  Also, I am probably the biggest clothes horse I know. That being said, I'd like to tell you a little bit about what I do and how I've come to where I am. 

I moved to Portland, Oregon in 2002, shortly after graduating from high school.  Fresh out of the midwest (South Dakota, to be exact), I was faced with an unfamiliar city and a thirst to find the one thing in life that I was truly passionate about.  Juggling college classes, a full-time job, and getting to know a new part of the country, I still managed to make time to create.  

Making things has always been a huge part of my life.  I was a girl scout for years and years and years (My mom was the troop leader, so I didn't have much of a choice), and despite despising going door to door toting overpriced cookies, I loved the arts and crafts.  We made so many things during our troop meetings, from refrigerator pickles to dehydrated apples carved and decorated to look like old women's faces.  It seemed silly to me at the time, but now I am grateful for that experience.  

When I moved out west, I decided I would take up sewing.  I bought a sewing machine, some basic patterns, fabric, and set out to learn how to sew.  The gratification I received from completing a garment was addicting, and sewing soon became my new favorite hobby.  I started using found fabrics like sheets, curtains, and other clothing because the prints were unlike anything I could find in a fabric store.  Plus, they were cheaper.  

My friends told me that I should try to sell my stuff at stores around town.  The thought had never even crossed my mind.  Even though my sewing skills were still lacking, I decided to take the plunge and take some of my pieces to boutiques.  Much to my surprise, they were receptive, and I began to create one of a kind pieces under the name Lucy in the Sky Designs.  When I look back at the first pieces I made, they were ill-fitting, and not put together well, but it was a start. 

As my skills improved, so did my aesthetics.  I was still using mostly found and vintage materials, but I was using more wearable fabrics, such as jersey.  Most of the great vintage prints I had were on stiff cotton or unbreathable polyester, which didn't allow me the versatility I was looking for.  With my changing tastes, I decided to also change the name of my clothing line.  I called it 'love, ginger'.  It's kind of a shortened version of saying 'this garment was made for you.  love, ginger'.  

Here are some photos of those earlier pieces:

These pieces were all one of a kind, and made from recycled materials. Once again, it was a good start.

I decided to take a break from apparel for a little while and test the waters with some accessories. A friend who was about to move out of the country gave me her collection of vintage church lady hats, and I became obsessed. Their delicate construction and attention to detail gave me a new goal to work towards with my own projects.  I've always appreciated a well-constructed piece of vintage clothing.  In this age of mass-produced clothing, it's a lot harder to find properly finished seams or little details that make a garment stand out.

Glue gun in hand, I set out to create vintage inspired hats of my own.  It wasn't easy to find the chenille-coated wire, so I made my own using pipe cleaners and heavy-duty wire.  I also sewed strips of wire in between two pieces of felt to make the hats more sculptural.  Here are some photos of the results.  These hats are currently available for sale:

This year I decided to change focus once again.  I wanted to move away from one of a kind pieces and start doing size runs of specific styles each season.  Simple color schemes and thoughtfully placed details will be the foundation.  The name has changed to Reif (this is the last time, I promise) and I'm planning on releasing my first collection in early July '08.

Thanks for sticking with this rather long first blog entry.  I'll be posting photos and other info regarding my progress every few days.  Feel free to drop me a line or pass on any advice or resources you would like to share.