This blog is MOVING

Hey guys, I am giving my line a bit of a facelift, and I've decided to switch my blog over to a different platform. You can now find me, blogging a lot more, hopefully, here.

Smitten...

So I just found some photos from the fashion show on Friday. SO GOOD! I'm really happy with all the looks and the collaboration between my clothes and Coco's jewelry worked very well. Everything was well styled, and the Jeffrey Campbell shoes I used for the runway really helped get the 1970's vibe out there. Photos taken by Amanda Smith.



















Now that these garments have walked down the runway, I can get them ready for wholesale - this collection will be available for Spring 2012! Get ready!


And here's the dress I made for the Vitamin Water challenge, which opened the show. My flavor was 'rhythym'. It's a trapeze style tank dress with hand dyed fringe on the bottom and printed overlay. I'm happy with the way it turned out!

Backstage at the OPEN SEASON fashion show

Its amazing how much work goes into getting ready for a runway show, and its all over in 5 minutes. Last night was the Portland Mercury's annual fashion show, called Open Season.

I am really happy with how everything turned out, and it was cool to see all of the designers I've shown with in the past, as well as meet some of the new designers, who showed some great stuff!

The morning of the show I finished my look for the Vitamin Water challenge, which basically involved designing a garment inspired by a flavor. Mine was rhythym, and I made a trapeze dress with layered yellow fringe on the bottom, inspired by 1920's jazz dresses, with a vibrate leopard print on top. Its a radically different dress than I've ever made before, but I'm happy with it - it's always good to challenge yourself! Here it is.



It was lovely to work with Coco from Coco Cardenas on the accessories for the show, and I wouldn't have been able to pull it all off without help from my best friend Clarity, and my other helping hands!

Also, my models were so great! They were all so sweet and easy to work with, and they looked great. I really lucked out.

Here are some photos from backstage at the show. I can't wait to see the official runway photos and I will post them as soon as I get them, video too! Being backstage during the show, I don't get to watch it at all until I see the video.

It's that time of year again!

Springtime at the Reif Haus always means crazy, hectic, sewing times. For the third year in a row I will be showing at the Portland Mercury's annual fashion show, alongside the best of the best in local talent. I'm really excited, to debut my new collection at the show, along with accessories from my friend Coco's line Coco Cardenas.

This year's show also will feature the three winner's of Project Runway to come out of Portland, Leanne Marshall, Gretchen Jones, and Seth Aaron Henderson. I'm excited to show alongside them!

Tickets are going fast, and they're cheaper in advance, so I would recommend you purchase them here.

Photos and video will be on the blog for those of you outside of Portland that want to see what I've been up to.

work.place

Local Portland photographer Carlie Armstrong stopped by my studio a few weeks ago and snapped some photos of my space and me working on the new collection. Carlie's new photo project, called work.place documents the creative process of some of Portland's artistic community and showcases local talent.

The project is photographed entirely in analog, using a vintage twin lense Yashica-D camera, which gives all of the photos an ethereal feeling.



It was so much fun to have Carlie in my studio - please check out the work.place blog for more photos, as well as Carlie's other blog, Thistle and Lace where she shows off her lovely photographs and promotes her online vintage clothing shop on etsy.

Tell them I don't smoke cigars.....

I'm about to start designing a new collection for Fall '11. I've decided to take a season off to refocus and recharge, but I can't wait to get started on some new garments. My muse for this collection is Bonnie Parker, a lady who I feel like really embodies the woman I design for. She's tough, yet still very ladylike. She provided the sex appeal to Bonnie and Clyde, and without her I doubt the couple would be as infamous as they are.

Here are some images of Bonnie herself, as well as some of Faye Dunnaway in her 1970's portrayal of Ms. Parker.

It's been a long time.

DAAAAANG! So an entire summer just went by (and then some) since I last posted on this blog. Woopsie! Life kept me pretty busy this summer, but now things are starting to return to normal. Don't let my blogging absence make you think that I haven't been working hard. Quite the contrary, actually.

1. New Studio. Its rad, I'll post pics soon.

2. New Intern. Janine, she's been a big help!

3. New collection for Fall '10! Photos should be up soon. This collection has actually been in stores for a month or two, but I've been sewing like crazy to fill orders and haven't had much time for the internet.

Here's a video from Portland's Fashion Night Out, which happened September 10th. FNO has been happening for years now in other cities such as New York and LA, and now Portland has joined the ranks, choosing to promote sustainability in fashion. I was interviewed by Casey Hatfield from NetGreen News about the event and about my latest collection.



The Portland Mercury also interviewed me for the event. You can find that here.

I promise to keep up on blogging from now on, so please check back often! I've got photos from photo shoot colabs and so much more for you in the coming weeks.