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.

Redecorating the Reif Haus

There's been a lot of transition and change in my life lately, most recently regarding my living situation. Right now I live in a house with four other housemates, three of which are moving out in the next couple of months for various reasons, such as going to grad school, pursuing life in the big city, and moving in with a significant other. I'm sad about loosing these housemates and friends, because this is by far the best communal living situation I've had in Portland, but I'm excited for the change and transition its bringing to my own life as well. I've got some rad new roomies lined up to move in, and I am also downsizing to a smaller room in the house, so to offset the cost of the new work studio I'll be moving into next week (so excited about that). Its going to be such a relief to finally be able to separate my home from my work. Maybe I'll come home and actually READ A BOOK or something, instead of having my work in front of me all the time and feeling guilty about all the things I SHOULD be doing. Guilt is probably the only thing I learned in college - you should always be working on something or reading ahead instead of enjoying yourself.

I took some time out last week to redecorate my living room, which after the departure of one of my housemates, was left with nothing but a rug and a bike pump. So depressing. I've been spending too much time in my room and not enough in my living room, and with the new smaller room I hope that will change. Now I feel good about the space and I actually sit in the living room and do computing, rather than hiding upstairs.

I found some really cool decorating items at thrift stores this week. In fact, it was probably the biggest thrifting score I've had in a long time. Ah, retail therapy! I found this cool stained glass pyramid thing, and this myrtle wood bowl and white ceramic twigs.



I also found science beakers, a wooden shoe form, and these cool hot pads (at least thats what i intend to use them for. I also bought my first ever living room furniture - a Barcelona chair and ottoman that I scored at a rad deal from a friend.








Most of the other decor I already had - the air plants, old photographs and wall hangings. I'm so excited to actually use the space, and am looking forward to the distraction of redecorating my new bedroom and studio. I'll post photos. If you thought that fashion blogs were distracting, try decorating blogs. I've been pouring over them for the past week looking for ideas.

Soft Metals

A couple of weeks ago Patricia Hall from the Portland-based electronic duo Soft Metals asked me to help out with wardrobe styling for a promotional photoshoot. I have seen Soft Metals play several times and I knew that some of the pieces I made for the Mercury show would look really great on Patricia and fit well with their music. I haven't made any menswear in a while, however, so for Ian's wardrobe I just went over to his house and went through his closet. It turned out super well, if I do say so myself!

The photography was done by Jamen Lee, whose work I was introduced to for the first time right before the shoot took place. I was super impressed with his work! I love some of the double exposure stuff he does. He did this shoot all in analog, with some black and white and some color film.

I used some of the custom jewelry made by Emily Baker in the shoot as well. We went to several locations around Cathedral Park in Portland, underneath the Saint Johns Bridge, which I must say is my favorite out of all of the twelve bridges in the city.

It was a pleasure to work with all of them, and I hope to do it again soon! I'm talking with Soft Metals about making some custom garb for them to perform in. Speaking of performing, if you're in Portland, check them out on June 11th at Mississippi Studios!

Open Season Video

I found this video from the fashion show. I was hoping that someone had gotten footage, because I didn't get to see the show at all because I was frantically running around.

Enjoy!

Open Season Fashion Show

Hey friends!

The fashion show on Friday was a success, and I've been enjoying some free time and much needed rest this week. I just got some photos back from the show - so exciting! Thanks to all the lovely ladies who modeled for me and to Clarity and Anna for helping me out backstage. Everyone looked great, and the only thing that went wrong was a strap popped off of one the dresses, but Nicki worked it anyways. Also thanks to the amazing Emily Baker of Sword + Fern for making some custom jewelry for the show. Maybe I'll post some photos just of the jewelry soon, they are truly amazing.

These photos are courtesy of Roll 35 and Chloe Richard.

We are the Happy Haus.

We definitely have much to be happy about this week at the Reif Haus. On Friday, May 7th we'll be showing alongside 10 other talented Portland designers at the annual Mercury fashion show.



I'll be showing mostly pieces from our Spring '10 collection, along with a few new garments to round things out, including an evening gown! I want to give the viewer a glimpse of what was inspiring me when designing this collection. For me inspiration is a very general statement, and I'll often start with one direct inspiration and when the collection is finished it that inspiration only is visible on a subtle level. So this time around I'm pulling out all the stops and letting Portland know what's up.

Karen Vitt from the Neat Sheet did a nice write-up of the show which is available here.


Here is a little hint of what is in store:




See you on Friday!