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Portland Oregon is the home of grunge and it has a bit of a warmer, rainier winter climate. The result is a hodge-podge of styles on the street.  This town, like Seattle, absolutely loves its vintage clothing stores and that often reflects in what you see on the street.

One winter trend that is evident is women buying larger men’s blazers and wearing them as a winter coat over a heavy blazer. Some women go as far to have the blazer lined so it can be worn as a coat. This, in turn is worn with a very large silk or cotton scarf.  The longer and silkier the scarf is the more elegant it is considered to be.   The scarf is usually tied so that it looks like a cowl neck.

Long sloppy shirts, particularly denim ones are worn over black denim straight leg pants. It is very common to see a fishermen’s sweater in beige worn over a shirt that has the tails of the shirt peeking beneath.

Purples and greys are seen on a lot of people, which are colors that match the cloudy skies. Very few women in Portland are seen in anything else but black opaque tights if they decide to wear a dress or a skirt.  Punks and Goths in Portland are still wearing laddered lacy tights, even in the winter.  Another punk look still worn is cotton shorts with black tights and a white shirt.  This makes you look like a circus lion tamer’s assistant.

A color combination that is often seen in street fashion is canary yellow paired with black. The little yellow wool vintage coat is a much-coveted item. This is worn with black accessories, preferably of an eighties vintages.  Ruched belts with large circular fastenings and slouchy bags with many ripples are a popular look.  It is also quite common to see women wearing boots with rounded toes and a high waist which is the exact opposite of the pointy toes you would see worn in New York or Toronto.  Most boots worn here are big, sloppy and brown in color.  Boots with natural wrinkling around the ankle or cuff are also popular.  This is also one of the few cities in North America where people still wear brown Frye boots with a flannel granny dress. This is a look that was popular in the early seventies and still has survived here in Portland, Oregon.

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This Vintage Stripe Pleated Maillot by Marc Jacobs has removable shoulder straps and a sweatheart neckline. It is comfortable and adorable and the side panels will make you look so slim!

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Sheer clothing is going to be a very big trend this summer.  It is a great way to keep cool as long as you don’t mind looking a little less conservative than usual.  Runways all over the world show-cased netted, airy and see-though clothing.

Some women have difficulty wearing the sheer clothing because it can show a bit too much. The idea is for you to learn how to wear this type of sheer trend so that you do not feel uncomfortable, compromised or exposed in any way.  Although many of the fashions show will be transparent it is a good idea to go with clothes that have total transparency.  It is also a nice idea to balance the sheer pieces with the opaque ones.

If you want to look sophisticated than just wear one sheer piece with other clothing. For instance a short tied crop top looks great with a blouson sheer shirt.  You can also wear a sheer overskirt over a regular skirt.  One look that was show by designer Francesco Scognamiglio was a completely sheer white T-shirt style top with a tailored man’s suit in bright snow white.  Wearing a sheer dress shirt with a men’s suit or tailored skirt is called “wearing a statement shirt.”

Chiffon looks nice if you wear it with delicate fabrics like tulle, lace and chiffon.  For instance a lace camisole can look quite lovely under a sheer top.  Flapper looks from the 1920s were also in evidence on the runways. Blugirl did a cream sheer shift that falls just below the knee that is embroidered with white dress.

The obvious see through top is best left for evening.  Francisco Sognamiglio showed a dress that was part Vampira and part fifties night gown with a buttoned up collar, blouson sleeves and long swags of sheer black chiffon fabric.  The neck, breast and thigh area of the dress is augmented with baroque looking black lace while the rest of the dress is done in a sheer chiffon. Another beautiful evening treatment was done by Ante prima who featured floor-length black chiffon studded with huge black dime size sequins.

Finally it is important not to wear too many accessories or too much jewelry while you are wearing a sheer outfit. This is particularly true if you are opting to wear one of the new sheer pant looks.  You could possibly run the risk of looking too much like Barbara Eden in “I Dream of Jeannie.”

This Textured Lace Dress by Tadashi Shoji has lace overlays that a elaborate bateau-neck dress with sheer tulle trim. It has a removable belt that defines the waist of the vintage-inspired silhouette. This is a show stopping dress it is very elegant and very classy. This is a dress that will never go out of style and will always be a staple in your wardrobe.

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