I have been actively involved in the Occupy Portland movement for the last few weeks and it has been an experience of extreme growth for me as I work with these other incredible individuals to forge networks, solve problems, learn to communicate in deeper ways, and revision a new world! I have seen hundreds of people coming together to try to figure out how to make our world a better place for us all, and I am impressed with the strides that have been made in this short time. Over the past few days especially, stronger organizational systems are being put into place, and the kinks are beginning to get worked out. I am trying to bring the Duchess kung-fu in to help!
I am personally concerned that the problems at the encampment itself that have been focused on in the mainstream media and in the conversations I overhear are overshadowing the movement. Please keep in mind that problems such as homelessness, mental illness, drugs, and violence are only the symptoms of our broken system, and while they have recently seemed to be the face of the physical movement, they are merely a visible representation of our societal problems and they are not representative of all of the excellent work being done and the true passion behind the political and social movement.
With this in mind, Occupy Portland needs large numbers of people to show up in support of the ideals of the movement when the camp gets evicted early Sunday morning. Even if you don't like what you have seen of the physical camp and want it to go away, that is fine. This is for support of the 99%: YOU.
This "Occuparty" needs the thousands of people that the original march on October 6th had. Come back out! This may entail marches from various neighborhoods to the encampment, and other plans-- At tonight's general assembly meeting, the specific plans and tactics will be implemented for what will happen early Sunday morning, and what we can do to support the movement. You can tune in and watch it live on livestream here at 7pm.
I am 100% confident that the eviction is merely an evolution of the movement. Anyone who supports the ideals of personhood over corporate-hood, true democracy, and the value of people over money--the real ideals of the Occupy movement, should come in physical numbers to show their support Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Please email me if you would like me to let you know what actions will be taken Saturday night through Sunday morning.
I also recommend reading an excellent article that was recently published about the movement on the Rolling Stone website.
If you are interested in the ideals of Occupy, please encourage everyone you know to come in person to show their support Saturday night. Updates should be available at Occupyportland.org.
Many thanks,
Lady Seyta
Owner, Duchess Clothier
PS--
Here is a letter written by the Media Committee regarding this important turning point:
Thursday morning Mayor Sam Adams announced that he was issuing an eviction notice for Occupy Portland, effective at 12:01 AM Sunday. While our Mayor has been largely supportive of our protest and our rights to free speech, the business interests and other associated lobbying groups were able to exert enough sustained political pressure to create our coming stand-off with the city. We have about 600 occupiers who stay in our two-block camp, and over 1,000 who are part of daily activities. Saturday night, we will be holding an “occuparty” to invite the people of our city down to stand in solidarity. We are also trying to organize Livestream house-parties for people who cannot support us physically.
Occupy Portland began on October 6th, in non-violent solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and all other occupations around the world. We continue to stand with our fellow human beings around the world, many of whom have had to face this very situation before us. Our civil leaders the world over have been perplexed with how to make us stop. The truth is that we won’t stop. There is nothing they can do to force us to stop. Many other occupations have faced police action and eviction. Not a single one of these actions has ended the protest efforts of the occupy movement in these cities. We will not be the first place where this tactic succeeds.
Many of our brave fellow occupiers have faced the stark reality of how thin our rights have truly become, and Saturday night Occupy Portland will stand with others who have faced the threat of force to non-violently say no. We will not leave, we will not go away, we will not be silenced, just as none of you have been. Our efforts are your efforts, and yours are ours.
Occupy Portland thanks our fellow occupiers all around our planet who have stood in solidarity with a message that we all feel resonating within us; a message of compassion, justice and reason. We remember those who have come before us within this movement, from those arrested in the early days at the Brooklyn Bridge, to the demonstrations in Oakland exposing the brutality of police action, to the persistence of the occupiers in Atlanta. To all those who have faced this before us, we follow in the incredible footsteps of your examples, ready to continue our occupation no matter how difficult, no matter how cold, and no matter how wet it becomes.
The 99% are united in our efforts to be heard. Over 100 years ago, a coin toss decided this city’s name as Portland. Had the coin flipped the other way, this would be Boston, Oregon. We all share connection with each other, sometimes in ways we don’t even understand, and no matter what you face at your occupation, no matter what we face this weekend as the police come to arrest hundreds of people in Portland, we are all members of the human race, united in our efforts to heal our species from its sickness infecting every aspect of our society, of our economy, of our relationships, and of our governments.
With Solidarity,
Occupy Portland Media Committee
LITTLE BOXES + ANNUAL SAMPLE SALE
OK, we're sure all of you Portland people have heard about Little Boxes by now. Well, we're doing it.
Some of our neighbors like Twill, Rhapsody, and Mirador are also playing and having great deals, so come do your shopping in our neighborhood! You can download a map, learn the rules and how to win prizes here.
Want more incentive?
IT'S OUR ANNUAL SAMPLE SALE
Friday NOV 23 & Saturday NOV 24 | 10am - 7pm
Suits, Shirts, Separates, all at greatly discounted prices, including:
Last season's off the rack at 40% off
Samples 50%-80% off
Ties for $35 & Pocket squares for $8
Fine Custom Suit Appointments made in person during Little Boxes are 10% off
Come support local small businesses and do your shopping the right way on Black Friday!
We will also have some bubbly and small treats for you.
Duchess Fall Soirée
Party time!
JOIN US
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th
4-8PM
At Duchess Portland
We'll be releasing our first ever seasonal inspirational line, featuring two new suit styles at Duchess HQ next week. We're opening up the event to all of our friends--client or not. But if you have Duchess attire, wear it!
We will be enjoying the tunes of DJ Gregarious
and a photobooth for snapping pics of you in your Duchess attire, kindly provided by our excellent neighbor
View invite and RSVP here or on our Facebook event page.
Shirt Club is here.
It's official-- we have a shirt club! And, yes, you get a fancy membership card.
And the first five members will receive an extra shirt for free!
Getting married, need some ideas?
We will be participating in some interesting events this spring. Here is our Bridal Show Calendar for this season:
Feb. 28, 2012: Rocked! A special boutique show presented at the Nines Hotel in dowtown Portland by Portland Bride & Groom magazine.
March 8, 2012: Luxe Bridal Event At the Tiffany Center in Portland, email us if you would like free tickets!* Their Facebook Page
April 22, 2012: In Seattle, Linked! A small, cool event by the ladies of Crinoline & Tweed. More info to come soon.
*We might have a duel with Men's Warehouse, who will also be attending this event.
Aw, thanks Mercury readers.
We love you too!
Who else does Portland love? See the feature here.
Don't forget your man today!
Valentine's Day is so focused on the ladies, why not surprise your fine gent this evening with a nice little dapper object from our Portland showroom? We'll be here sharing the love until 5pm!
Some new cufflinks or a tie bar, perhaps?
Or, how about a new springy bow tie or pocket square?
You can find these treasures, regular ties, gift certificates for custom shirts and suits & our lovely off the rack shirts suits here!
2505 SE 11th Ave #102
Portland, OR 97202
UNIQUE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Alterationist/Fitting at Custom Tailor
Duchess, Clothier (www.duchessclothier.com) is seeking a highly motivated, personable, unique, organized, and meticulous individual to learn from our small, tight-knit team.
We are offering an internship in custom sewing alterations, fit, and quality control, and experience dealing with private clients in a small independent business environment. The goal of this internship is to give the desiring intern specific vocational skills and practical workplace experience in this environment.
This opportunity would prepare the intern with knowledge and experience for readiness to enter the workplace as a professional alterationist and fit specialist for custom clothing. This internship entails learning to perform specific and numerous alterations on menswear, fittings with clients, elements of quality control and garment preparation, and professional documentation of these tasks.
Please check out the rest of our website and/or showroom to get a sense of what we do and who we are. Please only apply if this seems like a dream internship for you and you would like to join our team in a meaningful way!
Requirements:
· Excellent, comfortable communications skills
· Some experience in precision sewing clothing on home and industrial sewing machines
· Experience or interest in fitting garments on people for alterations
· Ability to learn quickly and adapt to new information
· Extremely high attention to detail
· Concurrent enrollment or experience in appropriate educational track
· The ability to work efficiently alone and in a small team
· Punctuality and reliability
· Highly self motivated
· Excellent grooming and personal style
· Computer skills: Understanding and experience in Mac OS10, email (Apple Mail), scanner operations, MS word, internet, complex database upkeep (solve360).
Compensation is unpaid for a determined amount of time through the educational internship period.
Please EMAIL your application materials to ariel@duchessclothier.com and cc both seyta@duchessclothier.com and Danielbranden.thomas@gmail.com.
Application requirements:
· Detailed resume
· 3 references from past employers or faculty
· Cover letter expressing why this internship appeals to you and what you would like to learn specifically
· Availability
· Ultimate goals regarding career path
· If you have clothing design portfolio, or any additional information about your self/ education/ past work you think we may be interested in, please include it!
We would like to begin interviewing excellent candidates as soon as possible. Please expect at your interview to sit down in front of an industrial and home sewing machine and demonstrate basic skills.
Duchess Featured in Wedding Showcase on TV
Check out Misty Damico of Luxe Productions showing off some Duchess on local television! We are very much looking forward to working with at the Luxe Bridal Event in March, where we will be strutting our stuff in person.
Sample Sale Auction
We have started auctioning off our remaining sample sale garments on Facebook! For really, really cheap.
Join up now by liking our page!
RULES:
1. To bid, comment on the post with your bid. The last bid in the comment thread timemarked 4pm at the end of the designated day will win the item.
2. When you win, you must call or email Duchess right away with payment information or pick-up time if you are planning to use cash. (We will notify you that you won.) If we do not hear back from you by 4pm on the day following the auction's end, the item will go to the second highest bidder.
3. There are NO RETURNS or exchanges on these items. We encourage you to come in and try on garments you might be interested in.
4. Shipping is a flat $5 within the United States. We will ship USPS.
5. We do provide alterations services, so if your fantastic new Duchess garments don't fit just right, chances are good we can alter it to fit you perfectly!
Good luck!
Cool Portland Wedding Show: Art of Weddings, January 19th
If you or any of your pals need ideas for future nuptials, we recommend coming to the Art of Weddings at Pure Space, on January 19th.
We have participated in the Art of Weddings in recent years, and we have found it to be a lovely event with the best local vendors.
Duchess will be participating the fashion show at the event, a treat that is not to be missed! Tickets are normally $15 to attend, but if you buy tickets now, use this code to get them for $10! EARLYBIRD2012
Here's a shot from last year's fashion show at the event.
BLACK FRIDAY SAMPLE & CUSTOM SALE
Sample Sale extended through December 31st!
While our custom appointment special was a one-day, Black Friday affair, we still have a ton of inventory in our sample sale!
Duchess Supports the Occupy Movement
I have been actively involved in the Occupy Portland movement for the last few weeks and it has been an experience of extreme growth for me as I work with these other incredible individuals to forge networks, solve problems, learn to communicate in deeper ways, and revision a new world! I have seen hundreds of people coming together to try to figure out how to make our world a better place for us all, and I am impressed with the strides that have been made in this short time. Over the past few days especially, stronger organizational systems are being put into place, and the kinks are beginning to get worked out. I am trying to bring the Duchess kung-fu in to help!
I am personally concerned that the problems at the encampment itself that have been focused on in the mainstream media and in the conversations I overhear are overshadowing the movement. Please keep in mind that problems such as homelessness, mental illness, drugs, and violence are only the symptoms of our broken system, and while they have recently seemed to be the face of the physical movement, they are merely a visible representation of our societal problems and they are not representative of all of the excellent work being done and the true passion behind the political and social movement.
With this in mind, Occupy Portland needs large numbers of people to show up in support of the ideals of the movement when the camp gets evicted early Sunday morning. Even if you don't like what you have seen of the physical camp and want it to go away, that is fine. This is for support of the 99%: YOU.
This "Occuparty" needs the thousands of people that the original march on October 6th had. Come back out! This may entail marches from various neighborhoods to the encampment, and other plans-- At tonight's general assembly meeting, the specific plans and tactics will be implemented for what will happen early Sunday morning, and what we can do to support the movement. You can tune in and watch it live on livestream here at 7pm.
I am 100% confident that the eviction is merely an evolution of the movement. Anyone who supports the ideals of personhood over corporate-hood, true democracy, and the value of people over money--the real ideals of the Occupy movement, should come in physical numbers to show their support Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Please email me if you would like me to let you know what actions will be taken Saturday night through Sunday morning.
I also recommend reading an excellent article that was recently published about the movement on the Rolling Stone website.
If you are interested in the ideals of Occupy, please encourage everyone you know to come in person to show their support Saturday night. Updates should be available at Occupyportland.org.
Many thanks,
Lady Seyta
Owner, Duchess Clothier
PS--
Here is a letter written by the Media Committee regarding this important turning point:
Thursday morning Mayor Sam Adams announced that he was issuing an eviction notice for Occupy Portland, effective at 12:01 AM Sunday. While our Mayor has been largely supportive of our protest and our rights to free speech, the business interests and other associated lobbying groups were able to exert enough sustained political pressure to create our coming stand-off with the city. We have about 600 occupiers who stay in our two-block camp, and over 1,000 who are part of daily activities. Saturday night, we will be holding an “occuparty” to invite the people of our city down to stand in solidarity. We are also trying to organize Livestream house-parties for people who cannot support us physically.
Occupy Portland began on October 6th, in non-violent solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and all other occupations around the world. We continue to stand with our fellow human beings around the world, many of whom have had to face this very situation before us. Our civil leaders the world over have been perplexed with how to make us stop. The truth is that we won’t stop. There is nothing they can do to force us to stop. Many other occupations have faced police action and eviction. Not a single one of these actions has ended the protest efforts of the occupy movement in these cities. We will not be the first place where this tactic succeeds.
Many of our brave fellow occupiers have faced the stark reality of how thin our rights have truly become, and Saturday night Occupy Portland will stand with others who have faced the threat of force to non-violently say no. We will not leave, we will not go away, we will not be silenced, just as none of you have been. Our efforts are your efforts, and yours are ours.
Occupy Portland thanks our fellow occupiers all around our planet who have stood in solidarity with a message that we all feel resonating within us; a message of compassion, justice and reason. We remember those who have come before us within this movement, from those arrested in the early days at the Brooklyn Bridge, to the demonstrations in Oakland exposing the brutality of police action, to the persistence of the occupiers in Atlanta. To all those who have faced this before us, we follow in the incredible footsteps of your examples, ready to continue our occupation no matter how difficult, no matter how cold, and no matter how wet it becomes.
The 99% are united in our efforts to be heard. Over 100 years ago, a coin toss decided this city’s name as Portland. Had the coin flipped the other way, this would be Boston, Oregon. We all share connection with each other, sometimes in ways we don’t even understand, and no matter what you face at your occupation, no matter what we face this weekend as the police come to arrest hundreds of people in Portland, we are all members of the human race, united in our efforts to heal our species from its sickness infecting every aspect of our society, of our economy, of our relationships, and of our governments.
With Solidarity,
Occupy Portland Media Committee
John Hodgman Event Sunday, Nov. 6th!
Sunday, November 6th (THIS SUNDAY)
Bagdad Theater, 7pm.
$25 includes admission as well as a signed copy of his new book, That is All.
John will be at the Bagdad Theater as part of his The End is Nigh Tour, about which he states, "I will be traveling around the country to bring you news from my new book, plus information about the coming global superpocalypse known as Ragnarok, plus some special guests guests, plus a ukulele."
We hope to see you there!
Donations of Nice Clothing for Occupy Portland
You know how when you look better, you feel better? And how people take you seriously when you are wearing a nice outfit instead of your ratty hoodie?
Duchess is advocating the chance for the people of Occupy Portland to present a better face by collecting donations in our showroom of nice-looking clothing, which we will bring to Occupy Portland for people there to wear if they choose. There are many intelligent, working people there who would like to improve the image of this movement, and we would like to help by providing them some nice clothing!
If you find yourself with extra or old business and nicer clothing (both men's and women's), please consider bringing it to Duchess! We are taking immediate donations of:
October Sale
Beginning October 4th, Duchess will be having a massive sale in our Portland showroom lasting the entire month of October!
All vintage accessories, loads of suits, shirts, separates, and ties will be discounted. We are trying to make room for the new goods that are just around the corner! So, please come help us clear out the old!
Showroom hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5.
Content 11, October 1st
Duchess will be taking over Room 220 at the Portland Ace Hotel as part of the Content 11 exhibition-- a celebration of local fashion and design.
Instead of a regular, boring old fashion show, Content features artists and designers by giving them each a room to present!
October 1st, 6pm-10pm
(with a beer garden and press entry starting at 4pm)
$15, tickets here.
Spearheaded by the now famous Gretchen Jones and other members of Portland's fashion elite, Content had its first go-round in 2009. Now all the kinks are worked out and it's going to be amazing, with 28 local designers and enough creative energy to tear the place down!
Come see Duchess in Room 220.
Content also features a boutique, where we will have a collection of our off-the-rack offerings available for purchase with credit cards.
I wonder what Duchess will do this year!!!
Duchess Clothier, 2505 SE 11th Ave
Suite 102 ~ Portland OR 97202
503-281-6648 - Email Us
Duchess, San Francisco
2590 Folsom Street
More Info Here