Lena
Medoyeff Studio
3200B
SE Hawthorne Blvd.,
230-7259
Open noon-6
pm
Wednesdays-Saturdays
Searching endlessly one recent Saturday afternoon for a
parking spot in front of the red-hot Red Light Clothing
Exchange, I was ready to swear off Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard
as a favorite shopping destination for good.
The crazed car and foot traffic, the proliferation of hippie
shops and overpriced housewares stores was bringing me way
down. Then, like a dream, my spirits lifted when I happened
upon the stunning studio of Lena Medoyeff. Located a few
blocks west of Hawthorne's bustling stretch, this local
apparel designer's five-month-old, simply laid-out store
houses some of the most gorgeous garments I've ever seen
in Portland. And blessedly, there's an absence of hemp shirts,
tie-dyes or vintage garb and not a whiff of patchouli in
the air.
Instead, in Ms. Medoyeff's combination retail/work space,
a few simple, no-nonsense racks hold handmade women's dresses,
pants, jackets, skirts and stretch T-shirts in a range of
rich colors and fabrics you won't find anywhere else in
town.
For jaded shoppers (who need more convincing to visit this
pleasant addition to the Southeast neighborhood), here's
a little background on the talented Ms. Medoyeff.
Ten Things Every Shopper Should Know About Lena Medoyeff:
1. The Portland native first attempted sewing as a poor
journalist (she was a reporter for The Western News
in Libby, Mont.) fresh out of college at University of Oregon.
She had to sew--she had fashion tastes way beyond
her budget.
2. Moving away from journalism, Medoyeff perfected her
sewing skills during a Peace Corps stint in Guatemala. A
neighbor in her village had worked in a garment factory
in Bogotá and taught her to make patterns and clothing
for the village children. Following her lessons, Medoyeff
bought a treadle machine, hauled it back to her Guatemalan
residence on top of an old school bus and began to make
simple dresses. When she got back to the States, she started
her own clothing company.
3. Though she did all the sewing for her very first orders,
Medoyeff now has most of her designs cut and sewn by a local
seamstress (with impressive Russian and New York design
house experience) and the seamstress' team of five sewers.
Another local sewer does all of the stretch pieces.
4. Medoyeff's designs are incredible: from basic rayon
and Lycra T-shirts in myriad colors to luxurious velvet
jackets to lightweight skirts and alternative formal wear
that promises to be worn more than once--whether you're
18 or 45.
5. The fabrics she uses are exquisite, most made by a family-owned
mill outside of Calcutta. It takes four people two weeks
to make 12 yards--the length of a sari--of the heavy, mirrored
fabrics Medoyeff crafts into gorgeous skirts and dresses.
Only a select number of U.S. designers have access to the
highly coveted fabric.
6. The designer's pieces are refreshingly simple; much
of her line is composed of four classic patterns she changes
slightly for each season. The idea is that the garments
will act as silhouettes, shifting the focus to the amazing
fabrics themselves. All the pieces are extremely comfortable,
you can wear them more than once and they're made from nice
fabric. (Most pieces are in the reasonably inexpensive $100-$200
range, with T-shirts and other separates costing a bit less.)
7. This resourceful entrepreneur took over the lease of
a former alterations shop last winter and converted it into
a welcoming, hip space, tearing up old carpet and tile and
staining the weathered cement floors a warm rust color.
Giant, gilt-framed mirrors rest against the walls, and velvet
curtains separate the retail and work spaces. It feels like
a Melrose or SoHo studio--sans snobbery.
8. Medoyeff has a slew of wholesale accounts, but the unpretentious
designer enjoys the interaction and generous feedback she
gets from individual customers.
9. A former tomboy, she wasn't interested in clothes at
all as a kid. She was into rodeo-riding and showing
horses. She preferred Wranglers to the frilly dresses her
mom sometimes made her wear.
10. Her dog rules. Maggie, a lab and Chesapeake Bay retriever,
hangs out in the studio, entertaining shoppers' typically
listless accompanists (read: men) and charming the pants
off of just about everyone.
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Willamette Week | originally
published May 10,
2000
|
