Out of every fashion and design event taking place in Portland in the fall, this is the one I get most excited about. For the fourth year, the Ace Hotel presents live fashion and design installations in 28 of their hotel rooms. Each designer and artist is allowed a room as their framework to construct their version of a fashion art installation.

A few designers I’m excited to check out:

Brady Lange

Word has it that Brady Lange was born in deep in the woods, raised by a pack of wild wolves and taught to sew from a beautiful one-eyed huntress who died of a broken heart.

Or something like that. Those of us who have suffered a few too many heartbreaks can thank Brady for his commitment to avenge her death by creating bright, uplifting pieces.

Shwood

Speaking of being born in the woods…or at least being made of wood…Shwood sunglasses are handmade in Portland and crafted to keep the integrity of the natural wood intact. They are what one might imagine a well dressed, wood-hacking lumberjack might wear while doing chores around the cabin.

Seaecho

Seaecho’s clutches and bags are made out the wool Pendleton blankets that the lumberjack and his lover cozy up under every night to keep warm in the brisk NW falls. Designer Sarah Vale–and her gloriously fluffy cats–are behind the perfection of these oh-so-Portland bags.

Reif

Portland designer Lindsey Reif has the market on locally made turbans. Reif is German for “ripe,” a fitting qualifier for the clothing, accessories and headwear made by Lindsey in her Portland studio.

Imaginary Authors

In a continued departure from the woods, Imaginary Authors offers fragrances with plot twists and gripping storylines. Fall and winter are the perfect times to immerse oneself into a good book. Likewise, this time of year is a fantastic time to woo someone special. If your usual brand of seduction doesn’t work, perhaps one of these page-turning scents will do the trick. Imaginary author Audrey Blavot brings us to 1950’s Paris with the L’Orchidée Terrible, a haute couture-meets-mischief fragrance.

Crazy Wind

Crazy Wind brings us to Japan, where the printed kasuri textiles come from family-run factories in remote regions of Japan to be made into pants, bags, dresses and tops right here in Portland. We are happy they made it this far.

Other designers and artists coming out for Content include Hello Eliza, Portland Garment Factory, Honeyfox, Tanner Goods, Bridge & Burn, Michelle Lesniak and Liza Rietz. Show is this Friday at 5:00 at the Ace Hotel Portland. $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Head next door to The Cleaners to shop for work by Content artists. www.acehotel.com/#calendar/portland/content-2013

From Imaginary Authors: “Life is a series of blank pages and it is up to one’s self whether to fill those pages with tedious prose or widly imaginative storylines.” True too for the visionaries filling the rooms at the Ace Hotel this weekend.