Mother's Day!

With mother's day just around the corner, we'd like to take this time to appreciate all the amazing #follygirl mothers out there. We wouldn't be in business without you all, and we are truly grateful.

We love to see you share your favorite store in Portland with someone you love.

 

 

Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs someone can have (at least that's what my mother has always told me.) I don't have personal experience being a mom, but I can talk about my experience having a mom. 

I've always looked up to my mom. She's assertive, she's understanding, she's driven, she's always learning and growing, and she's incredibly creative.

When I was younger my mom used to volunteer at the Portland Art Museum as a docent, and since my dad worked full time, she would often take me with her to the art museum when needed. I remember her taking me through the Native American exhibits, showing me old Egyptian artifacts, and my favorite: the modern art section.  My mom has always loved art, and I loved that she immersed me in art and art history from a young age. My moms interest in art ignited my passion for art as well.  

As I grew up, I kept being interested in art and would draw constantly. Good or bad, she loved hanging my drawings up on the walls of our home. Her support meant everything to me, and still does. I went on to get my BFA and am now currently in the process of getting my tattoo artist license while working here at Folly part-time. I am so grateful that she supports and nurtures my interests and decisions at the age of 26 with the same enthusiasm and love that she did when I was 10. 

She even came in during my second weekend here at Folly and shopped for clothes for her upcoming trip. For an hour or so Sarah and I helped her find clothes and I loaded her dressing room up with dresses I thought she might love.

Here's some examples of what I gave her to try on:

The Abbie Dress

The Daisy Dress

The Trista pant and Lang top set

 

I reminded her with a whisper, that she didn't need to buy anything she doesn't love (my moms not the biggest patterns girl).  She assured me with a big enthusiastic smile that she was happy with what she found. My mom left Folly happy, and with two of the most neutral pieces of clothing we have here. Her coming into Folly and trying on clothes out of her comfort zone is her way of showing her support for me, and it makes me so happy.

Here's what she picked:

Carol Top

Sophia Wide Leg Pant

One of the most important lessons my mom has taught me about life is that you get to set your own timeline and forge you own path. After being a docent at the Portland Art Museum, my mom decided to go back to school in her 40's to pursue a BFA in art and MFA in teaching so she could become an art teacher. And she did just that! 

Whats next for her? I don't know, but I know she'll do something amazing. And Ill be here to support her with whatever she decides.

I love you so much mom, thank you for being my biggest supporter and giving me the time and space to find my own path. 

My path just just so happens to be similar to yours.

Love,

Aya

 

 

 

Aya's haiku of the week:

What is an unpaid

teacher, driver, chef and bank?

It's called being "mom".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clothing as Self-Expression

I love the power that clothes have.  Clothes can change your confidence, they can change your mood, they can change how you act, and they can change how you're perceived in the world. I love harnessing the power of clothes and using them to my advantage. 

I know my physical appearance is how people perceive me, but I'm so much more than my body and appearance. I'm kind, I'm funny, I'm artistic, I'm loving, and so much more.

 

 

 My body is uniquely my own, and I love that about it. I think that's why I like to put unique clothing on my body to express that feeling of having autonomy and ownership of my body. That's why I'm so happy to be working at Folly and finding the #follygirl community here; I get to work in an environment that celebrates creative freedom.

 

 

As a kid, my mom let me dress myself from a very young age, and I loveddddd patterns. Polkadots, stripes, floral patterns you name it. An outfit with polka dots, stripes, and florals together? Yes, please! I wore velvet dresses with cowboy hats and jelly shoes. 

Looking back on the outfits I picked out as a kid are funny now because I look pretty silly...but its not anything I'm embarrassed by in anyway, because I wore what made me happy! I hope I never reach an age in my life where I stop dressing for my own happiness.

 

I still love floral, stripes, mixing patterns together, and finding joy through planning my outfits.  I absolutely love seeing customers finding joy in their folly clothes. To me, being a #follygirl seems like embracing your autonomy and giving yourself the freedom to dress however the hell you want. 

To be a part of Who Wore What Where?: DM a photo to @follypdx on Instagram of how you uniquely style your folly clothes.

 

 

We love all of you #follygirls for being creative and and having a sense of folly with us.

Best,

Aya

 Aya's haiku of the week:

Wear what you want to

Life is better when you smile

at your reflection.

Lets Talk Pockets!

Aya's haiku of the week:

 

How many kittens

fit in the Adelia?

Perhaps three kittens! 

 

 

Let’s talk pockets.

The magical pouches of fabric that allow us to carry personal belongings on our body.

I love pockets, and so does everyone here at Folly! We jokingly measure our clothes with deep pockets by asking how many kittens we think could fit inside. Pockets are great: having a place to put my phone and other small items is both helpful and convenient, simple as that. So why is it so rare to find dresses and skirts with pockets? And why are pockets in men's clothing so much deeper than women's pockets if there are any at all?

I cant count the times I've been shopping with friends and when they notice the dress they're trying on has pockets, they'll announce with surprise "it even has POCKETS!" And I can bet that you, the reader, have heard another woman say this too. Its a well known observation amongst women or anyone shopping for women's clothes to notice the lack of pockets.

Today I asked Sarah if she knows why pockets on women’s clothes are notoriously small compared to pockets on men’s clothes. She said “I have a book on that!” So here I am writing this, with a book next to me called “POCKETS, An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close."

There's a long history to pockets and a long answer to the question of why women's clothes do not have them. The long answer short is (you guessed it) misogyny.
 

We don't like misogyny here at Folly, and we don't put it into our clothes. We make clothes for all different body types and different people. Who are we to limit what other people want to wear on their bodies? Doing so wouldn't be very #follygirl of us.

We wanted dresses with pockets, so we made dresses with pockets.

For any other pocket lovers out there, come on down to Folly on Fremont St. We have dresses (and pants and jackets too) with pockets with your name on them! Well, not literally your name on them, but they will have their name on them...right now we have in stock the Midge, Daisy, Tate, and Tina dresses.

 

 

 

Wishing you a weekend full of folly,
Aya  

Travel Season

Hello everyone!

We hope your day is full of folly. Today I wanted to talk about travel clothes.

I don't know about you all, but you couldn't catch me dead in an airport wearing jeans.

Okay yes I'm being a bit dramatic... but hard denim and metal buttons digging into my stomach for 2+ hours? No thank you.  

Speaking of travel: I totally associate this adorable farmers market pattern of the NEW Celana blouse with traveling. I'm imaging me in this blouse at a little french market buying fresh bread and drinking lemonade.

When I'm traveling and at the airport, I'll usually wear leggings and a basic t-shirt, and although this outfit is just fine for my needs of comfort, I feel like I'm sacrificing my personal style for something comfortable and easy. 

Hmmm I wonder where I could shop for clothes that are cute AND cozy? 

*Ahem* Its here at Folly! 

I've only been working at Folly for a week, but I already know that you don't have to choose between personal style and feeling comfortable. "Life is hard, your clothes should be soft" is something that Sarah says, and I couldn't agree more!   

 

Sarah in our NEW Strawberry Tina dress, perfect for travel. Did we mention it has POCKETS!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gigi wanted to match with Sarah, so we paired her Tina dress with the Strawberry Slouchy Bag by Busy Mushroom! Double Strawberry cuteness.

I want my clothes to comfortable especially for vacations, traveling, or warmer weather. For example, If I went on summer vacation to Italy, I want to focus on having a good time and sight-seeing; not focusing on adjusting my shorts constantly so my thighs don't rub, or not eating all the pasta my heart desires because I'm afraid I'll have to unbutton my jeans.

Clothes are meant to fit me, I am not meant to change myself to fit clothes. 

If you're looking for cute and cozy pants this spring and summer, we recommend any of the Miles, Trista, Gemma, or Zelda pants 

Zelda Pants (the naked but not naked pants)

 

 

 

 

 

Miles Pants

  

Trista Pants

    Aya's haiku of the week:

 

     Flowers are in bloom,

    the sun is saying hello.

    Say hello back too.

It's Spring!

Leaves are changing, flowers are blooming, and all of us Portlanders are starting to get more very much needed vitamin D.

Spring to me has always felt like a “fresh start” and my life experiences many changes just like the nature around me. Speaking of new changes at Folly… I should actually introduce myself! My name is Aya, and I’m a new shop associate at Folly! I can’t wait to meet you all you lovely customers that Sarah raves about. I'm so excited to be a #follygirl.

 

As I was saying, spring is about change. I always find myself doing a closet clean-out in the spring, where I get rid of all the clothes that either don't fit me anymore or no longer bring me joy. I try to follow Marie Kondo’s quote: “Discard anything that doesn't spark joy”. I find that a lot of my clothes, especially from fast fashion businesses, don't actually “spark joy” for me; and the ones that do are usually the unique and funky pieces I have thrifted or are from small businesses.

 

We love patterns here at Folly

 

It's something to think about. It’s made me try to slow down on buying more “basics” and “staple” items that social media fashion influencers try to convince me I need. But do I want a boring wardrobe full of neutral basics…. Not really! No shame to anyone who loves neutral colors without patterns, but that's just not me. So, buy what YOU want, get rid of what YOU want, and wear what makes YOU feel good and joyous.

 

Sarah smiling in the Abbie. Twirl your troubles away!

I’m a very curious person by nature, and I love exploring and finding new things. Whether that's finding new places, new ideas, or new values. One of the values I've been prioritizing the past few years is experiencing joy, and searching for it often. This can be me buying a little figurine or doll that speaks to me, or going on a walk by myself to clear my head. And am I the only one who thinks going through the carwash is still super fun? The one I go to has rainbow lights and it feels like a little party in my car.

 

psssst check out this adorable NEW Carol top in Golden Dotty

Finding joy can mean anything you want it to mean.
So whether you find joy in your favorite clothes, in your friends, or in trying new activities…you're adding a little “folly” into your life this Spring– congrats! We wish you all a lovely Spring full of change and new beginnings.

 

 

Joyously,
Aya

Happy New Year #follygirl

 We made it to 2024! I always feel some weird sense of relief when the "holidays" are behind me. There's just so much build up and stress in the air, and then it's like the air being let out of a balloon, and now it is January and it's time to start over again!

I get excited with a new season on the horizon. And it's impossible to not love Spring the best! Flowers!!! I see little guys pushing up through the mud in my neighborhood already which seems crazy but it has been very mild weather, thank you El Nino. 

Stephanie created some really cute new graphics for my website which I hope will help people understand who we are and what we do before they come in the doors. I love meeting new people and it's even better when they are already excited by the prospect of meeting the designer, etc.. 

We are also gearing up for our BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR next week so I hope you can come to that too! We will have big markdowns on Fall/Winter and some bins of previous seasons and samples to dig through. Let's clear this stuff out so we can make room for all the new goodies we are making. 

I am heading to LA the week after the SALE to do some fabric shopping for the year and folly will be closed for a week. I need this time to regroup, deep clean, organize and get my head screwed on straight to make 2024 something special that we can all enjoy. 

Please remember to shop small wherever you are! Ever single purchase helps us pay the bills. Keeping small businesses in your community is so important... otherwise everywhere will look the same and that is sad. 

oxox. Sarah

Holiday Vibes at Folly!

Holiday is a vibe and no matter which of the holidays you celebrate, the key is you feel like celebrating! 

I love Halloween as a launch to the holidays because Halloween is all about play and stepping outside of your everyday self! We had a blast this year on Fremont passing out candy to all the dressed up kids! 

My inspiration was this doll I found at a thrift store earlier this year. I saw her and just knew that she would be my Halloween vibe!  The kids that were unsure if I was "real" made my day! 

Thanksgiving weekend was nice in Portland and I really appreciate everyone who brought in visiting friends and family to show off folly and the fact that we make the clothing right here. Out of towners are always impressed by our production!  I very much appreciate it when people not only express wonder and amazement at our work but also purchase something special to take home. 

 

We all know that you can support small businesses in many ways and some are as simple as a thumbs up on a post but ultimately without your purchases we don't really exist. When you share Folly with your friends and family we do a happy dance!

 

 

Fall/Winter is about much more than dresses, obviously! We do have fun party dresses, of course, because we love dresses BUT we make so many cute tops and carry a lot of great winter pants (the best corduroys ever) and sweaters appropriate for work and casual life! We can dress your lifestyle, no matter what it is about these days. 

 

And every year we make our famous pj/lounge sets! This year the Jillian Lounge Pant and Bev Tee are a HIT with everyone. Sarah loves making pjs... she really does! You can enjoy these cozy pajamas while doing a jigsaw puzzle or snuggled up watching t.v.  Whether you sleep in your set or just enjoy the evening, there is no wrong way to enjoy a snuggly pj set! These make a great gift too. Who wouldn't want these?

We are loaded with amazing accessories for all your gift giving needs! We love these colorful and cozy hand warmers and fingerless gloves for winter! These are a great Get One, Give One item... everyone needs them!

Thank you for going out of your way to shop at folly! We love our online customers so much and without you I'm not sure how we could survive! Feel free to reach out with questions, we are always happy to help make this the best shopping experience possible! 

folly is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-6:00

We will be open for bonus holiday shopping 

Sunday December 10:00-4:00.

We will wrap anything up extra cute for your gift giving too, just ask!

xoox. Sarah