Atiana

Atiana first learned about Vein of Gold when her old PSU Graphic Design teacher, Kate Bingaman-Burt, was an artist-in-residence at the shop! So cool! When I first met Atiana, I was immediately drawn to her cool style, and really appreciated her professionalism and thoughtfulness as she became one of our most regular consignors. We always look forward to seeing what goodies she's collected for us!

Atiana met with me at the shop for a long chat on the blue couch over iced coffee and matcha, and told me the story of her history and love affair with resale. She began her career in resale at the ripe age of 17 working at the Ashland, OR consignment shop, Deja Vu. She worked there for 4 years as a buyer, then after graduating from university, landed at Portland's Artifact. She’s been a manager and buyer for Artifact for over 6 years, and loves it. Her knowledge of resale has come from her many years of sourcing and reselling, both through consignment and directly through her own sales channel, @shopyeses. 

What would you call your personal style?
I definitely lean towards that "natural minimalist girl." They're wearing very nice pieces, but it kind of always looks baggy, but still fits them…beige, brown and black. You know, raw silk or cashmere. Very sleek looking button downs, flowy pajama type pants. And then I fall into jeans and T- shirt girl, but I always try to dress that up a little bit. I don't like feeling too casual, so I try to juxtapose it with a bunch of jewelry or a high heel or something like that. So I'd say those are the two main things that I fall into/ trying to fall into.

Who are your style icons?
I don't know if I would totally wear everything she wears, but I just joined the substack for Leandra Cohen. She has a very unique way of styling herself and so that's been kind of fun to see her process of mixing and matching opposing elements, which I do love to do. Especially sleep and loungewear with more structured pieces…I know that's one thing I like. And I love Abby on the Internet. Her content is very style related. And again, her style is a bit bold for me, but she definitely is always sharing things in terms of how she styles herself and what kind of things she's thinking about. She does a lot of thrifting too and upcycling, so she's pretty inspiring. I guess you know, honestly, Mary-Kate and Ashley. That whole vibe is very... luxury. Yeah, the quiet luxury. Yeah, they're cool. They are too cool for school. And that's great. I love it.

Do you have a Portland “happy place”?
The place that I go to somewhat regularly is Cliff's, under the Wonder Ballroom. They’ve got great frozen margaritas. My husband and I go there all the time. That and The Sawtooth, which is like an Old Fashioned, but it's whiskey, fernet and some walnut bitters, and some other stuff. Very good. I've tried to recreate it at home. It was not as good. Those are the two drinks that I get there.

If you were a dessert, what would you be?
Vanilla ice cream and hot coffee with cream.

Do you have a fave VOG score?
So I just scored last week something I've been looking for that has been on my Pinterest board. They're semi sheer, kind of pleated flowy pants that were Holly Leuders. I looked up the brand and she used to do clothing, now she does ceramics.

Do you have any pieces that you regret NOT buying?
Yeah, there was [at Deja Vu] a vintage Chanel handmade corset that they were selling for at most $150, which at the time, in high school, I was like, it obviously doesn't fit me and I'm not going to buy it because I'm buying for my closet.

Also at Artifact, we got in this Valentino, like a leaf green, but a bit more vibrant, silk, cropped jacket. The silk wasn't really pleated but it did have a very organic little wavy texture to it. Beautiful. And I tried it on and it fit me and I didn't buy it. And it sold like an hour later. And I'm kicking myself, because that would have been a forever piece. But you know, that silk jacket was 100 bucks, the corset was 150 bucks. It's like, not recognizing in the moment that this is an amazing price for what it is. You should buy it even if it is, like, a little out of your budget. That, plus the Chanel. And so that's sort of where I'm at now with my shopping - I'm shopping for myself, but I'm also shopping for unique pieces, collecting things that will hold their value and that I'm not going to see again. That's what a lot of my home and my closet looks like. 

Do you have a wish for Portland fashion?
I wish that Gen Z did not love the Y2K! I guess my wish would be an emphasis on quality over micro trends. I feel like I'm seeing the same thing over and over and over again… they all look exactly the same. So I guess I want everyone to have a very strong personal style and not fall into this group trend mindset.