For years, the Short North has been heralded for its art, culinary and entertainment offerings… all steeped in a healthy appreciation of independence. Over the last few years, however, the Short North has been quickly building a strong reputation on a different front, fashion.

It seems there have always been fashion offerings in the district (Columbus Barber and Beauty began in 1936, Byzantium is fast approaching their 25th anniversary, Loot just crossed the 20-year mark, and Torso and The Garden are celebrating 10 years of success). The Bohemian spirit and artistic flair of the Short North nurture the expressive nature of fashion… and the adventure of defining personal style.

In the last few years, however, fashion has really begun to make a visible impact on the Short North mix. Today, scores of boutiques pepper the strip. On the clothing side, the list now includes Rowe, {Milk Bar}, Paradise Garage, G&Co, Loot, Substance, Emperor’s Newest Clothes, Flower Child, Torso, Tiger Tree, Lady Bird, Saavy On a Shoestring, Measure of a Man, Take 2 Apparel, American Apparel, Lululemon and Jinny. The roster has become synonymous with the Columbus fashion scene. Keeping pace with the clothing, a formidable ensemble of accessories, cosmetics, beauty care and salon businesses has also developed, including: Byzantium, Collier West, Columbus Eyeworks, Image Optical, Global Gallery, Max the Salon, Waldo’s On High, Lai Boom, Phia Salon, Mukha Custom Cosmetics & Medi-spa, Luxe de Vie and Columbus Barber & Beauty.

That’s nearly 30 fashion destinations, and I’m sure I’m missing a few. It seems new boutiques are opening monthly… next on the block is “Go Figure” at the old CounterCulture space.

The Short North’s stature as a fashion destination made headlines nationally not too long ago in the New York Times Style Magazine. Headline: “Columbus Cool” The article spotlighted a host of the District’s boutiques and touted Columbus as the new “Style Capital” of the Midwest. In the latest issue of Columbus Monthly, Short North fashion takes up a full 7-pages in “Shop Talk: Spring Fashion 2009.” The article features shop owners modeling their own fashions and sharing tips on current fashion trends. Jin Fillinger (Jinny), Cindy Zafar and Goutam Biswas (G&Co.), Christina Getachew (Substance), Michelle Woljevach (The Emperor’s Newest Clothes) and Maren Roth (Rowe) are spotlighted.

If you haven’t been in the Short North for a while, or haven’t taken a stroll from end to end, you might be surprised by the changes. You might also be surprised how well the fashion scene fits you.

Morgan has put together a bit of an overview of the boutiques with a spring fashion series of her own which is now posted on shortnorth.org. You can take a peek with a click. Enjoy.

We’re Angela and Cara with re*dress, your personal shoppers and wardrobe consultants in Columbus, Ohio.  We’ll shop for you for any occasion, or if the economy has you feeling down, we’ll help you clean-up your closet and make it feel new again without stepping foot in a store.  Check out our website at www.redresscolumbus.com.

This week we’ve taken on another challenge - we’re helping coordinate the runway show for HighBall Halloween.  Although we’ve both been involved in the retail industry for years and have attended many runway shows, actually coordinating one is a new experience for us!  And believe us, there is a LOT to coordinate.  After our initial meeting, we hit the ground running: we contacted Dan to discuss the backdrop screen for the runway show (should we project designer names? or images?), we’re in touch with DJ Moxy to discuss the music for the show, and we’re talking to Ryan to find out what designers are committed to the show and how many looks they have going down the runway.  We’re working with the Phia Salon to coordinate times for the models and designers to come in and create hair styles for the models. And don’t forget the make-up!  50 models, 12 designers, 8 hair stylists, 8 make-up artists, countless AV and tech helpers, a DJ and an emcee put on a show that looks effortless and can rival the shows at Fashion Week.  See you on tomorrow!