The DC Goodwill Fashionista started her new feature today, Blog the Blogger, and who did the premiere blog feature? Moi - of course. Check it out to find out a bit of background about me, who my favorite designers are, and where to find good bargains in D.C - plus, the site is a great, witty and oft-spot on fashion resource.
To read the entire article, which talks a lot more about the business side, click here...“I’m very angry at the fashion industry,” she said. The industry has “no respect for accomplished women,” viewing them as “sex objects, not smart and capable.”
Her line, mainly “jacket driven,” also includes pants and blouses for business, casual and evening attire. She targets businesswomen with high net worth, female politicians — most notably Sen. Hillary Clinton — and what McLemore calls “community women” who are involved in philanthropy or who have husbands in powerful positions. ... (Know we know where Hillary found her amazing taste - and her $795 quilted coats!)
... Clinton prefers longer jackets, and her signature colors include blue and coral, which McLemore said brings out the highlights in her hair. ...
McLemore’s clothes come in five fits to accommodate all body shapes, and she designs them herself with natural fabrics primarily made in America. She recommends bold, vibrant colors for women who often appear in public or on television. McLemore picks versatile styles that can be worn anywhere, and she uses wrinkle-free materials to allow for easy traveling. ...
... McLemore has a keen sense of her customers’ tastes. Women in law, government and business “dress more understatedly and conservatively” compared with women in New York. At the same time, Washington women have an international flair and often pick textiles and colors from, say, Southeast Asia and Kenya. ...
There's a lot going on around town this weekend - and it all involves shopping!
The Mid-City Sale (aka the Dog Days Sale) is Saturday and Sunday, and involves all of my favorite 14th St. and U St. shops bringing their goods outside and having great big sales (check out Pop!, and you have no excuse since you don't have to climb the stairs). And, this is perfectly timed to my favorite holiday: the D.C. Sales Tax Holiday.
Shop tax-free in D.C. this weekend through Aug. 12 and in Va. this weekend only. Stock up on shoes, clothes, accessories - but they have to be less than $100 a piece, so shop wisely. But please, please, for your own sanity, make sure to avoid malls with American Eagle, Hollister, Abercrombie and the such if you don't want to fight packs of wolves...
For more second-source info, check out what Project Beltway has to say about the events ...
And save some mulah for next weekend (Sat. 1-5; still part of the Sales Tax Holiday) when Matt & Nat designer Inder Bedi will be at CUSP Georgetown to show off his line of animal-friendly and fashion-forward handbags. There will be food, gifts and, as always at CUSP, lots of fun.
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According to Fishbowl, Goodwill of Greater Washington "became the first non-profit agency to officially launch its own fashion blog." "The blog will share detailed knowledge and insight on vintage and contemporary clothing and accessories that are valuable to cost conscious fashion shoppers."
Here's what the DC Goodwill Fashionista has to say in the first entry:
In this space, I and guest bloggers will tell you all about the great finds we have at Goodwill retail stores in the DC, MD, and VA so that you can complement your own style with our unique fashions. And awesome prices! Most shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, and shoes at Goodwill stores are less than $10 bucks. That means a whole outfit can be had for under $50! For a girl like me who loves clothes – but has to be on a budget! – this is like the best of all possible worlds.Check it out here...
... In fact, your DCGF bought a practically new pair of Banana Republic dark-rinse trouser jeans just yesterday! And you’ll want to keep an eye out for Wednesday’s posting. It’s a feature were calling “The Goodwill Good Buy of the Week,” and it features – surprise! – some really cool jeans I found at our Manassas store.
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We couldn't help but giggle when we heard an ad on WAMU today for The Nina Totin' Bag, a collectible canvas bag honoring NPR's Legal Affairs correspondent (who is certainly getting a workout lately with all the Supreme Court decisions being handed down in rapid succession), Nina Totenberg. Shouldn't it be the Nina Totenbag, then?
... it appears they have made a limited number available for sale at the NPR Shop. You know, right next to the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me Water Bottles.
To read the entire DCist blog, click here... To buy a bag, click here...
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The Politico delivered a fun (though poorly written) piece on men's fashions and grooming for the sweltering, muggy days of Washington in a piece entitled, "Guys, are you suited for a D.C. summer?" (I put in the title because I really like how suited was used as a double entendre.) Here's a a good bit of it:
... "We went through a real period of men who stopped wearing suits and ties to work, and now that whole trend has reversed. They're back to dressing again," said Craig Fox of Wm. Fox & Co. on G Street Northwest.Men, heed the advice! I've seen too many males on the Hill in the past couple weeks wearing totally inappropriate attire. To read the entire piece, click here...
Fox says seersuckers aren't the only option for air-conditioning-minded Hillers, because the Southern standard is rarely Kentucky Derby dapper - more like old-fashioned ice cream salesman chic.
Khaki suits made with a silk and linen blend - something light and breathable - are acceptable substitutes, said Fox. (His aren't cheap - around $1,000 - but there are less expensive options out there.) Linen suits should be relegated to cruise ships or celebrity weddings on the beach.
"Washington is a city of blue and gray suits," said Fox, who observed that style comes from the top down. In the early '80s, some of his regulars wanted to wear brown - like President Reagan did. "Now it's enough for me to say they're wearing suits again," he said.
Lauren Rothman, of fashion consulting firm Styleauteur, suggests custom suits with "side vents" - vertical slits on the right and left sides - with patterned lining for flair.
Plus, "sea-foam mint is the new pink this season," said Rothman. It might sound scary, but if a man can pull off pink, he's got to be able to pull off light green.
A no-no in the heat, Rothman said, is casual khakis. Banana Republic has plenty of other options, with a seemingly endless supply of flat-front cuffless pants (perfect for guys seeking the illusion of increased height and reduced pounds) for the coming season. And please resist every urge to flip your polo shirt collar.
"We're seeing a lot more higher-end fashion stores for men like in Tyson's Corner and Georgetown. We're just the cherry on top," said Matthew Caraballo of the Grooming Lounge.
Lobbyists, lawmakers and other "spotlight" men call the Lounge home for an hour or two during the week. ... During the summer months, the Lounge does about 10 to 20 back waxes a day, so in terms of sheer numbers, you have to assume that some members of Congress are having their own "40-Year-Old Virgin" moment in the back rooms. ...
... "Also, it was universally agreed by everyone interviewed that back hair for anyone younger than your grandpa has gone the way of the unibrow and ear hair - it's gotta go, dude," The Washington Post reported recently. ...
... All this advice could fall on ears deafened by too many of the Hill's familiar old standards. "You'll still see the guys with the blue suits and red ties," Caraballo said of the District's lack of diversity, but with a little work, we can effect some real change, people, "one man at a time."
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I just read on DC Style's blog that Laura Bush's chief of staff, Anita McBride, buys her shoes at Little Shoebox in Bethesda. Why doesn't the first lady take a cue? (See below)
To read the entire post, click here...
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I just love it when two men try to make sense out of women's shoe-shopping habits. Patrick and Jeff did just that today in Yeas & Nays, talking about the high-power event Wednesday afternoon at the Willard Hotel to celebrate the opening of the Bethesda location of the Little Shoebox, a Baltimore luxe shoe store.
What could bring together several of Washington’s VIP women on a weekday afternoon? Shoes, of course. ...To read more, click here...
Their mission? To check out the new lines and offer their opinions on styles and brands. Taking up the store on its offer: Assistant EPA Administrator Lynn Buhl; Lindi Harvey, a top aide to Sen. Elizabeth Dole; Janine Czarnecki and Karen Czarnecki from the Department of Labor; and Adrienne Taylor from Deloitte and Touche.
Emilie Blaze, the store’s co-owner, said, “We wanted this branding session to introduce ourselves to these elite women of power. We recognize that the topography is different in D.C., and we want to accommodate these women, and our designers want to accommodate them as well.”
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The Washingtonian's Leslie Milk discovered an interesting tidbit:First Lady Laura Bush wasn't the only one to have a dress designed just for the White House white tie dinner for the Queen. But while Laura went to New York for an Oscar De La Renta, Second Lady Lynne Cheney has a designer much closer to home. Kwon's Boutique in McLean has been designing her gowns for years. Kwon also designs for Janet Langhart, wife of former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, and lots of other A-listers.
Kwon's Boutique
1350 Beverly Road #102
McLean, VA 22101
703-827-0700
