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Tonight: Paisean Faisean

Posted on February 28, 2011
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Irish contemporary arts organization Solis Nua is hosting Paisean Faisean! (Fashion Passion…thanks, Google Translate!) tonight at Fathom Creative. There’s a fashion and trunk show of contemporary Irish designers, the debut of a short fashion film, and a performance by Julie Feeney, who is is giving Lady Gaga a run for her money in the headgear department (witness the Barbie piece in the above video, which one “Best Styled” at the Irish VMAs). Tickets are $35 and available here.

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Bold Earrings at Jete

Posted on February 28, 2011
Filed Under Events, Women | 1 Comment

Apparently my friends and I all had the same idea for the Jete Society’s Dance Party on Saturday night: bold, big earrings! These tassel earrings are one of my favorite pairs to wear, and they were so cheap! I’m sure Natalie Portman’s pair from last night’s Oscars were not…

I have an affinity for large, ridiculous earrings. I recently came across Lunch at the Ritz earrings on eBay. They’re so ugly! Love them!

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The Butler + Claypool party

Posted on February 25, 2011
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Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday for the debut of Butler + Claypool, the retail/design collective I helped to form with five other fashion-obsessed friends. We hope to plan a number of fashion/art/music events and such upcoming, so stay tuned for it. Saturday’s vintage pop-up shopping party at American Ice Company saw zillions of amazing pieces of vintage flying off the racks. Above, I’m prepping a silky purple drape-fit top for sale in my eBay-scored harem pants, knit top from H&M and Kors booties (how you tempt me, Gilt Groupe)….

A few snaps from the day:

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What to wear to: Jete Society Dance Party

Posted on February 24, 2011
Filed Under Events, Only in Washington | 1 Comment

Ashley Taylor, in yellow, with Washington Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre (right) and Jete cohost Winston Lord (far left)

The tenth anniversary event of The Washington Ballet is known for its pretty-young-thing guests, inventive themes and, best of all, a high-energy dance performance. This year’s event is carnival-themed – promotions touted fire-breathers at a top-secret location on the Georgetown Waterfront – and for the party Saturday, emails are surely flying back and forth about what to wear.

According to cohost Ashley Taylor (and well, probably to anyone who’s ever been to the party), the answer is typically short, tight, and sparkly. Taylor, who was winningly forthcoming about her own ensemble when asked, is wearing a “short, beaded, champagne-colored” number with a slightly vintage feel. She pointed out this dress and this dress as examples of what she thinks she’ll see this year. In 2008, my favorite dress fit the short, sparkly and fun category. Short and sparkly is fun, but with a carnival theme, anything goes! Feathers, sparkly or brightly colored nail polish, hats and a bring shade of lipstick and eyeshadow are all easy and inexpensive ways to get in on the carnival theme.

Also, if you haven’t yet gotten tickets, they are on sale online til noon today.

For inspiration, the most amazing carnival outfit ever:

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District Sample Sale Tickets on Sale

Posted on February 22, 2011
Filed Under Only in Washington, Shopping Events & News, Women | Leave a Comment

District Sample Sale founders Jayne Sandman, Mary Amons, Barbara Martin, Shannon Haley and Liberty Jones

The tenth District Sample Sale will take place March 29 from 5:30-9:30, and tickets just went on sale. It’s one of the most fun fashion events in town, not just for the awesome deals on gorgeous pieces from local boutiques, but for the sheer thrill of beating hundred of other women to that hidden gem on the racks at 90% off retail.

This spring’s event is taking place at 2101 L Street, a new location for the event, which means that without a doubt, this one will be bigger and better than ever.

Tickets are available here, and keep in mind that the more you spend on your ticket, the more access you’ll have to the best goods, a swag bag laden with goodies, and best of all, the more money will go directly to this season’s designated lucky local charity, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School.

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Karlie Rocks and Rolls

Posted on February 17, 2011
Filed Under Everything Else, Women | Leave a Comment

Attending a dance performance always makes me walk just a bit differently afterward. I stand up a little straighter, my neck elongates, there’s a purposefulness to my movement that’s somewhat more catlike. Last night I saw The Washington Ballet’s new Rock & Roll- a work in three parts that conflates the traditions and structure of ballet, that storied institution, with the freedom and irresistible swagger that made – and makes – rock & roll so exciting. Doing so uses the best of both to great physical effect: the idea that the next move could be either a loose-hipped gyration or a tightly executed pirouette, and they both happen. When the bursts come, they are explosive, but then they stop, they break, just short of the peak, and then do it again, snapping tight, releasing, the stare and flicker of the eyelash all part of the act. That essential control of the body in ballet is why the form is so important as a foundation. Something like the idea that you must know the rules so that you may break them.

It’s this foundation in ballet that allows model Karlie Kloss to so magnetically take charge of the runway. As Washington Post reporter Sarah Kaufman wrote from Fashion Week on Tuesday, ballet served as an essential part of the model’s training. Interest in Kloss, her walk and her ballet background is nothing new, however. Beyond simply grace, what ballet taught her was body control and manipulation. It taught her presence, and it gave her the foundation for subversion. Kaufman’s article focuses on the model’s feminine, gracefully sexy walk, but it was not always so. Her walk now is not the walk it used to be. Kloss looks markedly different in 2011 than she did nearly three years ago, in 2008, when New York magazine palled around with the slightly gawky then-15 year-old, talking prom and introducing her to Molly Simms, who plays the Fairy GodModel and pronounces her pretty. In the video accompanying Kaufman’s piece, Kloss has clearly transformed from the lanky teenager to a more filled-out woman, and her movement has changed accordingly. She is freer now. Her hips move more, and they mirror the sway of her shoulders and the subtle tilts of the head. She is still ballet, but she is definitely also rock & roll.

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District Sparkle

Posted on February 14, 2011
Filed Under On The Street, Women | Leave a Comment

I stopped this lovely woman (those dimples!) the other night walking past the White House because I loved the sparkly jewel fastened to her fur coat. I love this idea for adding a bit of texture and fun to an everyday coat as we tough out the last month or so of cold winter weather.

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