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On Elegant Brides

Posted on April 21, 2011
Filed Under Inspiration | 1 Comment

As the anticipation surrounding the royal wedding gets to the fever pitch stage – What will she wear?! Who will attend!? – one thing is a pretty safe bet: the bride will not go sleeveless. For years, the trend has been for brides to wear strapless gowns, and while the look is pretty on some, I tend to not love it. It can just look so…prom. Both Nicole Ritchie and Ivanka Trump opted for sleeved gowns recently, but it will be Kate Middleton who turns this trend around.

I found the bride above in the piles of $1 vintage photographs at Miss Pixie’s on 14th Street, one of my favorite places to pop into on weekends. Look at her beautifully made dress and gloves, and how the spray of her bouquet makes her waist look even tinier than it is. This dress would look just as right – just as special and grown-up – on a modern bride. Elegance never goes out of style!

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Best.Party.Ever.

Posted on April 18, 2011
Filed Under Everything Else | Leave a Comment

Grace Coddington’s 70th birthday party, via Vogue.com:

“……The most extraordinary moment was Karen Elson, after recalling how Coddington took her into her office as a seventeen-year-old scraggly redhead, sang an incredibly moving version of “Amazing Grace” a cappella, bringing some to tears. After a huge birthday souvenir book of career highlights and a Lartigue photograph from Vogue were presented to Grace, a giant cake by David Chang was brought out as Elson and Hamish Bowles sang “Happy Birthday.” Then it was time to hit the dance floor. Ben, the spinmaster from David Sims’s studio, started with “Le Freak” by Chic, and within seconds, there were conga lines of models like Liya Kebede, wearing fall 2011 Balenciaga; Shalom Harlow, doing marvelous spins and dips to Diana Ross and Grace Jones. Coddington herself danced with Julien d’Ys and Stephane Marais in the center of a circle that included Pat McGrath. Last seen escorting Coddington to the dance floor was de la Renta, one of the best dancers in the universe. And the crew that launched Coddington into the adoring public eye, The September Issue’s R.J. Cutler and team, were filming it all.”

No big deal.

Sounds like a September Issue pt II (or perhaps one focused on the fashion-world-cult-figure-turned-breakout-star-to-the-rest-of-the-world Grace Coddington…?) is in the works…

Alsoon Vogue.com and in the Rihanna-covered issue, a Tax Day reminder from local writer/social/restauranteur Carol Joynt to be financially smart.

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Scooting in Style

Posted on April 14, 2011
Filed Under Around Town, Inspiration | 4 Comments

I saw this amazing scooter over the weekend parked along U Street near my house. It was amazing–appeared handpainted–a riot of birds and patterns and zigzags right down to the adorable spare tire on the back. My longing for a little motorbike to scoot around town in has been pushed officially over the edge, as has my love for exotic prints this time of year, like these pants (I’d rock them on weekends…..aaand probably to work, let’s be honest), this dress from UK site Skirt, and Madeline Weinrib’s chiffon curtains.

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Local Covers, Past and Present

Posted on April 13, 2011
Filed Under Only in Washington | 5 Comments

Current issues of the two biggest style-glossies in town have particularly lovely spring covers. Capitol File‘s features Lauren Bush in a fabulous orange dress that hits the high notes of some of the top trends for the season (brights? check. exposed back? long hemline for cocktail-wear? done.), while DC magazine’s summons the ethereal candyland-scape paintings of Will Cotton.

I’m featured in the “Chic Beat” spread in Capitol File, professing my love of Dita von Teese, and anything silk or cashmere (thank you, Kate!)

Back in the fall of 2005, when all of the magazines hit town, folks speculated over who would last. Capitol File and DC joined existing pubs in town – Washington Life and Washingtonian among them – but, does anyone remember DC Style?

I did some spring cleaning over the weekend, which in my apartment means going through tower upon tower of magazines. Hoarder of these publications that I completely recognize I am, I hate to tell myself that there’s a REASON I never throw stuff away, but the above goodie is a perfect example. This cover, January/February 2006, proclaiming theirs as “DC’s Sexiest mag!” was DC Style‘s last. Both DC magazine and Capitol File continue to step up their respective games doing more with less in a down economy (Cap File has a new Ed-in-Chief, Kate Bennett, and on Monday announced Mandi Norwood as Consulting Editorial Director for all of its titles, while DC Ed. Karen Sommer Shalett continues to impress with consistently in-the-know editorial). Economically, these aren’t the best of times, but if DC’s Sexiest mag in 2006 is any indication, we have come a long way, baby.

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Painting Spring

Posted on April 11, 2011
Filed Under Events, Shopping Events & News | Leave a Comment

My employment at an art museum is about to be seriously put to the test. Join me and a group of other very fashionable ladies as we attempt to translate our favorite Spring trends to paint on canvas at Bloomingdale’s on April 21 (registration link here). It’s free to attend, so please come and cheer me on!

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