I went to D.C. this past weekend to check out what was going on with the fashion scene surrounding the White House Correspondents Dinner. Considering Georgetown still wears seersucker year round or double-collar-up polo shirts... I kind of expected a time capsule. There was a huge celebrity push this year but what was more fascinating was the locals -- we know what the celebrities wear. What I found were people who were hardworking and smart that appreciated fashion but in no way let it get in the way of their focus: think tanks.
I heard more rumblings about think tanks than anyone commenting on a pop color or wearing a ridiculously tall shoe. Party hopping in D.C. has a certain high school feel but in the best way... and unlike fashion circles, everyone was positive and less catty. Driving around such a patriotic city as D.C., you kind of feel like all these people are your brothers and sisters so why would you tear them apart for their fashion choice -- Joan Rivers doesn't come here with Fashion Police for a reason. D.C. is a southern city at heart and there is still a genuine southern hospitality. So while I was observing this Ellis Island of fashion I didn't want to look anyone up and down or try and take their picture for a blog; I just wanted to talk to them. Turns out really smart, successful women and men who don't work in fashion have the same exact issues as their fashion counterparts.
So rather than call anyone out (except for my DC fashion crush but I'm too cool to mention her by name), I thought I'd offer some solutions to a few situation rooms I saw:
- If you invested in a Herve Leger bandage dress a few summers ago and you're trying to justify the price by wearing it again. Try thinking of it as a foundation and layer it with a full skirt and lofty cashmere.
Other than a minority of fashion faux pas, the D.C. fashion scene is growing and refreshing. However you slice up the community there are people working all sorts of decades and countries into a few square miles and it makes for a great fashion show. I'm looking forward to my next visit to D.C. and my next invite to a D.C. fashion think tank.