What: Gigi Favela women’s footwear. The line consists of boots, pumps, and sandals made in Italy from Italian materials.
Who: Shoe designer Monica Favela George, who launched Gigi Favela in 2007. A formal proposal writer for engineering firms, George loved shoes so much that she'd sometimes go to DSW during her lunch break.

Where: Online at Endless.com or Shop.GigiFavela.com and in local stores at The Little Shoe Box in Bethesda and Treat in Alexandria.

If the shoe fits: George took classes in sculpting and color theory before starting her business, but she still needed to learn how to create a shoe. Where did she turn for help? ShoeSchool.com, of course. “It’s a week-long intensive workshop on the basics of shoe design,” she says. “They also have business and industry experience in the shoe arena so they were able to give me advice on how to go about getting my shoes manufactured.” Once she got the shoe-design part down, she focused on the business aspect of her company and worked to get her shoes into local boutiques.

Carla Cabrera
Fashion blogger for ThePresidentWearsPrada.com and student in Georgetown University’s Biomedical Sciences/Tumor Biology PhD program. (She also prefers to keep her online identity anonymous, so that’s why we’ve cut her face from these photos.)

What she’s wearing:
Skirt from Go International @ Target, corset top from La Perla, leggings by Lanvin, shoes by Alice & Olivia for Payless, shag vest from Zara.

Says Carla: “I recently blogged about a spread photographed by Steven Klein titled ‘Heart of Darkness.’ I love the styling in those photographs, and I’ve been trying to inject a little of that into my outfits recently, which means extensive black layering (leggings, vest, shoes) and vampirelike items (the very structured and very sexy corset). This outfit with the floral skirt is the good-girl version.”

Where do you like to shop?
“Goodwill, Unique thrift store in Silver Spring, local flea markets, Muléh, Junction, Listopad at Mercedes Bien, Cusp. Online, I go to Etsy and Shopbop.”

Favorite designers?
“The Mulleavy sisters for Rodarte—I love the underlying darkness of their collections. Tomas Maier for Bottega Venetta—for his understated, no-label luxury designs. Phillip Lim 3.1—for the impeccable details. Catherine Holstein—for the wearability, bright colors, and flirty designs.”

Wednesday, October 29: Halloween comes early! Dress in costume and head to Fresh in Georgetown to check out its adorable clothing and accessories selection. Costume prizes will be given for funniest, classiest, and best impersonation. freshlemonpie.com

Wednesday, October 29, and Thursday, October 30: Check out one-of-a-kind garments created with rare and innovative textiles from Japan at the Asiatica Trunk Show at the Park Hyatt Hotel (24th and M sts., NW). Noon to 5. asiaticakc.com

Friday, October 31: Celebrate the Halloween Bash Grand Opening of the new Betsey Johnson boutique in Georgetown (3029 M St., NW). From 4 to 8, enjoy treats and free gifts while supplies last. Best costume wins an autographed T-shirt! betseyjohnson.com/calendar.html

What: Colorful hand-embroidered purses made by women in developing countries. The mission of Oovoo designs is to empower those women financially so they can support themselves and their families while working from home.

Who: Pauline Lewis, the company’s founder and codesigner. Originally from Malaysia, Pauline started Oovoo after she moved to Alexandria six years ago.

Where: The handbags are sold all over the country; call 866-996-6866 to find a store. Some local shops that carry them include ShoeFly in Arlington, Red Orchard in Bethesda, and Hoopla Traders in DC’s Adams Morgan.

Making an impact across the globe: Pauline had been working for ten years in market research when she took a trip to Vietnam that gave her the idea to start a handbag line. She met local women there who were making handbags but couldn’t afford to work from home. One woman in particular, Le Thi Hong Tu, agreed to work with Pauline to codesign an exclusive handbag line that would give something back to those women she’d met. Pauline now visits Vietnam twice a year.

Kristin Guiter, 28
Manager of media relations, Corcoran Gallery of Art

What she’s wearing:
Karta dress from Intermix, Steve Madden brown leather shoes, yellow flower enamel ring from a boutique in Philly, vintage pearl earrings from Meeps, and vintage leather coat from Clothes Optional in Chicago.

Where she likes to shop:
Meeps, Annie Creamcheese, Listopad, Pink November, and Anthropologie (“I’m an addict!”).

What do you have your eye on this season?
“I love animal prints and short, suede ankle boots.”

You always seem so well accessorized. How do you go about building your wardrobe?
“I wear loads of vintage mixed in with contemporary things from an assortment of stores. I look for unique accessories from boutiques.”

Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21: The Chevy Chase Saks Fifth Avenue is holding a two-day trunk show of Monique Lhuillier’s spring 2009 collection, which consists of flowy gowns inspired by a tropical-island getaway. 10 AM to 7 PM.

Thursday, October 23: Preview and preorder from Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania spring collection while sipping Champagne and enjoying a live DJ at Muléh from 5 to 8 PM. Plus, catch a glimpse of the gorgeous wedding gown that Westwood created for Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City movie!

At the Georgetown boutique Wink, enjoy pink Champagne and cupcakes while browsing local accessory designer Andrea Tedesco’s fall collection trunk show from 5:30 to 8 PM. A portion of the evening’s proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

An Estella Couture design.

What: Custom-made ethnic and exotic couture clothing.

Who: Estella Ogbonna, a Silver Spring-based designer originally from Nigeria. She worked in computer network administration until 2006, when she decided to pursue a full-time career in fashion design.

Where to buy it: E-mail Estella at info@estellacouture.com or call 301-915-5927. Online sales will be available by the end of the year on her Web site, estellacouture.com.

Back to basics: When she realized that fashion design was something she wanted to do full-time, Estella—who began sewing and designing when she was a child—took classes to hone her skills and tried to get her clothing into stores. Even now, she continues to look for opportunities to grow; she’s planning to take a short program in Milan in the near future. “It’s the home of fashion,” she says. “I’m going there to learn the ways of taking my business to the next level. Having a talent is not the same thing as making a business.”

An ethnic touch: Estella started her business because there was a local demand for culturally rich African designs. She takes traditional and ethnic themes and creates colorful clothes that she says are modern and trendy, so they’re seen as not just African but also stylish. The majority of her designs are for women, although she sometimes designs for men, too: “For women you get to work with the curves, complexion, the colors—and that’s what I love to do.”