Only in Washington does one walk along the sidewalk scouting for a column, stop a well-dressed pregnant woman, and have that person be Terri McCullough, chief of staff for Nancy Pelosi's personal office.
Terri McCullough, 39
What she’s wearing: Sonya Madden cashmere wrap, Liz Lange for Target dress, Belle by Sigerson Morrison boots, her mother’s brooch.
When are you due? And where do you shop for cute maternity clothing? “Maternity wear has not evolved as much as I’d like. What you’re really looking for is comfort and style.” McCullough cites London-based line Isabella Oliver and Liz Lange’s maternity line (“she does a great job of keeping the clothes accessible”) as her favorites. She adds that Diane von Furstenberg tops her list: “I had the pleasure of meeting her [on the Hill] while wearing one of her dresses.” McCullough is due April 23.
Where do you like to shop? “Barneys, Cusp, Shopbop.com, and J. Crew—when I can wear normal clothes. There are a bunch of little boutiques I’m always trying to get to, such as Sugar and Periwinkle.”
You have so much going on. What are your style challenges? “Between getting a child dressed and preparing for the amount of work that day, getting yourself ready becomes a lower priority. We may or may not have the time or energy to maintain and refine a sense of personal style!”
Most working women spend more hours per day in their 9-to-5 apparel than they do in their pretty going-out frocks. So why is it that more than half of our closets are often dedicated to the latter? Despite the conservative office cultures that often dominate, there’s no excuse for being drab in the daytime.
For this edition of Frugal Fashionista, we asked Kenya Gregory, a DC stylist and budding fashion designer, to come up with an office-appropriate outfit that works for a Washingtonian woman on a budget.
Gregory was given $150 to find a getup worthy of a business-casual office. For the purpose of this exercise, we assumed Gregory was dressing for an average-shaped woman and that she owned a handbag suitable for day-to-day wear.
We hit the scene to capture some of the women trying out to appear on "America's Next Top Model."
We can hardly believe that the reality modeling show "America's Next Top Model" is already in its 13th "cycle," but the Tyra Banks juggernaut stops for no one. We went down to the Renaissance M Street Hotel this past Saturday to interview model wannabes and ask them why they thought they deserved to walk the runway. Watch the video below.
Welcome to Video Sidewalk Style. We’ve decided to relaunch this feature as an occasional companion piece to our regular Tuesday edition of Sidewalk Style—because you can never have too much when it comes to fashion.
For our first installment, we ran into Brooklyn-based environmental reporter Hamida Kinge by the Columbia Heights Metro. Actually, we ran after her. All the way down the station’s escalators. One of us in heels. That’s how much we liked her outfit.
Check out the video to find out what Kinge thinks about Washington fashion compared with New York City’s and why she often feels like Grimace, the adorable McDonald’s character, when wearing this outfit.
We ventured out in yesterday’s winter wonderland to see who managed to be fashionable despite the storm. We found someone wearing—get this—bear fur.
Heatherly Hajaligholi, 27 Owner, Pi Pizzeria.
What she’s wearing: Vintage Air Force One sneakers (“I couldn’t find my snow boots, which is okay because they have these pompoms that sometimes tangle and trip me when I walk”), Joe Jeans, Comme des Garçons top, Vuitton bag, and Sorbara for Neiman Marcus bear coat.
That coat must be so warm. “It’s been so cold, but I don’t feel a thing. It’s the best thing ever. I bought a fur coat for my daughter. She likes to cut her hair herself, and one day we were walking down the street together with our coats and her hair like a boy’s. We must’ve been a real sight.”
Where are all of the necklaces from? “One’s a Cartier love ring, one is from Esfahan—I was there on my honeymoon—and the one with the sapphire is inspired by one Princess Diana had. As it turns out, opals and sapphires are supposed to bring bad luck.”
On Sunday, more than 250 shoppers braved the freezing drizzle and pending snowstorm to hit the deeply discounted merchandise at the Loews Annapolis Hotel for the third annual Annapolis Sample Sale.
Boutiques such as Saucy Shoes, Bailey’s Maryland Avenue, Horse, Star Monogram, Madison, and Hobo International sold their wares along with the Baltimore boutique Form and DC-based Fornash Designs.
“Two-minute warning!” cried Pamela Watson, owner of Bailey’s Maryland Avenue and the warehouse-sale cochair, as about 50 eager shoppers waited outside the ballroom for the VIP hour to begin.
It’s not nearly the crush or the size of the District Sample Sale or even the Alexandria Warehouse Sale, but the merchandise is quite similar. Shoppers, nearly all women, crowded the ballroom in groups of two and three, often emitting excited squeals as they found their favorite designers at prices of up to 80 percent off retail.
For the second year in a row VIP shoppers could pay a nominal fee ($10) to enter the ballroom during the sale’s first hour and were treated to complimentary valet parking, Champagne, and appetizers such as coconut-shrimp skewers and bacon-wrapped scallops. The entrance fee benefited Modest Needs, an organization that helps women in unexpected financial hardships. The charity also receives donations from area Loews Hotels, which hosted the event.
