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Rewind: Marymount University Senior Fashion Show, Part 1

By Betsy Lowther

Marymount University’s Arlington campus was brimming with perfect spring style last week for the annual graduating-senior luncheon and fashion show, Portfolio in Motion. New York designer Cynthia Rowley flew down for the day to be honored as the school’s 2008 Designer of the Year, an award that’s gone to such industry icons as Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta. (Catch our exclusive interview with Rowley.)

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano popped up at the show as a surprise guest (and, if we may say, looked totally tiny and seriously fierce in skinny dark jeans and his signature shag). We even made event presenter and Channel 4 sports reporter Lindsay Czarniak lean over and show us the label of her tan-and-brown Pucci-esque printed sheath to get the designer’s name. (Unfortunately, a pesky dry-cleaning tag kept us from reading it, though she did disclose that it was from Bloomingdale’s.)

The runway show itself offered plenty of gorgeous eye candy and left us wondering if any of the student designers might take a custom order before our next cocktail event. (See our full recap of the top runway looks on Friday.) In the meantime, we spotted lots of fabulous warm-weather styles while milling about the opening reception and couldn’t help but snap pictures of a few of our favorites. See the photos below.

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Gossip Girl Recap: Headbands, Brights and Buffy’s Sister, Oh My!

By Betsy Lowther

It doesn’t matter if our favorite TV show takes place on the streets of Manhattan instead of the Hill—we can shamelessly squeal over the clothing from anywhere. Here are our favorite moments from TV’s most-fashion-inspiring show, Gossip Girl.

The devil wears skanky tights (and lots of blue). Photo courtesy of the CW.

The devil wears skanky tights (and lots of blue). Photo courtesy of the CW.

If we learned anything from this week’s episode, it was: 1) Never trust an ex-best friend with an extreme fondness for royal blue; 2) Boys can totally wear brights this season, too; and 3) Invest in hairband companies *stat*.

But to rewind a bit: Ever since the CW network’s delightfully stylish teen dramedy Gossip Girl (a.k.a., GG) returned last week, we’ve had it highlighted as the “must do” event on our Monday night calendar. (Actually, the boyfriend suggested we run out to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall–co-starring the uber-cute Kristen Bell, narrator of GG and also the former Veronica Mars—and we immediately rejected the idea, despite our love for the movie’s producer, Judd Apatow. GG on Tivo? It’s just not the same!)

Of course, Monday night’s GG did not disappoint. It featured the much-anticipated arrival of Michelle Trachtenberg (formerly best-known as Buffy’s little sister) as Georgina, the show’s new Bad Girl, who spent much of the episode in slightly skanky clothing (in today’s world, black rubbery tights = pure evil!) and a lot of royal blue (which got a tad tiring but, we have to admit, does really work for her).

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Where & When: Fashion Edition

By Betsy Lowther

This week's schedule is light on the in-store events, but there are still plenty of fashion-y activities to keep you busy.

Wednesday, April 30: As we excitedly mentioned last week, fab Dupont Circle boutique Terra is offering NARS beauty and brow consultations and 15 percent off their spring lines from 6:30 to 8:30pm. RSVP to hello@shopterradc.com.

Thursday, May 1: Set your Tivos, people. Project Runway judge (and just-scandalously-fired Elle editor) Nina Garcia and Annapolis' own Project Runway star Christian Siriano (who we just spotted last week looking super-fierce at the Marymount University senior fashion show) are guest-starring as themselves on tonight's episode of Ugly Betty, which starts at 8pm. (Catch a hilarious preview clip on ABC's site here. Ferocious!)

Friday, May 2: Art-inspired fashion is among the biggest trends this season, and what better place to rock some painterly looks (or get inspired to DIY your own) than First Friday in Dupont Circle? The neighborhood's galleries stay open late with coordinated receptions from 6 to 8pm; find the full list (and prep your gallery-hopping plan) here.

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Shopping Scout: Bethesda's Secondhand Shops

By Betsy Lowther

If you’re on the hunt for a unique bargain, look no further than downtown Bethesda.

Takoma Park’s vintage boutiques may get most of the buzz in the suburbs, but serious bargain hunters and vintage lovers would do well to take Metro’s Red Line in the other direction and check out Bethesda’s lengthy roster of secondhand shops as well. We recently spent an afternoon exploring Bethesda’s bargain haunts and came home with a hefty load of cool vintage finds.

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Sidewalk Style: Liz Gorman

By Rachel Cothran

Sidewalk Style is an After Hours feature where we photograph stylish people on the street and ask them about their fashion tips and ideas. This week we caught up with Liz Gorman at a vintage shopping event. Sidewalk Style is written by Rachel Cothran of the local street-fashion photography blog ProjectBeltway.com.

Liz Gorman, 21, freelance photographer, contributor to Washingtonian.com, and blogger at letsnottalkaboutart.blogspot.com. We caught up with Liz at Listopad’s vintage shopping event at Marvin in DC’s U Street neighborhood.

What are you wearing? “A shirt from Urban Outfitters, jeans from Mustard Seed in Bethesda, a belt from Mercedes Bien, and a scarf and shoes from a thrift store in Laurel. The bag is Coach and also a thrift find.”

So what are you buying today? “This is a perfect summer bag. It’s light but big enough for all of my stuff! It’s $15.”

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An Early Look at Surfside

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