There’s gridlock in the House and Senate, the markets still look shaky, and the Caps can’t catch a break—when’s the last time the Washington man got to check something off in the win column? But take heart, guys: At least nowadays you can look good while listing those #firstworldproblems, thanks to a slew of cool new men’s stores that have popped up in Washington this past year, just begging to help you update your pleated khakis and tired North Faces. From 3D body scanners to yellow bow ties, here are six new ways for men to refresh their closets.

Alton Lane’s Dupont Circle showroom combines the comforts of home, the look of a private club (leather couches and Scotch on the rocks included), and a state-of-the-art 3D body scanner to create an entirely new custom suit experience for men.

And what can you expect to find on the racks? “With the colder weather, we’re selling a lot of tweed blazers and flannel suits, which are both great ways to stay warm and still express your style,” says cofounder Colin Hunter. As for opening the DC showroom after much success with the New York flagship, Hunter couldn’t be more excited: “We want to not only be a part of the [men’s style] movement in DC, but also help steer it.”

Alton Lane. 1506 19th St., NW; 646-896-1212.

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Sola Biu has always known two things: She wants to help kids, and she loves repurposing vintage items. Oynx Feather, the jewelry company she began in 2009 and runs out of her Union Station apartment, combines both of these passions.

“I was chatting with my girlfriends about how we all wanted to be doing something we loved but have it matter,” says the media relations coordinator of the beginnings of her jewelry line. One of Biu’s friends encouraged her to make this dream a reality, and when boutique owners started noticing the handmade necklaces she’d wear, Biu knew she’d found the perfect combination.

Nowadays, 15 percent of every Onyx Feather purchase is donated to the Invisible Children Legacy Scholarship Fund, which Biu picked for its use of creative methods to improve the lives of impoverished children in Uganda.

“They address not only a child’s immediate physical needs, but also his or her long-term needs,” says Biu of the education-based program. “That is how you change a community and help it to rebuild.”

We recently sat down with the bubbly, put-together do-gooder to discuss building a business in DC, local designers she loves, and jewelry essentials for every Washington woman. Read on for her insights.

>> See more photos of Ginger Root Design

While Washington certainly isn’t lacking in decent vintage stores, very few shop owners in town are as dedicated to repurposing old clothes as Erin Derge and Kristen Swenson. Former Minnesotans who got their start tailoring pieces for Treasury, the trendy 14th Street consignment haunt, the duo branched out to their own space this past summer and officially debuted their house line last Saturday. Settled in the basement of a U Street window-shade shop, Ginger Root Design recycles and repurposes vintage clothing to create one-of-a-kind pieces designed to blend seamlessly with the modern-creative wardrobe. With a deft eye for detail and finely honed crafting skills (both Swenson and Derge studied apparel technology), the duo turns forgettable heaps of fabric into garments that could have jumped off the pages of an Urban Outfitters catalog. That reversible crop top hanging on the right wall? It began life as a floor-length choir dress. The retro lady’s ascot necklace on the center display? Used to be a thrift-store tie.

With its hammered gold-and-silver plating, delicate classic design, and sweetly colored semiprecious gems from India, Thailand, and China, you might never guess MIJA Jewelry is the product of conservative Washington. But the eye behind this line, Michelle Guest, is based in Glover Park. After she created spur-of-the-moment bracelets for her nieces, lots of people asked where to buy the dainty single-pearl chains, and Guest decided it was time to channel her creative juices into professional jewelry making. The result—a collection of stack rings, bangles, charm necklaces, and earrings named for the designer and her sister Jani—is “youthful, refined, and delicate,” according to her fiancé. The understated and versatile add-ons work with everything from jeans to wedding gowns, and we especially love how the bangles and simple birthstone rings can be combined to create a unique look that doesn’t overwhelm.

Now in her third year selling her pieces all over the country, it’s safe to say Guest knows a thing or two about jewelry. So we turned to her for gift-giving advice this Valentine’s Day. Read on for tips on finding the perfect Valentine’s piece for your significant other and how to win a his-and-hers gift package from MIJA and Smathers & Branson, another DC accessories company.

Aidah Fontenot. Photograph courtesy of the designer.

What happens when a classically trained artist and photographer gets an itch for something different? She seeks out a new medium. Or at least that’s what happened in the case of Aidah Fontenot, a 26-year-old artist turned fashion designer based on Capitol Hill.

In fall 2008, Fontenot launched Aidah Collection, a clothing line that combines shapes for women of all sizes with bold colors and hand-painted accents, including her signature swirls and spirals.

“My clothes are designed for real women with real figures,” she says. Each piece is hand-crafted to flow around the body, which means there are no zippers, buttons, or clasps. Instead, the clothes are adjusted with ties or belts.

Fontenot grew up in San Francisco. By the time she was 15, her artwork had been exhibited in the San Diego Museum of Art and the Centro Cultural in Tijuana, Mexico, as well as several private venues. The next year, she began her first fashion endeavor, Aidah Designs. While studying photography and graphic design at the San Diego School for the Performing Arts and San Diego State University, she made clothing for friends and family.

What: Yosoy Fashion, women’s clothing that includes dresses, skirts, and tops. “Yo soy” is Spanish for “I am,” which Luciana says is a powerful affirmation that inspired the clothing line.

Who: Luciana Tiktin. Originally from Argentina, she was living in Miami before moving to DC two years ago when her husband, performer and visual artist Joshua Tiktin, got a job offer. Not only does she have her own clothing line, but she opened the Dekka designer showroom on U Street with Joshua last April.

Where to buy it: At the Dekka showroom (1338 U St., NW, Second Floor) and soon online at Dekkafam.com

"Talented Tenth" hoodie from The Original David line. Photo and styling by Yvonne Taylor and Lauretta McCoy.

What: The Original David, a line that seeks to “provide you with intelligent design that sparks dialogue.” It began as a local t-shirt line but now includes hoodies, scarves, and bags.

Who: Twenty-seven-year-old designer Rakiyt Zakari. She graduated from Howard University in 2003 with a degree in fashion merchandising and is currently based in Arlington. She started a women’s-wear line in 2001, and began working on The Original David in 2004.

Where to buy it: Her newly designed site, TheOriginalDavid.com.

Who is David? When Rakiyt was coming up with the concept of the clothing line, she was influenced by art, politics, and social communication. The idea behind the clothes is to take cultural differences and poke fun at them, so that they seem less offensive. Many of her t-shirts feature cartoon-like African or Asian male characters on the front, and one reads, “Product of the dark continent” in large, dark print with a black Africa-shaped cutout on a white shirt. “I wanted to do something that captured my personality, which is kind of sarcastic and a little apolitical,” she says. And why did she pick the name David? It’s the name of her eight-year-old son.