Some Washington women can’t get dressed without Lauren Rothman. Owner of Styleauteur, a personal-shopping service, she provides closet makeovers and wardrobe advice for everyone from new moms to CEOs.
Rothman, who previously worked at Elle magazine and as a personal shopper at both Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, says women here are not like those in New York or Los Angeles. “Women in Washington need a reason to buy,” she says. “They aren’t going to adopt a trend ‘just because.’ ”
We talked to Rothman about fall fashion trends she thinks Washingtonians will like.
What’s your favorite fall trend?
Without a doubt, it’s the idea of American glamour. I love the sheath dress, the return of dresses with jackets. Every woman should have at least one piece this season that makes her feel glamorous.
We stopped a woman and her handsome—and considerably younger—Miami-import musician boyfriend in Adams Morgan.
Cassidy Karakorn, 30, associate marketing director, the Human Rights Campaign. Albert Ovadia, 20, musician, the Mutiny and Turn to Black, both based in Miami.
What she’s wearing: Escada boots from a consignment store in Miami, cutoff Diesel jeans, thrift-store T-shirt, DKNY cardigan, Marc Jacobs handbag, and Chanel necklace. What he’s wearing: All Saints boots, Cheap Monday jeans (from the boutique Cinema in Miami—his sister is the owner), Zara shirt, and Hugo Boss jacket.
How would you describe your look today? Cassidy: “Designer-consignment sassy chic.” Albert: “Dark. Because life is so beautiful that I have to offset it somehow,” he jokes (I think).
Ankle boats: the latest ’80s-fashion flashback to hit the streets. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re everywhere this fall, and they’re being paired with tight, skinny jeans and mid-thigh skirts with leggings. We found four pairs to drool over: two that might break the bank and two that won’t.
Splurge: These Italian boots by Moschino have four-inch heels and feature a faux-wrap detail in the front. They don’t cheat you on the leather—you’ll find calfskin inside and out on this cute pair of kicks. They ring in at $600, so they’re definitely a splurge. Pick them up at Nordstrom.com.
This year's charity event and runway show was hosted by actress Parker Posey and Fox 5 anchor Will Thomas. See our photos of both the fashion and the fashionistas who attended.
All photos by Chris Leaman. Click on the photograph to see the next one.
Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page.
Fashion shows aren’t generally accompanied by the smoky aroma of barbecue, and it’s unusual for the strident sounds of karaoke to compete with the pulsing music of the catwalk, but these quirks added to the eccentricity of a DC Fashion Week runway show last weekend at the H Street Festival. Local designers presented their ready-to-wear collections on an open-air catwalk between 12th and 14th streets, Northeast, and the audience mostly consisted of festival attendees rather than devoted fashion followers. The up-and-coming neighborhood, complete with a burlesque bar and a tater-tot-serving sushi restaurant, was an intriguing backdrop.
Designs by Akkenje Devyatko. Photographs by Damion Miller.
Last Friday marked the first time two prestigious Kazakhstani designers exhibited in the United States. The show was part of DC Fashion Week, an eight-day celebration of local and international designers intended to promote Washington as a fashion mecca, which ended Sunday. The designers’ launch was part runway show, part film screening; after the models took the stage and the audience was wowed by the colorful couture, the show concluded with a short film that denounced the movie Borat.
The Kazakhstani people are still feeling the negative effects of the 2006 film, in which comedian Sacha Baron Cohen painted their country as a backward nation. Designers Akkenje Devyatko and Kuralai Nurkadilova were determined to display Kazakhstan’s rich and diverse culture through fashion, and they both proved their aptitude on the runway.
In this week’s Sidewalk Style—the feature where we stop fashionable people on the street and ask them about their look—we run across a Goodwill-clad guy in Georgetown.
Harper Holsinger, 25 Web developer, James Madison University
What he’s wearing: Jeans and (awesome!) bag from Goodwill, a Uniqlo T-shirt, and a plaid shirt he inherited from his friend Christian, who was scraping up money for his now-defunct local band, Mass Movement of the Moth. Harper got his Puma sneaks for free at a College Music Journal party in Brooklyn (Puma was a sponsor).
How would you describe your look? “Fashionable mountain man,” he says, laughing at the question.
Why the cuffed jeans? “It’s mainly for utility. I ride a lot of bikes.”
Where do you buy things? “I’m a thrift-store shopper. You can’t beat a $3 deal.”
What do you think of style in Washington? “It depends on what part of town you’re in.”
Harper Holsinger, 25
