After a long journey filled with stops and starts, the DC Fashion Incubator has taken a promising step forward: It has named its first four residents.

Conceived by Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce (GWFCC) president Christine Brooks-Cropper, the Project Runway–like incubator will offer studio and office space, sewing equipment, and business and technical mentorship to the four budding designers. It’s located in the DC Convention Center complex in Northwest. The new residents will be supplied with fabric and seweing supplies for a rate of $250 per month.

“These inaugural DCFI designers were chosen by their potential to develop their brand and designs to ultimately become a successful business in various markets,” Brooks-Cropper said in a press release. “Our goal is to prepare them, as much as possible, to create a new and successful business that will add to job and economic development in the District.”

The four designers named in a GWFCC press release last week are Azadeh Tajdivand, Isaiah Butler, Gennet Purcell, and Tatiana Kolina. Read on to find out a bit more about each designer.

Not sure about you, but our weekend bar-hopping is typically preceded by a pretty involved journey. Schlep four blocks to the bus stop. Ride said bus to Metro. Get off Metro and walk five more blocks—all for the “reward” of standing in line outside some nightspot that’s already packed. Argh.

All that outside time means that when the temperatures drop, so do our wardrobe choices. Option one: rely on a beer blanket and wear that mini anyway. Option two: sacrifice fashion for warmth and wind up like Ralphie’s little brother. There has to be a better way!

Lucky for us, these nine fashion bloggers have it down to a science. Click through our slideshow for their tips on how to look hot when it’s cold out.

Ready for the Super Bowl! Or Bastille Day. You know, whatever. All photographs by Tanya Pai. 

Color-blocking is all the rage this season, and as big fans of nail art we don’t see any reason the trend shouldn’t translate to your fingertips, too. And Sunday’s Super Bowl presents the perfect opportunity to accessorize with your favorite team’s colors. We’ve got a step-by-step guide to this totally easy look—no special equipment required.

Not a football fan? No worries. This mani is endlessly customizable. For an even funkier spin, try glitter or neon, or vary the width and placement of the stripes; to keep it more conservative, stick to two or three shades from the same color family.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A base coat (optional)

Here, a muted pastel skirt-top combo is the perfect canvas over which to layer pops of concentrated color. Keeping the shoes conservative and the jewelry minimal lets the deep fuchsia bag do all the talking.

Signature spade studs, $38 at Kate Spade; Steffen Schraut ruffled silk top, $270 at Stylebop; small Bayswater satchel in mulberry, $1,100 at Intermix; Arturo Chiang patent leather pumps, $69 at Lord & Taylor; J.Crew No. 2 pencil skirt in light rose, $110 at J.Crew.

Michelle Obama is a busy, busy woman. Between appearances on Nickelodeon shows, delivering gifts to Toys for Tots, and supporting her husband while he, you know, runs the country, FLOTUS doesn’t have time to spare for sartorial insecurities and multiple outfit changes. In Commander in Chic, a working woman’s style manual modeled after Mrs. Obama herself, Essence editor-at-large Mikki Taylor offers readers a lifestyle guide for the modern woman with an impossibly packed calendar. Can’t spare a second to read the compendium that could save you even more? No worries—Taylor summarizes five of the most important takeaways right here.

"We all have long days, just as Mrs. Obama does,” says Taylor. “We may not have state dinners at the end of the day, but we do have events.” Taylor tells us life gets a lot easier when you size up how you’re spending your time and fill your wardrobe with pieces that fit within that framework. Be realistic about what you actually need to get dressed for. Attending a lot of company networking happy hours? Then you probably don’t need to keep a bunch of sequin miniskirts around.

“Define what works for you, and never veer from it,” says Taylor. “If something is not in Michelle’s lane, you won’t see her in it.”

Pay attention to the differences between how you think you ought to dress and what actually allows you to function. “You’ll never see Michelle suited up and there for the ‘appearance’,” says Taylor. “She’s there to do the work—it’s not about playing dress-up.”

Does your job keep you on your feet all day? Save the heels for after hours and wear a pair of comfy flats or chic, supportive boots. Never leave your computer? Wear sleeves you can roll up and leave the bracelets at home. You’ll be more productive when your wardrobe doesn’t interfere with the task at hand.

Interesting basics are a perpetual conundrum—what goes with everything in your closet and isn’t a boring black blazer or tan skirt? When you do find that piece, hold on to it for dear life—then style the heck out of it. One of our favorite wear-more-than-once-a-week items is the striped pencil skirt (especially Tibi’s midi-length version). When doused in nautical chic, the conservative shape can be whimsical, edgy, or professional depending on what you pair it with. Here are four fun ways we’ll be styling it this winter.

Keep everything in the same color family, and this pattern mashup is actually super polished. A bow-tie neck, a cheery cardigan, and closed-toe flats make it a perfect combo for a more casual day at the office.

Tory Burch ribbed cotton cardigan, $225 at Net-a-Porter; Marc by Marc Jacobs Hot Dot top, $228 at Bloomingdale’s; Belle by Sigerson Morrison suede flats, $195 at Madewell; Staccato stud bracelet, $24 each at Madewell.

If you’re anything like us, there’s a voice in your head—a voice belonging to a wiser, more put-together version of yourself—that pipes up when you’re about to overindulge. This holiday season, our voice spent a lot of time shaking her head and saying, “You have, of course, heard the adage, ‘A moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips’?” To which, if you’re even more like us, you replied, “Bah, humbug,” and proceeded to polish off your baker’s-dozenth buckeye.

So now that the holiday free-for-all is over, you’ve resolved to lose ten pounds—but you won’t have something to show for your resolution overnight. The good news is that you can get a jump-start on looking svelte with just a few wardrobe tweaks. We’ve asked two style pros for their secrets of looking slimmer even though you haven’t lost the weight (yet).