When it comes to catching the attention of the object of your affection, you want to find an outfit that strikes that perfect balance between girly and sexy. And if you’re planning to wow him on a special night out soon—like, say, Valentine’s Day—you can never go wrong with a great dress. Here are 11 distinctly feminine options guaranteed to highlight your sweet side without giving your boo a toothache.

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, and the new residents will be able to access it for the well below market 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.

We here at The Washingtonian are big proponents of making the items in our wardrobe work overtime. We also have a slight addiction to makeup bags (though perhaps not quite as much to makeup), and are always a little remiss to confine the cute pouches to the bottom of our gym bag. So when a reader requested ways to get more mileage out of the cosmetic cases she didn’t have enough product to fill, we knew it was time to let you in on our favorite other way to rock ’em: as mini carryalls on Friday and Saturday night. Dump out the blush and lipstick, throw in keys, credit cards, and your cell, and voilà—your look is complete. Here are 13 options we can’t wait to take for a spin. Oh, and on second thought, keep the lipstick.

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)

Washington doesn’t exactly have the best track record with reality shows. DC Cupcakes has a singularly intense following (well, intense enough to get them a second season, anyway), but our versions of Real Housewives and Real World both aired with dismal ratings.

That’s why we’re rooting for the pilot local boutique Sassanova filmed last week at its Georgetown and Bethesda locations. Co-owner Sassy Jacobs tells us she, partner Sarah Cannova, and their employees worked with producer Colby Gaines (co-producer of the History Channel's Pawn Stars) and a crew from Back Roads Entertainment on three days of filming. The initial concept is similar to TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress. Customers come in with “emergency” shoe and accessory situations, and Jacobs, Cannova, and staff solve them. Considering this casting call was posted to Hitched bridal salon’s blog earlier this month, we’ve got a feeling these “emergencies” are about as real as Kim Kardashian’s love for Kris Humphries, but we’re pretty okay with that. After all, what’s a reality show without a little prefabricated drama?

All photographs courtesy of Wantful.

The past year with your new boyfriend has been wonderful. You’ve cooked amazing dinners together, explored new neighborhoods, and had tons of fun. This Valentine’s day, all you want to do is celebrate how much you really like each other. You’ve found the perfect outfit and scored a reservation at that killer restaurant you’ve both been dying to try. February 14 is going to be great, you can just tell. The only problem: You still need to buy a present and have no idea where to begin.

Allow us to introduce Wantful, a two-month-old gifting site that could be the answer to your prayers. It takes the information you provide about the recipient’s tastes and interests and selects a range of gift ideas for you to narrow down and for your lucky special someone to pick from. At the end of the day, it’s his choice, so how can you go wrong?