About Dan About Town
Party photographer Dan Swartz’s diary of bashes, benefits, and galas.
Fashion and food were the toast of the town on Wednesday evening, as ELLE magazine hosted its 7th annual “Women In Washington” dinner at Georgetown’s Fiola Mare.
The top-rated eatery was closed to regular diners for the special occasion, which was produced in partnership with Italian design house Bottega Veneta, and saw more than 50 of the city’s top power brokers pass through its doors for the opportunity to congratulate this year’s 10 honorees.
Shades of red and blue mattered only in terms of fashion during the event, with politics taking a welcome backseat to conversation and congeniality. Which isn’t to say that the nation’s levers of power weren’t well represented at ELLE‘s stylish soiree, as both Republican and Democrat members of Congress were listed side-by-side on the 2017 “power list.” Indeed, a handful of guests could only spare a few minutes to thank hosts Robbie Myers, ELLE Editor-in-Chief, and Maria Trabocchi, co-owner of the restaurant, before heading back to the Hill for work.
But the focus of the night was on the way women can support one another across industries, be it at the Capitol with Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (one of this year’s honorees and the first Latina to be elected to Congress) or over the airwaves as with NBC News correspondent Katy Tur (another 2017 honoree). And if a little style goes along with that support, all the better.
Guests to Wednesday’s celebration were treated to a three-course dinner prepared by Chef Brinn Sinnott, with an Olive Oil Poached Norwegian Skrei Cod “secondo” entree.
The people watching was the real dessert, however.
Be sure to check out all 38 photographs from this event here and tag your friends!
***This post has been updated to reflect LaFleur Paysour’s correct title at the NMAAHC.
