Washingtonian’s Style Setters list is always a blast to put together–from the selection of DC’s ten best-dressed citizens to all of the amazing clothing and jewelry they wear. This year, we wanted to celebrate them in style with a blowout bash, which we pulled off with the help of Taylor & Hov Events, who brought all their creative energy into making the party vibe pop. Delicious bites were provided by Spilled Milk Catering, cocktails were crafted by Liquid & Garnish, fun furnishings were supplied by Stash Event Rentals, and it all went down at hip, urban event space, The Loft at 600 F. Check back soon for outtakes and behind-the-scenes from the shoot!
Cathy Anderson
Blogger at Poor Little It Girl and cofounder of Southern Blog Society, 30
Bragging Point: “People magazine named Poor Little It Girl one of its ‘most stylish blogs’ in 2014.”
I Own Way Too Many . . . “Shoes I never wear.”
Most Important Item in My Closet: “The hot-pink Raoul gown I purchased when I started making money off my blog.”
Where I Shop: “Loft, for great petite finds.”
Instagram Obsession: “@Tribblereese for his lip-synching selfies.”
Most Stylish Spot in Town: “A brunch at Open City full of bloggers.”
What Cathy’s Wearing: Cashmere sweater by Aqua, $158 at Bloomingdale’s (Chevy Chase); Oscar de la Renta “Oval Cabochon” necklace, $125 rental at Rent the Runway; Trina Turk lace skirt, $248 at Bloomingdale’s; Kate Spade New York “NightSky Jewels” ring, $15 rental at Rent the Runway.
Carl Ray
Resident makeup artist at 0ne80 Salon, 49
Client List: Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Kerry Washington, Claire Danes, and plenty of area brides.
Guilty Pleasure: “Glasses. I own 16 pairs.”
Those Tattoos!: “They symbolize memories and life events. In DC, I go to David Cavalcante at Tattoo Paradise in Adams Morgan.”
Favorite Fashion Memory: “Working with the First Lady when she appeared on the cover of Vogue.”
Biggest Style Risk: “Inauguration 2013. I paired a tuxedo with a partially un-buttoned black dress shirt. Instead of neckwear, I wore a David Yurman necklace.”
Where I Shop: “Diesel for denim; Sterling & Burke for thoughtful gifts.”
What Carl’s Wearing: Zanerobe Seven Skitz Polka shirt, $89 at nordstrom.com; DSquared2 Tidy Biker jeans, $795 at Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Store; Chevron ID bracelet with black diamonds (on left wrist), $2,950 at David Yurman; Glasses, jewelry, watch, shoes are Ray’s own.
Desirée Venn Frederic
Founder and curator of the vintage collective Nomad Yard Collectiv, 33
On Modeling for Nine Years: “Being a human hanger didn’t appeal to me.”
On My Best-Dressed List: “Howard University students. They own their looks.”
How to Find Great Vintage: “Travel far on a weekday. Head to a random city and explore.”
Favorite Hangout: “The Leica camera store.”
My Must-Shop: “Nubian Hueman at the Anacostia Arts Center for Nubian Skin—skin-tone lingerie for women of color.”
What Desirée’s Wearing: Sachin & Babi “Reber” sequin shell top, $325 at Saks Fifth Avenue (Chevy Chase); “Tina” ballgown skirt, $598 at Alice and Olivia; Jewelry is Frederic’s own.
Victor Zapanta
Experience designer at 18F, the General Services Administration’s new digital-delivery team, 32
Bragging Point: “My first job was on the 2008 presidential campaign. I did research for Hillary Clinton and then digital production for Barack Obama.”
Best Spot for Style-Watching: “Any event at Hierarchy art gallery.”
Local Label I Love: “Hugh & Crye for shirts, pocket squares, and the occasional blazer.”
What I Shop For: “I started seeking out American-made products. The shift has improved the quality of my clothes.”
Favorite Apps: “Fallout Shelter and Car2Go.”
Fashion Role Models: “Nickelson Wooster, Steve McQueen, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.”
What Victor’s Wearing: Suitsupply suit and shirt, Zapanta’s own; Camo silk bow tie, $35 at bullandmoose.com; vintage pocket square, Zapanta’s own; “Runwell Chrono” alligator watch, $950 at Shinola; Carved skull ring, $1,500 at David Yurman; Flynn Sr. Club frames, $435 at Morgenthal Frederics.
Pierre Abushacra
Cofounder of Firehook Bakery, 48
My Look: “Practical with some low-key style baked in.”
What I Prioritize While Getting Dressed: “Making sure I have a good pocket for my phone.”
Where I Shop: “Wake Up Little Suzie in Cleveland Park for unique gifts and the coolest reading glasses.”
When I’m Happy, I Wear . . . “Jeans.”
Fashion Signature: “A baseball cap when I’m working on the bakery floor.”
What Pierre’s Wearing: Hugo by Hugo Boss “Aerins” sport coat, $495 at Bloomingdale’s; Armani cotton blend shirt, $375 at Bloomingdale’s; Hugo by Hugo Boss “Hamens” trousers, $225 at Bloomingdale’s; Belt is Abushacra’s own.
Mera & Mehak Anwar
Mera Anwar
Founder and design director of the fashion label Miri, 31
About My Label: “The Miri girl is an upbeat free spirit who isn’t afraid to take risks. I incorporate my signature tie-dye print in each collection. ”
Fave Piece for Fall: “Our updated tie-dye T-shirt dress. I changed the silhouette to a wrap dress and added silk fringe.”
Major Design Moment: “Designing the dresses models wore for [jewelry designer] Kara Ross’s fall 2011 presentation at New York Fashion Week.”
Biggest Fashion Risk: “Wearing a crop top to my wedding.”
What Mera’s Wearing: Polka-dot shift dress, $175 at mirinyc; Lizzie Fortunato “Crystal Palace” necklace, $505 at neimanmarcus.com; “Paulie,” $243 at elizabethcolejewelry.com; “Criss Cross” cuff (right arm), $225 at Alexis Bittar; spike cuff and ball cuff (left arm), $52 and $18 at hanuel.com; Loeffler Randall iridescent clutch, $50 rental at Rent the Runway; Freshwater-pearl ring (right hand), $7,840 at Adeler Jewelers; Louboutin shoes, Anwar’s own.
Mehak Anwar
Marketing specialist at ExxonMobil (and Mera’s sister), 25
Style Influence: “My culture. I wear a lot of Pakistani jewelry and textiles.”
Confidence Booster: “Red lipstick revives me. My favorite is Russian Red by MAC.”
Favorite Hangout: “2 Birds 1 Stone. It’s the perfect cocktail bar—never too crowded or too empty.”
Instagram Obsession: “@DCdining for when I can’t decide what to eat on a night out.”
What Mehak’s Wearing: Sandro dress, Mehak’s own; “Serra” earrings, $163 at elizabethcolejewelry.com; “Queen of Sheba” necklace, $40 at shopthepinkarmoire.com; Gas Bijoux snake cuffs, $285 at Tabandeh, and “Kassidy” bracelet (right arm), $350 at elizabethcolejewelry.com; Alexis Bittar jeweled cuff (left arm), $395 at Tabandeh; Jean-Michel Cazabat “Shirley” shoes, price on request at jeanmichelcazabat.com.
Carl Pierre
Head of DC operations for WeWork, 27
What I Do: “WeWork creates co-working spaces for use by small businesses and start-ups. I help foster their growth.”
When I’m Happy, I Wear . . . “A blazer, a pocket square, and a bow tie. I like to dress up when I celebrate.”
Instagram Obsession: “@spanishrob has the fiercest watch game.”
Confidence Booster: “A pair of bright-red dress socks with thunderbolts.”
Favorite Hangout: “All Souls Bar in Shaw.”
Where I Shop: “Martha’s Outfitters in DC is great for vintage everything.”
What Carl’s Wearing: Gant Rugger “3/2 Roll” blazer, $795 at Gant; “Regent” shirt, $85 at Hugh & Crye; Silk-blend tie, $78 at bonobos.com; “East Egg” pocket square $20 at Hugh & Crye; 5-Pocket Jean, $344 at Paul Stuart; “Runwell” 41mm watch, $550 at Shinola.
Andrea Mitchell
Chief foreign-affairs correspondent for NBC News, anchor of MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, 68
Shopping Secret I Swear By: “Andre Spearman, [a personal shopper] at Neiman Marcus in Mazza Gallerie.”
Favorite Fashion Memory: “The Chanel suit I wore when my husband [Alan Greenspan] was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.”
Style Icon: “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for injecting style into a black robe, and also for marrying Alan and me.”
Guilty Pleasure: “Sequins—even on my sneakers.”
My Perfect Day in DC: “A winning game at Nats Park.”
Most People Don’t Know . . . “I trained to be a violinist.”
What Andrea’s Wearing: Oscar de la Renta dress, Mitchell’s own; Raw clear crystal quartz and diamond posts, $8,660 at Adeler Jewelers.
Sara Bonjean
GOP fundraiser and president of Rose Strategies, 35
Most Stylish Spot in Town: “My husband and I host a Christmas party. The only dress code is ‘festive,’ and our guests”—including a different surprise celebrity each year—“wear every-thing from ugly Christ-mas sweaters to black tie. One couple came as Veronica Corningstone and Ron Burgundy.”
It’s Not a Party Without . . . “A signature cocktail, a petting zoo, a guy in an Abe Lincoln costume, and a stilt-walker.”
Most People Don’t Know . . . “Gary Larson [of ‘The Far Side’ comic strip] is my godfather.”
Shopping Secret: “Take it home to try it on. You never have the right shoes, undergarments, or sense of confidence in the store.”
Washington Fashion Is . . . “Not as dull as it seems on C-SPAN but not quite as sexy as House of Cards.”
What Sara’s Wearing: ML Monique Lhuillier dress, $75 rental at Rent the Runway; Oscar de la Renta painted flower necklace, $125 rental at Rent the Runway; Iradj Moini citrine-and-turquoise earrings, $435 at Tabandeh; Lemon quartz and diamond ring, $11,796 at Adeler Jewelers; “Naomi” cuff, $350 at Sophie Blake; Chinese Laundry shoes, Bonjean’s own.
Photographs by Sean Scheidt
Location: The Loft at 600 F (600 F St., NW)
Set Design: Taylor & Hov Events
Hair/Makeup: Marquia Kinard & Ryan Ibrahim for Blend Makeup Artistry
Fashion Assistant: Caroline Cunningham
This article appears in our September 2015 issue of Washingtonian.
Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
