Have A Stylish Day - A Night with the DC Fashionistas

As I mentioned previously, on September 15th I went to a Meetup event hosted by the DC Fashionistas. The special guest of the evening was Daisy Lewellyn, a style expert whom you might have seen on such shows as “Good Morning America” or “The Rachael Ray Show.” She was there for her book tour and to discuss upcoming fall trends.  At first I was a little unsure if I should go or not. It sounds silly, I know. The event was in DC on a weeknight. I hardly ever venture into the District on my own (I always get lost driving in DC, no matter if I think I know where I’m going or not!), so I was a little intimidated. But I knew that I really had no excuse for missing it. When would I get a chance like this again? So I sucked it up and ventured out into the city. 

Boy, am I glad I did! It turned out to be such a fun and informative evening. The event was held at PR at Partners Salon & Spa Metro Center location. The setting was perfect for a night filled with fashion talk. It has a very modern, streamlined look and I was amazed how spacious it was, to be able to accommodate all of the group members who showed up. When I arrived, they were serving hor dourves and champagne & everyone was mingling. I grabbed a seat and chatted with a few people before the presentation began.

The first part of the night was a fashion show that showcased a lot of the popular trends for this season. The fashion show was sponsored by Current Boutique, a local consignment boutique, who furnished all of the clothing and accessories. 

The fabulous Daisy Lewellyn

The trends highlighted by Daisy were: jewel tones, ruffles, wearing black opaque tights with black shoes to elongate the leg, strong shoulders, a bold cocktail ring, nude shoes, the PLD (the LBD’s younger sister, the pretty little dress) and the color navy.

Jewel Tones, Ruffles, PLD & Black Tights with Black Shoes

Strong Shoulders, Cocktail Ring, Nude Shoes, PLD

Ruffles, PLD & the Color Navy

Looking around the room though there was one trend that I haven’t seen much mention of, but it seemed to be everywhere that night – dresses with pockets! I just love how utilitarian they are, while still being cute and stylish, if placed on the right spot. If they’re in the wrong spot, then you get puckering and added bulk to the silhouette. Plus, I think pockets are just fun. Who doesn’t love being able to stick their hands in a pocket, while wearing a dress?

It might be hard to make out in the photos, but Daisy's dress has some pockets with subtle black piping.

Jacqui's dress had pockets too. And check out her super cute booties!

The next part of the evening was talking specifically about the hair trends of the season. Jacqui Davis, one of the top stylists at that location, styled the hair on all 3 models. She walked us through how she achieved each look and gave us some interesting pointers too. 

Hair Trend #1 – Ponytails – Obviously, the ponytail is nothing new. What does change from season to season though, is the style of the ponytail. This season it’s sleek on the sides with a little pouf on top and a slight curl to the tail. Before she walked us through, Jacqui shared a little tip with us. Instead of using just a hair tie to secure a ponytail, she adds 2 bobby pins to it. Slip one bobby pin onto the hair tie, and then at the opposite side of the tie, slip the other bobby pin on. Now, to pull off this look she said to start with hairspray all over, then begin to tease the hair around the front of the crown. Pull the hair taught on the sides and on the backside. Poke one of the bobby pins down the middle of the ponytail, and then begin wrapping the tie around. Mix the poufed hair in, and continue wrapping the tie. Finally, pin the last bobby in, and wrap a tendril of hair around the exposed hair tie to camouflage it. Once the hair is secured, simply curl the ends of the ponytail.

The curl at the end of the tail adds some visual interest instead of having the hair just fall straight down.

This is a great visual aid in helping to understand how to put together this look.

Hair Trend #2 – Big Retro Hair – Think Jean Harlow. Jacqui said the trick to accomplish this look is using different curling iron barrel sizes throughout the hair. On the bottom use a smaller barrel, as you move up the hair use a mid-sized barrel and then a larger sized barrel around the crown. Then do a little teasing with hair spray to really get that big hair effect. She recommended using a hairspray that is specifically labeled “flexible hold.” Another great tip she offered, is if the hair is too fine and won’t keep the tease, spray a little dry shampoo in the hair to give it some teeth or grit.

This looked pretty complicated to do at home, but once Jacqui broke it down, it seemed quite attainable.

 Hair Trend #3 – Mad Men Style Hair – It’s no big surprise, since the styles from Mad Men are all over fashion this season. Jacqui described this as being the more sensible style of poufed hair as opposed to something like Snookie’s sky high pouf. This look is achieved by curling the hair all over into long ringlets. Jacqui’s tip for this style is when curling the hair keep the curls pinned up until they have completely cooled. This really allows the curls to set and they will last longer throughout the day. Then you just do a little teasing on the top to complete the pouf and you’re done!

You can notice the pouf, but it's not so large or obvious that it becomes tacky.

Look at those beautiful, cascading ringlets!

It was really a great chance to get out there and meet some other like-minded people. I definitely encourage you to check out Meetup.com and see if there are any fashion meetups in your area, or any other kinds of meetups that interest you. I think the site is a great resource that not everybody is aware of. If I hadn’t have joined DC Fashionista meetup group, I never would have had such an awesome opportunity. Thanks ladies (especially Abigail for organizing it all) for a wonderful evening, and I look forward to seeing you again! :)