Style on the Runway: Fashion Meets Art Runway Show

Yes, I'm unabashedly cribbing the "good stuff" from Daily Candy DC (and also a reminder to liloleme that i should probably be reading some of those press releases and such in my inbox), but oooh! if Isabel doesn't keep us inside, this should be fantastic!

(Hmmmm...it's probably not a good idea to take The Bean when she a) has a normal bedtime at 7/7:30, b) has been sick, and c) if she isn't home sick one more day, will have had her First Day of School. That's probably asking for The Massive Meltdown, right?)


Fashion Meets Art Runway Show
What: Models strut down an outdoor runway between Carbon and International Visions Art Gallery. 
Why: Check out pieces from emerging local and green designers.
When: Fri., 6-9 p.m.
Where: Carbon, 2643 Connecticut Ave. NW; International Visions Art Gallery, 2629 Connecticut Ave. NW, b/t Woodley Rd. & Calvert St. (202-232-6645). Admission is free. R.S.V.P. (required) to  katherine at carbon dc dot com

Inspriation Strikes in the Strangest Places

Like in the car on the way to work. Already dressed for the day by at least an hour, BK breakfast inhaled, and Steve Zabin & co on the radio (I'm possibly the only woman who religiously listens to SportsTalk 980 on her drive to work - but they're the best radio, by leaps and bounds, in the Washington market), it hits.

I could be wearing ankle boots, aka the Ubiquitous Bootie, with this outfit. And it might even be cute.

By way of explanation, I hated ankle boots in the 80s and early 90s. And I hate(d) them when they popped back on the scene in the last few seasons. I just didn't see how they were flattering to anyone - especially paired with skirts, as they were shown. The only exception to that ankle boot ban in my book was old-fashioned lace-ups. I have a soft spot for period ensembles that could be worn by the beloved redheaded heroine, Anne of Green Gables (before it went all commercial, of course).

But somehow, yesterday morning, clad in my tried and true black merino cowlneck sweater, grey pinstriped pencil skirt, deep red tights, and (ridiculously) boring black pumps, I got a flash of booties. A little fold over, a little heel...they absolutely would've worked. I scared myself, I nearly jumped.

I stopped to consider - am I just sleep deprived (The Bean has decided middle of the night is a good time to get up again)? And where the heck did that thought come from? I have no idea - booties are not something on my radar.

Or weren't.

So maybe, just maybe, I'll forgo spending $138 on the Carmen (top; although, if I'm gonna channel the 80s, I might as well go whole hog and add in the legwarmer reference, too) or $139 on the Tyler, and just hit the Target clearance shop for Isaac's black patent version for $25.89 + SH. After all, if it's already on the clearance aisle at Target, well, then, it probably won't be around for long.

*Photos courtesy of DC-shoe-havens Carbon & Wild Women Wear Red, and, of course, Target.

Dearest DC Celine,

HELP! I just got two great new finds, but I need some shoe help!!! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I bought Max Studio Sweater Dress in Aubergine (see photo-- btw, it looks great on, but not so great in the photo) and another Juicy Couture knit dress in Heather Grey (see photo, but heather grey, not black). What are your thoughts on shoes--style, color, tights, fishnets, etc.? You know...more on the funky side, but also wearable to work in the big corporate environment. I hope you have some ideas, because I'm having a hard time with the whole "look".

Patiently awaiting your advice,
BlueSuitGirl

Dear BlueSuitGirl:

What a terrible dilemma for you - two pretty new dresses.

[grin]

So now what to do? Difficult question. Especially for work.

My first thought? MaryJanes. But if you're not careful, and get a pair that's too sweet, you'll look too young for the office. Try this Sciapo pair at Carbon. You could also do the open toed version with tights. For that matter, all shoe choices I'd pair with tights for these dresses.

Second thought? Flat boots. Maybe a little slouchy, if you're going to wear somewhere other than the office. For the office, pick straight. Something along the lines of the Sammi at AdMo cornerstone, Wild Women Wear Red.

You could go with flats, as pictured with the Juicy frock, but again, I think it's a little too sweet. But you could throw on a pair to wear with the dress when you take it out for a spin at the shoe store. In other words, wear the dress to go shopping.

And then pick out at least one pair...maybe more! (And report in, of course.)

At Last (and we're not talking Etta James, here)

Finally, Fall Has Arrived!

Thank goodness.

If I'd had to endure one more ridiculous day of June weather with October light (you know how it just has that lovely pale orange cast?), I was going to...well...

I know there are more than a few of you out there in the Infintessimal Readership (ahem, Miss Scarlet) who are thrilled with the temperature drop. Sweaters, scarves, here we come!

So The Bean and I had a lovely day yesterday, starting with lunch with a dear friend in Georgetown.* Naturally, as part of lunch discussion (after baby and H talk), fashion came up. LatinaTerp was thrilled to have the rest of the afternoon, Bean-free (she has two lovlies), to do some wardrobe updating. The first thing on her list? Boots.

Now longer-term readers know that I have a love affair with boots - unrequited, for the most part. Apart from my amazing, honeymoon-bought Daslus, I search and search and search, to no avail. A big part of my dilemma is my calf size - I inhertited my dad's great, muscular calves. This means that 98% of the boots out there zip to within about an inch of the top before they start pinching. I know I'm not alone, either, in the calf-size dilemma - large or small calves, it's a problem. It's a discussion every fall, just like in this week's Talking Fashion.

There are manufacturers out there that make "larger" or "smaller" calf sizes, but apart from trying them on, quite frankly, there's not a whole lot a gal can do. You never know, based on cut, exactly where they'll fall.

But despite my dilemma, I search on (it usually takes me 3 years to find a new pair, which I subsequently wear to death. My first favorite pair I bought in Cambridge, England, on a jaunt with a dear friend, and wore them until the soles cracked right underneath me.) Here are a couple of my favorites for this season...

Gidigio for Carbon - these would ground a flirty little dress or skirt and frilly blouse. Think schoolmarm on crack.

Rockport (yup) sold at L.L. Bean (yup again). As a girl who grew up in "horse country" (the occasional fox hunt would dash through our backyard), I'm sucker for an equestrian style. Don't bother wearing it over your jeans (ugh, why torture yourself with skinny jeans?), but if you dare to wear this season's cozy sweater dress (I'm getting flashbacks to one I had 10 years ago), they'd be perfect. Or just plain old with a suit or skirt for the office.

I'm also a sucker for anything "hard," like Frye or Harley. Check out zappos.com for a great selection of Frye boots.

And what did LatinaTerp end up with, you ask? Earrings, 2 skirts, capris, and sunglasses. But no boots.

*Much to my dismay, I dressed my daughter in her absolute preppiest outfit (polo dress with whales). It was the dress on top, I swear!

More on Style Dilemma: What Not to Miss

DC Scout (the Post's style email) reports that Carbon is throwing a summer sale 11-18 July.

Do you think a pair of Frye boots are a good "Thank you for giving birth" present?