Sip in Style: In Connections We Trust - of Wine, Style, and Real People

Warning, folks, this is a DC-centric post. But here’s hoping that other locales can take inspiration from what is a marvelous concept and recreate it in the style of your own town (wine and mushrooms, Kennett Square? scarves, boots, and gluhwein, Chicago?)

First off, if the rest of DC Wine Week events are as delightful as last night’s Red Plum and Burgundy evening of fashion and wine, get thee to one of the remaining events this week. Now. Really.

(There are loads more events on the schedule for the rest of the week, over here.)

Blogger friends Emily Kate Hargrove of Capital Style (in her deliciously flirty yet work-appropriate plaid mix), yours truly (in my NoLita-purchased pinkyotto frock), and Alison Gary of Wardrobe Oxygen, (in her MICHAEL by Michael Kors leopard dress and Stella and Dot fringe necklace)

Last night was a rare opportunity for me (inherently a Myers-Briggs "I") to have quiet - but lively - intimate conversation with new, style-minded friends and “old” blogger buddies. It was a night on which the introductions often went:

“Hi, I’m Alison.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sally.”

Minorly blank stare.

“DC Celine.”

“Oh! I follow you on twitter/your blog/Instagram!”

We made connections in real life, which is always lovely. It’s the power of social media, when you can translate those electronic connections to face-to-face. Congratulations, DC Wine Week, for doing something you may not have set out to do - and you did it so well!

On to the event itself...the brainchild of Lisa Byrne and Vanessa French, the week of wine education events is in its second year. Designed to expand our fine city's wine education opportunities, from my perspective, it does a remarkably fine job of just that in a pleasantly understated way. The events connect different segments of our city’s social scene: the fashionistas, the social media folks, the dining gurus, the art scene, and finally the wine lovers who already know how to pronounce “sangiovese,” as yesterday’s guest blogger quipped, with any place or venue you might encounter wine: a winery, a wine shop, a bar, or a restaurant.

Last night, for example, by pairing 2 delightfully engaging small business owners with a dramatically comfortable ambiance at Lost Society (H and I will be returning - soon), style blogger María José Ovalle of Very Busy Mamá offered a red and a white. Simple, accessible wine offerings opening the doors to chat and explore.

What I expored? Layered, cashmere knits I might just be obsessing over, an embellished jumpsuit that just adds to my intense need to add the garment probably best associated with the Studio 54 era to my closet, and a mix of chunky, powerful stones with flowing metals and delicately cut filigree.

Allie toys with a perfectly chunky piece that reminds her of a necklace her mom won't give up - yet. It's a Laboradite stone, which helps steady a girl through significant transitions. (Maybe I need one, too?)

I’m a stickler for knowing where my purchases come from (when I’m not indulging in “fast fashion” at the Target down the street from my office), so I had lovely conversations with Zina Boutique owner Valeria Medrano and Stella and Dot-stylist-to-the-shows Kristin Biggs. I came away from both knowing I can trust them to buy pieces I’d want to wear - and do want to wear.

I suppose that’s what it all comes down to, in this rambling non-review of a DC event. When you’re spending your money and time on something, you want to know you can trust its source. So again, congratulations to Maria, Vanessa, Lisa, Valeria, Kristin, and the lovely Lost Society staff: well done.

You’ve made me want to come back for more.

PS - Speaking of connections, a huge thank you to Allie for letting me "borrow" images from her Instagram feed. The social-media-dependent blogger's nightmare happened last night: my cameraphone died. Somewhere on my SD card I have a lone image of my ensemble, but the poor phone is tired of Too Many Shots, so I have to give it some TLC before I get anything more out of it.

Weekend Style: Weekend at Home

This weekend is the first we've had all together at home in a month. It's also the last we'll have all together at home until September. Therefore, despite us being "at home," it was jam-packed with all sorts of domestic tasks - and a fair amount of indulgence. Both exceptionally necessary.

First row: (Not pictured: The approximately 73 hours we spent at IKEA before) The Bean and I (she in her Janie & Jack, I in my picked-out-by-The-Bean-in-NYC pinkyotto), before heading out to a celebratory dinner at Marcel's; The Bean and her rainbow trout with spinach and roe (the roe weren't so popular); the scotch H and I needed at Jack Rose after our amazingly indulgent and delicious-as-always dinner (cooked by Chef Wiedmaier himself, and who charmed the pants off of all of us when we met him after dinner)

Second row: Sunday morning birthday party; spicing cauliflower for roasting, inspired by her favorite part of our Marcel's dinner, "Meeting the chef;" one of the first "We're Cleaning Our Bedroom Thoroughly" discoveries of the day: the sheepskin rug we found in an old duffel bag underneath our bed and now keeps our tootsies comfy on our bedroom floor

Third row: Part of our newly clean and reorganized bedroom wall unit: my grandparents' engagement picture, our wedding day, Budda; Romanian, Greek, American, English, German, and French literature, my grandmother's orchestra binoculars; the books we won't ever give up, because

Fourth row: a basket hiding the family cameras from Bean No.2, my mommy's lamps awaiting shades, my puppy in brown paper; art books, atlases, and 1989 newspaper articles on the trials of Nicolae and Elena Ceaucescu; our major going-out-of-business-sale rug score, in all of its 80s porntasticness

Fifth row: my grandmother's finery, including - literally - kid gloves; Mom-Mom's compact and slide-out purse comb; rouched-wrist gloves I need to wear soon

Sixth row: a gloriously plaid 70s satchel that had been under our bed; our bed, newly decked out in IKEA linens, a vintage accent pillow, and my great-grandmother's crochet work; Mama's Monday morning's joyful tears of a first day of kindergarten

Also, in case you're not following me on Instagram, please do! @DCCeline there, as well as on Twitter.