weds

so last night i attended a "dc fashion event". as a friend pointed out, the first of those three words are truly oxymoronic. i went anyway, despite serious misgivings about what to expect... it was called “Fashionably Fit: Style For Your Body on Your Budget” and was a lecture/talk given by the owner of Dupont boutique Terra. the owner is an elegant, thirty-something (i guess low thirties at most) woman. her store is a breath of fresh air in the city, style-wise. i suspect her hands are tied given the demographics - i would love to see her inventory if she were in nyc or london. appropriate is a word i use a lot when it comes to describing how women dress in dc. for example, it's a 6.30pm event on a tuesday evening, held in a restaurant...for women to learn the basics of creating a wardrobe. what would you wear? most would assume that at that time, one would come straight from work. it appeared that some had gone home early, put on their finest (read: most fashionable and in season) outfit and done a complete makeover. there is nothing wrong with this scenario - if one puts on event-appropriate clothing. it was an early evening event to talk about fashion. some were dressed as though we were at a wedding in miami. scary. pretty clothes, jewellery, shoes, just in the wrong place and wrong time. maybe it's just me, but being inappropriately dressed for an event screams trying too hard to be something you're not. if you just bought the latest 4inch heeled gladiator sandals - good on you (i am envious) - wear them at the appropriate event (if you're not sure, look at Vogue party pages)...or at least dress them down so you don't look as though you're attending a film premiere, a fashion show, or even worse that you copied your look straight out of a magazine without any thought to whom you will be hanging out with, the time of day or where - unless of course you are at a film premiere etc! if you have wonderful outfits, jewellery, accessories - there's no need to wear them all at once. less is more. elegance is simplicity - for most women. there are some who can get away with just about anything, but these souls are few and very far between, and it's a lot more to do with attitude and confidence than the clothes on their bodies. people complain that dc has crappy shops. true, there is little in terms of originality...but as Terra showed us last night, you can shop at Gap, Banana, J Crew and still look stylish. some great tips she gave (which really are givens) were to get a basic foundation closet - 10 core pieces...the usual stuff such as a pair of black dress trousers, black skirt, 1 black cashmere jumper etc...and only then build up the rest of your closet with fillers (vests, tshirts, accessories etc). key to the above items is to get them in good fabrics. it sounds a bit crazy, especially given the economy today, but a pair of well-made and designed trousers costing $400 will last years if you take care of them. same with the dress, skirt, white shirt, shoes etc...they cost more because the fabric is of a higher quality (wears better), the cut is better (more flattering) and tiny details are taken into account (darting, etc) that the cheaper versions do not pay attention to. if you're serious about building a core closet but funds are tight, wait for the sales and then buy. it is painfully hard to walk past the fun items, but it's worth it...and it's only until you have the core stuff. there are lots of books out there that contain all the above in much more detail. this is a good one by Nina Garcia - 100 pieces rather than 10, because it details all the other stuff in addition to your basics... if you walk to work - wear flat shoes. trainers/sneakers are for the gym or running. seriously.