Fashion in DC - An Oxymoron? NOT ANY LONGER!

So I actually have been doing ALOT of stitiching lately but the problem is that I have not finished a single garment - INCLUDING my NYC "Sit and Sew" extravaganza --- but I am "oh so close to being sorta kinda done"! I will at least post a photo of my multiple works in progress soon!

But enough about my sewing procrastination......

The BIG news is that - - - - DC HAS ITS FASHION GROOVE ON!!!! Check out these upcoming DC-based fashion events.....

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The Textile Museum has two “must see” events on their calendar. First up is (drum-roll please) an evening with ISABEL TOLEDO - designer of Mrs. O's fabulous lemongrass dress and coat!!! I have already snagged my ticket for this outing!!

From Switzerland to the White House: The Story Behind the Inauguration Dress

Thursday, November 5, 5:30 pm

Isabel Toledo's Lemongrass Coat and Dress dazzled the world when it was worn by First Lady Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day. Join us at The Textile Museum for this special evening program and hear firsthand about the process behind its creation—from the fabric, made by the Swiss company Forster Rohner, to the finished product.

Panelists include American fashion designer Isabel Toledo, her creative partner and husband Ruben Toledo, and Hans Schreiber, creative director of Forster Rohner, moderated by Robin Givhan, The Washington Post's fashion editor and winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. The talks will be followed by a reception featuring Swiss wine and chocolate. This program is co-sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland.

Fee: $25/Textile Museum members; $45/non-members. Advance registration is required; space is limited. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register.

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And it seems the Textile Museum is on a fashion roll – a new genre for them! Don’t miss the extraordinary collection of Mary Baskett’s Japanese garments.

Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection

October 17, 2009 – April 11, 2010

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto shocked the fashion world by introducing avant-garde styles that challenged received Western notions of “chic.” Informed in part by Japanese traditions such as the kimono, obi and the art of origami, these designers produced radical garments with shapes and textures often incongruous with the natural contours of the human body. Their designs—characterized by asymmetry, raw edges, unconventional construction, oversized proportions and monochromatic palettes—effectively overthrew existing norms and set the stage for the postmodernist movement in the fashion industry. Miyake, Yamamoto, and Kawakubo remain three of the most successful designers in today’s fashion world, and under their tutelage a new generation of Japanese talent has emerged.

This exhibition, an expanded version of an earlier showing at the Cincinnati Art Museum, includes avant-garde garments from the collection of Mary Baskett, an art dealer and former curator of prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum who has been collecting and wearing Japanese high fashion since the 1960s.

And before you set out for S Street to view the collection please please take a few minutes to read Robin Givhan’s review of the collection and her views on the designers – her insight definitely will make your time with the garments more meaningful!

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And as previously posted, Christian Siriano willbe speaking about and signing his new book, “Fierce Style” at the Corcoan Gallery of Art on November 3^rd.

Oh yes! November is lookin' mighty fine here in DC!