Bollywood at the Fairmont
• August 17, 2015

Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown recently held a Sip and Sample event to showcase South Asian wedding designs. The setting was the hotel’s wedding-perfect Colonnade Room. Elaborate South Asian nuptials typically spread over several days. Guests could be decorated with henna and view many different décor choices as they enjoyed specialty cocktails and sampled a wide range of themed hors d’oeuvres prepared by the Fairmont’s culinary team and three local caterers. [gallery ids="102154,132965" nav="thumbs"]

Q&A Cafe’s Inside Scoop on ‘Primates of Park Avenue’
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Carol Joynt’s July 16 luncheon at the George Town Club was a sellout as Washingtonians were eager to hear author Wednesday Martin’s back-story on privileged Upper East Side mommies. A thoughtful speaker, she clarified that her background in anthropology had prompted the title, “Primates of Park Avenue,” about the wives of the very rich, who do not escape mockery and anxiety in their one-upmanship lifestyle. The economic dependency of uber-wealthy women is unprecedented in the world of primates. The material status symbols coveted in New York were compared to Washington’s fascination with political clout. Admission to the right nursery school was cited as a first step to “proximity to power.” [gallery ids="102155,132967,132963" nav="thumbs"]

Will on the Hill Offers ‘Summer Madness’
• August 7, 2015

Now in its 13th year, Will on the Hill raised more than $500,000 for the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s education programs June 15. The performance at Sidney Harman Hall opened with students from West Springfield High School presenting their concept of a scene from “As You like It.” Actors Edward Gero, Brandon Uranowitz and Samira Wiley led members of Congress and media personalities in “Summer Madness,” in which two lobbyists vie for a job at the lobbying firm Stratford, Avon and Bard. Shakespeare’s heroes and heroines soon join the fray. Following the hilarity, guests enjoyed a buffet prepared by Design Cuisine. [gallery ids="102132,133613,133611,133605" nav="thumbs"]

Bark Ball: A Canine Cotillion
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Fashionable canines pranced into the Washington Hilton on June 20 to celebrate with their humans at the 28th annual Bark Ball, a “black tie gala for the four-on-the floor crowd.” The special guests enjoyed a doggy biscuit bar and ample water stations. They joined their families for dinner where Washington Humane Society President and CEO Lisa LaFontaine introduced one of the adoptables and said, “If she sounds like the puppy for you, get on her dance card tonight.” Established in D.C. in 1870, the WHS provides protection and care to more than 51,000 animals each year. [gallery ids="102136,133228,133240,133246,133252,133236" nav="thumbs"]

Polish National Ballet Debuts in Washington
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Under the sponsorship of the Laurel Fund for the Performing Arts, the Polish National Ballet made its D.C. debut at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater June 23. Elvi Moore, founder and president of the Laurel Fund and former general director of the Washington Ballet, met director Krzysztof Pastor when he was TWB’s resident choreographer. Moore was determined to bring the company to D.C. The program included Pastor’s “Adagio & Scherzo and Moving Rooms.” At a post-performance reception hosted by Polish Ambassador Ryszard Schnepf at the embassy, Moore told the troupe, “You captured the hearts of both New York and Washington dance audiences.” [gallery ids="102137,133221,133213,133224" nav="thumbs"]

Chamber Dance Project Launches Its Season
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The Chamber Dance Project celebrated its 2015 season with an opening night performance at the Lansburgh Theatre June 24. Artistic Director Diane Coburn Bruning founded the company in New York and then moved to D.C., working with local dancers including the Washington Ballet’s Luis Torres, Francesca Dugarte and Morgann Rose. A splendid evening of dance continued as ballet-goers went to Poste at the Hotel Monaco to revel and cheer on the dancers. [gallery ids="102138,133223,133212,133205,133218" nav="thumbs"]

Fig & Olive Impresses at CityCenter
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On June 26, Fig & Olive extended an olive branch to Washington, D.C., with the public opening of its flagship D.C. outpost at CityCenterDC, the vibrant downtown retail destination. The restaurant embodies a passion for the best olive oils, flavors, and cuisine from the Riviera and coastal regions of the South of France, Italy and Spain. The menu – crafted by executive chef Frederic Guerin – highlights the regions’ unique olive oils, which are individually paired with each dish and used in place of butter.
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Chefs for Equality Preview Party
• July 27, 2015

The Human Rights Campaign and David Hagedorn chose the recently opened Fig & Olive in CityCenter as the venue to celebrate the launch of Chefs for Equality 2015. National Field Director Marty Rouse praised marriage equality 46 years after the Stonewall uprising. He said, “gay and lesbian couples are dancing together at their wedding, and not in handcuffs.” Hagedorn declared Chefs for Equality officially open. Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington, the “Pope of American cuisine,” will offer a special wedding package auction item at the October 20 gala at the Ritz-Carlton. [gallery ids="102156,132956,132958" nav="thumbs"]

‘Ingenue to Icon’ Gala Preview at Hillwood
• July 16, 2015

The current exhibition at Hillwood estate, Museum & Gardens, featuring 70 years of fashion from the collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post, launched June 2 with a celebration of cocktails, exhibition preview and dinner on the Lunar Lawn. Post’s granddaughter and Hillwood’s president emerita ellen Macneille charles, current president nancy Appleby, and executive director Kate Markert spoke. Watching her grandmother dress was “better than any movie,” charles said. This stunner runs through the end of the year and was curated by Howard Vincent Kurtz.
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Kitty Kelley Helps Keep Georgetown Gardens in Bloom
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The publication of “Gardens of Georgetown,” with text by edith Schaffer and photography by Jenny Gorman, coincided with the 87th Annual Georgetown Garden Tour this past May. On June 4, author and Georgetown resident Kitty Kelley held a festive celebration. Showers kept guests inside but the garden was very much on view. Proceeds from book sales will help local organizations preserve our village’s parks and green spaces.
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