Designer Lela Rose Speaks at Antiques Show

January 19, 2017

More than 430 attendees were at the Jan. 13 luncheon at American University’s Katzen Center.

Star Shops of Georgetown: Mashburn Retail Therapy

January 2, 2017

Fashion is the Mashburn family business, and it just keeps growing, as evidenced by the brand’s new store in Georgetown. Husband-and-wife team Sid and Ann are behind the operation, and they bring every bit of their background — his in retail, hers in writing for fashion publications — to the new digs at Georgetown Court, with entrances on N Street and Prospect Street, and to their other stores in Atlanta, Houston and Dallas.

D.C. Women of Style: Diane Butts

December 12, 2016

“Why not try to be your very best every day?” asks Butts, creative director for the Voice of America.

Georgetown Holiday

November 23, 2016

What to Wear, Where to Dine & Where to Shop. Photography by Oriana Layendecker.

D.C. Women of Style

November 7, 2016

D.C.’s successful women, including Frederique Irwin of Her Corner, prove that style and power can co-exist.

Boutique Saks Jandel to Fold By Year End

October 13, 2016

Among the regular patrons of the 128-year-old store were Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Condoleezza Rice.

Lilly Pulitzer Opens in Georgetown Friday

May 25, 2016

“In 1960-something a twenty-something Lilly Pulitzer opened her first boutique in the Vias off of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach,” the story goes.

Soon — this Friday, May 20, in fact — the flowery chain of boutiques is going to paint the town pink with the grand opening of its new D.C. location, right here in Georgetown at 1079 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The celebration for the opening will include drinks, sweets and music — not to mention the iconic Lilly jeep, parked out front for everyone to enjoy. The store invites Georgetown residents and others to stop by to enjoy the festivities, experience the bright, popping colors and shop the latest Lilly styles.

Nancy Reagan: Fashion Icon

March 30, 2016

America has lost not only a former first lady but also one of its greatest icons of fashion. Nancy Reagan was known for bringing a sense of style to the White House of President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s that had not been seen since the days of first lady Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s. Reagan represented glamour, grace and impeccable style.

“Nancy never made a fashion faux pas,” said designer Oscar de la Renta. Her signature color was called “Reagan Red,” and it soon became the color choice of the Republican Party.

Her preferred designers were Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Adolfo, Carolina Herrera, James Galanos and Arnold Scassi.  She will be buried at the grounds of the Reagan Presidential Library, next to her beloved husband, “Ronnie,” as she liked to say. With all her other achievements, her fashion style endures. [gallery ids="102262,128734,128741,128770,128749,128757,128762,128777" nav="thumbs"]

La Dolce Vita


Photography by Angie Myers

models Brett McAnney & Gabriella Bianchi at T?H?E Artist Agency

Hair & Makeup by Lori Pressman at T?H?E Artist Agency

Wardrobe by Chaza Betenjane at T?H?E Artist Agency

Production Assistants Haley Sanchez & Lexi Rodencal

Location Via Umbria, Georgetown

This issue of The Georgetowner celebrates the Italian lifestyle: La Dolce Vita. Perchè adesso (why now)? No special reason needed; Italy looms large in American lives.

The history, cultures and fates of our two countries are intertwined, both in hugely important ways and in matters that we take for granted, things that have taken up permanent residence in our hearts, minds and habits.

What would opera be without the giant presence of the Italian composers, whose works warm the genre with boisterous energy and passion? What would
cineastes do if they weren’t able to argue about Fellini and Antonioni? And where would American dining be without pizza and pasta and — since we’ve become more sophisticated — risotto, agnolotti and crudo (a term, if not a dish, said to have been invented by restaurateur Joe Bastianich)?
American history begins in the 17th century; in Italy, they start before Anno Domini and run through Rome — the Republic, the Empire and the center of the Roman Catholic Church — and the Renaissance, the Baroque and all those periods from art history.

Columbus was in the employ of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, but he was a citizen of Genoa, and it was a Florentine fellow named Amerigo for whom the New World was named. Centuries later, waves of Italian immigrants brought their innumerable talents, contributing to America’s progress through their own striving.

Italians have tread a remarkable path here, becoming Americans without giving up the essential nature of who they are and who their ancestors were. They replicate their communal gatherings and remind us of the presence of the church in their history and lives. And every such occasion is replete with tradition and with the celebration of the familial ties that bind.

Here in D.C., Holy Rosary Church, the “national Italian parish,” was established in 1913. Statues of Dante, Michelangelo, Verdi and Marconi adorn the façade of its Casa Italiana, where language classes and cultural programs are held. On April 3, Holy Rosary will host a Festa della Vendemmia wine tasting and a mass in honor of Maria SS. Annunziata, organized by the Society of Fiumendinisi of
Messina, Sicily.

To stay connected all year round to Italian events (and perhaps learn the language), visit the websites of the Casa Italiana at casaitalianaschool.org, the Istituto Italiana di Cultura at

iicwashington.esteri.it/IIC_Washington/it and the Italian Cultural Society of Washington, D.C., at
italianculturalsociety.org.
[gallery ids="117125,117145,117139,117133" nav="thumbs"]

Dress for the Occasion

March 10, 2016

This issue’s arts preview focuses on opera, ballet and other upcoming performance and visual arts. Following these fashion suggestions will assure that some eyes will stray from the stage to members of the audience.

photography by Angie Myers
model: Belle Shickle at the Artist Agency
hair and makeup: Lori Pressman at the Artist Agency
wardrobe: Chaza Betenjane at the Artist Agency
location and props: Washington Opera Rehearsal Studio [gallery ids="102258,128820,128824,128814" nav="thumbs"]