Forever 21: Grand Opening at the Old Woodies Building

Saturday marked the grand opening of the 2-story Forever 21, located at 1025 F Street, NW in the old Woodies Building. Not being a D.C. native I didn’t realize just how big of a deal the opening of this location is to native Washingtonians.

However, I realized how serious it was once I got there and saw that the line of people waiting to get inside was wrapped around the block. We were told that the first 400 customers in line would receive a gift card anywhere from the amount of $5 to $200 (I lucked up and got one worth $100). Yes!

The store was set to open up at 10 a.m., though surprisingly enough they let us in an extra 30 minutes earlier.



When I walked into the store I was astonished at all of the merchandise! I can imagine that one could spend a good couple of hours shifting through all of the clothing placed throughout the store. As I made my way through the different sections, I tried to take a few pictures until I was halted by management. I saw all of Forever 21’s assorted clothing lines including their children’s line, HTG81 Kids (the only line I didn’t see was Faith 21; their plus size line [Editor's Note: The Faith 21 line is located on the bottom floor near the shoe department]).



The design of the store was appealing and the mannequins were eye-catching and well- dressed. Considering that there are two floors, it was easier to move through the swarming crowd. The majority of people had shopping bags full of merchandise. Due to the massive crowd, I ended up waiting in the checkout line for a good 25 minutes. But it was worth it considering all of my clothes were free!



Is there anything particularly special about this specific Forever 21? Minus the location, I would say no. I think the location in Pentagon City could compete with it. I do think it is awesome that this location has two floors which obviously gives more space for more clothes and a nicer layout. I just hope they are able to keep everything in decent order and less chaotic than other locations. [Editor's Note: I stopped in Forever 21 on Sunday and was amazed at how you were able to easily move around and shop. Most of the other locations are crammed full, making it difficult to shop.]).

Capitol Fashionista Outing: Modus Union 2010

What a fab event! Modus Union 2010 featured the gorgeous clothes of one of my favorite designers, Lela Rose. Lela Rose brought her amazing Spring 2010 line to DC Fashionistas. Modus Union 2010 is the brainchild of Mary Schmidt Amons, founder of Labels for Love, Inc. Amons started Labels of Love, Inc. in 2006, to produce fashionable events to raise funds and awareness for the foundation's chosen causes. The recipient of last night's proceeds is the Center for Heart, Lung and Kidney Disease at Children's National Medical Center. What a great cause. You just couldn't go wrong with the ABA Agency, Ted Gibson and Jelena Marjanovic backstage pulling it all together for you. There were delish hors d'oeurves and open bar (we had a wonderful mojitos and a spot of champagne). As a fab surprise, Kate Michael of K Street Kate was a model. She looked amazing. Not to mention the hilarious TV crews from The Real Housewives of DC and the Real World DC hanging around filming. I hope this is not a sign of things to come this summer.

So here I am with my PIC, VB. VB had on the most amazing red and black shoes. Folks were giving her big compliments all night. Funny enough, we turned around and a woman was taking a picture of my brown tights (that were fab by the way) and her red/black shoes.



There were artists abound including Maggie O'Neill pictured in the blue dress which she was painting on. Loved that. There were other artists including Lolly Amons, Roxanne Christie, Don Patron, Rodger Schultz, Matt Sesow, and Karen Suderman.





There were these forms which were works of art that were up for auction.

Capitol Fashionista Outing: An Evening With Nick Verreos @ The Corcoran

For a pre-birthday gift to myself, I attended the lecture of Project Runway alum and FIDM Instructor, Nick Verreos. I was so excited because I love him. He was definitely one of my favorites that season. First off, can I just say that I am a total goof. I have no pictures because I totally left my memory card in my laptop. So when I went to turn my camera on, I got the lovely message that there wasn't a memory card found. I was so annoyed with myself. I usually check before I leave the house. Oh, well.

His lecture was fabulous. He was so funny and very candid. He talked about his wonderful, supportive family and his time growing up in Venezuela as his father was a diplomat. His mother, who Verreos credits as his first muse, definitely knew that her son had a star over his head. She made sure that he had sketchbooks galore. He said that he could never remember a time when he didn't have one. He talked about how he would draw ALL THE TIME! That is the mark of a designer. Verreos recalled all of his memories of his mother getting dressed for all of the black tie events that she attended with his father. He also talked about his sister being his fashion guinea pig as she so happily sported all of his designs everywhere that she went. He later shared with the captive audience his journey to Project Runway, Season 2. After much encouragement from the FIDM family, he went to the open call with one dress and his sketchbook. The one and only Tim Gunn was so impressed by Verreos' sketches, that he was chosen on the spot.

He was so gracious to share with us the video of the FIDM 2009 Senior Class collections. The senior collection fashion show at FIDM is accurately called "Debut." Love that. Not only were the designers extremely talented, but I had to give big props to the videographers and video designers who pulled that amazing footage together. It was so inspiring to see the excitement in their faces as well as the confidence that clearly stated to all that they were on their way to make their marks in the fashion world.

Of course, he had a Q & A session that was not as long as I would have wished. He promised some juicy dirt on the behind the scenes of Project Runway but time didn't allow during the lecture. But he did answer a few questions about what is good style, what is not fashionable and what did he think about the idea of what constitute "black tie." I totally agreed with his assessment that you should NOT wear trends from head to toe, find your own style and figure out how to incorporate a trend into your look, and that black tie no longer means what it should, which is the classic look, tuxedos and gowns. As the evening was coming to a close before we moved on to the reception, a fabulous thing happened to me. He was talking about how fashionable some of the folks in the audience were and then he said "for example...."
and then... HE POINTED TO ME!!!!!!!!!! Can you say that I was floored? He said to me that I was fierce and that "Diva, you are working it." Wow! A hats off to me from a fashion guru. That just made my pre-birthday celebration more than perfect. All in all, it was a great evening. If you ever have the chance to see him speak, don't miss out.

Capitol Fashionista Outing: Mie N Yu

From left to right: Terri, Me, V, Michelle


Okay. You know that I raved about the Krake martini from the Corcoran's Artini event earlier this year. So it was time to enjoy a Krake at the home of its rightful owner, Mie N Yu Restaurant in Georgetown. First of all, the decor was amazing. The middle eastern decor was too fabulous. We sat in the coziest room ever. I was so relaxed and thirsty. We looked on the drink menu but didn't see the Krake. So V asked our server if they could make some. The answer was yes. I could not have been more happy. Boy, it was worth the wait. Our martinis didn't have the crushed candy confetti on the rim but that glass of blue goodness was still delish. Had to have two!

Dinner was scrumptious. I had the most tender piece of beef. I tried to cut it with a steak knife and it just surrendered and fell over. It melted in my mouth. Mmmmm. Too yummy. It was out of this world. Not to mention that it was enough food for two people. We all had amazing meals. The atmosphere was also perfect. Initially, they were playing middle eastern music but after awhile they went old school! I heard songs that I hadn't heard in a long time, like "West End Girls." Total blast from the past. I am adding Mie N Yu to my list of regular dinner spots. I was very impressed. If you go, ask for the Krake. Also try the lettuce wraps (V, Michelle and Terri loved 'em) and the lamb kabobs as appetizers.