Capturing DC’s Street Style at the Moment
Reported by Allicia
Has the stigma about DC’s bland sense of style gone away since Michelle Obama moved to the White House or Robin Givhan’s return back to Washington paved way for focus on DC’s fashion?
DC’s fashion is generally associated to dark two-piece suits with a complimenting white button up as a reference to Government employees. In a scene from Reese Witherspoon’s “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde”, Elle Woods (played by Witherspoon) was filmed in a pink outfit marching up the steps of the U.S. Capitol surrounded by an army of “boring” DC Hill staffers decked in black suits. That scene was a great representation of the stereotype that other city’s place on us – one that I dislike hearing around out of town folks. Since the “Legally Blonde 2″ movie debuted in 2003, the fashion scene has certainly changed in the District.
My father in front of the Capitol, 1980
I’ve always felt that style has existed in Washington for years – if not for decades, which stems back to the days of Jackie Kennedy as a resident in Georgetown. The city’s fashion was under the radar until the late 2000’s, which is attributed to the rise of the street style blogging on the Internet.
Before, no one praised the city’s style, wrote about fashion related events and few photographers captured photos of fashionably conscious men and women on the streets of DC. Websites like ProjectBeltway and PandaMag emerged on to DC’s blogosphere, paving way for an opportunity to document the stories behind the people involved in retail and fashion and photographers captured the most stylish residents.
The Washington Post also took notice of street style in the Style section. Recently, the Style staff unveiled “Scene In”. The feaured film series takes place in different locations and events (Dupont, Capitol Hill, the Duke Ellington School – Georgetown, Jazz in the Garden and U Street) to highlight the city’s style. “Scene In” also takes street style on the internet up another notch by incorporating , photographs and background music. Every two weeks, I look forward to visiting the WaPo’s website for the latest episode.
The First Family, 2009 (Source: Chuck Kennedy-Pool/Getty Images)
We may not have a Sartorialist (Photographer Scott Schuman’s street style blog) but we have many references to DC’s fashion at the moment. Check out some of my favorite (new + old) bookmarks. Street Style Features
- Our weekly “Style Buzz” features a photograph of DC residents
- The Washingtonian’s Shop Around Blog, scroll through the blog for features on DC’s style mavens
- Scene Infrom the Washingtonton Post
- PandaHead & PandaHeadMag
- Project Beltway
- kiDGQ‘s Street Style posts, also a DC style blog for guys
Photographers
- Tracy‘s, Fitsum’s, Dakota‘s & Garai Rice’s Flickr, all three photographers have various photos taken all over the city
- Yospyn’s Flickr, his photographs are featured in WaPo & “Scene In”
- Lady Glock’s Blog, Dafnia post photos of chicks with kicks, sneakerheads, people from music events & more
DC Fashion Related Websites
- (Commonwealth + Stussy DC + FTGG) The Block DC’s Blog
- Treasury’s Blog (formerly known as Listopad), also has guest postings on our website
- Palace 5ive’s product updates
- The President Wears Prada
- Urban Outfitter DC’s Blog
- WaPo’s Fashion & Beauty
- DURKL‘s Blog
- DC Goodwill
- The City Paper’s Crafty Bastards
- Cusp DC’s Blog
- Righteous(re)Style
- DC Examiner
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