Testing 1-2-3: Gigi for Racked DC

Shopping and style intellegence

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STORECASTING: Drybar Arrives in Georgetown and Bethesda

It's hair! We mean, it's here! Drybar, that is--you might know it as the salon taking the hair world by storm. With the simple philosophy of "No cuts. No color. Just blowouts," Drybar prides itself on focusing on one thing and being the best at it. Luckily for us, with the arrival of not one but two Drybars coming to town, your chances of getting the perfect blowout just doubled. Georgetown's store will be located at 1825 Wisconsin Avenue, and the Bethesda location is set for Bethesda Row. Both salons open their doors next month but you can start booking appointments at either one TODAY. And don't worry, there's an app for that. 

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RACKEDWIRE: Shopping Scavenger Hunt; Worn Magazine Launch Party

ALEXANDRIA--Here's one way to combine a love of shopping and the thrill of the hunt. For its fifth birthday the Old Town Boutique District is giving you a present by donating $7,000 worth of gift cards to participating merchants as part of their Annual Scavenger Hunt. Here's how it works. You download a passport, scout out each of the 35 participating stores sometime between this Friday and Sunday, get your passport stamped at each of the stores, turn it in at Periwinkle, grab your goodie bag, and you're good to go. You will automatically be entered to win a $100 gift card or the grand prize--a $3,500 shopping spree. Happy birthday to all.

CAPITOL SKYLINE-- We recently clued you in that Worn Magazine is back in business so consider this a reminder that on Saturday they're teaming up with Brightest Young Things for an official welcome-back shindig. Tickets to the party at the Capitol Skyline Hotel are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Be prepared for drinks, dancing, and deets on Worn Magazine's new online shopping venture, wornabroad.com. There's only one rule, "arrive in style." Obvi. (BYT)

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STREET SCENES: Prints That Charmed at H St. Festival 2012

Today's Street Scenes subjects are who we're calling the "Prints Charming Ladies" of this past weekend's H Street Festival. Vote for your favorite patterned lady below.

(Theoretically a poll would be here.)

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FASHION WEEK: Say What? Bill O'Reilly vs. Fashionistas

Bill O’Reilly has a history of saying ridiculous things, but hasn’t directed much of his commentary on the fashion world--until now. For some strange reason O’Reilly decided to send his so-called “man of fashion” Jesse Watters to New York Fashion Week to survey the scene and the people. Waters interviewed Fashion Week attendees--among them Ivana Trump, Kimora Lee Simons, and LuAnn de Lesseps of Real Housewife fame-- or the "idle rich" as O'Reilly called them, and the segment aired on Monday on Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor. Overall the five minute clip above presents a pretty outlandish and skewed piece that trivializes what went down last week in the city--and the fashion industry in general.

O'Reilly's condescending clip depicts the fashion world as a bunch of overprivileged cake eaters, yet at the same time he tries to claim that women in fashion are "starving" and "eat nothing," based off of the faulty comprehension of one model's quote. (We don't know what the men eat because he doesn't even interview any; apparently there are no men in fashion.) "Money is no object to these people," he claims, "they're spending $5-6,000 thousand on their little dresses." Nota bene: The two brands actually mentioned in the clip--H&M and BCBG--cost nowhere near those prices. And as we all know, there is more to fashion than spending money on "little dresses," anyway. Need a refresher? Watch this.

Nowhere does he mention, or even allude to, the fact that the fashion world is an international industry built on hard work, long hours, dedication, and perseverance. From the loyal unpaid interns to tycoons like Lagerfeld, the fashion industry spans a wide spectrum of positions for men and women of many talents, backgrounds, and skills, not just the chosen few Watters decided to interview in his clip. It's a world that is bigger than expensive dresses and skinny models and mindless fashionistas.

O'Reilly clearly needs to do a little more research before publicizing misleading claims about a world that he's never really explored, to our knowledge. Maybe Mercedes Benz should send some press credentials to The O'Reilly Factor for next year. Then again, Kimora probably had the right idea when she said, "O'Reilly? I don't think so." (Refinery 29)

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INTELLIGENCE: The Return of Worn Magazine

Worn Magazine--the District's only independently published fashion mag--disappeared last summer after only three issues, but now it’s back and better than ever. The Adams Morgan-based publication ”intended to bring greater awareness of fashion and art to the District and to the world” returns this month with issue number 4: The Transport Issue. (For a video preview of the issue see here.) After an impressive travel stint around the world, Worn editor-in-chief Nicole Aguirre came back to the District with a dual mission. She wanted to keep promoting fashion locally through the magazine by featuring local designers, shops, and models, but she also saw a chance to bring the styles she saw abroad back home. Aguirre told The Washington Post, "I was inspired by traveling to lots of cities after seeing clothes and accessories not available here in the States."

That inspiration led her team up with Dandies and Quaintrelles founder Eric Brewer to create Worn Abroad, a new online boutique catering to those interested in styles from up-and-coming designers and small international designers. The first round of goods hail from Australia, South Korea, and Mexico, and the key to shopping success on WornAbroad is acting fast--once an item sells out, it's gone for good. Brightest Young Things luckily got a preview of some of the items, see below for two of our favorite looks.

To find out even more about Worn Magazine and Worn Abroad, head over to their launch party, co-hosted by BYT, happening this Saturday at Capitol Skyline Hotel. We'll see you there!

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CLICKAGE: DC Fashion Week Kicks Off; Burberry Prorsum Shines in London

National:

DC Fashion week kicks off (Washington Post)

Christina Aguilera (clearly) "loves showing her cleavage" (HuffPo Style)

New designers pitch in for Obama's Runway to Win (WWD)

International:

Burberry Prorsum shines in London with candy-colored sateen trenches (WWD)

In the studio with London's Peter Pilotto and his unique printed pieces (T Magazine)

Online:

How to dress like an editor (Fashionista)

Are unpaid fashion internships illegal? (NY Times)