An exciting endeavor!

After a three-day weekend of fielding friends' and family members' "are you moving to New York?" questions and "you're totally knocked up, aren't you?" concerns in response to the "exciting announcement" I alluded to last Friday, I'm beginning to wish I'd chosen a slightly less emphatic adjective to describe what I'm about to describe.

But then again, what I'm about to describe is, in fact, pretty darn exciting.

For those who know me personally and for those who only know me blogospherically, the word "green" only enters into my vocabulary in the context of that which comes after yellow and before blue and that which tends to make for a stunning hue of evening gown for those with fair skin and mahogany hair.

Put simply, the notion of being green, making green decisions or even thinking about being green or making green decisions is not something with which I've traditionally concerned myself.

But then, shortly after I wrote what one DC blogger rightly referred to as my "Closet Cleaning 101" post, I had the pleasure of being approached by and then spending a couple of hours with the author behind DC's newest green-living blog, "Righteous (re)Style". As a result of that delicious Cake Love meeting, I've now been set straight on my theretofore belief that caring about the environment would somehow shapeshift me into a paunchy, balding, friend-to-the-stars Democrat. Now I understand that just like there exists an avocado, a mint, a kelly and a hunter on green's color spectrum, so too are there gradations when it comes to living a green life.

And so, my first baby step in the direction of doing right by the environment is to co-coordinate (with Ms. Righteous) a one-day consignment event that will embody all things green and all things fashionable. We still have a few details to work out, including the date, location and what color cash register to rent, but what we do know is this:

• The clothing at this event will be high-end, and by that we mean only the gentlest of gently-used professional, cocktail and formal clothing will be accepted
• The only customers admitted to this event will be those who donate between 5-15 items
• Pricing will be the responsibility of each individual donor
• Major credit cards will be accepted
  
• Shortly after the event, you will receive a check for the exact amount of money the sale of your clothing earned
• You will have the choice of either reclaiming those items of clothing that aren't sold or donating them to a to-be-determined DC charity (this decision will need to be made at the time of your drop-off)
  
• There will be a reasonable admission charge to cover costs, the excess of which will be donated to a to-be-determined DC charity
• You will be welcomed to an event that is controlled in attendee size and chaos level -- no bargain bins, no makeup-stained messes, no food* and oh yes, cordoned-off private areas with at least one full-length mirror in which you will be able to admire yourself before making a final decision

Not only will this event provide an intimate opportunity for the style-minded women of Washington to co-mingle but it will also serve as a reminder to those who haven't made much of an environmental effort in the past (pointing at self), that by doing something as simple as extending the life of your clothing through consignment, you're making a contribution to the greater cause of a healthier, greener future.

Now, before Ms. Righteous and I choose a venue, we need to gauge the interest of our respective readerships. We want to know for just how many of you participation in an event like this is something that doesn't just interest you but will actually motivate you to stand in front of your closet, select the highest-quality items of clothing you no longer fit into/need/want, price these items, and drop them off on a pre-determined day at a pre-determined time.

This event is extremely important to both of us, and we want to make it as fabulous and well-coordinated as possible, so please, in the form of a comment or an e-mail, let either of us know as soon as you can that you'd like to join us in making our beloved DC a little bit greener and a lot more stylish.

best,
Johanna


*clear, green-minded cocktails, however, are on our must-have list...