I heart DC Style, pt. VII

Sorry for my absence today, but I've been feeling really under the weather lately (and yes, I'm sure it's 100% attributable to my choice of impractical footwear), so after my fourth straight night of getting fewer than six hours of sleep and waking up this morning with a sore throat, I decided enough was enough -- I need to take a 'sick' day.

So I'm here at home with my life partner slash Florence Nightingale, three Tivo-ed two-hour episodes of QVC's "Gourmet Holiday" and a lovely little bowl of Campbell's tomato soup doing my best to build back up my immune system.

To keep you occupied until Monday, please to read my newest post for DC STYLE on how to dress for your office's weekend holiday party

And in case you missed the first installment - how to dress for a weekday holiday party - you can check that out here as well.

Have a good weekend,

Johanna

p.s. just so you know, I had NOTHING to do with the selection of that Laundry by Design strapless dress

p.p.s. the beautiful Vanessa Bruno mini is now on-sale over at Bop!

From me to you

Just a quick note to extend my thanks to all those who showed up last night at the Topaz for DC STYLE's Shopping & Champagne event and endured the crowds, the fast-dwindling alcohol and the hard-to-locate aperitif tables.

Despite the tight shoe-box-iness of the space, I was able to meet and talk at length with many of you, which, contrary to the ice-bitch blog exterior many assume I manifest in real life as well (which is not true, at least according to my Mother), truly made my month.

For the 150 of you who picked up the gift bag, please to let me know honestly how the think5 bars taste. I have one in my bag ready to replace my Cosi salad, but I must say, I'm more than a little wary of something that small that weighs that much that claims to have both watercress powder and chocolate liquor as ingredients.

Have a great weekend, and seriously, if you haven't locked down a dress for your holiday parties, there are amazing sales going on at wishlist stores like Net-a-Porter, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf's, Barney's and eLuxury -- take advantage of the markdowns and invest in a lifetime piece instead of plunking down $150 at Banana Republic for a regular-priced, one, maybe two season stunner.

Just a thought.

see you on Monday,

Johanna

Kick off the holiday season this Thursday with some bubbly

What: DC STYLE's Shopping & Champagne event

Where: The Topaz Hotel (1733 N St., NW -- next door to the Tabard Inn)

When: this Thursday, 6 -9pm

Why: *free* Champagne and *free* gift bags for the first 150 attendees

RSVP: click here

See you there!

I heart DC Style, pt. VI

Need help cracking the code of what to wear to a weekday, just-after-work holiday party? If you do (or you just happen to miss me today), click on over to my post at DC Style for some helpful tips and a few recommendations.

thoroughly enjoying my day off,
J

November 29th - mark it in your Outlook calendars

Though I'd like nothing more than to claim my post-work plans always include shopping and a neverending flow of Champagne with a boutique hotel backdrop, the truth is, I've never actually gotten my shop on while under the influence.

At least not under that influence and not in a public setting.

And considering I was able to somehow justify using both Bop's and Saks' 20%-off online coupons last week (for serious, I so needed a new black daybag) with nary a sip of the sauce, I think keeping my credit card and my beer bottle separate is in my holiday shopping budget's best interest.

But as we all well know, exceptions must be made, and if you enjoy indulging in some permutation of Champagne imbing, dessert forgoing (it'll be just after Thanksgiving, after all), clothing and accessory purchasing, blue leather furniture lounging, raffle prize winning, and my favorite, DC BFD watching, please to mark your calendars "TAKEN" for the evening of Monday, November 29th and come join the DC Style family and their fashionable friends from 6-9pm at the Topaz Hotel in Dupont Circle.

See you there!

I heart DC Style, pt. IV

There’s no hiding that I’m a heightist when it comes to footwear.

In my opinion, medical conditions aside, a three to five inch boost is always in a woman’s best interest. With legs lengthened, calves defined and confidence boosted, a woman in a pair of sky-high stilettos will walk out her front door feeling her best, ready to do her best.

That is, however, assuming she knows how to walk in them properly.

Like any daunting task, from speaking in public to making the first move on a smartly-dressed man 20 years your senior, learning to walk effortlessly in a skinny-stemmed high heel, especially in busy city environs, is no easy task. And while I applaud the many women in DC who seem to be working toward this goal by wearing what I like to call “training heels” (i.e., the sturdy, one-inch block-heeled pumps pictured above), I’ve come to a point after seeing many of you wear this one-step-away-from-Plymouth-Rock footwear for months, even years on end, where I must ask the question:

Haven’t you figured it out by now?

If your answer is, “yes,” what are you waiting for? Slip on those stilettos - I suggest these to start - and own your sexy, taller self as soon as possible!

If your answer is “yes…I think,” let’s graduate slowly to grown-up pumps with a wide-strapped Mary Jane, like these from Max Studio ($159.99 at heels.com), or a held-in-tight T-strap like these from Dolce Vita ($121 from pinkmascara.com). Either way, if you fall, at least your shoes will still be attached to your feet.

If your answer is “no,” then I suggest continuing to practice in the confines of your home and wearing a more pleasing-to-the-eye flat when you head out the door like this simple ballet flat from Scoop ($121 at scoopnyc.com) that comes in eight beautiful shades of satin-y stylish.

*for the DC Style version of this post, please head on over to their website

I heart DC Style, pt. III

To those who read my blog regularly, it won’t come as a surprise that I luh-luh-love this over-the-top look* from Lanvin’s Spring/Summer ’08 ready-to-wear collection.

As I often say, the more dramatic the neckline, the more straight-legged the trouser, the more challenging the heel-height, and the more neutral the color palette the better.

This is not to infer that wearing this shoulder-baring, asymmetric ruffled blouse, high-waisted black cigarette pant and six-inch stacked-heel patent peep-toe ensemble in a professional setting would earn my approval, however, because even though I favor statement pieces like these, I favor even more the adherence to a prim, ladylike aesthetic when it comes to dressing for the office.

While the outfit may work for a holiday party at the Hay Adams or opening night of Don Giovanni at the Kennedy Center, there is no way even the most model-like woman in the most fashion-forward industry in this city could wear these three components to work on a Tuesday morning and get away with it, stare-free.

So how can we Boardroom-ify this lovely Lanvin look?

Up top, select a neckline with a less voluminous ruffle, a sleeve that flatters your upper-arms and a cut that doesn’t expose great swaths of skin like this belted blouse from Rebecca Taylor ($203 at shopbop.com)

On bottom, opt for a pair that either have the high-waist like these from Anthropologie or the skinny pant leg like these 'Domini' skinny trousers from Theory ($305 at saks.com). Unless you have a lithe, 5’9” or taller frame, drawing attention to both the waist and the legs through fitted silhouettes is a risky choice.

For footwear, as difficult as it is for me to move away from the peep-toe, a closed round-toe pump in matte leather like this 'Marais' pump from Max Studio ($120 at lorisdesignershoes.com) is your best bet, both because the cooler temperatures we’re experiencing as of late demand it and because you’ve already cashed in your showpiece chips with the ruffle detailing in the blouse and the trendy cut of the trousers; go simple with the shoes and let the rest of your outfit earn the attention it deserves.

My last bit of advice, if you do opt for the skinny trouser, is to pair it with a blouse that is meant to be worn over the waistline, not tucked in and cinched with a belt. This will allow more women, even those who wake up and feel a “fat day” coming on, to rock this look with confidence.

For the DC Style version of this post, head on over to my little corner of their style blog...

*photograph taken from Style.com

I heart DC Style, pt. II

After you've finished fantasizing about the creamy beige asymmetric ruffle-necked Lanvin mini I have vowed to someway, somehow* make mine before next October, please be sure to check out my second DC Style installment, a thoughtful critique of DC's ubiquitous butterfly collar.

*in all seriousness, aside from harvesting my dog's organs and paring down my cable package, I will go low - very low - for this one. Lest you forget...

A new bit of real estate

For those of you who actually want more of me, starting today, you can find me on DC Style Magazine's style blog musing once a week on everything from which professional fashion trends have outworn their welcome to on-the-street style interviews (think "Wow, that's a great jacket - where did you get it?" with photographic evidence) to the process of transforming a celebrity/high-fashion look into something more office-appropriate.

You can find my first piece, 'Boardroom-ification with Victoria Beckham,' here.

*Please to note that due to issues of space and the need to appeal to a wider, more accepting-of-others audience, I agreed to tinker with the not-so-economical writing style and judgmental tone you've come to know here at ASJiNE.

And for no real reason other than to prove to you how I quite literally, single-handedly wrote this morning's post last night, here's a sweet snap of the babyshakes and me holding paw/hand after a heartrending four-day separation.