Discuss: DC Fashion Week

Fashionistas all aflutter at the Capitol--but for what?

By QB Provocateur
QuailBellMagazine.com

Conservative. Stodgy. Traditional. Conformist. Keep thumbing through the thesaurus and hunt for other similar and vaguely related words to capture the look of stereotypical Washingtonian fashion. 

Washington, D.C.'s style has never been the thing of national worship. If anything, it's been the thing of national ridicule. (Yeah, even the urban stuff on U Street hasn't ever reached Harlem heights.) You have a choice between a navy suit and a gray one. That's part of the reason why DC Fashion Week popped up: to give the U.S. capital city fashionista cred. 

The other reason? Let's be real: Money. More interest in D.C. fashion means more business for local designers, boutiques, and everybody else involved in the art and retail of clothes. So has that happened? DC Fashion Week took place from September 17-23, 2012. It's been two months. The Fall/Winter collections will be paraded about from February 18-24, 2013, so we're at the perfect midpoint for examination and reflection.

What sort of economic impact have you observed in D.C.'s fashion industry? Do you have any real numbers? How much of any "progress" made is purely psychological? Discuss, discuss! (Right here. Add a comment. That's how the Internet works.)