fashion

Festivities Begin for NOVA Fashion Week

By Katie Pyzyk

Get ready, fashionistas, because NOVA Fashion Week begins tonight.

Although much smaller than fashion weeks in style hubs such as New York and Paris, the event brings both established and up-and-coming designers to Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) to show off their collections and to give a peek at emerging fashion trends.

Festivities technically kick off tonight (Wednesday) with a VIP cocktail reception, but public availability for tickets to that event will be very limited. The main draws are the fashion shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and the free networking event on Saturday afternoon.

Thursday’s fashion show will benefit foster care non-profit Blessed Haven. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. show, and tickets start at $25. Tickets for the shows on Friday and Saturday start at $25 and begin at 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., respectively. Tickets are required for all festivities, including Saturday’s free networking session, and can be purchased online.

More information can be found on the NOVA Fashion Week website, or through updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fashion Event Tonight at Artisphere — The third annual Cosmo Couture Fashion & Design event is being held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn tonight. The event, which will benefit the My Sister’s Place shelter for women and children, features unique clothing conceived by local architecture and interior design firms. [Cosmo Couture]

Bayou Sandwich Lauded — Bayou Bakery’s (1515 N. Courthouse Road) “Muff-a-Lotta” sandwich has been named one of the 20 best sandwiches in the country by Food & Wine magazine. The Muff-a-Lotta features “a briny garlic-and-oregano-laced olive salad, salami, mortadella, smoked ham and aged provolone in a sesame-seed-studded toasted Italian roll.” [Food & Wine]

Arlington Green Games Return — Arlington County is expanding its “Green Games” energy-and-money-saving competition to restaurants and retailers, starting next week. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

TV Station Looking for Models at Pentagon City Mall

By ARLnow.com

DC50, the CW television station in Washington, will be recruiting models at the Pentagon City mall next weekend.

The station is looking for models for its annual Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Expo, to be held at the Washington Convention Center on Oct. 20. The event features  The event features “multiple fashion shows, free beauty makeovers, book signings, and meet and greets with celebrities.”

The casting call for the expo will be held from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 23, on the third floor of the mall.

“Models chosen to walk during this year’s FBL will get a chance to meet these accredited designers, have portfolio pictures taken, increase their exposure, and the chance to get scouted by New York modeling agencies,” DC50 noted in a press release. “Models will be chosen by Maggy Francois, LLC and Joel Cas Productions.”

Event Gives a Peek Inside Planned ‘NOVA Fashion Week’

By Katie Pyzyk

After a surprise cancellation last October, it looks like Northern Virginia Fashion Week is trying to make a comeback.

The event was cancelled just weeks before it was supposed to kick off at Clarendon Ballroom last fall. Now there’s word that Artisphere is holding an event tomorrow in anticipation of NOVA Fashion Week returning this October.

“Behind the Scenes of NOVA Fashion Week” will let the audience see the preparations that go into pulling off a fashion show. There will be live hair and makeup stylings, as well as a demonstration of how a runway is created.

Attendees can also hear live music, participate in a fashion and technology discussion panel, get a makeover or participate in a photo shoot.

An Artisphere spokeswoman confirmed that space has, in fact, been rented for the event, which runs from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online.

Details for NOVA Fashion Week in October haven’t yet been released. Its website homepage says more is “coming soon.”

Village at Shirlington Begins Monthly Ladies’ Event

By Katie Pyzyk

The Village at Shirlington is kicking off a monthly event aimed toward the ladies. Starting tonight, the first Thursday of every month will be “Shirlie’s Girls Night Out.”

Shops and restaurants will offer a variety of specials, discounts, and trunk shows. Some stores will even offer cocktails or snacks to shoppers.

Participating establishments include CakeLove, Capitol City Brewing Company, Cheestique, Dogma Bakery & Boutique, Extra Virgin Modern Italian Cuisine, Hair Cuttery, Hardwood Artisans, Johnny Rockets, Le Village Marche, Luna Grill & Diner, Periwinkle, Studio Salon & Spa and VisualEyes Optical Boutique.

A similar type of event kicked off Shirlington’s restaurant week in October. Danielle Bolger, Marketing Coordinator for BrandLinkDC, says the event last fall was so successful and there was so much positive feedback, the decision was made to turn it into a monthly happening.

The event officially runs from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., but hours for the specials may vary slightly among the individual establishments. You can see what each store and restaurant will offer on the Village at Shirlington website.

Coach Men’s Store Coming to Pentagon City Mall

By Katie Pyzyk

A high end tenant is getting ready to move into the Pentagon City mall. An advertisement has gone up for Coach Men’s Collection.

It’s located next to the Apple store, and is expected to open in May. The company appears to be accepting employment applications for the new store, according to a note on the ad.

Although Coach is now typically known for its designer women’s handbags, its website says: “Founded in New York in 1941, Coach was originally a men’s leathergoods company.”

The new men’s store will join the already existing women’s Coach store in the mall.

“Top Model” to Hold Casting Call in Pentagon City

By Katie Pyzyk

Here’s a chance to strut your stuff in an attempt to get on television. America’s Next Top Model will be holding a casting call in Pentagon City.

This season will be the “college edition” and casting directors are looking for ladies involved in all types of continuing education. They’ll be recruiting at the Pentagon City mall from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Applicants must be females between the ages of 18 and 27, and need to be at least 5’7″ tall. A filled out application and photo ID are required at the casting call. Additional eligibility requirements are available online.

Photos: Models Strut Their Stuff at Crystal Couture

By ARLnow.com

The talents of local fashion designers has been on display at the annual Crystal Couture fashion show this week.

Each night of the event, which kicked off on Tuesday, models walk the runway sporting the latest trends from local designers and boutiques. In addition to watching the models strut their stuff, attendees can shop at trunk sales, get makeup and hair makeovers, get temporary henna tattoos, and sip wine or beer.

Tonight’s event will feature Hot 99.5’s Sarah Fraser as emcee. Tomorrow night’s finale will be hosted by NBC4’s Angie Goff. Crystal Couture takes place in the former Crystal City Shops food court at 1750 Crystal Drive.

Lots of photos after the jump.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

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‘Couture’ Returns to Crystal City Next Week

By Katie Pyzyk

The annual Crystal Couture fashion show and sale is returning to Arlington next week.

Starting on Tuesday, designers, models and fashionistas will take over the former food court at the Crystal City Shops (1750 Crystal Drive) for five days devoted to all things fashion.

Attendees can take part in trunk show sales, watch models sport the latest trends on the runway, or indulge in food and drinks while taking in music. They can also find deals of up to 50 percent off on items at some boutiques. Makeovers for hair and makeup will be available, as well.

Events run from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each night from Feb. 7 through Feb. 11, and are free to the public. Some of the local personalities who will be hosting the events include NBC4’s Angie Goff, Hot 99.5’s Sarah Fraser, D.C. Magazine’s Karen Sommer Shalett, Pinkline Project’s Philippa Hughes, former Miss D.C. Kate Michael and former America’s Next Top Model contestant Bianca Chardei.

Organizers are promising even more shopping opportunities at this year’s five-day event, where more than 40 local designers and boutiques will be represented. A full list of participants can be found online.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Winter in Crystal City to Feature Wine, Beer & Fashion

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City is planning a series of events to help make the dead of winter a bit livelier.

The Crystal City 1K Wine Walk — which combines light exercise with moderate drinking — will be back for a second year. The event proved popular enough that it’s being expanded. The wine walk will now be held on two consecutive days: Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15. Participants will be led on a one kilometer indoor course under the streets of Crystal City, with wine and snack stations set up along the way.

The following weekend, Crystal City will hold its inaugural 1K Beer Walk. Featuring the same general format as the wine walk, the beer walk will take place on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Sunday, Jan. 22.

Wine and beer walkers will each be given 20 tickets for sips and snacks, and will each receive a “race” t-shirt.

In February, the annual Crystal Couture fashion show will return to the former underground food court at 1750 Crystal Drive.

Promising “five nights of trunk shows, runway shows, music, open bar, free snacks, free makeovers from makeup artists and hair stylists and chats with wardrobe stylists,” the event will take place from 6:00 to 10:00 each night from Feb. 7 to 11. Admission is free.

Organizers say this year’s event will feature more shopping opportunities and up to 50 percent off designer fashions.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

CORRECTION: NOVA Fashion Week Canceled

By Katie Pyzyk

Update at 3:58 p.m. — Northern Virginia Fashion Week was supposed to start today, but the week-long event was scrapped.

A source told ARLnow.com about the event, but hadn’t been informed of the cancellation. She was surprised she hadn’t heard of the change and apologized for the confusion.

The event was slated to kick off at Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd.), but General Manager Nick Langman says he was informed a couple weeks ago the event wouldn’t happen. Langman isn’t sure why the event was cancelled.

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