all photos: Franz Mahr
all words: Toni Tileva

Saturday’s Fashion:District was a vibrant testament to the creativity, vitality, and relevance of DC’s fashion scene.   Much akin to the much-maligned, non-existent DC hip hop scene, many would not exactly conflate DC and a fashion hub.  Plainly-put, it is not every day that you find yourself feeling (even a bit) like you are in Pret-A-Porter or The September Issue in the middle of DC and kudos to ReadySetDC for making it happen with such panache and flair.

Ginger Root Design were a true breath of fresh air with vintage-inspired, smart and original designs.

Perfecting the art of upcycling [making something new out of something already in existence], the style was equally parts London-esque, tweed-and-zipper chique and something that Maggie Gyllenhaal would wear in Secretary.  Zooey Deschanel/Manic Pixie Girl would definitely rock Ginger Root! Their designs were funky yet not groan-inducingly, self-referentially hipsterish.  The colors were bold yet the patterns were not busy and relied more on a blocks rather than smashing of patterns approach.  As the only designer to use “normal-sized” models, it was apparent that while Ginger Root make high-end fashion, their clothes were designed with a more pragmatic brush stroke and with at least some concern for practicality.

Their menswear collection was particularly enthralling with two of the more memorable outfits being a tweed jacket with a zipper slicing a diagonal across the front and three leather straps as a closure and gingham shirt under a vest with a three-layered tie composed of overlapping triangles.  The vest had a horizontal band of gray silk on the back, making for an extremely interesting layered visual effect.

Espion presented a really unique line of high-end evening couture.  Some of the dresses were a really innovative mash-up of dominatrix meets Greek-goddess evening gown elegance.   If you can imagine Athena channeling Madonna during the Blonde Ambition tour, you would get a pretty accurate idea.  Other dresses were extremely regal—white and made of a stretchy material for a very sophisticated look.

Hugh & Crye delivered a very trendy men’s business wear line—it was solid and respectable and with more than a little style.

Artaya relied heavily on black, red, and white blocky ensembles with a nod to interesting textures.

SaintCHIC’s style was street-savvy yet high-fashion.  For example, a lot of the skirts and pants relied on a “mummy” technique—they were comprised of overlapping-“bandages”/swaths of fabric.  Definitely very unique and clever, and maybe a bit inspired by elements in industrial-scene wear which has been using straps on men-skirts for a good while now.  The tops showcased really layered framing necklines with a vaguely graffiti-esque feel that was equally parts hip-hop-dancer-sassy and classy.

Sika’s designs screamed creativity.  Some of the fabrics had traditional African prints; some were very Asian.  There were daringly plunging necklines and wee little bottom pieces, with bold colors such as orange and batik-like prints.  Anthropologie would have been jealous!

Durkl’s line this season was downright underwhelming, at worst, and incredibly confusing, at best, especially considering how well-established and popular their line is.  I think I was not alone in my lukewarm response to the fall collection, but maybe like the Post, I just don’t get it.  That’s ok–plenty of people seem to.

Derringer Friday deserve credit for figuring out how to make men’s ties swagger-worthy [common, it’s not an easy job].  Having female models strut around only in men’s shirts and thigh-high boots to “Ain’t Nuthin’ But A G Thing” will do that.  Their end-of-the-show drinking-a-beer signature gimmick was also interesting, if a little befuddling.  Oh, yeah—the ties were great too.

Fashion:District was a perfect mix of flair, swagger, style, finesse, and hard work and definitely an all-around rollicking good time.