Celebrate our Warriors on Veterans Day

Tonight from 6-8 Bethesda's Ginger boutique will host a trunk show of jewelry by Suzanne Somersall in honor of Veteran's Day. All sales benefit the Wounded Warrior Project (both Allis' husband and store owner Gretchen Hitchner's husband are active military). If you're not familiar with Allis' jewelry, you should be. Her depictions of delicate sparkling flowers and elegant coral are just part of one of her fabulous lines of fine jewelry. Plus, a $15 raffle ticket lets you donate directly to Wounded Warriors while entering you in a contest to win a piece of jewelry worth $1,000. Enjoy cupcakes, bubbly and of course, Ginger's new winter lines.

Ginger Snapped

In case you missed it, here are some snapshots from the fun party at Ginger last Thursday in honor of jewelry designer Suzanne Somersall Allis' Sakura collection -- just in time for the cherry blossoms. Left is the spectacular spring window display. Owner Gretchen Hitchner stocks her shop with the most fabulous clothes: I could chuck most everything in my closet and restock with Yoana Baraschi and Calypso. (Although, I must admit I made a mad dash to the cupcakes by Fancy Cakes by Leslie before I even got close to the dressing room...)


Suzanne Somersall Allis loves the cupcakes too! (Photo by Mark Silva)


Chocolate cupcakes with a secret cherry surprise


Suzanne's sparkling rings


Gorgeous display--love Cupcake wine


Miya Aoki provided Japanese koto music


Spring shoes! Note the peek-a-booties and the slide perched on a stack of Cathy Alter's books

Can't Judge a Boutique by its Cover

Drop inside Ginger, the upscale women's boutique on Bethesda Row, and you'll often find more going on inside than beautiful clothes. The store's Veterans Day event in support of the Wounded Warrior Project had locals pouring in to help launch Suzanne Somersall Allis' in-store jewelry boutique and support our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The emotion was evident on the designer's face as she described how happy she was to be able to see her husband Brian, a Marine stationed in Afghanistan, when he arrives home soon for a two-week break. Not only did we love Suzanne's ethereal pieces--delicate starfish, coral, and sparkly flowers--we sipped bubbly and enjoyed appetizers from Redwood and sweets from Georgetown Cupcake. Providing great conversation was a slew of fashion-conscious writers--friends of Ginger owner Gretchen Hitchner, a former Capitol Hill press secretary who received her master's degree from Johns Hopkins. My daughter even popped in for a surprise visit with her friends. The highlight for her was meeting Cathy Alter, the heroine of memoir Up for Renewal.

Above, Suzanne shows off her Lemon pendant necklace, inspired by Pablo Neruda's poem, A Lemon.