A New Picture of Dorian Gray

Looking for something different to do this weekend? Expand your literary horizons at Bethesda's Round House Theatre and see Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's world premiere of The Picture of Dorian Gray based on the novel by Oscar Wilde (one of my faves). A nice break from the political swirl going on just outside in D.C. Here is what Artistic Director Blake Robison has to say about the play (straight from Round House):

"I grew up reading Spiderman comic books and 19th century British fiction. So you might say that my tastes are eclectic. But when I met Roberto, I realized that these two forms are not really so far apart. If one of today's most accomplished young playwrights can also write for Marvel Comics and HBO's Big Love, then Wilde's gothic masterpiece and Roberto's distinct vision should be a compelling theatrical marriage...Roberto is the right guy for the job. His sensibility is everything that Dorian Gray needs to catapult it into the 21st century: it is sharp, clever, provocative, and visual. When I learned that the novel has been an artistic touchstone for him, it became an opportunity for collaboration that we just couldn't pass up. Roberto and Wilde co-exist in a world of bravado and style, and this Dorian Gray is born from the intersection of their lives....Today's Dorian Gray is indeed a new play, inspired by Wilde and filtered through the unpredictable landscape of Roberto's imagination."

Sounds like a winner.

September 9 - October 4
Tickets start at $25; Click here or call 240.644.1100

District Sample Sale Next Week!

There are still tickets available for the biggest sale event of the season, D.C.'s District Sample Sale, which benefits Rachael's Women's Center, a D.C. daytime shelter for homeless women. The sale takes place Sept. 16 in Georgetown at 3336 M Street, NW. Browse designer names from fave MoCo boutiques like Daisy Too, Ginger, Imagine, Luna and Urban Chic and get huge discounts on apparel, shoes and accessories. There are a host of other shops there as well, including Wink, Periwinkle, Caramel and Simply Soles. While VIP tickets are gone, you can still enjoy the sale for $40 or as a benefactress for $250. Enjoy nibbles from DC restaurants, cocktails, a silent auction and bargains, bargains, bargains.

Plaiding It

I did plaid way back when. I sported a bright plaid maxi coat that was not only fit for inner-tubing down mountainsides, it caught my then-boyfriend's eye. So with a rich plaid history that cannot be outdone, I prefer to try something new. But then I saw these Bettye Muller shoes at Sassanova:


and this Nanette Lepore "Walk of Fame" coat (which kind of, in name at least, reminds me of my famous coat):

and suddenly I'm less plaid-resistant. Both of these make a fabulous foil to basic black, which except for chocolate brown, is my constant winter-chic color of choice. Plaid away, little schoolgirls!

Making fall fashion dreams reality

A couple of posts ago I was waxing poetic on the dreamy vintage romance of fall fashion. I snapped back to affordable reality when I received the new White House Black Market catalog. They nail it. I get the same feel--ruffles, jackets, cloche hats, rows of pearls--with an updated modern sensibility that I'll feel good in while eating sushi outside at Raku. And we're lucky here in MoCo. There's a new White House in Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase and another (with tons of free parking) at Congressional Plaza in Rockville. I'm off to the races. (Plus, the prices sure beat haute couture. Now I can get a matching gamine haircut... )

From Project Runway to Target

Nina Garcia (former fashion director at Elle magazine, now at Marie Claire) dispenses in-store fashion tips Fridays at Target, which seems to be an "in" designer hangout. Today is Target's "Frugalista Friday" and undoubtedly as a tie-in to Garcia's new book, The Style Strategy: A Less-Is-More Approach to Staying Chic and Shopping Smart, she comes up with an on-the-spot look for an unsuspecting shopper in the store. I like the look, but, even though I usually work in big glasses, workout clothes and no makeup, might I have been able to come up with that? Maybe not the belted sweater grande finale. Will we see Nina Garcia prowling around the Rockville store? What fun that would be! Keep your eyes peeled. Click here for the Frugalista Friday shopping video.

Not Gilty

...of spending too much money on big-name items. When I was invited to a party hosted by The Gilt Groupe at the W Hotel last week following a screening of The September issue, I was so busy falling over myself to get there, I didn't pay close enough attention to who was hosting (The Gilt Groupe). I was invited to join and realized Gilt Groupe is an online designer sample sale extravaganza. Note these bargains: Erno Laszlo blush for $19?? Calvin Klein shoes marked down to $98 from $525? Now that's a sale that really says sale to me. There are also specials on Rachel Roy, Alexander McQueen and Rebecca Taylor. Of course I always have to have the T-shirt; love the $30 Fashion's Night Out in black and white.

Waxing Poetic on Fall Fashion

This fall, the ruffle is back and the best looks seem to be the old ones--really old ones. Styles that harken back to the 1920s--skimpy, droopy, filmy skirts, tights, lace-up shoes, rows of pearls. Or take it back to the romantic 1820s, high ruffled collars and jeweled jackets mixed with modern edge--thigh-high boots with a ruffle. Designers--Armani, Bottega Veneta and Isabel Marant-- are coming up with spare dresses with delicate ruffles, billowy scarves and new/old shoes. Make the look a modern reality a la Lagerfeld with high, skinny trousers and lace-up ruffled booties, rows of Chanelesque baubles, a fitted boyfriend jacket over an ebullient Ralph Lauren ruffled blouse or scarf. (If you don't want to keep the poetic-era "shadows" under your eyes, don't worry. La Mer is coming out with concealer in September to take care of that. There ARE benefits to modernity.)

Two great looks as shown in the September Elle magazine