DC fashion: Is it a melting pot or cauldron?

President Obama's Inauguration crowd

Washington, DC represents the seat of government not just for the U.S. but, for the entire free world yet, DC has long struggled to find its place in fashion.

Roughly two years ago, the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce formed to assist a thriving fashion economy by working with local designers and members to grow their respective businesses.  Why did DC need this type of trade association?  Walking or driving along the streets of DC allows you to see the businesspeople in upper Northwest buttoned up in their suits; the Bohemian-types tooling along the U Street corridor in a menagerie of fabrics; the students bustling about at American University, Howard University, or Catholic University in their sweats and jeans; and the various other areas that comprise the DC metro area and the intermix of colors, fabrics, textures and styles.  What you will walk away with is a sense, or better yet a question..."How do I categorize DC's fashion flavor?"

Unlike New York City where the fashionable scurry about and the victims strive for anonymity, DC fashion is truly a cauldron of disparate parts rather than a fluid melting pot of consistent style.  While other cities have taken advantage of the influx of cultures, personalities and backgrounds to integrate them into their city's style norms, it would appear that DC has been overrun by the same influx and thus, has never quite got its footing.

With a little 'breathing room', a lot of help from the fashion community that is harnessing its power through organizations such as GWFCC, and a gentle nudge from fashionistas like our First Lady, Michelle Obama, DC has a wonderful opportunity to transition from its status as a cauldron of fashion doom to a melting pot of fashion know-how.

Stay tuned as we track DC's progress (or regression) toward becoming not just the center of government in the free world but, a center of style and sophistication if only for its residents.