A Diva State of Mind

The Bethesda Row Summer Sidewalk Sale, the annual festival that turns the Bethesda Row quadrant into a festive outdoor street bazaar, offers live entertainment along with unprecedented deals on fashions, housewares, beauty items, furniture and more. The weekend also offers restaurants specials throughout Bethesda Row.

WHEN: Friday, July 19^th, Saturday, July 20^th and Sunday, July 21^st, all day.

WHERE:  Bethesda Row is located in downtown Bethesda on Bethesda Lane, Arlington Boulevard, Bethesda Avenue, Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue. The sidewalk sales will be set up in front of each participating store.  Parking information can be found here:www.bethesdarow.com/parking.

For more information about Bethesda Row, please visit www.BethesdaRow.com or follow them on Facebook at Bethesda Row or on Twitter at @BethesdaRowFRT.

I heard about this documentary a few months ago so imagine my excitement when I received an email today about a private screening!

Ashley Gaga + The Pink Dollhouse are hosting a screening of Scatter My Ashes at Berdorfs on Thursday, July 18th. Audiences will get a peek behind the backroom doors and into the reality of the fascinating inner workings and fabulous untold stories from Bergdorf Goodman’s iconic history. The documentary includes interviews with an array of fashion designers, style icons and celebrities.

Date: Thursday, July 18, 2013

Time: 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Location: AMC Loews Georgetown 14

I can’t wait to hang out in Georgetown and check out the documentary!  To attend, RSVP HERE! Tickets must be purchased no later than July 11, 2013.

Summer officially begins this Friday! If you’re looking to end your work week at a happy hour like most DC folks do, check out the Jump into Summer Happy Hour  on Friday, June 21st at Puro Cafe. The event is hosted by DC Lady Bloggers Dana J of skinnygirlsliketoeattoo.com, Tamika Wilkins of mydesignersdreams.blogspot.com and Sarea-Flo of sareais.blogspot.com.

Guest will enjoy happy hour food and drinks specials while socializing with other DC creatives!

RSVP at http://jumpintosummerdc.eventbrite.com/

I love when two things I love, fashion and community service, come together!

On Thursday, June 20th,  G.L.A.M. (Giving Labels A Meaning) is hosting a summer fashion event to benefit Safe Shores!  The event will include pop-up shops, open bar, raffle, music by DJ MIM and fashion presentation. I am pretending to be a model and participating in the presentation

Featured boutiques include Carnelian Boutique, Bishop Boutique, The Andi Brand, Turquoise, Enise, Drabo Gallery and Runway on Wheels.  The raffle will feature items from Fornash, Rachel Mulherin, Blair Ritchey, Hobo, The Andi Brand and Love Cortnie.

What I love is that 100% of the proceeds will benefit Safe Shores, an organization that provides intervention, hope and healing for children and families affected by abuse, trauma and violence in the District of Columbia, and prevents child abuse through education and training.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at http://givinglabelsameaning2013.eventbrite.com/ If you love fashion, why not spend your Thursday shopping, enjoying treats AND supporting a great organization?!

Celebrity Jewelry Designer Deborah Mdurvwa is hosting her first Baltimore Pop-Up Shop on Sunday, June 9th. The intimate shopping experience will be held at The Lovelace Showroom located in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore, MD.  The event will be hosted by fashion blogger Teena Leone of Fashion For Breakfast and feature special guest host R&B singer Lil Mo!!

Guests will  enjoy shopping the new spring/summer Mdurvwa Collection, light hors d’oeuvres and mini cupcakes provided by Kendria’s Kupkakes.

Check out some of Deborah’s pieces on her website and Instagram page.

RSVP to the Pop-Up Shop here: http://mdurvwabmorepopupshop.splashthat.com/

Hosted by Nife O. of Skinny Hipster and fashion/beauty blogger, Naja of NajaDiamond.com, the POP-UP BEAUTY LOUNGE will transform the La Petite Marmoset showroom into a live fashion and beauty lounge.  Guests will enjoy cupcakes by Red Velvet Cupcakery, holiday hair consultations from celebrity hair stylist Adrin “Seven” Washington and more.  The lounge will also feature models donning holiday looks for those female guests whose schedules are overflowing with company parties and family gatherings.

The first 50 guests will receive a gift bag featuring products from the following sponsors: IMAN Cosmetics, African Pride hair care, Crux NY jewelery, Kiehl’s skin care (Georgetown), Plush Beautiq, Seven and Company, and Phyto hair care.

A portion of proceeds from sales at La Petite Marmoset will go to benefit the Red Sprinkle Fashion Camp.  You may recall, the shopping soirée I hosted earlier this year also supported the Red Sprinkle Fashion Camp. The camp encourages entrepreneurship in creative careers amongst young women in the DC metropolitan area.  

The event is FREE. RSVP http://popupbeauty.eventbrite.com/#

On Monday, I was invited to attend the Nordstrom Rack Tysons Corner sneak peek event. The new Nordstrom Rack is located on Leesburg Pike right next to Fairfax Square. The new store is HUGE!  It’s two levels with women’s clothing and shoes taking up the entire second floor.

Upon arrival, each guest was given a Nordstrom Rack bag (I look forward to using when I go shopping in Montgomery County or DC since they charge $.5 per bag). The sneak peek allowed guests to enjoy drinks, food and shop.  I’m not sure what’s featured at other Nordstrom Rack stores in the area, but Tysons Corner featured major designers including Alice + Olivia, Michael Kors, Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang, Tracy Reese and many more.

Check out a few sneak peek pictures:

I didn’t do a lot of shopping at the sneak peak event.  The lines to the fitting rooms were long and although they did sell designer labels for less, the prices were more than I wanted to spend so I opted for this Kensie sweater on clearance.

If you’re interested in shopping at the new Nordstrom Rack location, the store opens Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 9am. Happy Shopping!

The Olympics is ultimately the best sporting event and unfortunately we have to wait every four years to experience greatness from some of the most amazing athletes in the world.  Gymnastics is one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics; there’s never a dull moment. And this year, Gabrielle Douglas was one of the “Fab Five” USA gymnasts to bring excitement to the sport.

Dubbed the “Flying Squirrel,” Douglas was the only member of Team USA to secure her spot during the Olympics Trials. Yes that means, she was so good, there was no doubt she’d be representing Team USA in London. She is the first African American to compete in the sport on the world’s biggest stage since Dominique Dawes in 1996.  That’s right, it’s been 16 years (where has the time gone!??!). 

Douglas began training in gymnastics at the early age of six thanks to her sister who convinced their mom to enroll Douglas in classes.  By the time she was 14 years old, she moved from Virginia Beach, VA to West Des Moines, Iowa to train with one of the best gymnastics coaches, Liang Chow (Shawn Johnson’s coach).  Over the last two years, she has competed in a number of competitions:

2010

• 2010 US Junior National Championships – Silver medal on balance beam
• 2010 Pan American Championships – Won the uneven bars title, U.S team won gold

2011

• 2011 CoverGirl Classic – Silver medal on the uneven bars
• 2011 National Championships -Tied for third on uneven bars.
• Named to the 2011 U.S. World Championships Team

2012

• 2012 Visa Championships – Silver in the all-around

The list above is impressive but it doesn’t stop there.  This past Tuesday, Douglas helped the “Fab Five” win gold at the Olympics. She was the only member of the team to compete in all four events (beam, vault, uneven bars and floor), which means her score accounted for 30% of the team’s overall score. Talk about pressure!  To add to that success, today, Gabrielle Douglas became the first African American to win a gold medal in the all-around competition!!!! Way to go Gabby!

I’ll admit, before the Olympic trials, I had never heard of Gabrielle Douglas. While Gymnastics is one of my favorite sports to watch during the Games, I don’t watch it otherwise.  What is so exciting about Gabrielle Douglas is that she is humble, gratefully and has become a role model for young African American girls everywhere.  Now more than ever, we need to see more positive imagery of our young women.  Gabrielle Douglas is doing an amazing job showing us what is means to have faith, work hard and believes that anything is possible. 

Gabrielle Douglas, you have truly made us proud! Congratulations Diva!!

Dewdrop is hosting the Tangerine Tango Swap to support Goodwill. Attendees are asked to bring unwanted yet stylish items to the swap in exchange for items from other fashionistas. Bring five items or more of like-new or vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. Then, fill up a bag with as many items as you brought in. All sizes are welcome and encouraged. In light of the hot color-blocking trend, and tangerine tango as the “it” color, summer season items are only accepted, and items are not limited to only this color. All remaining clothing from the swap will be donated to Goodwill.

Date: Saturday, June 30, 2012

Time: Drop-off time 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Swap opens at 2:30pm and ends at 4:00pm.

Location: Vapiano (4900 Hampden Lane Bethesda, MD) Located one two blocks from Bethesda Metro

Dewdrop will give away swag bags to the first 50 registrants online. Tickets are $10 if purchased in advance and $15 at the door with at least five items at both price points. Tickets are available at http://dewdrop.eventbrite.com.

For swap ready clothing tips, click HERE.

Dewdrop is a producer of fashion events, specifically fashion-forward clothing swaps, where stylish locals gather in a fun environment and swap clothes, promoting sustainable living through fashion. We have a style blog, www.dewdropdc.com, dedicated to bringing people the latest in style by highlighting indie designers, vintage curators, second-hand and restyled clothing, local retailers, as well as related events in DC.

Tuesday night, I attended the April edition of #SpinInTheCity hosted by Roc Nation artist Bridget Kelly. I was so excited to attend because I’ve always wanted to attend these events in the past but usually had a scheduling conflict.

#SpinInTheCity is a night that celebrates females deejays and female oriented non-profits. The non-profit beneficiary of Tuesday’s event was D.R.EA.M. Life, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which provides mentorship and resources to young, single mothers in the DC metro area.

Guest enjoyed music by DJ Bryte, complimentary cocktails by Ciroc and Qream and delicious cupcakes by KedaKakes. Guest also had the option to enjoy free manicures, lip color from Polish Beatiq and shop a fabulous jewelry collection by District Charm.

I purchased the $10 raffle ticket to benefit D.R.E.A.M. Right before the raffle was announced, I stated to Naseya “I never win anything.” Lo and behold, my raffle ticket was called and I won a fabulous pair of pink Reebok sneakers!

Thank you Yodit of TalkofDC, Shoe City, SuiteNation, Reebok, Ciroc and Qream for a wonderful evening! I look forward to attending future #SpinInTheCity events.

For more pictures, visit TheSeventhDistrict.com